Home sales strong as new developments continue to grow in Fresno County

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- East of Clovis, more energy-efficient homes are going up at De Young's Highlands development.

"Many of the features for zero energy you actually won't see. It's built within the structure of the home," said Ryan De Young with De Young Properties. "One of those things will be a smart thermostat, so it's a smart home as well. It's geared toward trying to drop the energy usage in the home."

De Young Properties is releasing two new floor plans to buyers as a part of its Highlands community.

The housing market in the Valley is heating up.

In Fresno County, 731 homes were sold in December 2019, compared to 670 in 2018.

"A year ago to this day, interest rates were almost one percent higher. So that gives buyers a lot of motivation and ability to buy," said Don Scordino, president of Fresno Association of Realtors.

Scardino says sales are strong for new homes and existing homes. He says location drives people to buy existing homes.

In 2019, 7,352 homes were sold in the Fresno and Clovis area.

The median price was $ 280,000, a $5,000 increase over last year, which he believes does not show a recession.

As for the Highland properties, more than 60 percent of all released home sites were sold in the first weekend when the Zero Energy community launched.

Last summer, the builder participated in Extreme Makeover, Home Edition and built a house for a local firefighter.

"Of course, building the extreme makeover home edition did bring a lot of attention to the neighborhood. It's been wonderful to see how many people have enjoyed purchasing their home here," Scardino said.

The episode airs in the spring.

Experts say with California's new building code, many home builders will be required to construct energy-efficient homes in the future.