Throw out the builder's sticker price. The real test is what comparable homes in that community sold for, and what every incentive nets out to on the Loan Estimate. A big discount off an inflated ask tells you nothing. Builders keep list prices high on purpose to protect the perceived value of the community and hold their comps steady. What matters is actual sold prices, plus the specific upgrades, lot premium, and amenities baked into your number. Getting those comps is the hard part with new construction, because builder sales often never hit the MLS or public records, and in non-disclosure states there may be no recorded price at all. So we do it the old-fashioned way: talk to the neighbors, and talk to agents who have sold in that community, to find out what people really paid. On incentives, net every advertised dollar out on the Loan Estimate. When a builder says they are handing you $15,000, check whether the loan they are steering you toward costs more than it should. We have seen an advertised $30,000 in incentives net out closer to $18,000 once you did the math, and a $15,000 offer net to roughly $11,000 after the pricier loan was accounted for. The value is usually real, just smaller than the headline. One signal worth reading: builders cut the actual sticker price only as a last resort, after they have already thrown upgrades and rate buydowns at the problem. A genuine price reduction signals real softness in that specific submarket, which is good news for you. And a properly finished model home, loaded with every upgrade, should generally sell for more than a standard build of the same size. If you want a second set of eyes, send us the builder's Loan Estimate on a Roadmap call and we will help you net out what they are truly contributing.