In the market for a newly constructed house? You might want to hurry. Soon, new homes are likely to cost more and take longer to build.

The reason: the Trump administration’s initiatives on tariffs and immigration.

While the president has professed his intention to bring down housing costs, placing tariffs on the country’s largest trade partners could do the opposite. Tariffs could raise the price of a new house by as much as $22,000, according to an estimate from CoreLogic.

Furthermore, immigrants make up about 23% of the construction workforce, per the Urban Institute, with an estimated half of them undocumented. Any mass deportation effort would only exacerbate the current shortage of construction workers.

At this writing, the tariffs are on pause. But the National Association of Home Builders is still advocating for an exemption for building materials, should the tariffs be reinstituted.

“Our lobby team has met nonstop with almost any member of Congress that they can find to get our message across,” NAHB’s Karl Eckhart told the trade publication Builder. “These Canadian and Mexican tariffs are going to have a direct and painful impact on the price to build a house.”

How much of an impact? That's anyone’s guess. NAHB’s chief economist, Rob Dietz, citing estimates from members, says prices could go up by as much as $10,000. John Burns Research and Consulting says the tariffs, if fully enforced as proposed, would add 10% to the median-priced model.

That’s because roughly 70% of the lumber in a typical house comes from Canada. Mexico is the largest provider of gypsum for drywall. And many household appliances like refrigerators and ranges come from international trade.

“While home building is inherently domestic, builders rely on components produced abroad,” writes Carl Harris, NAHB's immediate past chairman, in an open letter to President Trump. "Imposing additional tariffs on these imports will lead to higher material costs, which will ultimately be passed on to home buyers in the form of increased housing prices."

According to the association, every $1,000 increase in the price of a median-priced new home knocks nearly 115,600 households out of the market. And although the tariffs are on hold, some builders have begun raising their prices in anticipation that Trump will ultimately drop the hammer.

Builders have few options. They can eat the rising costs to a point, but beyond that, they must either pass them on to their buyers or build smaller houses with fewer amenities.

As for immigration, the administration has already begun rounding up undocumented immigrants. And any massive deportation effort will further hinder an industry that’s already some 250,000 workers shy.

Builders’ labor costs already are going up. If it becomes even more difficult to find workers, they’ll have to pay higher wages -- or lose out to competitors who will.

The new-home market is already woefully under-built when compared to population growth. The housing shortage is estimated at 3.7 million units, which has helped push prices and rents to record levels. While the number of housing units grew by 10% between 2010 and 2023, according to the Urban Institute, the number of households grew by 13%.

The Center for Migration Studies estimates that 54% of foreign-born construction workers are undocumented. Consequently, says the Urban Institute, deportations could bring about the loss of some 1.7 million construction workers. In Texas alone, where an estimated 23% of all construction workers are undocumented, the American Immigration Council says the state's housing business stands to lose as many as 337,000 workers.

But it goes beyond that: "In a climate of heightened enforcement," says the Urban Institute, "workers who were born in the U.S., are naturalized U.S. citizens, or are green card holders may also fear racial profiling and enforcement risks for themselves and family members." Due to this widespread fear, some workers elect to stay home from work rather than put themselves and their families at risk.

It already takes 10 months or so to build a house, once a sales contract is signed. But with fewer workers to go around, it will inevitably take longer -- not just weeks longer, but months.

If you need another reason to get moving on that new house, there’s also evidence that sales incentives are slowly falling away.

There was some speculation that price cuts, giveaways, discounted mortgage rates and other incentives had become so prevalent that buyers had come to expect them as a matter of course. And that may be so, with 59% of all builders offering them, according to the latest NAHB survey.

Marketing company Zonda agrees that incentives are “still common,” with 73% of builders offering them on their "quick move-in" houses. But Zonda says a smaller number of builders, around 56% of them, are offering these perks on to-be-built homes.

Houses are meant to be lived in -- except when they are for sale. That’s when they switch from a home to a commodity: a place that has to be ready for prospective buyers at a moment’s notice.

The question, then, is: How do you square the two? How do you live in a house that’s on the market?

There’s no easy answer, especially if you have little ones. Sometimes, it’s a real challenge.

There’s not much you can do when a friendly agent calls to say they’ll be over with a client in, say, 10 minutes. (An agent I know once had a client who insisted on viewing a house at 7 a.m. Who’s ready to show their home at that ungodly hour?) In those rushed cases, maybe you just kick the dirty socks under the bed, toss the dishes in the dishwasher (or stack them neatly in the sink) and make the beds.

Even with fair warning, showings don't always go as planned. True story: A woman, eight months pregnant and with a young child, agreed to a two-hour window for an agent to show her place. She dutifully left the house and went to the park with her child, and when the two hours were up, she went home.

She was hot, sweaty and tired, so she jumped in the shower -- and that’s when the late-arriving agent rang the doorbell.

At times like these, sellers have to show buyers a little grace. Not everything can be perfect. But the more steps you take to make your place “show ready,” the faster it is likely to sell -- and for more money.

Fortunately, many of those steps can, and should, be done long before the doorbell rings -- or even before your house is listed for sale.

Here’s what real estate pros around the country want their sellers to do:

-- Eliminate the clutter. Everyone has some clutter, even if it’s confined to a junk drawer in the kitchen. But some people have more than others, and it needs to be dealt with.

If the living room looks overcrowded, lose a side table or two. If your kitchen counter is overrun by small appliances, some of which you rarely use, give them away. (And get rid of those unsightly extension cords; you don’t want to advertise that there aren’t enough outlets.)

Lighten the load in your closets so they look nice and roomy. This is a step that will actually save you money because you'll have less stuff to move after you sell.

If a small secondary bedroom seems even smaller because you've crammed in a full complement of furniture, send a couple of pieces to storage. Speaking of storage, put your collectibles away. You may love showing off the turtle carvings you’ve found over the years, but they will be distracting to would-be buyers. You want them to pay attention to the house, not your keepsakes.

-- Keep it clean. Cleanliness is not only next to godliness; it’s also one key to presenting your home in its best light. If you don’t have the time or the patience to do a thorough job, consider hiring a professional cleaning service.

Inside and out, squeaky-clean is the order of the day. Baseboards, windows, walkways and drives -- everything must be addressed. And not just prior to listing your house, but also while it’s on the market.

-- Get in the habit. Adopt a routine of making the beds every morning and putting the dishes in the dishwasher after every meal. If these tasks are habits, done on autopilot, you won't have to worry about doing them when a prospect comes calling.

-- Have an exit plan. An open house is a well-planned event, but individual showings almost always come at the most inconvenient times. So you must be ready.

Give each member of your family a pre-showing job. Perhaps Junior puts all the toys away while Missy makes the beds. Dad gets everyone dressed, and Mom makes sure everybody does what’s expected of them.

Also, keep a bag loaded with games and snacks so you can entertain everyone when you vacate the premises. Think of things to do -- going to the movies, for example -- so the time passes more quickly.

Before you leave, turn on all the lamps and lights, open the drapes and raise the shades. The idea is to allow as much light as possible into the house so it looks airy and bright. Maybe even spray a nice scent and turn on the radio so a little romantic music plays in the background.

Showing off your place takes a little planning and some extra work. You can’t cut corners and hope buyers will love your house; you’ve got to give them a reason to.

Better yet, sellers who put their homes in peak show condition put themselves in the best position for a top offer.

It takes about 43 days, on average, to go from signing a contract on a house to reaching the settlement table. And between those dates, bunches of things can go haywire and scuttle the deal.

The buyer may be short on cash to cover the various closing costs -- possibly because they ran out and bought a truckload of furniture to fill their new abode. Or maybe the appraisal comes in too low, forcing the seller to lower their price or the buyer to come up with more money.

Here are some common issues that can delay closing -- or even cancel the sale.

-- Big tickets. If you must purchase a new vehicle, wait until after you close on your mortgage. Unless you pay with cash, a new automobile loan will raise your debt-to-income ratio. That could push you into a higher interest rate or disqualify you for funding altogether.

The same goes for any big-ticket items you are purchasing with a credit card, like furniture or appliances. Just because you have already been approved for a mortgage doesn’t mean you can go out and spend freely. Most lenders run a second credit check a few days before settlement, and if your credit picture has changed, they can pull the rug out at the last minute.

-- Employment. Ready to make a job switch? Wait until after closing, especially if you are going to work in a different field. Lenders want to see several years of continuous employment -- if not with the same employer, then at least in the same industry. Again, lenders will check a few days prior to closing.

-- Big dollars. Don’t move large amounts of money in and out of your bank accounts. If you do, lenders will want you to document why.

-- Co-sign. If Junior wants help buying his first car, wait to co-sign his loan until after your own closing. Putting your John Hancock on a loan makes you totally responsible if your youngster fails to make the payments. As such, it can bump your DTI ratio into the danger zone.

-- Shortfalls. Did you set aside enough money for both the down payment and closing costs? Did you also budget for homeowners insurance and property taxes?

There are any number of down payment issues that can arise, and any one of them can put your closing at risk. It's best to have a little extra set aside -- or a side deal with your parents for some cash if you need it.

-- Estimates. By law, your lender is required to give you an estimate outlining the different costs related to your financing. But it is just that: an estimate. Certain fees are allowed to change, but not by more than 10%.

If you believe you are being overcharged, ask for a reduction or switch lenders. Either way, though, closing will be delayed.

-- Contingencies. In most sales, the contract depends on a number of conditions being met, the two most important of which are your financing being approved and an independent inspection of the property meeting your satisfaction. Another important contingency comes into play if the purchase depends on the sale of your current residence.

These clauses come with deadlines: The inspection must be performed by a certain date, for example, or you must apply for financing within a certain number of days. Missing any deadline could delay closing or cancel the deal.

-- Inspections. Besides an examination of the house, there may be other inspections required -- perhaps for radon or termites. If the house is on a well or a septic system, those must be found to be in good working order. If a problem is discovered, the necessary repairs could push your closing further out.

-- Lost. Closings are sometimes delayed through no fault of your own. Your agent, loan officer or lender might be to blame. Vital paperwork could become lost, for example, or maybe someone along the line failed to file a document. Keep on top of everyone involved and make sure everything is copacetic.

-- Appraisal. If the appraisal comes in too low, you'll need to either make up the shortfall at closing or persuade the seller to lower their price accordingly. The latter approach means reopening negotiations with the seller, which is always difficult to do.

-- Title. Lenders will order a title search of the property to make sure the seller owns the place free and clear. If there is an issue -- say, a long-lost heir to the house is discovered, or the seller’s ex-spouse still has a claim to the place -- closing could be delayed. Cross your fingers that the title company can clear up the problem quickly.

-- HOAs. Most new communities, and lots of older ones, are run by homeowners associations. These groups collect dues from residents to cover maintenance costs for the neighborhood, including roads, amenities and landscaping. HOAs also sometimes require special assessments to cover costs not anticipated in the budget.

If the seller is behind on dues or failed to pay an extra assessment, someone will have to make up those fees, or else the lender won’t close. You must persuade the seller to either pay up or lower the house’s price to cover the difference. Otherwise, you'll be on the hook for it yourself.