Building Above Code Saves Money Later: 8-22-26 Podcast

Real Estate Matters has been Palm Coast and Flagler County, Florida’s real estate voice for more than 12 years.

The state building code is a “meets minimum” standard meant primarily to protect life, safety, and property.

Advanced, innovative building methods and materials can enhance those protections while reducing the lifetime costs of homeownership.

Meet the developer that does just that: Florida Green Building Construction.

Watch the Podcast and read the Show Notes below for more details.

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Be sure to check out the continually updated interactive Flagler County Map of Developments and Subdivisions.

Raw Show Notes

Our behind-the-scenes guide to the show’s flow, including topics we didn’t have time to get to on the show. This is raw and likely contains typos. Data reflects the show’s recording date.

Notes for 8-22-2026

Recorded 8-21-2026

Welcome to the tranquil side of Florida. This is Real Estate Matters, the voice of real estate in Flagler County and Palm Coast for more than 12 years.

I’m Toby Tobin, publisher of the real estate news website GoToby.com, and a Florida-licensed Realtor with Grand Living Realty. I’m joined by Co-host Annamaria Long from the Flagler Homebuilders Association, one of our sponsors.

Thanks to Our Sponsors:

Flagler County Home Builders Association

Hammock Community Church – On A1A in The Hammock – Small enough to know you but large enough to serve you. North of the toll bridge with the message sign out front. It’s not just for Hammockians. Like me, many people cross the bridge.

Guests: Tali DeJesus, President of Florida Green Building Construction, and  Mary Vasilevsky, V.P, of Construction Management.

August MTD stats:

Trim notices are out. Check yours.

My just value dropped $49,525 while my assessed value rose $3,051.

Property tax is estimated to increase $49.45.

All based on January 1 value.

Homes sold – 144

Median Price – $374,850

Inventory – 1,113 – 4.2 months’ worth of inventory

41% of pending sales are New Construction, highest in 18 months

See www.GoToby.com for the July and YTD article. Includes an interactive map of homes sold during July

Florida Green Building Construction:

Other than being one of the local builders that survived the local housing bubble, what makes Florida Green Building Construction different?

Unique construction methods and materials. It’s not just frame vs block anymore.

• Concrete
• Steel reinforcement
• Insulation
• Air barrier
• Vapor barrier
• Furring strips

What are the advantages of ICF?

Same construction methods as are used to build the Promenade at Town Center

• Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF).

Competing technologies

• Structural Insulated Panels (SIP)
• 3-D Printing
• Robotic block construction (Hadrian) using adhesives rather than mortar.

Incentives:

Controlling housing affordability (applies at all price levels)

Lack of skilled construction labor and the industry’s overreliance on undocumented labor.

Roadblocks:

• Conflicting local codes
• Residents’ resistance (NIMBY factor magnified by social media)
• The status quo.

The building code is a “meets minimum requirements” standard. Why not go above that?

Tell us about your new Granny Flat ADU product.

The state will soon mandate local jurisdictions allowing ADU’s

Additional Topic: July and YTD Summary

The results are in, and they are not very illuminating. Prices are dropping overall, but the median price has held within a narrow range for 2 ½ years. Strength at the upper end of the market supports the median price. Where can we find clues?

The number of homes sold YTD is 15.9% higher than in the same period last year. For the same period, total sales volume increased by 18.7%. Conclusion: more homes were sold in the higher price ranges.

Median prices rose 1.4%, but price reductions have topped price increases 121:20 in the last 7 days.

Homes sold and total sales volume are higher in all but one month this year, yet price reductions prevail.

Production builders can react to inventory pressures within a few months. High-end custom builders’ typical construction timeline is significantly longer.

Production builders are resorting more often to price reductions, with some sales uncovered that closed for less than 80% of their original list price.

Year over year, homes selling for $500K or more increased their market share in both homes sold and sales volume.

New construction represented 29.6% of reported MLS sales in July. This is lower than the 33.3% average over the past two years.

34.5% of July sales were reported as cash sales, up slightly over the 33.7% average over the past two years.

Wrap-up:

Video podcasts of Real Estate Matters are available on GoToby.com. Click on Podcasts on the top navigation bar. Show notes are included so you can see what we didn’t get to on the show. Also, the Flagler County Interactive map of residential developments and subdivisions on GoToby.com is updated regularly. Currently viewed over 11,000 times.

Let me be your consultant at no additional cost. Owners’ associations and Florida’s property tax system are largely misunderstood by buyers and sellers, leading to undesired outcomes. I have served on homeowner and condo association boards and a CDD commission. I served for more than ten years on the Flagler County Value Adjustment Board. I understand deed-restricted communities.

If you are thinking about buying or selling property in Flagler County, call me first. Based on your goals, I’ll connect you with an appropriately qualified Realtor or builder and serve as your consultant throughout the transaction, at no additional cost to you. Call me at 386-931-7124 or email me at Toby@GoToby.com.