[Update] Charleston new home communities
There are lots of exciting changes for buyers looking at living in one of the many new home communities in the Charleston real estate market. While some new home builders have been well established in the Charleston market for many years, several other national and regional builders have recently entered the market. But one thing that all of them have in common is that today's new homes are much more energy efficient and the floor plans are designed for today's lifestyles.
Previously, it seemed as if builders would purchase land and exclusively build and develop a neighborhood. But a trend that I am seeing is that some builders are sharing neighborhoods with complementary product and one benefit is that not all the homes tend to look alike, after all, how many different floor plans and elevations can any one builder offer.
And new home prices are better than ever. Well maybe not ever but ever as in recent years. Material costs are down, the cost of acquiring land is down and labor is plentiful and what that means for you is that you can expect to get a lot more house for the money than you could have purchased a few short years ago.
One thing you shouldn't expect to see is a lot of completed homes just sitting there waiting for you to stop by the sales center and offer pennies on the dollar. While builders are still putting up spec homes, they are certainly limiting their financial exposure by only building a few at a time. Most new homes are being built to order and while there are always incentives available, keep in mind that if a home is not finished inventory, the builder has much less incentive to discount and devalue their other homes under construction and homes that will be built.
I just updated the new construction page on my website with links to many of the new Charleston home builders websites. And just a reminder, while you can certainly buy a home from the sales counselor at a new home community, they represent the builder and not you, the buyer. You can (and should) have your own real estate agent accompany you and in addition to the good advice and help your agent will provide, the best part is that the builder will pay your real estate agent's commission.
If you're interested in a new home in Charleston, I'd love to help you, just contact me.