A December Vegas Confidential Guide

December is finally here — and if you’ve been watching the Las Vegas new-construction market even a little, you can feel the shift happening.

Builder deals are fleeting, 2025 incentives are not guaranteed to return, and here’s the curveball most buyers don’t know:

Builders are gearing up to build fewer homes next year.
Yup — you read that right.

With rising material costs, pressure on margins, and uncertainty around the first half of 2026, many builders quietly announced reduced starts and delayed phase releases. And when builders slow down construction?

Incentives shrink. Inventory tightens. Prices stabilize. Bargains disappear.

So if you’re wondering whether you’re getting a great deal on a new construction home — or thinking you should wait until January — here’s the real question:

What’s available today may not be available in a few weeks… and what disappears first are the best deals.

Here’s exactly how to know if you’re getting a great deal — and why waiting might not be your best strategy as we head into 2026.

1. Know the Real Base Price (Not the Pretty Website Price)

The website base price is marketing.
The real base price is what buyers actually paid in the last 30, 60, and 90 days.

A great deal starts with knowing:

• how this floor plan historically sells

• how pricing compares across nearby communities

• whether the builder is pushing end-of-year closings

• whether they’re quietly adjusting numbers before the new year

December is one of the rare months where builders care more about moving inventory than protecting margins.
That alone is leverage.

2. Incentives Right Now Are as Good as They’ve Been in Years

But they are absolutely not guaranteed to carry into January.

Today you might see:

• rate buydowns

• closing cost credits

• lot premium discounts

• design center promotions

• appliance or smart-home packages

• aggressive QMI pricing

After January 1?

Expect incentives to tighten as new budgets reset and production slows.

If you’re shopping in Summerlin West, Grand Park, Skye Canyon, or Sunstone, the difference between buying now vs. next month could be tens of thousands of dollars.

3. Lot Premiums Can Make or Break the Deal

This is where buyers accidentally overspend — fast.

A true deal includes:

• a fair premium for a meaningful lot

• a discount on a premium that’s been sitting

• avoiding inflated “rare” lots that aren’t actually rare

Premium pricing is an art — and every builder plays the game differently.

4. Timing Is Everything — Builders Have Goals, Too

The strongest deals almost always appear:

• at the end of December

• right before a new phase release

• when a builder needs January closings

• when they’re behind on 2025 sales targets

Right now?
Every builder wants January closings.

This is leverage you don’t get again until spring — if at all.

5. What’s Negotiable Changes After the New Year

Even if list prices don’t rise in January, negotiability almost always decreases.

Today, you can often negotiate:

• lot premiums

• rate buydowns

• closing cost credits

• design center promotions

• pricing on move-in-ready homes

In January, the most common phrase you’ll hear is:
“Unfortunately, that number is firm.”

Builders love the optimism of a fresh year. Buyers who wait often miss the best terms.

6. Compare Across Builders (This Is Where Real Deals Live)

Not all builders are motivated for the same reason.

In December:

• KB Home may be clearing inventory

• Pulte may be pushing phase releases

• Tri Pointe may be closing design-center quotas

• Toll Brothers adjusts with luxury demand

• Taylor Morrison is prepping for 55+ spring buyers

• Century Communities competes on value

A great deal is relative —
the winning deal is often with the builder who has the biggest motivation that week.

7. Evaluate Future Resale Before You Sign Anything

A deal is only a deal if it holds value.

Resale value depends on:

• community demand (hello, 89138 & Kestrel)

• builder reputation

• future amenities

• phase timing

• school zones

• nearby commercial development

• absorption rate

A home in a growing village like Grand Park or Summerlin West?
Great resale.

A community with unclear future phases? Not so much.

8. …And Here’s the Best Part: Sometimes You Can Ask for Even More — and Get It.

One of the biggest myths in new construction is that everything is “set.”

Not true.

There’s almost always something extra on the table if you know what to ask for — and if you ask strategically.

Some of the best negotiations include:

• a washer/dryer package

• smart-home upgrades

• builder-paid blinds

• garage door opener packages

• appliance credits

• HOA fee credits

• or incentives the builder never posts publicly

This isn’t about being pushy — it’s about timing, positioning, and understanding the internal goals builders don’t tell buyers.

This is why having a strategist on your side matters.
Not just an agent — a negotiator who understands builder psychology, phase releases, quota timing, and the invisible levers that unlock better deals.

In today’s shifting market?
This is not the time to wing it.

9. So… Is Waiting Until January a Good Strategy?

Short answer: Probably not.

Because what January brings is still unknown — but the early indicators point toward:

• fewer starts

• tighter inventory

• smaller incentives

• rising buyer demand as rates dip

• and builders regaining leverage

If you want the strongest deal, the deepest incentives, the best lots, and the most negotiation power?

You take the deal when it’s on the table.

And December is the table.

Ready to Explore What’s Available This Month?

If you’re thinking about new construction in 2026, let’s walk through the best opportunities available right now — the ones that might not exist in January.

Download my Lifestyle Guide
Book a consultation with me
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Vegas Confidential is all about knowing the real story —
and knowing exactly when a “good deal” quietly becomes a great one.

Subscribe and hit the notification bell over on The New Home Experts Las Vegas YouTube Channel so you don’t miss it.

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