Carlos Tosca is a co-founder of Palmcorp Development Group working in Miami.

Every week, we ask a real estate professional for their Short List, a collection of tips and recommendations on an essential topic in real estate. This week, we spoke with Carlos Tosca, co-founder of Palmcorp Development Group, who shared his top methods for selling new construction properties. 

4. New construction is an underserved market in our industry. Relators don’t generally want to wait for their commission. However, as a developer, what I find very helpful is when the realtors visit us in person – getting that face-to-face contact is so essential in a competitive market like Miami. New construction homes offer a great value to buyers and realtors, and Realtors who are ready to take advantage of that can be very successful

3. Realtors don’t generally work on selling new construction properties, so in order to remain knowledgeable I recommend that realtors reach out to local builder, lenders and even insurance companies to learn all the advantages of new construction homes. These benefits include: lower insurance rates, lower power consumption, lower maintenance costs and higher resale value.

2. A good rule of thumb to remember is that most of the amenities in a home have a 15-year lifespan. If your home is not new there is a very good chance that those components are getting close to their expiration. This includes air conditioners, water heaters and appliances, doors, hinges, locks and windows, which are all expensive items that require maintenance and can cost a fortune to replace all at once. In addition to regular upkeep, style changes also. A new home, like a new car, takes into account what the market demand and trends are and is therefore better equipped for what the future buyer wants.

1. The new homebuilder is a more motivated seller because they are selling a brand new product meaning they are in a position to negotiate for a higher price. When a home is being sold with the current homeowners living in it, they will typically sell for a lower price because they are more eager to move out and will not hold out for a higher, more desirable price.

Carlos Tosca started Palmcorp Development Group in 2008, though his real estate experience stretches back over 17 years. He began his career in the mortgage industry working at Service Mortgage Underwriters, which his mother opened in 1984.  He worked his way up to president in 1999 and in his first year at Service Mortgage Underwriters, Carlos closed $30 million in loans and by 2005, that amount had increased to $144 million. In 2006 Carlos left his position at Service Mortgage Underwriters to focus on his development business.