New Construction Unpacked w/ Jason Smith
A lot of agents enter the new construction world underprepared: showing homes they haven't researched, sitting across from builder contracts they've never read, and hoping a transaction carries itself over the finish line. In this episode, Mark sits down with Jason Smith of Smith Marketing, a 25-year veteran of new construction sales and marketing in the Triad, to pull back the curtain on what agents, builders, and buyers actually need to succeed in this specialized corner of real estate. The conversation covers everything from how developments are planned years before the first lot is sold, to why communication and preparation are the real differentiators in new construction deals.
“If I could give advice from someone who's done this a long time, really prep. If you know you have a buyer and they're looking at new construction on the custom end, try to get out there and see what's out there. You don't want to be looking at a builder's contract for the first time when you're sitting there with your people. You learn by screwing up, and so I can promise you I have screwed up so many things it's not even funny, but those things build who you are and what you know.”
What You Will Learn
- Why getting involved early in a development, sometimes years before a lot hits the market, is a competitive edge that shapes pricing, momentum, and outcomes from the ground up
- How to prepare before showing new construction, including reading builder contracts in advance and understanding how custom and production builds differ from standard resale transactions
- Why the specifications sheet is the single most important document in a custom build, and how its absence or neglect is the root cause of most builder disputes
- The critical difference between being part of the process and trying to control it, and why buyer's agents who overstep without the knowledge to back it up create problems for everyone
- Why price alone is a misleading benchmark when evaluating custom builders, and how low allowances can turn a "better deal" into a costly surprise at selections
- What Jason sees shaping the Triad's new construction market: rising lot prices, incoming growth, and why the region's affordability still holds up against Charlotte and Raleigh
- Why the fundamentals of what makes a great real estate professional (hard work, drive, and preparation) haven't changed in 50 years, even as the tools around them have
Contact Jason Smith
The opinions on this podcast are the hosts and guests involved and not in any way a reflection of RE/MAX or anyone else in the industry.