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New Construction.Your Interests Represented.
Central Florida builds more new homes than almost anywhere in the country, and buying one is genuinely appealing — choices, warranties, nothing worn out. What most buyers do not realize when they walk into a model home is that the friendly person who greets them works for the builder.
Whose side is the sales agent on?
The sales consultant at the model home is paid by the builder. That is not a criticism — it is their job, and most of them do it well and honestly. But their obligation runs to the company that employs them. They are not going to tell you that the lot you picked backs a future collector road, that the incentive expires because the quarter is ending and not because the offer is special, or that the base price you were quoted has very little to do with what the house will actually cost once you have made the choices everyone makes.
Having your own representation changes none of the builder’s process. It simply means someone in the room is reading the contract on your behalf, comparing this community against the three others you should also be looking at, and telling you when the answer is no.
CFL Realty Solutions does not represent a builder. Henry represents you, whether the home you end up buying is brand new, three years old, or eighty.
Before you visit a model home
This is the single most useful thing on this page, so it is near the top.
Most builders in this market have a registration policy. If you walk into a sales center alone and sign in, many builders will consider you a customer they sourced — and will not recognize an agent you bring in afterward. The rules vary by builder and change over time, but the pattern is consistent enough to plan around.
The practical version: tell them at the first visit that you are working with Henry, or have him accompany you. It takes one sentence at the sign-in desk. Doing it later is sometimes impossible.
Having representation does not increase the price of the home. Builder compensation to a buyer’s agent is generally built into the builder’s own cost structure rather than added to your contract — but policies differ by builder, and Henry will confirm the specifics for the community you are considering rather than making assumptions on your behalf.
- Do this first
- Mention Henry at the sign-in desk on your very first visit, or have him come with you.
- Why
- Most builders will not recognize an agent registered after your first unaccompanied visit.
- If you already visited
- Say so. Sometimes it can still be resolved, sometimes not — and you should know which before you go further.
- Cost to you
- Builder policies vary. Henry will confirm in writing how compensation works for the specific community before you commit to anything.
- Multiple builders
- Register properly at each one you are seriously considering. Comparing two or three is normal and expected.
- Still browsing
- Drive the communities first if you like. Just make the call before you sign anything at a sales center.
What that actually looks like
Not vague advocacy. These are the places where a buyer’s agent changes the outcome on a new-construction purchase.
Comparing communities honestly
Builders sell their own inventory. Henry can put three or four communities side by side — location, lot quality, association and CDD structure, what is still to be built nearby — including the ones nobody is paying to show you.
Reading the builder contract
Builder purchase agreements are written by the builder’s attorneys and are not the standard state form. Deposit terms, delay and completion language, change-order rules, dispute resolution, and what happens if you cannot close all sit in there.
Lot selection
Two identical floor plans on two lots are not the same purchase. Orientation, grade, retention ponds, future roads, what backs the property, and premium pricing all deserve a look before a lot is held.
Options and upgrades
Design-center margins are where a base price becomes a final price. Some upgrades are far cheaper to take from the builder; others are dramatically cheaper after closing. Knowing which is which is worth real money.
Financing choices
Builder-affiliated lenders often come with incentives attached. Sometimes that is genuinely the best deal; sometimes the incentive is worth less than the rate difference. Compare before you commit.
Independent inspections
A new home is not automatically a sound home. A pre-drywall inspection and a final inspection by your own inspector — not the builder’s — catch things that are far cheaper to fix before closing than after.
Walkthrough and punch list
The orientation walkthrough is your leverage moment. Items documented before closing get addressed; items raised afterward go into a warranty queue behind everyone else’s.
Warranty follow-through
New homes come with structured warranties — typically tiered by component and duration. Henry will help you understand what yours covers and how to document a claim properly.
Timeline reality
Build schedules move. Knowing what the contract actually obligates the builder to, and what it does not, keeps a delay from becoming a crisis with your lease or your existing home sale.
How a new-construction purchase runs
It shares a beginning and an end with a resale purchase. The middle is quite different.
Deciding whether new is right
New construction against resale is a real comparison, not a foregone conclusion. Timeline, customization, maintenance, landscaping maturity, and price per square foot all weigh in. We look at both.
Choosing communities and builders
Location first, then builder. Reputations differ, standard specifications differ, and what is included in a base price differs enormously between companies.
Registering and touring properly
Henry accompanies you or is registered at the first visit, so representation is in place before any paperwork exists.
Lot, plan, and contract
Selecting the homesite and floor plan, then reviewing the builder’s purchase agreement in full before deposits are committed.
Design center
Structural options are generally locked early; finish selections come later. Knowing the deadline order prevents expensive regret.
Construction and inspections
Progress updates, a pre-drywall inspection by your own inspector, and a final inspection before the walkthrough.
Walkthrough and closing
Punch list documented and acknowledged, financing finalized, and closing coordinated with the builder’s schedule.
After you move in
Warranty periods, how to submit items, and what to watch for in the first year as a new house settles.
New construction across Central Florida
Building activity is not evenly spread. These are the areas where new-home inventory is most consistently available — each with its own trade-offs on location, lot size, and association structure.
Horizon West
Southwest Orange County, built as a series of villages. Among the most active builder markets in the region, with multiple builders and phases open at once.
Lake Nona
Southeast Orlando, built around Medical City. Newer villages continue to come online, with a wider mix of townhome and condominium product than most new communities.
St. Cloud & Narcoossee
Osceola County, expanding north and east of the historic city. A meaningful amount of the region’s newer single-family inventory sits along this corridor.
Winter Garden & west Orange
New subdivisions on the southern and western edges of the city, bordering Horizon West, within reach of the SR 429 corridor.
Davenport & ChampionsGate
Polk County along US 27 and I-4. Heavily resort-oriented; permitted use varies by community and must be verified for the specific address.
Clermont & south Lake
South Lake County along US 27 and SR 50, including a number of age-restricted communities alongside conventional subdivisions.
New construction, answered plainly
Will having an agent cost me more?
Builder policies vary, and Henry will confirm the specifics for the community you are considering. As a general pattern in this market, builder compensation to a buyer’s agent is accounted for in the builder’s cost structure rather than added on top of your contract price. What is certain is that removing your own representation does not put money in your pocket.
Can I negotiate with a builder?
Often, though not usually on the base price — builders protect published pricing because it sets the comparables for the rest of the community. Where movement tends to exist is in incentives, closing cost contributions, included options, and lot premiums, and it varies with inventory and the builder’s position in their quarter.
Do I really need an inspection on a brand-new house?
Yes. New homes are built quickly by many different trades, and municipal inspections check code compliance rather than workmanship. A pre-drywall inspection sees things that are invisible once the walls close, and a final inspection catches the rest while the builder is still obligated to fix it.
What is a CDD and will I have one?
A Community Development District finances infrastructure in many newer Central Florida communities, with the assessment appearing on the annual property tax bill separately from HOA dues. A great many new communities here have one. It is not a reason to avoid a community; it is a number to know before you sign.
Should I buy standing inventory or build from scratch?
Standing inventory closes faster, is priced to move, and is sometimes where the better incentive sits — but you take the lot and the finishes as they are. Building to order gives you the choices and costs you months. Your timeline usually decides this one.
What happens if construction runs late?
That depends entirely on the language in the builder’s contract, which is why it gets read before deposits are committed. Delays are common enough that you should plan your lease or your existing home sale around the contract’s actual obligations rather than the estimated completion date.
Building new in Central Florida?
Talk to Henry before your first model home visit. It costs nothing, it does not slow you down, and it is the difference between having someone read the contract on your behalf and not.