Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
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.
Transcribed with Cockatoo
0:00:00
(Speaker 2)
Welcome back to the Tracewater Homes podcast, where we talk all things home building, community, and the exciting journey of making your dream home a reality. I'm Jeanne with Tracewater Homes, and we have a special guest with us today, Shevlin Lockler with FBC Mortgage, a trusted partner and lender in the real estate and mortgage business. And Matt with Tracewater Homes. Let's start with some introductions. Shevlin, tell us a little bit about yourself. Yeah, my name is Chevlyn Lockler, and I work with FBC Mortgage.
0:00:34
(Speaker 2)
I grew up in Gulf Breece, and I currently live in Pensacola with my family. I've been doing residential mortgages since 2020, and I have a passion for first -time homebuyers and a special focus on new construction financing. Awesome.
0:00:52
(Speaker 1)
And Matt, tell our listeners a little bit about what makes homebuilding on the Emerald Coast a unique experience. Well, building with Tracewater Homes is such a unique experience. I guess probably the biggest difference would be our steel framing. It's something that is, I think it's fairly unique that we are using it exclusively in all of our construction. I'm not aware of another builder that's doing that. It adds so much value to the home in so many ways, from strength, from fire resistance, termite resistance, Insurability, there's just so many things and we'll get into some of those things also.
0:01:33
(Speaker 1)
I think number two is probably the process. We have such a great process for selections and so many items to choose from. You're not pigeonholed into category A or category B or base versus one upgrade. We have so many things to really, really customize your home. And we've also made it really easy to do that. We have a portal for your job site that allows you to go on and make those selections.
0:02:00
(Speaker 1)
you know from the comfort of your home so that part of it's really really cool as well and I would say also You know, it would be our team. We have a team that's just absolutely dedicated, you know, including shoveling, that's just dedicated to new construction. We're a family -owned business, and so Jeannie and I and our four kids all call the Emerald Coast home.
0:02:27
(Speaker 5)
So we just love it here, and we love working with clients on the Emerald Coast.
0:02:33
(Speaker 2)
Awesome. All right, Shevelyn, let's talk a little bit about construction loans. What should buyers know about one -time close in new home construction? Yeah, so the beauty of a one -time close is whether you own your land free and clear, you have an existing mortgage on the land, or you're trying to roll the land into the construction loan, it truly is a one closing. So we've already done our due diligence on our side to approve Trace Water Homes to approve their selected floor plans. So it cuts the construction loan in half to where you could actually truly close within 30 days.
0:03:15
(Speaker 2)
So we've got many different options such as VA, which is 0 % down payment minimum, FHA, 3 .5 % down minimum, and a conventional 5 % down minimum. So if you own your land, we can use that as lot equity to go towards your down payment. And if you're purchasing the land, rolling that into the construction, we just have to have your minimum down payment on the lot plus the build. It's actually pretty simple being one time close. And at closing, that's when Tracewater takes over or continues because they've been working with you throughout the process.
0:03:49
(Speaker 5)
But that's when your build starts.
0:03:50
(Speaker 2)
And then within eight months, you move in. So what's the process like? for someone who's just getting started? So it's actually the same as if you were just purchasing a resale. You would do your loan application, which that information can come towards the end of the podcast, but you apply online. We do our normal credit review.
0:04:09
(Speaker 2)
We verify your income, your assets, and then we work with your realtor to make sure that you can afford and you're comfortable with the payments on said lot plus construction. Again, we've already approved Tracewater Homes and the floor plans, so that time is taken out. So we just approve you as the buyer, and then the appraiser goes on site and appraises your raw land with the new proposed building to come up with the value, and then you close. I would say 30 to 35 days.
0:04:41
(Speaker 1)
We can cut it down to from the typical 60 because of our relationship with Tracewater. Can I just jump in for one second on that? One thing that I run into people having a lot of confusion about is the piece of the land being rolled into their construction financing. And people don't understand. Sometimes they come and they say, oh, well, we have to buy our lot, and then we have to get that taken care of, and then go get a loan for the house.
0:05:06
(Speaker 2)
And they don't understand that they can put that all into one package at the same time. That's absolutely one, I think, of the most exciting parts on the early side of working with Tracewater Homes is it's very seamless. It's very easy. There's a lot less to do than people think. And the other thing is, and the other exciting thing about working with Tracewater Homes is savings. And I've heard you talk a lot about the 1 % lender credit.
0:05:40
(Speaker 2)
So let's tell our listeners a little bit more about that. Yeah, so on a typical construction loan, there's actually a 1 % origination charge that waive due to our relationship and partnership with Tracewater. And we offer a 1 % lender credit on top. So let's say your lot plus your loan amount for your construction is $500 ,000. 1 % of that is $5 ,000 that we give to you to cut down your closing costs to keep more cash in your pocket.
0:06:11
(Speaker 2)
So once you do move in, you can put that couch of your dreams inside. Which by the way, I have to just shine on you. Those floor plans are not like any spec builder or floor plans I've ever seen. They are thoughtfully curated. Jeannie is incredibly talented. The outlets and bed positioning between windows, it's already done for you.
0:06:35
(Speaker 2)
So truly when she mentions taking the thought process out of it, we have all spent our time doing that for you so that it's very easy and you just pick colors, combinations, and then move in.
0:06:48
(Speaker 7)
Right?
0:06:49
(Speaker 2)
Yes. Well, thank you for that. You're welcome. But yes, it's true.
0:06:53
(Speaker 7)
I think people fret about the home building process and they worry about they're, you know, going to wind up divorced by the end or something like that.
0:07:00
(Speaker 2)
And I mean, for sure, our goal is at the end to just say, I cannot believe how incredibly easy it was to build with Tracewater Homes. Yeah. So that's choosing the right partners too. I mean, I know you have insurance agents, we have a title company, people that are used to working with us, they understand your products. It truly does help that you have the right partners to make everything so seamless. Absolutely, a trusted partner is worth their weight in gold and it just really helps bring the whole package together.
0:07:33
(Speaker 2)
So Matt, you were mentioning steel framing earlier.
0:07:37
(Speaker 1)
Can you speak just a little bit about how that helps increase our speed on job. Oh, absolutely. It's great because, you know, as opposed to the traditional wood stick frame process where every, you know, piece of material on that job site needs to be cut individually. The steel frame is built in a factory, put on a trailer, and delivered to the job site as complete wall panels. So when the framers receive that delivery, it's a pretty cool process.
0:08:12
(Speaker 1)
They unload them, they have a map, they start putting it together, and it goes up so much faster than traditional stick frame process. And from that point forward, there's still some time savings in that too, because all of the studs are pre -drilled for wires and plumbing pipes. So now our trades also have the benefit of some time savings where they don't have a guy in there for a day just drilling holes to run wires.
0:08:39
(Speaker 2)
It's already in place for them.
0:08:40
(Speaker 1)
So it's a really cool process. How about low maintenance? Low maintenance as far as the structure itself. I mean, you know, you think about steel versus wood. What's the biggest thing when you're living in the south that causes damage to your wood framing? It's termites.
0:08:59
(Speaker 2)
Termites don't eat steel.
0:09:01
(Speaker 1)
That's just the short answer to that is they don't eat steel. Steel also doesn't rot. Correct. So, I mean, it doesn't rot. It's stronger. We get wind load ratings that exceed what we can get out of wood construction.
0:09:15
(Speaker 1)
So there's just, there are so many benefits that go along with the steel process.
0:09:18
(Speaker 2)
And as a result of that, we've paired with a great insurance company that has actually put rates together on our base plans. And they've come back with some tremendous annual insurance premiums that are far lower than even a brand new house that would be framed in a traditional way. Yeah, I think that is a very incredible thing that Tracewater Homes brings to the table as well, because everyone is afraid of insurability getting dropped, rates rising, and insurance agents are looking at our product and they're saying, Number one, can we insure you because you're really great and we want to be able to offer really great rates. And with all of your product, we're able to do that. And so it's really a win -win for everyone. And they have gone ahead and pre -priced most of our floor plans as well.
0:10:16
(Speaker 2)
So with Chevlon working on getting the mortgage up front, the agents have also worked on getting the insurance up front. And so you really know what you're getting into with a Tracewater home. including our transparent pricing. We only want you to have good surprises.
0:10:34
(Speaker 1)
There's no such thing as getting caught up in something and you didn't realize it until it was too late in the game. Can you speak just a little bit, Matt, about the transparent pricing that we offer? Yeah, absolutely. So as part of our process, there's going to be a portal for your job where you're making all of your selections from, you know, once you pick your plan, you can select your structural options. So do I want a third car garage? Do I want to add the second story?
0:11:03
(Speaker 1)
And then you can go to things like the fun stuff that Jeannie likes to work with. What color countertops do I want? What do I want for my cabinets? Do I want the curated kitchen? All the fun stuff. And all of that is pre -priced in the system.
0:11:18
(Speaker 1)
As you're going along making those selections, you're literally watching the price of your home adjust to what you're selecting. So when you finish making those selections, you know exactly what that home is going to cost you. you know, when we're finished. And that doesn't change. So when we start construction on your house, you're not going to have those surprises where, oh, no, you know, it's like, I call it the HGTV moment, you know, where somebody comes and makes the phone call and says, oh, we ran into this, and now it's going to cost you another $10 ,000, but we have to go forward.
0:11:51
(Speaker 2)
We don't do that. So that's a great, great thing, you know, with the process that we have. Yeah, absolutely. So bringing it back to you, Shevelyn, we just wanted to talk a little bit about buyer confidence. So when it comes to having a preferred lender on our team, that should really help boost our buyers' confidence in a lot of ways. Can you talk to us just a little bit about what those ways are and how you can help ease their nerves?
0:12:18
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, building a house, in theory, can be scary. It's a lot. We try to minimize all of that for you, but working with a lender that gets you pre -approved ensures your confidence knowing that you have the affordability, that not only can you afford it, but are you comfortable affording the new house that you're going to have built for you. It ensures confidence with your realtors that you're working with with the builders that are going to be building your home I've got over five years of experience working with new construction and I spend a lot of time myself and my team spend a lot of time making sure that We have all of your information documented we can verify everything because really we just want you to feel comfortable with what your new payments going to be and Unfortunately interest rates are going up and going down. There's no way to really truly target where your interest rate will land, but I will say that every one of our loan programs does have a set interest rate during construction, and then as you get the CO, that's when you lock in for your 30 -year fixed.
0:13:26
(Speaker 2)
So we can go over best, worst, and then ideal.
0:13:29
(Speaker 1)
cases from the very beginning. Go ahead, Matt. I was just going to say that's something that's been very important to us as we have gone through the process when we were developing, you know, the Tracewater Homes process was making sure that we have, you know, partners that are really knowledgeable in what they do because we look at it like, A client maybe does this one or two times in their lifetime.
0:13:55
(Speaker 2)
And we want people that have done this hundreds of times and know the process and just create that level of comfort for our clients that it just feels easy to them. And working with Chevrolet does that. Our industry has its own lingo, right? And not everyone knows our terms and they don't understand what some of the things mean. So it just really creates some clean communication when lender and builder are on the same page, can get some of that behind the scenes things worked out, and it doesn't even have to necessarily include the homeowner at all. Yeah, and most builders do have their own preferred lenders, not just because we're likable, but because we are transparent, just like they have transparent pricing.
0:14:41
(Speaker 2)
Not everyone can afford to buy a house. That's just a fact. I wish everyone did, but just not everyone's in the right moment of their life to be a homeowner. But we take the time to, if that's the case, say, hey, it's not, no, it's just not now. We'll put you on a plan. We'll tell you how much you need to have saved, how much more you need to work, what debts you can cut down, any collections you can get paid off.
0:15:06
(Speaker 1)
We'll work with you because at the end of the day, if you can't afford a home today, it doesn't mean that you can't afford a home in six months, 12 months, or 18 months. And Tracewater will be here, FBC Mortgage will be here when you are ready. And we honestly have some great stories from our past about that exact thing where
0:15:25
(Speaker 4)
you know, we wound up building a house for someone maybe two years later.
0:15:28
(Speaker 2)
And it's really cool. It is.
0:15:33
(Speaker 1)
Yeah, to help walk them through that process and journey with them until the big moment is here. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. One thing I would like to just hit on, though, if we can before we... It's just how, like we were talking about insurance, right? As we were talking about insurance, we're talking about how insurance is reduced as a result of the way we build.
0:15:56
(Speaker 1)
Well, a big piece of the affordability factor right now has to do with insurance. The more you pay on a monthly basis or an annual basis for your insurance premiums, the less you can afford to pay for your principal and interest. So by reducing that insurance for the client, we're able to give Chevlon more room to work with on their loan because now they can afford more of a loan.
0:16:19
(Speaker 2)
And it's huge. It's not just the difference in annual premium savings. It's the difference in how much can they increase their mortgage to now be able to get the house that they really want. Yeah, that's a good point, because a lot of people are always asking about interest rates. And I have to remind them, you should ask about insurance as well. But I will say, being a Floridian, insurance has come down substantially in the last 24 months.
0:16:42
(Speaker 2)
But working with your vendor, those numbers are very, very impressive. It could be a matter of tens of thousands of dollars more that you can spend on your home having a policy like that. Also, it's very good for resale.
0:16:57
(Speaker 1)
Not that we want to build your dream home and then you move instantly, but life happens.
0:17:02
(Speaker 8)
And I know you've got some social warranties that come along with your homes that most builders don't offer.
0:17:08
(Speaker 2)
That would help that your home sells quicker, right?
0:17:12
(Speaker 5)
Absolutely.
0:17:12
(Speaker 7)
Absolutely.
0:17:14
(Speaker 2)
And some of our warranties are transferable to the new buyer as well. It's amazing. Yeah. And that's Fuller Insurance Agency in Santa Rosa Beach, by the way. Plug in. Yeah, I'm always plugging them.
0:17:28
(Speaker 2)
And that'll be a whole other podcast on another day. We'll have the folks from Fuller come in and talk with us as well. So if I have a friend who is interested in a new construction home, what would you recommend is the first best step for them to get more information on trace water. So reaching out to go ahead and go onto our website and fill out an inquiry. And one of our sales associates will reach out, I won't say instantaneously, but very quickly, just to get to know you, answer any questions right away. And actually, they'll put you in touch with Shevlin quite quickly.
0:18:12
(Speaker 2)
And if you're thinking about buying a home, now is the time. Take advantage of this 1 % lender credit. And with a building process that's faster, more affordable, and more transparent, now is the time. Great.
0:18:28
(Speaker 6)
So to learn more about the loan process with Shevlin, you can visit her website at LockwithLockler .
0:18:36
(Speaker 2)
com, that's L -O -C -K -W -I -T -H Lockler, L -O -C -K -L -E -R . com, and explore available homes and plans at the TracewaterFL . com website, TracewaterHomesFL .
0:18:53
(Speaker 5)
com.
0:18:53
(Speaker 2)
Connect with our team to get started today. Thanks so much for tuning in to Tracewater Homes Podcast. Big thanks to you, Shevelyn, from FBC Mortgage, for being here with us today. Thank you, Shevelyn. Thank you for having me.
0:19:05
(Speaker 4)
If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, share it with someone thinking about building, and stay connected with us on Instagram, Facebook, and we'll see you next time.
0:21:41
(Speaker 3)
Really excited to share some really big news.
0:21:44
(Speaker 2)
Tracewater Homes is expanding our footprint outside of Walton and Bay Counties. So you're going to be building from Apalachicola all the way to the Alabama border? Yes.
0:21:54
(Speaker 3)
Wow.
0:21:55
(Speaker 1)
That's so exciting. So we're talking Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, all the way over? All the way over. Wow.
0:22:03
(Speaker 2)
Big news.
0:22:04
(Speaker 1)
And so to kick this off, we're going to host a launch party. It's going to be June 20th from 2 to 5 p . m.
0:22:11
(Speaker 2)
And it's going to be at Chevlin's new office. So excited to see it. Yeah. Right in downtown Pensacola. So that's going to be pretty awesome. And Chevlin, why don't you share with us exactly where that's at?
0:22:21
(Speaker 2)
Yeah. So Friday. June 20th from 2 to 5, right before Gallery Night. FBC Mortgage Office is at 100 West Garden Street, Suite C. We'll have free parking. We'll have food. We'll have some refreshments.
0:22:36
(Speaker 2)
We'll have a lot of swag. We'll have giveaways. There'll be floor plans you can explore, financing questions with myself and Team Chevy that'll be present. the agents that'll be there. What else, Jeannie? What are we going to learn about Tracewater?
0:22:51
(Speaker 2)
We'll have a look at the floor plans. We'll probably have some design things on site so people can see what their options would be in building a Tracewater home. Like you said, we're going to have some giveaways, some really nice baskets and swag. It's going to be a really good time right before gallery night. So make a day of it.
0:23:08
Come on over and visit us before heading out for the night. Whether you're an agent, a potential client, you're just curious, you're walking by, you heard this podcast, everyone is welcome. So it's going to be a really fun night and it's just going to be low -key. Come meet our team, meet Chevalin's team, and just come and celebrate with us.
Transcribed with Cockatoo