New construction in Metro Atlanta
The sales office does this every day. You do it once.
A brand new home can be a great buy. It can also be the most one-sided contract you'll ever sign, and you'll sign it across a desk from someone whose entire job is that contract.
We read builder contracts with our buyers before anyone signs, and the plan is always the same 3 moves. Get represented before you walk in, inspect it anyway, and work the incentives before you ever touch the base price. Below: who the model home agent actually works for, where new builds concentrate, why new homes still need inspections, and what incentives really cost.
Read this before you visit a model home
Who does the model home agent work for?
The builder. That's who hired them, that's who pays them, and under Georgia's agency law (BRRETA) that's whose interests they represent. They are very good at their job, and their job is not you. Many builders also require your agent to be registered with you from day 1, sometimes on your very first walk-in. So that's move 1: bring us before you walk in, not after.
Without your own written engagement, you're a customer in the transaction, not a client. Customers are owed a more limited set of duties. Georgia licensees have to deal honestly with everyone, but honesty is not advocacy. Nobody in that sales office is responsible for negotiating on your behalf.
And the persistent myth, that going in without your own agent saves you money? The builder's pricing is set by the builder either way. Walking in unrepresented mostly means the only professional in the room works for the other side.
Where does new construction concentrate?
Our FMLS data tells the story. For each city below, take a look at the share of homes sold since 2020 that were built in 2020 or later. The pattern is clear: new builds cluster hardest on the metro's southern arc, where land is still available at scale.
- 1Locust Grove · Henry County$376K median sale price39%
- 2McDonough · Henry County$359K median sale price24%
- 3Stockbridge · Henry County$312K median sale price17%
- 4Hampton · Clayton County$321K median sale price16%
- 5South Fulton · Fulton County$336K median sale price9%
- 6Ball Ground · Cherokee County$495K median sale price4%
Share of closed sales since January 2020 with a build year of 2020 or later, among cities with at least 150 closings in the trailing 12 months. Data last updated: September 2026. Source: FMLS closed sales, compiled by the Terence Richardson Group.
Farther north, new construction runs thinner and skews toward infill and higher price points. If a specific area is on your list, the market data pages break down housing stock city by city.
The inspection myth
“It's brand new, why would I inspect it?”
Inspect it anyway. That's move 2, and it is not optional. On a to-be-built home, plan on 2 inspections: one at pre-drywall, while the framing, plumbing, wiring, and ductwork are still visible, and a final one before closing. New means never lived in. It does not mean never wrong.
A new home is thousands of tasks performed by dozens of crews on a schedule. Municipal code inspections check minimums. They're not a substitute for your own independent, licensed inspector working for you. And the timing matters. Problems found at pre-drywall get fixed with a staple gun and a work order. The same problems found after drywall get fixed with a saw.
Many buyers add a third visit near the end of the builder warranty's first year, commonly around month 11, to document claims while the builder still owes the fix. We're not inspectors, and we don't play one on a walkthrough. Our job is the contract: preserving your right to inspect, getting the right professionals in at the right stages, and making sure documented issues actually land on the builder's punch list.
What do builder incentives actually cost?
Usually more than the sign says. Move 3 is working these before you ever touch the base price, so it helps to know what they really are. A $15,000 incentive is a tool doing a job for the builder. None of this is builder-bashing; builders are running a business. Your job is to know what the tool is doing.
The incentive usually comes with strings
Closing cost credits and rate buydowns are commonly tied to the builder's preferred lender, sometimes their preferred closing attorney too. That can still be a good deal. It can also be a below-average loan wearing a good-looking credit. The only way to know: compare the preferred lender's full loan cost against 2 outside quotes.
Incentives protect the base price
Builders would often rather give you $15,000 in incentives than cut the price $15,000. Why? Because recorded sale prices set the comps for the rest of the neighborhood. That motivation is worth knowing. It tells you which lever the builder can pull furthest, and it's not always the one on the sign.
Upgrades are where the margin lives
The model home you toured is rarely the base spec. Design center pricing is a second negotiation, and most buyers walk into it without numbers. Get the standard feature list in writing. Price the gap before you fall for the model.
How long does new construction take?
Anywhere from 30 days to more than a year. It depends which kind of purchase you're in, because new construction runs on the builder's clock.
Spec homes
Already built or nearly built. Timelines look like resale, commonly 30 to 45 days to close. And builders get very, very negotiable on finished specs sitting in a community that needs to close out.
To-be-built homes
Plan on many months from contract to keys, and treat any completion date as an estimate. Weather, permits, labor, and materials all move it. Your rate lock has to account for that. Ask the lender what happens if the home delivers late.
The contract is not a GAR form
Builder contracts are written by the builder's attorneys, and they favor the builder. Earnest money treatment, change order fees, delay remedies, and warranty terms all differ from the standard Georgia resale contract. Read it. Have your agent flag what's negotiable, and where it makes sense, a Georgia real estate attorney too.
How do we negotiate with builders?
Start with the data. How many homes does the community have left? How long have the finished specs been sitting? What did the last 5 closings actually record, and what incentives moved with them? A builder closing out a community in a slow quarter negotiates very differently than one opening phase 2 with a waiting list. The listing history usually tells you which one you're talking to.
Then work the levers in the right order. Incentives and closing costs first, because that's where builders have the most flexibility. Then lot premiums and design center pricing. Then base price where the market supports it. We also press on the quiet terms: earnest money protection, inspection access at every stage, and what happens to your money if the delivery date slips.
And we compare the whole deal against resale. Sometimes the 4-year-old house 2 miles away, with the blinds, the backyard, and the mature trees already in, beats the model home on total cost. You should know that before you sign, not after.
Questions people ask
Questions buyers ask us about new construction
Does the builder's agent represent the buyer?
No. The on-site sales agent works for the builder, and under Georgia's agency law (BRRETA) that is whose interests they represent. Since August 2024, buyer-agent compensation is negotiated deal by deal, so representation should be sorted in writing before the first visit. A buyer without their own written brokerage engagement is a customer in the transaction, not a client, and is owed a more limited set of duties. Many builders also require the buyer's agent to be registered early, often on the very first visit.
Do new construction homes need a home inspection?
Yes. On a to-be-built home, 2 independent inspections are the standard play: a pre-drywall inspection while framing, plumbing, wiring, and ductwork are still visible, and a final inspection before closing. Municipal code inspections check minimum standards and are not a substitute for an inspector working for the buyer. Many buyers also schedule a warranty-list inspection near the end of the builder warranty's first year, commonly around month 11.
Where is most new construction in Metro Atlanta?
In our FMLS data, new construction concentrates hardest on the metro's southern arc: Locust Grove (39% of homes sold since 2020 were built in 2020 or later), McDonough (24% of homes sold since 2020 were built in 2020 or later), Stockbridge (17% of homes sold since 2020 were built in 2020 or later) lead the ranking among cities with meaningful sales volume. Farther north, new builds run thinner and skew toward infill and higher price points. City-by-city housing stock data is at terencerichardson.com/market-data.
Do buyers save money by not using an agent on new construction?
Generally no. The builder sets its pricing strategy either way, and an unrepresented buyer is negotiating a builder-drafted contract against a professional sales operation with nobody advocating for their side. Buyer representation on new construction focuses on incentives, lot premiums, design center pricing, inspection access, earnest money protection, and delivery terms. Compensation is negotiated deal by deal and should be discussed in writing before touring.
Are builder contracts in Georgia the same as regular purchase contracts?
No. Builder contracts are drafted by the builder's attorneys rather than being GAR forms, and they generally favor the builder. Earnest money treatment, change order fees, delay remedies, and warranty terms commonly differ from a standard Georgia resale contract. Buyers should read the contract closely and involve a Georgia real estate attorney where it makes sense; closings in Georgia are conducted by a licensed Georgia attorney in any case.
Book a discovery call
Thinking about a new build?
If a community is already on your shortlist, book the call before you register at the sales office. The order you do those 2 things in is worth real money. And if you're earlier than that, lurk: set up the search, take the free market report, and we'll flag new builds that fit. No scripts, no pressure, and no hard feelings if the answer is “not yet.”
