The Construction Questions Every Realtor Should Ask Before a Buyer Builds
By Ken Semler A Realtor can explain every comparable sale in a neighborhood and still feel uncomfortable when a buyer asks about building there. That gap matters. When available homes fail to fit a client's needs, the next useful conversation is about whether a new home is practical. The agent who can organize that conversation gives the buyer a way forward without pretending to be a builder. I think construction literacy belongs alongside market knowledge. You do not need to estimate excavation or design a foundation. You do need to recognize which unanswered questions could change the buyer's decision. That is a skill Realtors already use when they bring a surveyor, lender or inspector into a transaction. Building simply requires learning a different set of questions. Start with the whole project A resale listing presents a house that already exists. Building begins with decisions about a house, a site and the work needed to connect them. Ask what the buyer can spend on the c...