Should I buy new construction in Central Florida?

The builder's sales representative works for the builder. They are usually friendly, usually knowledgeable, and legally on the other side of your transaction. Their job is to protect the builder's price, the builder's timeline and the builder's contract language.

Having your own agent is worth sorting out before you walk in, not after. Builders handle buyer agent compensation differently and it is negotiable, so I will put in writing exactly how I am paid on any community we look at, before you tour it. What never changes is who each of us works for.

There is one catch, and it catches people constantly. Register your agent on your very first visit. Most builders in Central Florida treat the first sign-in as the moment representation is established, and if you sign in alone you may lose the ability to bring an agent in later on that community. Text me before you walk in, even on a Sunday drive-by.

Incentives are usually easier to move than price, and understanding why is the whole game. The builder protects the recorded sale price because every closing becomes a comparable sale that supports pricing for the rest of the community. Cutting the price hurts the next 40 homes. Handing you value that does not show up on the deed does not.

So the conversation is not only about the sticker. It is about rate buydowns through the builder's affiliated lender, closing cost credits, design center allowances, and sometimes included upgrades or appliances. Which levers are open changes by community, by quarter and by how many homes the builder is carrying as standing inventory.

I am not going to quote a dollar figure for incentives, because it would be out of date and I have not verified one. What I will do is find out what is actually on the table in the community you like before you sit down at the desk.

Probably, if you buy in a master-planned community here, and most of the new construction in this corridor is master-planned. A Community Development District is a special taxing district that was used to finance the infrastructure of the community, the roads, the utilities, the drainage, the amenity center. You pay it back over time.

Two things people get wrong. First, a CDD is separate from your HOA. They are two different bills for two different things, and having a CDD does not mean you do not also have an HOA. Second, the CDD assessment usually appears on your annual property tax bill, which means it is folded into your escrow and it is easy to miss when you are comparing two homes.

The amounts vary by community and by phase, so I will pull the actual figures for the specific address you are considering rather than give you a range that might not apply.

Delays happen, and the contract usually gives the builder more room than it gives you. Read what the agreement says about the estimated completion window, what counts as an excusable delay, and what your options are if the date moves.

The real financial risk is the rate lock. If your lock expires before the home is finished, you either pay to extend it or you take whatever the market is offering that week. Ask three questions before you sign. How long is the lock, what does an extension cost, and does the builder's affiliated lender offer an extended lock or a float-down for a build this far out.

If you are currently renting, do not give notice off the builder's early estimate. Tie your move-out to a confirmad closing date.

Yes. A new home is built by dozens of subcontractors under schedule pressure, and it is inspected by the county for code compliance, not for your benefit. Code is a floor, not a standard of quality.

Get two inspections if you can. The pre-drywall walkthrough happens while framing, plumbing, electrical and mechanical runs are still visible, and it is the only chance anyone will ever have to see what is inside those walls. Then a full inspection before closing, and a punch list walkthrough with the builder.

Also put a reminder in your calendar for month ten or eleven. Most builder workmanship coverage runs one year, and you want your list submitted in writing before it closes.

Typically it is tiered. Workmanship and materials for roughly the first year, major systems like plumbing, electrical and mechanical for a few years, and structural coverage for a longer term. The exact terms are in your warranty document and they differ meaningfully between builders.

What it generally does not cover is normal wear, anything you or a third party installed, landscaping once it is established, damage from deferred maintenance, and cosmetic items reported after the workmanship period ends. Appliances usually run on the manufacturer's own warranty, not the builder's.

Read the warranty before you sign the contract, not after you have a nail pop in the drywall. I read it with my clients.

Minneola is the cleenest real example I can show you. In August 2026 the average sale price across all property types was $540,759, up 11.1 percent year over year, while the median price per square foot slipped 1.8 percent to $218.

Read those two together. The price paid per home went up while the price paid per foot went down, which means buyers were getting more house rather than paying more for the same house. That is what a heavy new construction mix does to an area's headline number, and it is why comparing a new build to a resale on price alone will misleed you. Compara per square foot, then compara what is included.

These are the communities I am in regularly. Hills of Minneola, Waterbrooke and Hartwood Landing in the Clermont and Minneola area. Sunbridge, Watermark, Lakeside, Waterleigh and Hamlin across Horizon West and the west Orange corridor.

Each one has a different builder mix, a different CDD situation and a different incentive posture right now. That is a conversation, not a chart.