Tracewater Homes Podcast

In this episode of the Tracewater Homes podcast, the host, Brent, and Tracewater team member, Matt, interview Amy, a homeowner, to discuss the process of building her home in the Florida panhandle.Discovering the Location and Getting Started

• Amy and her partner were inspired to move to the area after a visit to Topsail Park.
• They fell in love with the region's beauty, pristine beaches, and outdoor recreational opportunities, eventually deciding to build a retirement home there.
• With the help of a broker, they evaluated numerous potential lots before selecting the specific one they ultimately built on.
• They chose Tracewater Homes because of the team's professional build process and attention to detail, which they observed while touring another home the company was constructing.

Overcoming Build Challenges

Throughout the construction process, the team encountered several unexpected hurdles that required creative, collaborative solutions:

• Utility Access: Although the lot was believed to be serviced by the city, they discovered it was not. Bringing city utilities to the site would have required an prohibitively expensive extension of the main line.
• Permitting: To address the utility issue, the team pursued a variance to install a well and septic system, which required Amy and her partner to present their case during a meeting before obtaining approval.
• Site Preparation: Although the lot was sold as "pad ready," workers discovered buried tree trunks and root systems, which made digging for footings and the well and septic systems difficult.
• Water Quality: Due to the site's proximity to the bay, the shallow well produced water that required a whole-home filtration system to address sulfur and iron content.

Design and Construction

• Amy provided the initial home design herself, which the architect adapted and refined.
• The project utilized "Builder Trend," an online tool that facilitated communication, material selections, and budget tracking while Amy and her partner were building remotely from Orlando.
• Amy emphasized the value of visiting the site in person to physically touch and see samples of materials, as computer screens can distort colors.
• The team maintained a focus on budget, helping the homeowners make cooperative decisions, such as choosing a metal roof over a traditional driveway.

Completion and Warranty

• Despite initial concerns about the tight timeline, the home was completed and ready for move-in on the scheduled date.
• A 12-month warranty walk-through identified only minor issues, such as baseboard adjustments caused by house settling and the installation of additional cabinet lighting.
• The team also addressed minor cosmetic touch-ups—including door repairs caused by the homeowners' dogs—at no cost to the homeowners.
• Amy expressed high satisfaction with the durability of the home, specifically noting that the Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) flooring has been excellent for managing sand and pet-related wear.

In this episode of the Tracewater Homes podcast, hosts Brent and Matt are joined by Paul Deorgio, the architect behind the company’s home designs, to discuss the intricacies of residential architecture and custom home building. The discussion focuses on the collaborative process between builder and architect to create efficient, high-quality living spaces tailored to a homeowner's lifestyle.

Key topics from the episode include:

• Design Philosophy and Background: Paul shares his journey into architecture, driven by a childhood fascination with 80s housing construction. He highlights his passion for residential design and his 30-year career focused on merging creative ideas with technical construction quality.
• The Tracewater Homes Collaboration: The team discusses the two-year iterative process used to develop the flagship plan line, emphasizing the challenge of creating versatile designs that fit various site conditions while maintaining a consistent value for buyers.
• Optimizing the Living Space: Paul explains his strategies for making every square foot count, such as minimizing hallways to increase room sizes, optimizing traffic patterns for furniture placement, and ensuring functional details like the strategic placement of electrical outlets in bedrooms.
• Customization vs. Production: Matt outlines the balance between semi-custom and full-custom options. He notes that while interior walls can often be manipulated within the flagship plans, significant changes to exterior walls or foundations move a project into the "full custom" category due to the need for re-engineering.
• Outdoor Living and Regional Features: The episode touches on the importance of maximizing outdoor spaces in southern climates, highlighting Trace Water's unique offerings like built-in pools, outdoor kitchens, and "southern basements"—finished upstairs storage spaces.
• Overcoming Site Challenges: The team shares examples of conquering difficult building lots, including using pilings for steep topography and reconfiguring designs to accommodate specific environmental setbacks or utility constraints.

In this episode of the Tracewater Homes podcast, hosts Brent and Matt are joined by Kiara Proctor of the Abbott Martin Group to discuss the booming real estate market in Florida's "West Market," specifically Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. The conversation explores the advantages of semi-custom home building, innovative investment strategies, and the unique lifestyle offered by the Pensacola area.

Key topics covered in the episode include:

  * **The Semi-Custom Advantage**: Kiara highlights Tracewater's ability to offer a streamlined, transparent building process that allows clients to customize their homes from the comfort of their couch using digital design tools.
  * **Real Estate Investing and "House Hacking"**: The group discusses Tracewater's upcoming duplex plan, designed for both investors and those looking to build generational wealth through "house hacking"—living in one unit while renting out the other to cover mortgage costs.
  * **Financing and Market Trends**: Discussion on current interest rate trends and the benefits of construction-to-permanent loans, which allow buyers to lock in today’s pricing while potentially benefiting from lower future interest rates.
  * **Pensacola Market Growth**: Kiara details the rapid growth of the Pensacola area, driven by major attractions like the Blue Angels and NAS Pensacola, and the diverse landscape ranging from coastal beaches to spacious inland ranch properties in areas like Milton and Pace.
  * **Agent Partnerships and Marketing**: Exploration of how Tracewater supports the real estate community through broker presentations, referral commission programs, and a unique "sign program" that helps agents market vacant lots by showcasing pre-approved floor plans.
  * **Navigating Challenging Sites**: Reassurance for buyers interested in coastal or complex lots, noting that Tracewater is experienced in building in flood zones and on sites requiring pilings or specialized site prep.

In this episode of the Tracewater Homes podcast, hosts Matt and Brent are joined by Clay Phillips from the Abbott Martin Group. Phillips, a sales agent with over 20 years of experience in professional operations and management, discusses the unique opportunities and challenges in the Eastern Florida market, specifically covering areas from Bay County and Panama City Beach up to the Alabama line.

The discussion highlights the benefits of building with Tracewater Homes, focusing on:

• The Shift in Market Trends: A movement toward tear-downs of older beach cottages and single-story homes on individual lots in Panama City Beach, as large tracts of land for traditional development become scarce.
• Choice and Control for Buyers: How Tracewater Homes fills the gap between rigid production builders and expensive fully custom builds by offering a semi-custom process where buyers can choose their own colors, pallets, and floor plans on their own land.
• Expert Guidance: The team's commitment to acting as advisers and confidants, helping clients navigate site challenges like utility hookups, septic systems, and building on difficult or wetland-heavy lots.
• Streamlined Financing: The advantages of the construction-to-permanent loan program, which allows buyers to roll land costs into their financing and lock in interest rates early.
• Agent Partnerships: Tracewater’s agent-friendly approach, including a commission structure that pays agents early in the process—at the close of the construction-to-perm loan.

For more information or to find a dream lot in the Panama City area, viewers are encouraged to visit tracewaterhomesfl.com and reach out to Clay Phillips.

In this episode, the team at Trace Water Homes breaks down their streamlined five-step process for building a custom home. Designed to remove the typical stress and uncertainty of construction, these steps provide homeowners with transparency and clarity from the first contact to the final walk-through.

Key highlights from the episode include:

  * **Lot Selection & Evaluation:** How the sales team uses specialized tools to provide "apple-to-apple" cost comparisons between potential lots.
  * **One-Time Close Financing:** The benefits of construction-to-permanent loans that wrap land, site costs, and build costs into a single package.
  * **Upfront Insurance Clarity:** Why obtaining insurance quotes early in the process prevents costly surprises at closing.
  * **Interactive Selection Process:** Using digital portals to choose structural options and finishes at your own convenience.
  * **The Construction Phase:** What to expect during weekly app updates and special opportunities for personalization, like placing handprints in the foundation.
  * **Welcome Home Orientation:** Ensuring your home is 100% complete and move-in ready before the final orientation.

Whether you already own a lot or are just starting to dream, this episode explains how Trace Water Homes handles the heavy lifting to make building your home a simple, enjoyable experience.

Discover how easy it is to become a homeowner and generate income with the Trace Water Homes duplex plan. Many young people believe homeownership is out of reach, but this episode explains why that isn't true.

This plan, called "House Hacking," allows you to live in one side of a brand-new duplex and rent out the other side. Learn about the four-step process, which includes finding an R2 zoned lot, securing financing with conventional, FHA, or 100% VA loans, and the design and build process.

Key takeaways include:

  * **Financing:** Conventional loans require 5% down, FHA is 3.5%, and VA is 100% financing for a primary residence duplex.
  * **Buying Power:** Lenders can use 75% of the projected rental income from the second unit to help you qualify for a higher loan amount.
  * **New Construction:** The duplexes are brand new, which minimizes maintenance headaches and leads to lower insurance costs. They are built with high-quality, durable materials, including steel framing and specialized siding/roofing.
  * **Versatility:** The duplex can be used for long-term rentals, short-term rentals, a second home, or for multi-generational living with family next door.

Brent, who currently lives in the Tracewater Homes duplex plan, shares his personal experience and how this opportunity can be a great first step into real estate investing, helping you build long-term wealth.

Trace Water Homes Podcast Episode 10 focuses on the newest plan in the Trace Water portfolio: the duplex, and the benefits of owning one in the Florida Panhandle market. Host Brent is joined by TJ of Avid Martin Group, Tammy from the finance team (the Fritz), and other team members to discuss the simple, turnkey process for investors.

Key takeaways from the discussion include:

• Simplicity and Team Trace Water Homes offers a simple investment process where the team assists with identifying the lot, ensuring proper zoning (like R2 zoning in the west end of Panama City Beach), financing, design, and connecting with property management and insurance.
• Financing Financing for investment property is easy today, with options like full documentation loans that use 75% of the rental analysis to offset the payment, or the DSCR (Debt Service Covered Ratio) loan. The DSCR loan only verifies rental income, credit score, and assets, and can close in as little as six or seven days.
• Duplex Versatility The duplex plan, featuring two three-bedroom sides for a total of six bedrooms, offers unique marketability. It can be marketed as two separate units or a single six-bedroom home, appealing to large groups. The versatility allows for combinations like long-term renting one side and short-term renting the other.
• Construction Quality and Savings The homes use steel framing, which offers better windload ratings, fire resistance, and termite resistance than wood framing. Other features like impact windows, impact doors, and LP SmartSide siding contribute to asset protection and better insurance rates. This high quality can significantly lower operating expenses (opex) and repair costs, potentially reducing the opex percentage from 20% down to 5%.
• Investment Opportunity For approximately $500,000 in build cost, an investor gets a well-appointed six-bedroom duplex. This price point makes it easier for new investors to enter the market. Additionally, the new construction and high-quality materials often lead to insurance rates being rated as masonry construction, which is a better rating. The investment can also be used as a tax shelter for bonus depreciation and write-offs.

This episode of the Tracewater Homes podcast features Leslie Dion of Abbott Martin Group EXP Realty, the sales agent for the Walton and Okaloosa County area, who discusses the value, quality, and convenience of building a new home with Tracewater Homes.

The key points of the discussion include:

• Convenience and the Building Process: Leslie highlights that her favorite aspect of Tracewater Homes is the convenience of their simple 12-step process, which helps alleviate the stress and nervousness buyers often have about new construction. Tracewater Homes manages the entire process, including lot clearing and utility coordination, to provide a complete "turnkey product," taking the burden off buyers who may only build one or two homes in their lifetime.
• Affordability and Market Growth: Leslie, who lives and works in the area, discusses the increasing value and affordability of homes north of the bay, in areas like Niceville and Freeport, compared to locations closer to the coast like Santa Rosa Beach. She notes that the lack of developable land near the coast is driving growth north, creating a lot of opportunity in places like Freeport and DeFuniak. Tracewater Homes offers a lower price per square foot by providing options like second-story additions.
• Value and Quality: The team emphasizes Tracewater Homes' commitment to quality, including standard features such as 9-foot ceilings and hooded kitchen vents, which are typically considered upgrades by other builders.
• Benefits to Buyers and Agents:
  • Customization and Design: The Builder Trend app allows clients to be as hands-on or hands-off as they prefer, even designing their home from the comfort of their couch. The app allows clients to preview and see the financial impact of their selections, and all selections and pricing are finalized upfront.
  • Financial Stability: Pre-pricing all selections before construction allows clients to secure financing for the full cost before closing on their construction loan, limiting the chances of them having to pay out-of-pocket for change orders later.
  • Insurance and Longevity: New construction with Tracewater Homes helps solve the problem of high insurance costs in Florida. The use of materials like steel framing and LP Smart Side results in lower insurance rates and also eliminates the risk of termite damage, a "silent killer of homes". The goal is to build homes that will be good for 20, 30, or 40 years.
  • Communication: For agents, Tracewater Homes provides convenience by taking over weekly client communication and job site updates with photos via the Builder Trend app.
  • Timeframe: The typical construction window is about eight months from the time the building permit is secured.

The hosts and Leslie conclude by emphasizing the company's focus on being a family-owned business that provides a good product, customer service, and customer experience for everyone involved.