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As 2026 comes into view, new home sales is stepping into a year defined by momentum, reinvention, and sharper expectations from today’s buyers. Technology is accelerating, market conditions are evolving, and builders are rethinking how they create value, speed, and certainty in every interaction. To help sales professionals rise to what’s ahead, we gathered insights from top industry leaders on the strategies, mindsets, and opportunities that will drive success in the year to come.
2026 marks my silver anniversary in the new-home industry, and after 25 years, one truth stands above the rest: if we want to sell more homes, sales leaders must stop managing tasks and start coaching salespeople. As I say in my seminars, management isn’t the direction of people...it’s the development of them.
While many will continue to erode margins with crazy discounts or chase traffic through larger marketing spends, the real opportunity in 2026 is helping salespeople convert the traffic they already have. That doesn’t happen in a motivational sales rally or by telling your team to “do better.” It happens through deliberate coaching focused on micro-skill development, elevating the specific behaviors that create revenue.
If there’s a single shift that will define a breakout year, it’s this: build better salespeople, not bigger incentives. The market rewards those who coach...and it especially rewards the leaders and teams who commit to becoming true Revenue Getters.
As we look ahead to 2026, the most valuable OSCs will be the ones who connect the dots—not just between online and onsite, but across departments, technology, and human experience. In a market that demands adaptability, you can’t silo yourself. And you can’t live in the, “But we’ve always done it this way” mentality. OSCs must be active collaborators with marketing, onsite sales, leadership, and, most importantly, the customer.
You’re not just the first touchpoint—you’re the bridge. You bring the data from digital tools and CRM insights to life with empathy and personalization. AI can help automate tasks, but it can’t replace genuine curiosity, deep listening, or the ability to read between the lines.
Lead nurturing isn't a one-and-done effort. You’re not an order taker—you’re a guide, a translator, a trust-builder. When OSCs own that role, they elevate not just the customer experience, but the entire sales ecosystem.
In 2026, don’t just follow the process—connect it.
Selling incentives, discounts, and rate buydowns doesn’t work. This year, the most successful sales organizations will shift their mindset from selling houses to guiding life transitions. Buyer profiles are more complex and confusing than ever. They are not simply choosing floor plans; they are choosing a new chapter—new routines, new identity, new possibilities.
When we treat the sales process as a transaction, we get transactional results: price-first conversations, incentive pressure, and slower decisions. When we treat it as a life-shift conversation, we elevate the role of the salesperson into a trusted guide to a new life. The question is no longer, “What can we offer to get them to move?” It becomes, “What future are they trying to build, and how do we help them step into it with confidence?”
That’s where urgency, clarity, and buyer conviction are born. Top performers will escort their buyers into a clear, promising, and exciting tomorrow.
Dear Leaders, I’ve heard some wild things this year! Let’s face it, there’s some messiness out there so let’s be the calm and focus on what we know to be true: Customers want an easy and frictionless experience when researching and buying a home.
What I also know from this year's Homebuilder Survey is that we’ve got some work to do and it starts with our leaders. With 50% of new home sales continuing to come from online appointments, leaders must spend time engaging with their Online Sales Specialists. They need support and resources from you to go from good to great!
Here are three quick tips for supporting your Online Sales Specialists in 2026:
As we head into 2026, remember this: strong online sales performance doesn’t happen by accident—it happens through intentional leadership. When we invest in our Online Sales Specialists, we invest in the customer experience, the sales pipeline, and ultimately the success of our entire company!
Over the past year, I’ve heard many Sales Associates express concerns: “I’m not getting enough qualified traffic,” “My builder isn’t doing enough marketing,” or “The lead quality just isn’t there.”
I hear these challenges, but I also remind them of something important: you are the driver of your own business.
As a New Home Sales Associate, you operate much like an entrepreneur. Your sales office and model homes are your storefront. Your builder may own the community, but you run the day-to-day business inside it. That means your results are shaped heavily by the systems you build, the consistency you maintain, and the activities you prioritize.
To manage your business like an entrepreneur and ensure Sales Success in 2026, develop clear systems in these core areas:
Ultimately, at the end of the day, you are in charge and responsible for your sales success. Make sure you have the right systems in place to achieve that success in 2026!
2025 didn’t just challenge us. It exposed us. The old scripts, the old mindset, the classic sales pitch—they don’t land anymore. Because today’s buyers aren’t just buying homes, they’re buying relief.
They want certainty in a world that feels unstable, and to feel seen, safe, and supported. People may forget your words, but they’ll always remember your energy.
First impressions win. Be intentional with your words, tone, and body language—they’re your company’s brand and the energy you bring into the room. Focus on following up with speed and personalization, keep them curious to engage with you, roll out the red carpet for every prospect, and strip the fluff away. Are you going to be the salesperson they remember for how you made them feel?
Keep Marketing in the loop, share feedback, and align on messaging. When both sides work together, the customer feels clear and confident from first website visit to signing the contract.
It’s time to evolve. Check your energy and sell relief, not just homes.
Engagement drives everything: trust, confidence, and loyalty. The builders who win in 2026 will be the ones who stay connected from walk-in to warranty.
Prospects
Engage early by offering useful information instead of pressure. Share real-time community updates, quick-move-in opportunities, and new releases that make shoppers feel like insiders. When you respond quickly and follow up with relevance, you move from a name in their inbox to a builder they trust.
Purchasers
Engagement during the build is about reducing uncertainty. Send milestone updates with photos, videos, and next-step reminders so buyers stay informed and excited. Loop in their realtor on progress. When agents feel included, they reinforce confidence and help prevent miscommunication (and bring you more qualified buyers).
Homeowners
Engagement after move-in builds advocacy. Continue outreach with check-ins, warranty reminders, and home care tips so homeowners feel supported. A little effort post-closing turns satisfied buyers into lifelong promoters who drive referrals and reputation.
In new-construction, buyers can’t always see, touch, or walk through what they’re purchasing yet (especially in the stages of research in conversations with the OSC) which means we must become expert “vision guides.” The most successful OSCs don’t just give information… they paint the picture of the lifestyle, the community, and what the buyer’s life will look like there.
But the key to painting the right picture is first understanding their why. When we dig deeper, beyond bedrooms and budgets—we uncover the emotional drivers that matter most: proximity to grandkids, space for a growing family, low-maintenance living, a home office, a community that feels like home, etc.
Asking the right questions builds trust, increases urgency, and gives us the clarity to tailor the story in a way that truly resonates:
When buyers can see themselves living there (and when they feel seen and understood by you), they are far more likely to take the next step. Whether that's committing to an appointment or the sale.
In new construction, confidence and imagination fuel conversions.
Dig into the why. Paint the vision. Guide them forward.
Every year brings new tech, new buzzwords, and new ways to overcomplicate something that’s actually pretty simple. The best salespeople in 2026 won’t chase trends. They’ll double down on conversations that matter.
Sales in 2026 is about leading buyers forward with skill, empathy, and just enough swagger to remind them they’re in good hands with a trustworthy advisor.
The market is shifting faster than anyone wants to admit. Rates swing, buyer psychology flips, tech evolves every six months… but salespeople are still trying to win the future with yesterday’s identity. Everyone is chasing the newest tool, CRM upgrade, incentive tweak, or AI shortcut. Yes, those matter, but the real differentiator in 2026 isn’t your tech stack, it’s the person using it. Too many reps are trying to build 2026 results with a 2018 mindset, blaming the market when the real bottleneck is internal:
That’s not a skill gap, that’s an identity gap.
Buyers don’t follow scripts; they follow certainty. In a high-stress, low-trust environment, they’re not looking for the smoothest talker; they’re looking for someone who anchors them. Someone who knows who they are and what they’re there to do. That’s why sales identity is the new competitive edge. Your beliefs, posture, presence, and personal philosophy show up long before your product ever does, and identity shifts everything.
That’s why two salespeople can say the exact same words and only one closes. 2026 will reward the reps who show up like leaders, not order takers. The market is getting louder, buyers are getting sharper, and the old pitch-and-pray playbook is dead. The pros who win this year will be the ones who’ve done the inner work, rewired their beliefs around value and money, upgraded their mindset around pressure and pace, built habits that sharpen their edge, and developed a presence buyers can feel instantly. They operate from a grounded, powerful identity not fear, scarcity, or desperation.
Identity is your new currency. Your new conversion tool. Your new separator. Every competitor can copy your pricing, your incentives, your script, but no one can copy a powerful identity. So, the real question every sales professional should ask this year is: Who am I becoming in the sales conversation? And is that identity built for the market ahead or the one we left behind? Master that, and you won’t just sell more homes. You’ll sell with authority, clarity, and consistency, no matter what the market throws
2025 has proven to me time and time again that the market isn’t stuck. People are. Buyers are unsure. Sales Advisors are overwhelmed. And leaders are trying to solve both while carrying too much on their own.
The good news? This is fixable.
The better news? It has nothing to do with market conditions and everything to do with momentum.
Dear Sales Advisors,
I’m going to say this with the love and urgency of someone who wants to see you win:
Dear Sales Leadership
You don’t unstick a team with pressure. You unstick a team with clarity, repetition, coaching, and momentum. And going into 2026, the builders who win won’t be the ones who predict the market. They’ll be the ones who move their people forward despite market conditions.
In new home sales, there are only two ways to sell a home: you either sell the discount or you sell the destiny. When you sell the discount, you plant fear and uncertainty into the most emotional financial decision your buyer will ever make—next to marriage or the birth of a child.
But when you sell the destiny, how your buyer’s future life will improve because of their decision, price is no longer the problem. Starting now, stop trading in fear for freedom. Sell the destiny, not the discount, and you’ll transform from a transactional sales amateur into a transformational Sales Warrior. This is the new way!!
You know that feeling. The phones are quiet, traffic is slow, incentives are strong, and somehow nothing’s happening.
This is the moment that separates salespeople from sales professionals.
When the market feels still, you have two choices: wait or work. The pros choose work.
They sharpen their presentation. They reconnect with the prospects who ghosted them last spring. They build realtor relationships that will pay off next quarter. They learn something new about their community, their financing options, or their buyer psychology. They stay in motion even when results lag behind the effort.
Quiet times are when pros separate themselves from the pack. When there’s no momentum to ride, the best salespeople create their own. They control what they can: their actions, their mindset, and their consistency.
Slow markets expose habits. If you’ve been relying on high traffic to mask weak follow-up or poor urgency, it shows. But if you’ve been building your process, your mindset, and your skill set, this is your time to gain ground.
Because something is happening, even when it feels like it isn’t. You’re becoming sharper, stronger, more resilient, and more ready. You’re either moving forward toward success or away from it. There is no standing still.
The salespeople who win in the next cycle will be the ones who turned quiet markets into training grounds. When nothing’s happening, leaders don’t wait; they create.
Disruption oftentimes gets a bad rap, but in sales it’s the secret sauce. A disruptor isn’t a rebel. It’s the person who breaks a buyer’s autopilot. The teams that will excel next year are the ones willing to think outside the box, capture the story, disrupt the “normal,” and reimagine their delivery from start to finish. A disruptive experience isn’t loud or pushy; it’s memorable. It’s the moment our buyers feel seen instead of sold to. In 2026, create moments your buyers can’t ignore, can’t forget, and can’t help but say “yes” to. Be the disruptor, Unapologetically.
Stay consistent with prospecting by making sure every aged lead receives a personalized-looking email and a phone call from you at least once a month. It’s easy to get discouraged when the first few touches go unanswered—but that’s completely normal. Real momentum comes from steady, repeated outreach that builds trust over time. Support your 1:1 efforts with customer-centric mass emails that are short, catchy, and include a clear call to action to spark engagement.
The key to staying motivated? Track everything. When you measure how many appointments come from leads that have been in your CRM for more than 45 days—and the revenue from those “slow burn” conversions—you’ll see just how powerful consistency really is. Those “out of the blue” responses aren’t random; they’re the result of your persistent follow-up. Keep calling, emailing, texting, and logging every touch. The work you put in today becomes the future version of you and your leads saying, “Thanks for not giving up.”
In an industry that doesn't evolve as fast as others, it might feel like we are trying to catch up. We are all fighting to stay relevant, and it can feel like a moving target... but authenticity remains the one constant that always cuts through the noise. As sales and marketing professionals, we’re surrounded by new tools, automations, and AI-driven efficiencies, yet buyers continue to crave something no technology can replace: real human connection, behind the phone or in person.
In 2026, the brands and teams who will stand out aren’t the ones trying to be the flashiest or the most perfectly polished, they’re the ones showing up as themselves, grounded in genuine values, honest communication, and meaningful relationships. When you lead with authenticity, you build trust, loyalty, and long-term value. Tools can scale your message, but it’s your humanity that makes it resonate.
Put your face with a name, don't become just another perfect post on social media, another perfectly crafted email, pick up the phone, make the connection, and shake their hands!
For 2026, GRIT is what will help you not just survive but truly thrive. Grit is that rare combination of passion and perseverance needed to accomplish ones goals. Here’s what GRIT stands for in New Home Sales.
G – Gratitude and Growth
“Gratitude is my favorite attitude.” We start by being grateful to work in one of the most meaningful sales industries in the world. We provide shelter, fulfill dreams, and are rewarded well for our efforts. Even when the market feels tough, we’re fortunate to work in beautiful models and sales centers, serving clients at every stage of life.
Growth is the next step. Now is the ideal time to invest in your skills and communication. I’ve been through seven tough markets, and these were always the times when training moved my career forward the most. Anyone can sell at three-percent rates; true Sales Champions are defined in markets like the one we’re in today. Learning to sell successfully in 2026 will set the trajectory for your entire career.
R – Resilience
Top salespeople adapt to the market they have, not the one they wish for. Yes, it’s discouraging to lose buyers who can’t qualify or can’t sell their current home. That’s why thick skin and focus are essential. For example, I’m coaching a Miami sales team, including Jose, who spends two hours a day on follow-up. After months of consistent outreach to leads others abandoned, he’s now working with two hot buyers — one investing $1.5 million and another up to $10 million. That’s real resilience in action.
I – Inspiration
“New Home Sales is a unique blend of Hospitality and Retail.”
Clients don’t want to buy from someone negative. They want to feel inspired by passionate professionals who create excitement about a new home and the lifestyle it offers. This means working on yourself — your mindset, energy, and presence. My daily routine includes exercise, meditation, and listening to motivational or educational content so I can bring my best to every interaction. When customers walk in, it’s showtime, and they deserve the most positive experience we can deliver.
T – Tenacity
A recent commencement speech by Roger Federer shared that even though he won 80 percent of his matches, he lost 46 percent of all points played. He didn’t dwell on the losses — he stayed focused, adapted, and went on to win 103 titles, including 20 Grand Slams. In new home sales, cancellations can feel like a gut punch, but tenacity turns disappointment into fuel. Sales are rooted in ratios: you’ll hear many no’s before the yes. Don’t let it break your spirit — let it drive you to sharpen your skills and bring in qualified traffic.
In 2026, it’s time to develop true sales GRIT, release disappointment, and become the sales star that’s always been inside you.
In 2026, success belongs to sales leaders who don’t wait for opportunities, they create them with intent. Great customer experience is driven by intention at every level.
Intentional leadership creates intentional salespeople. That means:
When your team sees you lead with purpose and intention, they learn to sell with purpose. When every action is rooted in intent, the customer feels it and your culture reflects it.
The most important shift sales leaders should make is to stop managing tasks and start coaching salespeople. As defined by Ryan Taft, the focus should be on deliberate coaching and micro-skill development to elevate the specific behaviors that create revenue, rather than relying on large discounts or increased marketing spend.
The most valuable OSCs will be the ones who act as the "connector"—the bridge between online and onsite experience, data, and human experience. They must move beyond being order takers to become guides and trust-builders by bringing empathy and personalization to lead nurturing, utilizing AI to automate tasks but not replace genuine connection.
Salespeople should focus on leading with authenticity, energy, and empathy. Today's buyers are looking for relief, certainty, and to feel seen. The most successful salespeople will check their energy, focus on consistency, and ensure their tone and body language reflect a trustworthy advisor who can be the calm in the storm.
When the market feels quiet, sales professionals choose work over waiting. They turn quiet markets into training grounds by sharpening presentations, reconnecting with old prospects, building realtor relationships, and learning new skills. They create their own momentum by controlling their actions, mindset, and consistency, instead of relying on high traffic.
Sales Associates should manage their business like an entrepreneur by building clear, consistent systems in core areas, including Lead Generation and Prospecting (proactive weekly plans), Realtor Outreach, Structured Buyer Follow-Up, Past Buyer Engagement (referrals), and mapping out a weekly mini-marketing plan (social posts, video updates).
Sales & Marketing Strategist
Terrell Turner is an award-winning expert in Online New Home Sales and digital marketing. With over a decade of experience, he blends strategic sales insight with creative content to guide and engage today’s homebuyers.
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