New construction
Buy new construction without leaving money on the table
Roughly 30 percent of Utah home purchases are new construction. Builders are professionals at selling homes, and the model home is their home field. This page is how you walk in with your own team, your own numbers, and this month's actual incentives in hand.
Why do builders deal, and how?
A builder with unsold finished homes has carrying costs every month, and quarter-end sales targets on top. But builders protect their base prices, because every recorded sale becomes the comparison point for the rest of the community. So instead of cutting the price, they offer incentives: closing-cost credits, design center credits, financing help through their affiliated lender, upgrade packages. The sticker stays high while your actual cost drops.
The fine print: most builder financing incentives require using the builder's preferred lender. That can be a genuinely good deal, or not. The only way to know is to compare the affiliated lender's full offer against an outside lender's, side by side, on total cost. A licensed lender runs that comparison. I watch for the property-side signals: standing inventory, homes that have sat, and communities where builders are motivated.
What protects you at the model home?
Register your agent at your first visit. If you walk into a model home alone and sign in without your agent's name, the builder can claim you, and your options for representation shrink fast. Bring me along or put my name on the sign-in sheet on visit one. It costs you nothing; builders plan for it in their pricing.
Pick your builder before you pick your lot. Utilities, slope, soils, and city requirements can swing the real cost of a lot by a lot. A good builder walks the ground with different eyes and will save you from an expensive surprise.
And get every incentive in writing, inside the purchase contract. Builder contracts are written to protect the builder. Read for escalation and cancellation clauses, and never rely on a verbal promise. If it is not in the contract, it does not exist.
What is the builder incentives list?
Once a month I do the recon: builder reps, expo notes, and office intel, with every incentive confirmed in writing before it makes the table. The result is a one-page list of what Utah builders are actually offering right now, by builder and community, each row with a last-verified date and the fine-print question to ask. Incentives change without notice, which is why the list is only good for about a month, and why it comes with a fresh edition every month you are on it.
Current as of August 2026. Programs and market conditions change.
Weighing new construction against resale? The buyer hub covers the trade-offs, and the free Mortgage Hacks Playbook in the guide library explains the financing concepts builders lean on, in plain English.
Get this month's builder incentives list
Sign up once and the refreshed list lands in your inbox the day it is updated, every month. I do the recon, you get the shortcut. Always confirm the current offer in writing before you count on it.
Get the monthly list
New construction questions, answered
Why do builders offer incentives instead of cutting prices?
Every recorded sale price becomes the comparison point for the rest of the neighborhood, so builders protect their base prices. Instead they offer closing-cost credits, design center credits, financing help through their lender, and upgrade packages. The sticker stays high while your actual cost drops. Offers shift monthly with standing inventory and quarter-end sales goals.
Do I have to use the builder's lender to get the incentive?
Financing incentives are usually tied to the builder's affiliated lender. That is not automatically bad, but it is a package deal, so judge the whole package. Have your own lender compare the complete numbers in writing before you decide. And get every incentive written into the purchase contract itself. If it is not in the contract, it does not exist.
Is the advertised base price what I will pay?
Rarely. The advertised base price is seldom the finished price once upgrades are added, and landscaping, window coverings, and fencing are often not included. The model home is the best-case version, not your version. Timelines can slip. Budget from the finished number, not the sticker, and ask what the model's upgrade package actually costs.
Does bringing my own agent to a builder cost me more?
In almost every case, no. Builders plan for buyer agents in their pricing, and the builder typically pays your agent. What matters is registering your agent at your very first visit, including a casual model home walk-in. The builder's salesperson works for the builder. You want someone at the table whose job is your side of it.
Should I pick my lot or my builder first?
Builder first. Utilities, slope, soils, and city requirements can swing the real cost of a lot dramatically. A good builder walks the ground with different eyes and flags the expensive surprise before you own it. Then read the builder's contract carefully. It is the builder's own document, not the standard state form, so ask questions before signing.
How current is the builder incentives list?
Each edition is stamped with the month it was verified, and incentives change without notice. Builders adjust offers with their standing inventory, quarter-end goals, and lender programs, which is why the list is only good for about a month. Every row is re-verified in writing before each send. Always confirm the current offer in writing before you count on it.