Building a Port Saint Lucie new construction home can be an exciting adventure. With the ongoing growth not only in the City of Port St Lucie but St. Lucie County, home builders are working on all sorts of home types for you.
When we looked at the county planning department website, we found an estimated 175,000+ homes pending hearings, changes, and approval. All are at various stages of the planning process. That’s a lot of new construction coming if all of it gets approved. These plans adjust throughout the approval process, so this number changes every month.
Start New Construction Homes based on your Timeline
When we meet potential new construction home buyers, their first question is always “Where do we start?”
Some think the best way to start is to show up at builder models and take a tour. In our experience, that leads to new construction home buyers feeling confused and overwhelmed, and a feeling of missing out on something.
If you have ever bought a car, you know the salesperson is commissioned to sell that brand product. It can feel the same way visiting a salesperson at the sales center: a sales pitch about a limited number of choices
One of our out-of-town customers met with us, already feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start. After meeting with us and going through various choices and builders’ choices, we helped them narrow down the options and choose their house.
We start with your timeline, not the house.
How soon do you want to move?
If you have the time to find the land, choose the builder, design from the home from the start, that will take the longest period of time. There are custom new construction builders who will do this.
If you need to move in the next 90 days, you’ll want to choose a move-in ready home that no longer has custom options to choose from.
Choose the New Construction Type
Timeline is where we start to narrow down your options Then we will narrow your choice among three broad categories of homes.
- Custom
- Semi-Custom
- Spec Move-in ready homes
Custom Homes gives you the most control over design choices, even down to bringing your plans drawn up by your architect. This is the longest time frame and likely the most expensive as you are paying architects, engineers, electricians, and so on. You’ll also be navigating your custom plans through the county approval process.
Some custom home builders have pre-approved floor plans and various configurations, giving you a wide range of floor plans they have already designed. You still get to influence the final layout, as well as the finish materials and colors, but with lower costs than having your architect.
A semi-custom builder, in our mind, has 3-10 pre-approved floor plans, and a limited number of pre-determined design packages to choose from. You still get choices and plenty of them. It’s like going to a fast-food shop and ordering a combo meal. The bulk of our customers choose semi-custom as it minimizes the number of decisions that have to be made, but still gives the experience of a customized home.
A spec move-in ready home is one where there are no design choices left and should be ready to move into over the next 90 days or so. It’s off the shelf, so to speak. It’s new construction, and ready or near ready for move-in.
Choose Where to Build Your New Construction Home
You can find new construction options in HOA communities, or still on scattered lots around Port St Lucie, Fort Pierce, and surrounding areas.
HOA communities will typically be one builder who has 5-6 models to choose from. Each builder will have timelines that start from design and lot choices, all the way through move-in ready.
Scattered lots are not inside of homeowner associations. Some builders will do scattered lots, others will not.
Scattered lot builders may already own the land, and you will choose from available lots in their inventory.
If you want us to review lots with you in a builder’s inventory, start working with us before you visit a builder. We have lot lists available from them.
Other scattered lot builders will ask you to own your land first. We can help you locate the lot if you want to purchase that first.
Financing Your New Construction Home
If you are like most new construction home buyers, you’ll need financing. There are two common ways to finance your new construction home.
One type is a Construction to Permanent Loan. This allows the builder to make draws at pre-approved milestones. You’ll pay interest on the portion being used, and when you move in, the loan turns into the 15-30 year period that you determined. You are paying the builder along the way.
The other type of financing is paid at closing. After you put down a deposit with the builder, they will accept your financing at delivery and closing.
Many builders will have a preferred lender that will offer you tremendous incentives such as rate buy downs, discounts on list price, options, upgrades, and so on. They vary every month.
Some builders will work only with construction to permanent loans, others will finance the build themselves.
As real estate agents in St. Lucie County, we know what builders will utilize the type of financing you’ll be using.
Our Best Advice to New Construction Homes in Port St Lucie
With all those options, it’s clear that a real estate agent will help you sort these issues out before you even get overwhelmed with builders, floor plans, options, and financing
Our best advice: choose us as your Port Saint Lucie real estate agents.
Then let us take you to builders who we think will fit your needs. We can introduce you to builders in the entire Treasure Coast.
We have found the best approach is to meet with us and talk about what you want in a new build.
That helps us match the right choices of builders rather than seeing all the builder models all over town.
When working with us to buy new construction, you get a 3rd voice to help you with the constant decisions, contracts, tax implications, and more.
