Cranes punctuate Delray Beach, from Atlantic Avenue to the edge of the Everglades. New oceanfront condos are finally climbing skyward, and a 600-home, 55-plus enclave just broke ground out west. According to Redfin, the city’s median sale price jumped more than 40 percent in the past 12 months, so buyers will pay a premium for that never-lived-in feel. To capture those dollars, you need a specialist who can sell fresh inventory before the paint dries.
New Construction Vs. Resale: What The Numbers Say
Buyers love brand-new homes for clear reasons: modern layouts, energy savings, and that first-owner thrill. The appeal shows up in the data.
Across Delray Beach in 2025, the average resale home spent about 80 days on the market and closed at roughly 95 percent of list price. New construction tells a different story. Well-priced builds moved closer to 55 days and fetched 98 to 100 percent of asking, according to the listing agents we interviewed.
Why the gap? Fresh product removes renovation guesswork, so buyers act faster and negotiate less. Builders also bundle warranties, appliances, and closing incentives that keep offers near the sticker price.
Below, we spotlight five pros who do exactly that—then answer the questions first-time new-construction sellers ask most.
1. Squarefoot Homes: Boutique New-Build Experts
SquareFoot Homes feels more like a friendly neighbor than a brokerage, yet the three-agent team delivers serious results. Founder Spiros Mitsis grew up surfing Delray’s beaches, so he speaks local fluently, and that instinct shapes pricing, neighborhood stories, and even the route he chooses for buyer tours.
In 2025 the team closed about 40 transactions, an eye-opening count for a boutique shop. Most deals involved shiny infill projects east of Swinton Avenue, where modern townhomes now tuck between vintage cottages. Remote buyers rave about the concierge approach; we’ve heard of midnight video walk-throughs and proactive emails that flagged hidden HOA fees before contracts went out.
On the marketing front, SquareFoot prefers clean tech to heavy advertising. Listings hit MLS with pro photography, then jump to a snappy website where visitors can book showings in two clicks. The same portal hosts an interactive map of Delray Beach real estate, so buyers can zoom into fresh builds in neighborhoods like Osceola Park or Lake Ida before they ever hop on a plane. Because the agents handle every step themselves, builders never feel shuffled to an assistant.
If you’re listing a single spec home or a cluster of new villas, this is the group that can turn a handshake into a sold sign—fast.
2. The Saperstein Group: High-Volume New-Home Sellers
Paul Saperstein built his team for scale, and the numbers stop people mid-scroll. More than 1,100 Delray closings sit on their résumé, including about 170 in 2025 alone. That kind of throughput means the group has sold more brand-new homes than many small builders have constructed.
Most deals happen inside Delray’s gated, active-adult communities. When a developer releases the next phase of a 55-plus enclave, Saperstein’s flyers land in inboxes that same morning, and model homes switch from “Available” to “Under Contract” within weeks.
Efficiency drives every move. A dedicated pricing analyst tracks construction costs, recent comps, and buyer migration patterns from the Northeast. Stagers install coastal-cool furniture on Monday; back-to-back open houses run Tuesday through Sunday. By the time the buzz peaks, a queue of pre-approved retirees waits for keys.
Volume never dents reputation. The team’s Zillow page shows a 4.9-star average across hundreds of reviews, proof that white-glove service can thrive inside a high-output system. Builders like the certainty, sellers like the speed, and buyers value a crew that explains HOA bylaws as clearly as quartz versus granite.
If you’re staring at a cul-de-sac of spec homes and a tight construction loan timeline, this is the machine that can clear inventory before interest rates shift again.
3. The Julian Soffer Team: Versatile New-Construction Closers
Julian Soffer has spent more than 20 years selling everything from starter condos to multimillion-dollar estates, and that range is his superpower. In 2025 his Keller Williams crew notched 116 sales, scattering fresh townhomes, custom infills, and downtown loft-style condos across the ledger.
That breadth matters because Delray’s new construction is not one-size-fits-all. One week the team markets an energy-smart $400,000 villa to a sun-seeking New Englander. The next, they negotiate a $4 million coastal contemporary for a tech founder who craves walkability and wow factor. Each campaign pivots to the buyer segment at hand, spotlighting warranties for cautious retirees, or rooftop terraces for urban professionals.
Soffer’s fingerprints are all over Delray’s infill renaissance. Drive through Osceola Park and you will spot sleek townhomes where mid-century cottages once stood; many traded under his watch. Small developers appreciate that he can craft a story around overlooked blocks, turning a “transitional” label into “next hot neighborhood” with clean photography and tight lifestyle hooks.
Negotiation is closer. Builders report landing near asking price even on high-ticket homes because Julian sets firm value anchors early and uses Keller Williams tech to surface multiple offers fast. If your project sits anywhere between entry-level chic and coastal luxury, this is the team that speaks every dialect of Delray’s new-build market—and gets you paid accordingly.
4. Alex Platt & The Premier Group: New-Development Marketing Pros
Alex Platt treats every launch like a product debut. Before the first shovel breaks ground, his Compass team is in the room advising on floor-plan mix, finish packages, and price psychology. Builders say that guidance pays off months later when units reach MLS already paired with buyer wish lists.
Grove Estates proves the point. The eight-home enclave near Lake Ida needed a story bigger than square footage, so Alex framed it as “walkability meets privacy.” Branded renderings, drone teasers, and a champagne open house sparked buzz across social feeds. Four of the homes pre-sold before drywall.
Polished marketing is only half the formula. Alex follows up with personal outreach, toggling between Compass’ national network and his own roster of Boca-Delray brokers. One day it is a video tour texted to New York wealth advisers; the next, a broker caravan timed with the city’s art walk.
More than 90 closings in 2025 show the system works. If you are chasing boutique-luxury buyers and want your project discussed like a limited-edition release, The Premier Group supplies both sizzle and speed.
5. Pascal Liguori Estate Group: Ultra-Luxury New Builds Sold With Discretion
Pascal Liguori operates in a different stratosphere. His team lists only seven- and eight-figure properties, often fresh from the architect’s punch list. Titles such as “number 6 agent in Florida by sales volume” and “Wall Street Journal Top 125 nationwide” set expectations, and the experience matches the résumé.
Walk a new oceanfront estate with Pascal and you will hear dock lengths, smart-home specs, and marble origins recited from memory. Buyers notice, and so do developers who trust him to whisper-market $20 million compounds through Luxury Portfolio International before a single photo reaches MLS.
Marketing here feels like couture. Sunrise video tours, linen-bound lookbooks, and invite-only soirées replace open houses. In June 2025, a $27.9 million listing launched with a private yacht preview for qualified clients and drew multiple international inquiries within days.
Results read like record books: full-price deals in Stone Creek Ranch, the first resale of Ocean Delray before completion, and a buzz-worthy celebrity sale above $30 million. If your new build belongs on the cover of Architectural Digest, Pascal supplies the global reach and white-glove discretion that turn rare properties into headline transactions.
Faqs For First-Time New-Construction Sellers
Do I need a listing agent to sell a brand-new home?
Yes. Even in a hot market, a seasoned listing agent adds real money to your bottom line. Builders are experts at pouring slabs and meeting code, while agents master pricing strategy, marketing reach, and negotiation. A pro benchmarks your finishes against comps, sparks launch buzz that drives multiple offers, and filters out casual lookers so you can keep building. Most important, they negotiate. The 4 to 6 percent commission you pay often returns two or three times that in higher sale price, smoother inspections, and fewer repair credits.
How do you price a new-construction home when no exact comps exist?
Start with cost, end with psychology. A savvy agent reverse-engineers from the builder’s hard numbers—land, materials, labor—to set a firm floor. Next, they scan recent sales of similar age, size, and finish level, even if those homes sit one zip code over, to define the ceiling. Market momentum then takes center stage. Is inventory tight? Are rates falling? Your agent reads those signals and positions the list just below the point where buyers feel they are getting something exclusive yet attainable. Smart-home wiring, impact windows, and energy-efficient HVAC each earn a premium, so good agents highlight those offsets in the marketing copy.
My new spec home is empty. Should I stage it or let buyers see it bare?
Stage it. Blank rooms echo and seem smaller, while even light staging shows scale and sparks imagination. A furnished living room anchors the sofa location, a rug defines traffic flow, and a made-up primary suite whispers “move in tomorrow.” Online, those scenes drive clicks. In person, they keep buyers on-site long enough to notice soft-close cabinets and upgraded baseboards. Virtual staging works for pre-completion listings, but physical furniture often seals the deal. Expect to invest 1 to 2 percent of list price and earn it back with quicker, firmer offers.
Who pays the commission on a new-construction sale?
The seller covers it. In a typical Delray deal, the builder pays the listing commission, and the listing broker splits that fee with the buyer’s agent. Builders bake the cost into their pro formas just like lumber or tile. Competitive commissions attract top agents and, by extension, qualified buyers. If an unrepresented buyer walks in, you may save half the fee, but you also shoulder twice the liability: contracts, disclosures, and inspection logistics land on your desk. Most small builders decide that trade-off is not worth the distraction.
Can I list and sell a new home before it is finished?
Absolutely, and in Delray it is almost a tradition. Pre-construction listings lock in buyers early, ease cash flow, and create buzz that rolls into your next project. The playbook looks like this: release polished renderings, virtual tours, and drone shots of the lot; post a “coming soon” teaser on MLS; and invite prospects to tour a previous build so they can touch materials. Contracts usually close once the certificate of occupancy arrives, but smart agents write milestone deposits into the deal to offset carrying costs. Build a few buffer days into the schedule, communicate often, and partner with an agent who has shepherded dozens of dirt-to-closing sales.
Conclusion
For sellers, the takeaway is clear. If you are holding keys to a never-lived-in property, the right launch strategy can shave weeks off your timeline and protect your price integrity. If you are selling an older home, expect more questions, longer marketing cycles, and a bit more haggling before the deal clicks.