How I Found the Best Deal in 241 Listings (And How You Can Spot One Too)

On Tuesday night I sat down and read every single active listing in the Clermont region - Clermont, Groveland, and Minneola. All 241 of them. By the end, one listing stood out so clearly that I made it my first official Deal of the Week. Here's exactly how I found it, because the method matters more than the deal - this is how you separate a real bargain from a listing that just looks cheap.

Step one: price per square foot against the local pack

The asking price tells you almost nothing by itself. What tells you something is the price per square foot compared to what similar homes around it are asking. In this week's data, new construction in our area mostly ran between $165 and $200 per square foot. The deal I found was asking $144 - roughly 20% under the pack for a brand-new home. When one listing sits that far below everything comparable around it, one of two things is true: there's a reason, or there's an opportunity. Either way, it's worth the phone call to find out.

Step two: check what the same seller is asking elsewhere

This is the check almost nobody runs. The deal I found came from a builder who had another home of the exact same size listed on the very same street - for $60,000 more. Same builder, same square footage, same block. Gaps like that happen for all kinds of reasons: a different floor plan, a less premium lot, a home the builder simply needs off the books before the quarter ends. You don't assume the cheap one is flawed and you don't assume it's a steal - you ask. That question is where deals get made.

Step three: days on market, read correctly

A good home sitting 38 days while its more expensive twin sits 72 tells a story. Long market time isn't automatically a red flag - in today's slower market it often just means the seller has grown realistic. The listings I watch closest are good properties with above-average days on market, because that's where negotiating room lives.

Step four: know the traps that look like deals

The cheapest listings in this week's data looked incredible at first glance - brand-new homes in the low $200s. Then you read the fine print: leasehold. You'd own the house but rent the land under it, with a payment that never ends and resale headaches most buyers never see coming. There's nothing wrong with a leasehold if you go in with open eyes, but it is not comparable to owning outright, and a price-per-foot comparison that mixes the two will fool you every time. Ownership type, HOA and CDD obligations, flood zone - the traps live in the details, and checking them is half of what you're paying an agent to do.

Why I do this every week

One reading of the market is a snapshot. Doing it every single week is how you develop the feel for what's normal - which is the only way to recognize what isn't. That's the whole idea behind my Deal of the Week: each week I go through every active listing in the region, apply exactly this method, and send the single best value I find to a short list of buyers and investors before most people ever notice it.

Want on that list? Text the word DEAL to 315-335-4622 and you'll get my pick each week - or grab a time and let's talk about what you're looking for: Schedule a call with me ›

And if you want to know what buying power you'd bring to a deal like this week's, start with the number:

Troy Boss, REALTOR®
LIFESTYLE International Realty
315-335-4622
tboss@bossregroup.com