There was one development with a floor plan that I was interested in.
Our visit to that development was near the end of our time in Florida. The salesman let my wife and I walk some of the homes that were near completion, including one with the floor plan I liked. As much as I didn’t want to be in a development that property had a lot going for it, and it would be much less expensive than custom building on a lot. It backed to a pond (++), and it was a large lot (++). It was a corner lot but the side street dead ended at the property line (++). The area behind it is several privately held lots with homes on them. If those owners hadn’t sold to the developer by now they probably weren’t going to. That’s a good thing.
This property was a real possibility. It would be much less expensive than a custom build on an unimproved lot. Just one problem, someone already had a deposit on it. But the salesman thought the original buyers might be having some kind of issues. They may have to wave their contract. We decided to leave a check for a deposit in case things went our way. They did. We bought the house.
Not planning on buying anything on that trip I made two big mistakes. Not coming with a buyer’s agent for representation. And thinking I wouldn’t need a home inspection for new construction. The buyer’s agent gets paid by the seller so it doesn’t cost you anything, and you’re working with a licensed professional who is supposed to be on your side. And I was excited about the property, and I was just plain naïve about the quality of production built new homes in Florida. I dedicated a separate page just to the issues I found later after buying the property. Click here.
Moving To Florida 