09/10/2026
Most buyers relocating to Utah County make the new-vs-resale call on one number — the rate on the builder's billboard. Here's the comparison nobody walks them through.
A builder can usually buy your rate down deeper than a resale seller can, because the builder subsidizes the buydown past what they add to the price — on my own June purchase, about $20K added to the price bought roughly $35K of rate reduction at retail pricing. That's real, and it's hard to beat dollar for dollar.
But the right resale home still wins when it already has the finished basement and landscaping you were going to pay for anyway, it doesn't need a renovation or carry deferred maintenance, and the seller is motivated enough to write a credit into the deal. During that same search I found a $630K resale with the basement and yard already done — and bought new anyway, once I priced in the older floor plan and the water damage under the stucco.
The decision comes down to payment vs. price, rate depth vs. move-in condition, and what your own loan qualification will actually allow — not which side is more honest.
Comment PAYMENT and I'll send you the Payment Comparison Worksheet that lays a new construction incentive and a resale offer side by side. Or grab time here: https://calendly.com/micaholson/30-minute-meeting
