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The Tracewater Homes Podcast brings you inside the world of modern homebuilding, market trends, and the partnerships shaping the future of residential construction. Known for their innovative steel-frame homes, Tracewater dives into what today’s buyers want, how the industry is evolving, and the experts who help bring every project to life. Whether you’re a homeowner, agent, or builder, this podcast delivers insights, inspiration, and behind-the-scenes conversations from the front lines of construction.
Below is the transcript from the Tracewater Homes podcast episode featuring sales agent Clay Phillips:
**Brent:** Hey everybody and welcome back to another episode of the Tracewater Homes podcast. Today I am joined by Matt as always. I'm Brent and we've got Clay with us today from the Abbott Martin Group. He is one of our sales agents. Clay, thank you so much for being with us today. I'll let you go ahead and introduce yourself and you know some of your background and experience.
**Clay Phillips:** Yeah, so my name's Clay Phillips. I'm from Enterprise, Alabama, about an hour and a half from Panama City Beach where I grew up coming to the beach. My background is a little bit different from everybody else's. I spent about 20 years in a professional environment for area ops management, area management, sales and sales management. And process excellence and culture are two of my biggest things that I look out for.
**Brent:** That's awesome. Well, thank you so much, like I said, for being with us today. You're a huge asset to the Tracewater team. So, you cover the kind of eastern side of our market, right? Bay County, Jackson, Washington Homes, kind of that area from the Walton and Bay County line over like Apalachicola and then up to the Alabama line. Which is getting close to where you're from; you're nearly to Enterprise.
**Clay Phillips:** Home.
**Brent:** Would you mind telling us a little bit about your market? Just kind of what you're seeing in that market from a real estate standpoint—any of the growth or hot areas that people might be looking for if they're looking to move to that area.
**Clay Phillips:** Yeah, sure. So, Panama City Beach market, you know, there's not technically an off-season now; it's a 12-month season long. You've got travel ball, you've got motorcycle conventions, Jeep conventions, and everything in between. So, there's a lot of desire for people to come down here. I spent the last two years mastering new construction, selling that with one of the best builders in the US. From that standpoint, I love the process aspect of it. But what kind of hurt me was I didn't like that there wasn't a lot of control for the buyer. You're building spec homes with the anticipation that somebody's going to come buy them. What about those people who have land and just need somebody to build them? What about those people who want control over their process and want to choose their own colors, choose their own palette? They want to choose where they live, not necessarily in an HOA community. And you guys help facilitate that and make those dreams happen.
**Brent:** Yeah. Absolutely. Well, I live in that market area as well in the Panama City Beach area and you can see the growth. A lot of the opportunities for new construction are going to be on existing lots. There's not large tracts of land that are available for development. And so somebody like us is going to need to be the builder on these little individual lots that are down there close to the beach if you really want to be in that PCB market. I foresee a lot of tear-downs coming in the next few years. People buying these little old beach cottages, single-story block homes, or the double-wides that are on some of these beachfront lots right now, getting rid of them and then wanting to build something new. Brent has some experience with that—my own home was that exact situation. So, I think that's kind of the area that is next for this particular locale. 30A is obviously an awesome place to be, but it is getting really crowded, and as people look for the next place to go, I think that market is PCB.
**Clay Phillips:** One of the big challenges I saw when I was in new construction on floor duty is weekly we would have buyers coming in who love the process, they love the trust, they love the visibility of seeing their home built, but they didn't know how to accomplish that on their own land. They would come in and say, "Hey, could you guys build on my own land?" There's a lot of builders here, but there's not a lot that have an upfront, transparent process that gives you choices and a framework. They will actually commit to helping you find the perfect lot or finding the correct home to put on the lot that you already have so that you align with your comps, build your equity, and when you go to sell it, you're going to make money on it.
**Brent:** Yeah, absolutely. And that is a big goal of ours, too. We want our clients to finish the process with us knowing that they've made a good investment and that they're going to profit from that in the future.
**Clay Phillips:** And there's just nobody that fills that gap like you guys do. Whereas you got a lot of new construction communities with the HOAs that build spec homes that you go into, and then you've got a lot of custom home builders here on 30A. But what about all the people who own lots in PCB or Bay County over to Gulf County that don't have the means to get a production builder to build that home? Who do they go to? Trace Water Homes. Now they go to Trace Water Homes. A couple years ago that was a big question, but now Trace Water Homes is the answer. You gave the customers choice and you gave them control over their process.
**Brent:** Absolutely. And we really did try to give a lot of choice for that reason. We've heard the same stories with large-scale production style builders that you walked into the house and the choice was "buy it or don't." You ask the question, "Hey, what color flooring do I get?" and the answer is "This one." We wanted to elevate that experience for buyers and let buyers have the feeling like it's a fully custom home—but it's not. Because a fully custom home is a whole different animal and that's an undertaking in and of itself. We've simplified that process but still given so many options that you feel like it's your home at the end, that you're not just buying someone else's home that they chose everything for you.
**Clay Phillips:** Correct.
**Brent:** So, yeah, I think we did a really good job of that. I think we've got a lot of good options. What are you seeing in that eastern market as far as available lots? Is there a lot of land available for people to buy? What are the hot areas? I know Sunny Hills has a lot of lots available, or in PCB there's some spot lots. But what's kind of the status of the market in the PCB and Panama City area right now?
**Clay Phillips:** I think in Panama City Beach, there's still very good deals on lots; you just got to look for them. The closer you are to the water, the more expensive they're going to be. One of the big things when you're working with a builder in that market is finding one like Trace Water that's going to put in the time commitment to make sure the comps align to that specific lot. And if it's not a good lot for what you're trying to do, Trace Water's going to tell you. If there's two lots and one's going to have a better utilities cost or maybe no cost at all to hook up utilities, and you can save 30 grand—that's a pretty big deal and that speaks volumes for you guys.
**Brent:** Absolutely. Well, and you guys too, as you've become more familiar with our process and the way we do things. You're even able to answer some of those questions right off the bat when it comes to if utilities are already on site in place. What does this neighborhood look like? Is it a place that you would want to build? Does it have to be completely cleared? You guys are starting to learn the things that we look for. I think that's a huge value-add to any client, to have an agent that is so knowledgeable that you're more than just a salesperson; you're there really as an adviser and a confidant, helping these people pick the place that they're going to build, in some cases, their forever home. So yeah, I think as a team we do a really great job of facilitating all of those things.
**Clay Phillips:** Yeah, absolutely.
**Brent:** And we obviously build in these areas. Like I said, I live in the Panama City Beach area and so that helps too because we've already done it. We know kind of what the county's looking for and what utility costs are going to be. Somebody brought a lot to us not too long ago that was right down the street from me, so I already had a really good idea of what that was going to look like. I did call the city and confirm all of that, but I already knew that we were going to have city-provided water available and that we were going to have to put in a septic system because that's just what that area is like. The more we expand that market and build in those areas, it makes answering those questions really easy.
**Clay Phillips:** What I like about Trace Water though is when those situations do come up, you have an answer for it and a process to guide through. If we need a septic, we know what that cost is. If we need city water, we know how to facilitate that and we do it all for the customer with one call.
**Brent:** Yeah. Absolutely.
**Clay Phillips:** They're not doing that because the scariest thing is, "Oh my gosh, I want to build a house, but I'm the one who has to project manage the whole thing," and you take that whole guesswork and anxiety out for the buyer.
**Brent:** Well, because that's our job. It's not the client's job, and it's not your job as their agent. Leslie mentioned in her podcast episode that she's had new construction where she had to drive to her client's house once a week and take progress pictures. That's not an agent's job; that's our job. We're going to handle all of that for you and for the client. That really just comes down to customer service. We do it every day; we know what needs to go into these homes and what needs to happen as far as site work and utilities goes. So, we're going to handle that because that's how it should be done. So, what is your favorite area of your market? Panama City, PCB? What do you love?
**Clay Phillips:** Well, Panama City Beach holds a special place in my heart. I rode my first roller coaster at Miracle Strip Theme Park as a kid. During the day before I went there, we used to go to Shipwreck Island. I also got the worst sunburn I ever had as a kid off Blue Mountain Beach over there. I do like all the infrastructure that's coming in there because we're getting a new hospital, Top Golf, and a surf park over at Pier Park. The infrastructure is coming, it's moving eastward, and it's just growing.
**Brent:** Yeah, it's going to be really cool to see all of that growth. And Panama City is really cool. For me, I really love what's happening in Panama City right now. Have you seen the St. Andrews area downtown? It's amazing what they've done with that area—absolutely beautiful. Every time we're down there, something new has popped up and it's just growing so much. I see a lot of opportunities for Trace Water Homes there. There are vacant lots in the area that would get you just so close to all of the action, too.
**Clay Phillips:** They're putting in millions of dollars to revitalize that area, adding new boat slips. It's going to be a popping area.
**Brent:** Yep. And that downtown area, they're about to start revitalizing the theater down there. There are so many new restaurants and bars. For my wife and I when we moved here, we came from Dallas and such a vibrant nightlife, and we hadn't really found that here until we went to the new downtown Panama City area. We saw this really is a small bit of what we left behind without all of the craziness of a large city. You've got fun speakeasy-type bars and whiskey lounges and just really unique places. Not your typical Sharky's on the beach and stuff. Sometimes you're looking for something a little bit different and I think they really captured that vibe down there.
**Clay Phillips:** Yeah, I think that feeling resonates with a lot of our clients that are coming in from places like Atlanta, Nashville, and Dallas. We see so many people coming in from those areas. One of the things we always talk about is it's not the same here. It's beautiful and you're coming to the beach, but it's a lot slower pace of life. That type of thing with the fun nightlife will definitely resonate with those clients for sure.
**Brent:** Well, and that's the reason that you come here, though, right? Because it's not the same. You were looking for something different—that slower pace of life, that beach lifestyle—but you still get a little bit of the nightlife and what you left behind. So I think it's a really good balance.
**Clay Phillips:** You can be as involved as you want to.
**Brent:** Yes, absolutely. So yeah, I think that entire eastern market is an awesome place to be. Looking at the future, the growth that's going to happen all up 79, as far east as Sunny Hills—as that area develops, it's going to become a really happening place. I think it's a really good place to get in now before all of that happens so you can be established and you're not competing with everybody else.
**Clay Phillips:** Those are all prime areas for Trace Water Homes. Anybody looking should be looking at a Trace Water home in that market.
**Brent:** Absolutely. So what do you think Trace Water Homes brings to buyers in that area that's maybe different than what you typically see? You mentioned there not being a lot of on-your-lot type builders, but is there anything else that Trace Water brings value to?
**Clay Phillips:** Absolutely. The biggest thing they bring is choice and control. You have control over your process, where you live, and how much you want to spend on your lot. If you already own your lot, that's even better. You have control over which plan you put on it. All of ours are designed for 50 or 65-foot lots, so we can do one that's wide or you can go vertical. And then you can modify that whole thing out however you want to. That's the beauty of it. I always tell people you guys bring a production home process to a semi-custom build.
**Brent:** That's exactly what we set out to do. We'll put that on the website; that's the new slogan.
**Clay Phillips:** I like it. That's great.
**Brent:** But that is truly exactly what we set out to do is kind of merge the world of custom and production. Because there are a lot of people looking to live outside of an HOA community, and if you buy with a typical production builder, you don't have that choice. They develop this neighborhood and it's going to be an HOA. Your other option was to go spend a ton of money on a fully custom build, and we didn't see a lot of that middle ground. So we tried to take both and put them together to fill that middle-ground space with a great process that shows buyers where to start.
**Clay Phillips:** Buyers are afraid; they don't know where to start or even how to start that whole process. One call to us or you guys...
**Brent:** Absolutely, that is for sure. Another big thing Jeannie was really big on, having been an agent herself, was to set up a new construction sales process that was a win for everybody. Because a lot of times agents kind of get left behind in new construction, and so a lot of agents stay away for that reason. They'll bring a client to a builder and get cut out of the deal, or they have to wait 12 months before they get their commission check. The way that we have it set up with our commission structure, part of that gets paid out right away when that construction-to-perm loan closes, which is pretty early on in the process. You've gotten some of that money up front because you did the work up front, and you deserve to be paid for that. So, what other things can Trace Water do to benefit other agents, and why would another team's agent want to contact you and bring clients your way?
**Clay Phillips:** Sure. Coming from a new construction background and starting my own general real estate business earlier this year, I communicate and network with a lot of general real estate agents. One of the biggest challenges for them is that there's not a lot of on-your-lot builders here. Most are going to be in neighborhoods that have an HOA whether you like it or not. With that whole process, there's just not a lot of knowledge on how to make these deals work. How do you wrap a construction loan around a residential loan with one payment and one whole process that just automatically turns up? Nobody knows how to do that. They haven't been trained on that process yet, and this is something you guys are bringing to the market with our preferred lender base.
**Brent:** Yeah, and that is a big deal with the construction-to-perm loan program. Our preferred lender, Sheldon Lockler, is able to put that loan together where even if they don't own the lot already, they can roll that lot into their construction financing. It's all one package and it's a one-time close. They modify at the end, but they're not doing new loan docs or anything when the home is complete. The huge benefit for our buyers right now is that we're seeing some downward pressure on interest rates. Someone closes a construction loan now, and they're going to lock their permanent mortgage in 30 days from completion. They're likely going to be at a much lower rate a year from now than they are today. It's such a great deal for them to get in, lock in that price, and then get the advantage of the interest rates downfield.
**Clay Phillips:** Yeah, absolutely. And it is a complicated process if you're not familiar with it. The nice thing is not only do you guys understand it, but we both understand that process really well too. We've done construction-to-perm on our own homes before, so I know what that process looks like and what it all entails. That makes it a lot easier to talk to clients about the entire construction process, from both a building and financing standpoint. We really can help them through the entire process.
**Brent:** How does it make it easier on other agents that you're working with in the market? Agent outreach is a huge goal of our entire sales team, so what are you telling them when you're meeting with them?
**Clay Phillips:** Tell them our role. I am with Abbott Martin and we sell for Trace. Our role is really to help facilitate your buyer getting their dream home. How do we get from point A to point B? What are the steps? We're here as a guide, a resource, and more of a partner-consultant base in this role. We educate and guide. We don't want them going after a home where 90% of the lot is wetland and they can't build. You guys are going to help guide that decision on if we should pull the trigger on those lots.
**Brent:** Absolutely, and we've done significant wetland builds before. So we can be very open and honest and say, "Look, we can do it, but here's what it's going to take; it's going to cost more." We can come to them at the beginning and say we might not know exactly how much, but it's not going to be cheap. But if you're in love with that lot, we can do it because we have the experience to navigate those types of difficult lots. Transparency up front is huge. People aren't going to get stuck with something they can't build what they wanted on because of lot challenges. If they come to us first, we can mitigate some of that right away from the beginning.
**Brent:** Awesome. Well, Clay, thank you so much for joining us. Do you have any closing thoughts or anything else you'd like to add?
**Clay Phillips:** I would just say, like, follow, subscribe, and check out tracewaterhomesfl.com. And thank you for taking the time to watch our podcast.
**Brent:** Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for joining us. And for those watching, if you're interested in buying a lot in the Panama City or Panama City Beach market, reach out to Clay at tracewaterhomesfl.com. You can find the sales contact information there, and let Clay help you find your dream lot.
**Clay Phillips:** Thank you so much, guys.
**Brent:** Thank you guys. Tune in next time.