As Resale Sales Slow, Lori Lane Says New Construction May Be Georgia’s Bright Spot
ATLANTA, Ga. – As the national resale market shows fresh signs of friction, Georgia new construction sales and marketing expert Lori Lane says the takeaway should not be pessimism. It should be strategic.
According to Reuters, U.S. existing-home sales fell 2.4% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million units, while the median existing-home price rose 1.8% year over year to a record $440,600. The report also cited continued supply constraints, with existing-home inventory at 1.56 million units and a national shortage that remains particularly acute for entry-level homes.
“For Georgia buyers, this is not a signal to sit still,” said Lane, founder of LLANE & Co, an Atlanta-based new construction sales, marketing, and brand strategy platform. “It is a signal to look where the market still has tools. Resale can be limited by inventory, pricing, and seller psychology. New construction gives buyers and builders more room to create a solution.”
Lane, who has specialized in new construction since 2003 and has led the sales and marketing sell-out of more than 400 new-home communities, says the July 9 housing data reinforces a larger point: affordability is not solved by price alone. LLANE & Co describes its new construction sales platform as one built to protect pricing, control absorption, and support disciplined execution from first release through final close.
“Buyers tend to ask, ‘What is the price?’” Lane said. “The better question right now is, ‘What is the total deal structure?’ A builder may be able to help with payment, closing costs, incentives, timing, upgrades, warranty, and certainty. That full package can matter more than a small price difference.”
The Associated Press also reported Thursday that existing-home prices reached an all-time high while sales slowed, noting that inventory remains below pre-pandemic norms and that a balanced market typically requires five to six months of supply. June’s existing-home inventory represented 4.6 months of supply, according to NAR data cited by AP.
Lane says those conditions create a clear opportunity for builders who can communicate value beyond square footage.
“When resale inventory is still tight and prices are still elevated, new construction becomes the pressure-release valve,” Lane said. “But builders cannot just rely on being new. They have to explain the value in a way buyers can feel in their monthly payment and their long-term confidence.”
That is where Lane believes Georgia’s new-home market can lead. In many Atlanta-area and suburban growth corridors, new construction plays an outsized role in delivering inventory, shaping buyer expectations, and creating the competitive tension that helps buyers make decisions.
“Georgia is a community-by-community market,” Lane said. “The story changes by school district, commute pattern, product type, and builder pipeline. But where new construction is active, buyers often have more choices and builders have more ways to make the math work.”
Recent builder data supports that point. The National Association of Home Builders reported in June that 62% of builders were using sales incentives, the fifteenth consecutive month that incentive use reached 60% or higher. NAHB also reported that 35% of builders cut prices in June, with an average price reduction of 6%.
Lane says those figures should not automatically be read as weakness.
“Incentives are not desperation when they are used strategically,” Lane said. “In new construction, incentives can protect pace, preserve pricing, and help buyers overcome the real barriers: payment pressure, cash-to-close, and confidence.”
For resale sellers, the message is equally important. Lane says homeowners listing near active new-home communities must understand that they are competing not only against other resale homes, but against builder-backed packages that may include financing solutions, closing-cost assistance, warranty protection, and move-in-ready options.
“A resale seller is not just competing against a price,” Lane said. “They are competing against a package. That means resale homes have to be positioned with the same discipline builders use: clear value, strong presentation, smart pricing, and no confusion around why the home is worth choosing.”
“The builders who win this market will not be the ones who simply offer the biggest incentive,” Lane said. “They will be the ones who understand buyer psychology, pace their releases properly, protect brand value, and align sales and marketing around the same message.”
LLANE & Co’s model is built around that intersection of sales execution, marketing accountability, brand positioning, and absorption strategy. The company’s Sales Lane platform is designed to operate as an extension of the builder’s internal team, combining new-home sales representation, CRM-driven pipeline management, market intelligence, and transparent reporting.
Lane says the July 9 housing headlines point to a market that is selective, not frozen.
“Buyers are still there,” Lane said. “They are just more disciplined. They want value, certainty, and a reason to move forward. That is good news for builders who know how to package the opportunity correctly.”
Her bottom line: slower resale activity does not have to mean a weaker outlook for Georgia housing.
“This is where new construction can be the hopeful part of the story,” Lane said. “When the resale market feels constrained, builders can create options. They can create structure. They can create confidence. And in today’s market, confidence may be the most valuable thing a buyer can find.”
About LLANE & Co
LLANE & Co is an Atlanta-based real estate platform focused on new construction sales, marketing, brand strategy, digital demand generation, public relations, and select residential resale. Founded by Lori Lane, the company operates through a boutique, lane-based model designed to support builders, developers, and agents with specialized strategy from positioning through sell-out. LLANE & Co Real Estate is a licensed real estate brokerage.
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City: Atlanta
State: Georgia
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