At Jasper at Joiner Ranch, D.R. Horton marked 2958 Porcelain Street down from $533,990 to $524,990, as of mid-October. That's a $9,000 cut on a four-bedroom, 1,811-square-foot home. Over at Independence, Tri Pointe Homes' own disclosure for a $570,000 sample purchase shows $33,414 in points and fees paid by the builder, all of it going into the mortgage. In Lincoln this fall, the bigger discount sits in the loan, not on the sticker. If you're weighing a new build against a resale home, you have to read the loan fine print before the prices mean anything.
What Mortgage Rates Did to Lincoln's Builders
As of October 15, Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.40%, unchanged from the week before and up from 7.03% on September 24. The Associated Press, in a story carried by NBC Bay Area, called it the highest average since November 2023. AP said rates have been climbing since late February, when the war with Iran pushed oil prices and inflation up.
Builders feel that right away. The North State Building Industry Association counted 286 new-home sales across the eight-county Sacramento region in September 2026. That was down 14% from August, down 34% from September 2025, and 30% below the September average going back to 1997. North State President and CEO Tim Murphy told buyers in the same release to "check with area builders to find out what incentives they are offering."
Lincoln's builders are offering plenty. Nearly all of it targets your interest rate.
Reading the 3.75% Correctly
Tri Pointe's Value of Now event covers Jubilee and Monument at Independence. The headline rate is 3.75%, but that's the first-year rate on an FHA 30-year fixed loan with a temporary 2/1 buydown. The builder's disclosure lays out how it works. The note rate is 5.75% for the full 30 years. The payment is figured at 2 points lower in year one and 1 point lower in year two, and from year three on there's no discount.
Here's what that means on Tri Pointe's $570,000 sample home, using its own figures:
| Period | Rate used for payment | Monthly principal and interest |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 3.75% | $2,591 |
| Year 2 | 4.75% | $2,915 |
| Years 3 to 30 | 5.75% | $3,259 |
| Tri Pointe's market-rate comparison | 7.625% | $3,961 |
The APR on the event loan is 6.748%. Those payments leave out taxes, insurance and HOA dues, so your real monthly cost will be higher.
The table holds two discounts. The small one is temporary: it lowers your payment for 24 months, then goes away. The large one is the drop from 7.625% to a 5.75% rate that lasts the life of the loan. On Tri Pointe's figures, it's worth about $700 a month in years three through thirty. That permanent piece is most of what the $33,414 pays for. On a $570,000 price, that comes to almost 6% of the purchase.
Century Communities, building at Twelve Bridges and Hidden Hills, did something similar this quarter with a different loan type. Its FHA and VA offer was a 30-year 5/1 adjustable-rate loan at 3.875% for years one through five. The terms say that for years six through thirty, "the rate may vary or the payment may increase." That promotion's published terms required a contract by October 22, 2026, and closing by October 30. Its separate Northern California offer is still running. It advertises up to 6% toward closing costs or a rate buydown, plus reduced pricing on select move-in-ready homes.
The Price Tags Barely Moved
Look at the visible price cuts and the gap is obvious. As of mid-October, here's what Jasper at Joiner Ranch showed on its quick-move-in homes:
- 2958 Porcelain Street: $9,000 off, now $524,990
- 2922 Porcelain Street: $6,000 off, now $532,665
- 2927 Porcelain Street: $6,000 off, now $532,665
- 2641 Terra Cotta Drive: $1,000 off, now $593,990
The biggest of those cuts is under 2% of the original price. Other Lincoln communities lead with financing. LGI Homes' Velare at Twelve Bridges lists homes from $504,900 and advertises rates as low as 4.99%, a 5.864% APR, with closing-cost coverage you ask the sales consultant about. Woodside Homes' Freedom at Liberty page carries a 4.999% financing banner for select Woodside homes. At the upper end, Elliott Homes' Turkey Creek Estates offers "Special 3-2-1 Financing" on move-in-ready homes at 5233 Turnberry Drive, listed at $1,034,570, and 5214 Turnberry Drive, listed at $1,033,770.
So across price points, the pattern holds. List prices barely move, and the concession shows up in the loan.
Every One of These Discounts Comes With a Lender
What gets your attention is the rate. The conditions that decide whether you get it are in the footnotes.
Tri Pointe's buydown is open only to buyers who finance through its affiliated mortgage company, Tri Pointe Connect. The disclosure adds that you are responsible for, and will not be refunded, closing costs if the loan doesn't close or fund through Tri Pointe Connect "for any reason." Century's credit runs through its affiliate lender, Inspire Home Loans. Woodside's "Imagine Happier Bonus" is described as a personalized credit for upgrades, closing-cost help or a rate buydown. It lists no dollar amount and says availability varies.
That changes how you shop. On a resale home, you can get quotes from several lenders and pick the best one. With these builder offers, the discount comes with one lender, so you're choosing a house and a loan in a single decision. An outside lender's quote can still be useful, as a benchmark for what the builder package is really worth to you.
The Calendar Is Part of the Price
These offers also run on short deadlines. Here's where they stand as of this week:
- Tri Pointe 2/1 buydown at Jubilee and Monument: purchase agreement before October 31, 2026, closing by December 31, 2026.
- Tri Pointe credit of up to $30,000: for eligible homes, usable toward closing costs, a special rate and/or design options. Agreement by October 31, 2026, closing by March 31, 2027.
- Century's Northern California credit: contract by October 31, 2026, closing by December 31, 2026.
- D.R. Horton's savings event at Jasper: ends November 1.
Most of these deadlines fall within days of this post. The pages also say terms change without notice and apply to select homesites only, so a promotion that ends this weekend may be replaced, extended or dropped. Ask each builder what's offered on the day you write a contract, and don't count on what was advertised last week.
Holding a Resale Home Up Against a Builder Offer
The resale market around Lincoln has loosened too, but more slowly. The California Association of Realtors reported a Placer County median sale price of $692,500 for existing single-family homes in August 2026. That was up 2.6% from August 2025. Countywide, unsold inventory rose to 3.6 months in August, up from 3.0 in July. Median time on market went from 29 days to 32. Those are county figures, not Lincoln-only numbers, but they show resale sellers giving up a little leverage as the month went on.
A resale seller has no in-house lender, but can still negotiate on price or credits. So compare the total concession each side is offering, not the sticker prices. These questions are a practical way to set it up:
- What is the builder spending in total? Ask for the points and fees the builder is covering, the way Tri Pointe shows $33,414 on its sample loan. Then compare that dollar figure with what a resale seller is willing to give up.
- Which part of the rate is permanent? A temporary buydown lowers your payment for one to three years. A lower note rate lasts the whole loan. An ARM teaser rate lasts only until the first adjustment.
- What does the payment look like in year three? For the Tri Pointe example, that's $3,259, not $2,591. Run your budget against the payment you'll be making for most of the loan.
- Can an outside lender match it? Get a quote on the resale home and on the builder's home, then compare APRs side by side.
- Does your closing date fit? A buydown that requires closing by December 31 won't work for a buyer who still has to sell a home first.
Every builder term above comes from the builders' own published promotions, and every one is limited to select homes and qualified buyers. This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Have a licensed lender review any loan offer against your own finances before you sign.
Quick Answers
Is the 3.75% rate real? Yes, for one year. On Tri Pointe's sample, the rate used for your payment steps up to 4.75% in year two and stays at 5.75% from year three to the end of the loan.
Why not just ask the builder for a lower price? You can ask. But this fall, the visible cuts in Lincoln have been small. At Jasper, they ran from $1,000 to $9,000. Most of what builders are spending is going into financing packages tied to their own lenders.
Will these offers be around in November? The current terms say contracts by October 31 or November 1. Nothing published says what comes next.
If you're deciding between a Lincoln new build with a buydown and a resale home down the street, Danny Tejeda can put the two offers side by side and help you work out the real cost of each before a deadline makes the call for you. If you're selling a Lincoln home and need to know how you compare with the builders this season, start by getting your free home valuation.
