The Sales Agent in the Model Home Is Not Your Agent
This is the single most important thing to understand about new construction. The person who greets you at the model represents the builder and is paid by the builder. Bringing your own agent costs you nothing, because builders budget for buyer representation. The catch is registration: most builders require your agent to be with you or registered on your very first visit, and touring without them can forfeit your representation in that community entirely.
Where the Money Actually Moves on a New Build
Builders resist cutting base price, because a recorded low sale affects the appraisals for every remaining home in the community. What they will move on is everything else: closing cost credits, permanent or temporary rate buydowns, design center allowances, included upgrades, and sometimes lot premiums. A buyer focused only on sticker price often leaves the larger concession on the table.
The Builder Lender Question
The best incentive package is frequently tied to using the builder in-house lender. That is rarely a hard requirement, but the credit can be large enough to outweigh a slightly better rate elsewhere, or not. The only way to know is to get an outside quote and compare total cost, not headline rate, side by side.
Where Resale Wins
An established home comes with comparable sales you can price against, mature landscaping, a neighborhood whose character is already visible, and usually a location closer in. You can also negotiate on price directly, and an inspection gives you real leverage. What you take on is age: roof, HVAC, water heater, and plumbing all have finite lives, and in Florida roof age directly drives what insurance costs.
HOA, CDD, and the True Monthly Number
Many newer Central Florida communities carry both HOA dues and a CDD assessment, the latter appearing on your tax bill to fund community infrastructure. Together they can add a few hundred dollars a month that never shows up in a mortgage calculator. Established neighborhoods often have lower fees or none, which can close a price gap that looked decisive at first.
Timeline and Risk
Move-in-ready inventory homes can close in weeks. A to-be-built home takes months, and delivery dates move. If you are selling a home or ending a lease, that uncertainty is a real cost and needs planning around. Resale timelines are shorter and far more predictable.
Inspect the New Home Anyway
New does not mean flawless. An independent inspection, ideally at pre-drywall as well as before the final walkthrough, catches issues while the builder remains obligated to correct them at no cost. Skipping it to avoid a few hundred dollars is among the more expensive savings a buyer can make.
