New Construction vs. Existing Home: Selling Against a Builder
4 min read · Last updated 2026-10-08 · Reviewed by Joseph Mena, CFO of Cash Flow Deals.
Price your house against what a new home really costs a buyer, not the builder's list price. Many builders are cutting. In the National Association of Home Builders' September 2026 survey, 38% of them cut prices. Then sell what most new homes for sale can't give a buyer yet: a finished house. At the end of August 2026, just 113,000 of the 483,000 new houses for sale were complete, by seasonally adjusted Census Bureau estimates. That's your edge on timing. Cash Flow Deals gives you the Fast Cash Offer, where we buy your house as-is and close, and the Premium Cash Offer, where a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you. You choose.
| A buyer from your listing | Premium Cash Offer | Fast Cash Offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who buys | The buyer your listing brings in | A pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, who pays more and buys directly from you | Cash Flow Deals buys the house as-is |
| Listing and showings | Listed, with showings | A pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have buys directly from you | No listing. One walk-through by our team |
| Inspection period | The days your contract sets | 15 business days | 15 business days |
| Closing | The date in your contract | 45 days or less, on a date you help pick | 45 days or less, on a date you help pick |
| If the buyer's financing falls through | Your contract's terms decide what happens next | You can still take the Fast Cash Offer | Not applicable: we're the buyer |
Set Your Price Against What Builders Actually Charge
Decide which homes set your price before you list. If builders are selling near you, their new houses belong in that set, and the number on their sign isn't always the deal a buyer gets.
In the National Association of Home Builders' September 2026 survey, 38% of builders cut prices. That's close to the 39% of September 2025. The average cut was 6%, up from 5% a year earlier. Incentives were more common still: 66% of builders in that survey used them, against 65% a year earlier.
So ask a builder's sales office what it's offering this month. Then price against that. Not the sign.
Our view: an asking price isn't a sale price. That goes for a builder's too. We read the days a house sits on the market as the market's verdict on its price against the homes buyers want, new ones included. Among homes like yours, the best value draws the most buyers, fastest.
Lead With a Closing Date a Buyer Can Plan Around
Decide how soon you can hand over the keys. Then say so early.
Most new houses for sale weren't finished at the end of August 2026: of the 483,000 for sale, 256,000 were under construction and 114,000 hadn't been started, by seasonally adjusted Census Bureau estimates. Just 113,000 were complete.
A buyer who picks one of the unfinished houses waits for the build: in 2025, single-family houses built for sale in places that require permits took an average of 6.1 months from the start of construction to completion, the Census Bureau reports. In the South, 5.5 months.
Your house is already built. So pick two dates before an offer comes in: the earliest closing you can live with and the latest you'd accept. Count your sale from the day you list to the day you close, not to the day you accept an offer.
Decide How Your House Stands Next to a Brand-New One
Decide what you'll do about condition before a buyer compares your house with a new one.
Our view: buyers leave when the price and condition don't match. Comparing as-is sales of homes like yours can help you understand your options before you sign.
Cash Flow Deals gives you two offers together: the Fast Cash Offer and the Premium Cash Offer. You choose. With the Fast Cash Offer, we buy your house as-is and close, with one walk-through by our team and a 15 business days inspection period. With the Premium Cash Offer, a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you.
We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket. On Premium, only what your buyer's lender requires gets fixed, with costs covered up front and settled from the sale proceeds out of our share. With Fast Cash, you sell as-is without making repairs.
For either offer, the number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens.
With Premium, you sign with us at the agreed number and give us permission to bring in your buyer in our place. Your buyer signs a new contract directly with you. Their lender funds the purchase, title transfers once directly from you to your buyer, and we're paid as a separate line item on the closing statement. If your buyer's loan falls through, that is our problem, not yours, and you can still choose between the Fast Cash Offer at its own number and the Premium Cash Offer.
Take 10 to 15 minutes to read both offers side by side. The 15 business days inspection period applies to Fast Cash; review your Premium inspection period in your written contract. Closing: 45 days or less, on a date you help pick, subject to the terms of your chosen offer.
Our view: the Premium number is higher because your buyer's FHA or conventional lender funds the purchase.
Common questions
Are new homes cheaper than existing homes right now?
Yes, by the August 2026 medians. The median new house sold that month went for $393,700 by Census Bureau estimates, against $434,800 for the median existing single-family home in the National Association of Realtors' count. That isn't like for like: Census counts a new house as sold when a contract is signed or a deposit taken, while NAR counts existing homes at closing.
Are new home prices falling?
Not measurably, over the past year. The August 2026 median of $393,700 was 5.8% below August 2025's $417,900, but the Census Bureau's margin on that change is plus or minus 8.2 percent, so the actual change could be zero. For full years, the median was $420,300 in 2024 and $417,400 in 2025.
How much new construction is coming in Florida?
More than in any state but Texas. From January through August 2026, building permits in Florida authorized 76,599 new single-family homes, 12.3% of the national total of 620,558, by Census Bureau estimates. A permit isn't a finished house or a sale.
Is anything binding before I sign with you?
No. Nothing with Cash Flow Deals binds you until both sides sign a written contract, and you can have an attorney read it first.