In Clermont, Florida, Resale Sellers Are Losing to Builders — Here's What It Takes to Compete

Written by:

Alejandra Rodriguez

Date:

11 Jun 2026

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Selling a home in a market flooded with new construction is hard enough. Selling one when the builders down the street are offering sub-5% interest rates and covering closing costs is harder still. That is the situation resale sellers in Clermont, Florida, are facing right now, and agents working the area say the sellers who refuse to adjust are watching their listings sit for weeks.

Jorge Mulet, a Realtor with Olympus Executive Realty, Inc., has worked the Clermont and Minneola markets for years. He describes a market that has tilted sharply toward buyers, not because demand has dried up, but because new construction has given buyers options they did not have two years ago.

The change is visible in days on market. Mulet notes that homes he once sold in a single day are now taking 30 to 60 days to move. The reason is not hard to find: the Minneola area alone has several active building projects underway, with roughly six or seven more communities expected. Builders in those developments are offering interest rate buydowns of 4.75 percent or 4.9 percent, along with other incentives, to draw buyers through their doors. A resale home sitting at full ask, with no concessions, is competing against that.

The concessions Mulet now discusses with his sellers include covering part of the buyer’s closing costs, offering a rate buydown, or simply accepting that the final sale price will fall below the original list. In some cases, he says, price reductions of $50,000 have been necessary to get a deal done. That is a significant number in a market where a home that once sold for around $192,000 now trades closer to $650,000.

The difficulty for resale sellers is partly psychological. Many are anchored to what their neighbors sold for during the 2021 and 2022 run-up, when buyers were paying $40,000 over asking price. That era is gone. Mulet is direct with his clients about this: full-price offers are unlikely, and concession requests from buyers should be expected rather than treated as an insult.

The math matters here. A buyer financing a home at today’s rates is sensitive to every fraction of a percentage point. When a builder can hand that buyer a 4.75% rate as part of the deal, a resale seller offering nothing comparable is at a structural disadvantage, regardless of how the homes compare on square footage or finishes. Sellers who understand this and price accordingly are still moving properties. Those who don’t are sitting.

The new construction pipeline is not slowing. Mulet’s wife works for a builder in the area and, by his account, is selling steadily because the price points and incentives are drawing buyers who might otherwise have considered resale. That competitive pressure is not going away in the near term.

Resale sellers can be specific about what they offer. A rate buydown funded by the seller can meaningfully lower a buyer’s monthly payment and close the gap with builder incentives. Covering closing costs removes one of the biggest upfront friction points for buyers who are already stretching to afford a home at current interest rates. And pricing the home to reflect actual market conditions, not 2022 conditions, removes the biggest obstacle of all.

One area where resale homes can still hold an edge: pools. Mulet notes that homes with a pool are selling faster than comparable homes without one, particularly among buyers relocating from northern states who see a pool as a core part of Florida living. In a market where differentiation matters more than it did two years ago, a pool is one of the cleaner ways a resale home can stand out from a builder’s base model.

Clermont’s resale market is not broken – it is recalibrated. Homes are still selling. But the sellers who are closing deals are the ones who have accepted that the terms of competition have changed and adjusted their strategy accordingly. Those still waiting for 2022-era offers are likely to keep waiting as builder inventory continues to expand and incentives remain aggressive.

About the Expert: Jorge Mulet is a Realtor with Olympus Executive Realty, Inc., serving the Clermont and Minneola markets in Lake County, Florida.

This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. The views and opinions expressed herein reflect those of the individuals quoted and do not represent an endorsement of any company, product, or service mentioned. Readers should conduct their own due diligence and consult qualified professionals before making any investment decisions.