Whether you are searching for new homes for sale near me or near you, here is a comprehensive guide to make sure you never miss a home again.
It is a sellers market and that means even the builders inventory is running out quick. But you’ve probably been searching everywhere for new homes near me; right? OK, what I really meant was new homes in Orlando, FL.
If you never want to miss out on a new home again, then I’ve got you covered. Not only am I going to show you new homes as they become available, but I’m also going to make sure you never miss a new home for sale again, no matter where you are located.
New Homes In Orlando, FL
The Orlando real estate market is booming. There are new homes in Orlando, FL going up everywhere and FAST! But is this good for you as a buyer?
It is good, if you have an aggressive Realtor who knows how to get the job done. Otherwise, you might be missing out on that new home you’ve always wanted. But before I go into how I’m going to make sure you never miss a home again, let’s talk about the builders in Central Florida.
Builders in Central Florida
Here is a list I’ve compiled of the builders, who are considered to be track builders, currently building in Central Florida.
- AV
- Avex
- Beazer
- CalAtlantic
- Century
- Craft
- David Weekley
- D.R. Horton
- K.B.
- Lennar
- Park Square Homes
- Pulte
These builders typically have a product that sells starting in the low 200’s – 500’s. Of course, we have all seen the sign that says starting in the mid 150’s, right? Yes, but that is without your design options and lot cost etc.
The most affordable homes are sold by Lennar, D.R. Horton, CalAtlantic, K.B. and Pulte.
Another interesting fact is that Lennar just bought out CalAtlantic, whom also bought out Standard Pacific, making them the largest builder in America. It looks something like this; Ryland plus Standard Pacific equals CalAtlantic plus Lennar.
Lennar has capitalized on their slogan of “Everything Included”. Meaning you don’t have to worry about going to the design center and running over your budget. Their homes also come with Wi-Fi and an Alexa package.
To keep up with Lennar, D.R. Horton, which was America’s largest home builder for quite sometime, is now building Express homes. Keeping the cost low and the design center a thing of the past. All the Express homes, come fully loaded (not upgraded) with only a few color choices to make.
So, with all of these track builders catching on to a cost worthy trend, of pre-built packages, who can you purchase a semi-custom home from?
There are still affordable homes that can be semi-custom. If you don’t like 3 1/4 inch base boards and builder grade cabinetry, here is a list of semi-custom builders.
- Arthur Rutenburg – Custom
- Ashton Woods
- Dream Finders
- K. Hovanian
- Meritage
- Toll Brothers
When I say affordable, I also mean semi-affordable. These homes can cost in the upwards of $1,000,000.
Buying A New Constuction Home – Things You Need to Know
Felling a bit overwhelmed about buying a new construction home? There are a lot of moving parts to buying a new construction home, it can be confusing for some at times, especially if you do not have a Realtor to help guide you.
Here are some simple tips to follow when looking to purchase your new construction home.
1) The first tip is, always think about selling your new construction home down the line when purchasing it. This is probably the biggest tip I can give any of my clients. Resale is a huge thing to consider because you never know what curve ball life will throw at you next.
So, when you pick out your lot, please consider if it is marketable. Is it up against a busy road or highway? Is the lot quiet or is it next to an elementary school?
When and if, you are in the design center picking out your options, think resale. Is this cabinetry color a fad? Gray cabinets have been very popular lately and I have even seen taupe cabinetry with matching sinks and toilets but will this be popular a couple of years down the line?
2) Remember, an appraiser doesn’t care how much extra you spent on your lot premium. If you are looking at spending $75,000 on a lot because it backs up to a golf course just please remember that this is not a $75,000 upgrade if you are planning on reselling your home. It may be an additional $10,000 – $15,000 on an appraisal.
3) After you pick out your lot the next step that is most important is your pre-con meeting with your builder. You will want to make sure you have your Realtor or someone who knows construction with you. This meeting is for you to look at everything in your home before the drywall goes in. It is a great time to take pictures for your memory on what is behind the walls.
4) When going to the design center set a budget and take your time. Do not let the girl at the design center pressure you into purchasing the nicest flooring they offer or anything else for that matter. Remember your budget, then pick out everything you want. After picking everything you want then refer to your budget.
Did you go over on your budget?
If so, it is OK. Some design ladies are nice enough to inform you that you can make another appointment and come in to finish picking your options or go over your list and slim it down. Truth is, you can have two appointments and you will probably need two.
Take the list of options, that you chose, home with you and figure out which one’s are a priority and which one’s may be added to the home later. The truth is a lot of things that can be added to the home later, are more cost effective when hiring an outside party. Things like, gutters, light fixtures, blinds and backsplashes are all a good example.
You do need to have the fan and light pre-wire in though, this is something you can not add later. It is much easier to get that put in as the home is being built.
5) Final walk through before closing with the builder should be done with your Realtor as well. A lot of people purchase new construction without a Realtor. I do not recommend this. As a Realtor, we are here to protect our clients from the builder / seller. At the time of the final walk through you may find imperfections that you don’t like. I highly recommend hiring an inspection company to come in and do a thorough inspection.
An inspection company that specializes in new construction can test for all sorts of things that the naked eye could never see. It will save you from a lot of headache in the long run.
We recommend Hero Inspections to all of our clients. They specialize in new construction, Veteran owned and operated, and very good at what they do.
Now that you have a good understanding of the buying process, with new construction, lets take a look at some new construction for sale here in Orlando, Florida.
New Construction Homes For Sale
Whether you are looking for an affordable home near Disney or a custom-built home on a lake, Orlando has something for everyone. There are new construction homes everywhere here in Central Florida. Let’s take a look at some more affordable areas and homes for sale first.
Davenport, FL 33897 – One area that is growing tremendously is Davenport. Davenport is located in Polk county just south of Kissimmee. It is close to all the area attractions and has easy access to major highways.
—->Search for all Re-sale Davenport Homes Here <—–
The prices for a single family home start as low as just $211,000 and go up to about $305,000. Pretty good for a new community.
Kissimmee, FL 34744, 34759, 34746, 34741 or 34743 – Kissimmee Florida is well-known for being located near the famous Walt Disney World and all the other attractions in Orlando, Florida. If you want to live close to the parks and don’t mind the tourism industry, then Kissimmee might just be for you. Kissimmee is located in Osceola county.
—->Search all Resale Kissimmee Homes Here <—-
Prices in Kissimmee range from $139,900 – $236,000. If you are looking for affordable housing this is pretty good for Orlando, Florida.
St. Cloud, Florida 34771, 34772 – St. Cloud is south of Kissimmee and also borders the ever growing Lake Nona. It is famous for having more land, lakes and farms. The affordability isn’t so bad either. Located in Osceola county St. Cloud is close to the Florida Turnpike making it easy to get where you need to go.
Prices range from $339,990 – $1,000,000. Yes, we are entering the higher price ranges the further north we go.
—->Search all Resale Saint Cloud Homes Here<—-
Next up is Orlando, Florida – Orlando spreads across several zip codes. It is located in Orange county and you will probably find the widest range of prices here.
—->Search all Resale Orlando Homes Here<—-
Orlando is centrally located and has several pockets of communities within itself. Below are a few of the up and coming communities that I felt were worth noting.
- Lake Nona
- Laureate Park 32827
Prices in the Lake Nona area range from $228,000- $400,000.
- Dr. Phillips 32836, 32819
Dr. Phillips located in Orlando boasts of some of the best ski lakes and famous golf courses there are. It is no wonder it also has some of the highest priced homes.
Home prices range from $457,000 – $883,000 and there is very little land left to build on in Doctor Phillips.
Windermere, Florida 34786 – Home to the prestigious Butler Chain of Lakes, Windermere boasts of A-rated schools and fine living all the way around.
Home prices start at $239,900 – $1,500,000 please note these are just new construction (track builders) prices.
Of course, if you want to build a custom home these prices are not for custom builders.
New Home Source – The Best Resource for Buyers
As a Realtor, we now have a couple of resources available to us that allow us to keep our buyers up to date with new home builders. New Home Source, or Builders Update are some of them. 
Before this resource was available, it was not that easy to email clients new construction. Builders do not always make their floor plans or models available on the MLS.
What does this mean for you? It means now we have the resources to send our clients new home listings, floor plans and even sign them up with builders before they go to the model in person.
I saved this as the best for last. Now that I have given you the tools to search for the area you want to look in, now you can use this search tool I have provided BELOW.
You can set up your search and save it with your own search criteria. This search tool is only for new construction, so if you want to search for resale homes, this is not it. It is simple to use and it is free to go in and set up your search so that you will never miss another new construction home again.
Located outside of Florida? That is OK, set up your search anywhere in the United States.
If you need help or still aren’t quite sure how to set up your search, simply email to [email protected]. Let me know what your search area is and your price range with any other important criteria and I will be happy to set it up for you.
Have any questions or feedback for me? Please leave them in the comments below. Happy house hunting.
Respectfully,
Franchesca Hanahoe
