Residential Real Estate in SW Washington State

Residential Real Estate Services with Passion, Integrity, Knowledge

Part II–New Construction In and Around Auburn, WA

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This post was originally published in March of 2012! I’ve recycled the post as there is still significant new construction in and around Auburn, WA, although many of these subdivisions are now completed. However, each of these builders continues to build homes locally and should be considered when buying new construction!

framing10In Part I of this post, I reviewed new construction and communities by DR Horton, Soundbuilt Homes, Schneider Family Homes, and Conner Homes. Because new construction is such a huge part of our south King County and north Pierce County Auburn location, I’ve split my quick overview into two posts.

In addition, you’ll find a few more tips about buying new construction in the post 20 Tips to Buying New Construction.

Premier Homes

hammerI haven’t had a chance to work with any of the Premier Homes folks yet, but wanted to include them in this list as they have a nice community (Northlake) just barely southeast of Lakeland Hills in the Pierce County side of Auburn. At the same location, Lennar Corporation recently acquired the remaining home sites at Northlake and is now building them as Woodland Meadows. I’ve toured a couple of new construction Premier Homes over the last few weeks and they are beautifully finished and a good option for someone shopping in the upper $200’s. A quick drive through the neighborhood last weekend showed lots of activity on the Lennar home sites!

Polygon Homes

hammerPolygon’s home plans have long been some of my very favorites. They’re wonderful folks to work with too! In addition, the Polygon builder team has one of the best home warranties, supporting their homes door-to-door for 3 years (with an optional 2 additional years at the Buyer’s cost), with a total of 10 years for the home structure. Coho Creek in the Covington area (just behind Kentwood High School) has homes available from the mid $200’s up to the low $300’s ranging from about 1,700-2,500 square feet.

Near the south edge of Auburn in Bonney Lake, you’ll find The Estates at Lakeland Hills with slightly larger homes ranging from the higher $200’s up into the mid- $300’s. There aren’t too many of these homesites left, however; The Estates is just about sold-out!

Richmond American

hammerRichmond American recently purchased SDC Homes and appears to be continuing with many of the original SDC home plans and finishes. In addition, Pinnacle Estates is a gorgeous Richmond American community in the Lakeland area of Auburn—BIG beautiful homes with awesome views that sit up high on the east and southern ridge of the area. Note that Richmond American, in my opinion, probably builds some of the biggest homes for the money that I’ve seen, along with their signature art niche’s in the entry halls of most of their homes. Really attractive!

Henley USA (MainVue Homes)

hammerMainVue developments are springing up all over the place. Their newest development on the east hill, Kendall Ridge, is a gorgeous site – incredible views of the Cascade Foothills and Mount Rainier are available from the sites that site on the Ridge. (As an aside, the photo that comprises the banner of my Web site was taken from this development a couple of years ago – when there was just dirt!)

The MainVue floor plans are unique, gorgeous, and truly a breath of fresh air with huge glass doors framing their outdoor rooms (covered patios). Prices are a bit higher than some of the other builders, but with their less common floor plans, appear to be attracting quite a few avid followers. Expect prices to be in the mid $300’s to mid-$400’s at most MainVue communities.

Edgeview

hammerWhen driving anywhere near Lakeland Hills, it would be hard to miss the many bright red signs pointing to the new Edgeview Homes community on the far east side of the area …just off of of Evergreen Way and Kersey Way. Edgeview is built high up a on ridge, and comprises probably a couple hundred home sites, community parks, playgrounds and even an off-leash dog park (yay!!). The largest home plan in the community is just over 2400 square feet, and most of the home sites are somewhat on the smaller side – maybe not important when all of the parks and playgrounds are factored in. Prices range from the low $200’s to mid/upper $200’s.

Covington Pointe

hammerI haven’t had a chance to visit Covington Pointe, but really need to! This is a rare 55+ community, located conveniently near the Multicare Center just off of 180th. The community is gated and features gorgeous one-level homes (no stairs!). I’ve included it here because I haven’t seen any new 55+ communities for quite some time.

Kendall Homes

hammerJust outside of the Auburn area are three communities being built by Kendall Homes. I wanted to include them in this list, however, as I did just assist a buyer in their purchase of a new Kendall Homes house … and it was a great experience! Of note, especially, was the willingness of the folks at Kendall Homes to make some slight modifications for my client. They removed a wall, repositioned a door, modified a shower enclosure, and, outside of the contract, allowed him to purchase his range and have it installed just in time to satisfy the final appraisal and inspection. For communities in the area, visit Mountain View in Maple Valley (just off Witte Road), and 132nd Court and Vermilion.

Quadrant Homes

hammerUnfortunately, there aren’t any Quadrant communities currently being built in Auburn that I can see. I’ve really been a fan of their new Revolution series; an update to their offerings that was long overdue in our area. There are a couple of small Quadrant communities in nearby Kent, along with a few homes here and there in other locations. Be sure to ask about their new homes when you talk with your agent. I think you’ll be impressed!

Part I — New Construction In and Around Auburn WA

Part 1 – New Construction In and Around Auburn WA

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framing9This post was originally published in March of 2012! I’ve recycled the post as there is still significant new construction in and around Auburn, WA, although many of these subdivisions are now completed. However, each of these builders continues to build homes locally and should be considered when buying new construct

Acquiring a new home is thrilling for every Buyer, but new construction, in particular, maintains an exceptionally high level of anticipation, followed by what seem to be endless delays and frustration, and then finally culminating in a near fever-pitch of excitement.

In addition to the shiny new finishes and new house smell, of course, new construction is attractive to many buyers because of builder financing and low down payment incentives, extended warranties, and the desire to decorate a home from the ground up, choosing plans, colors, cabinets, counters, and flooring. Not to mention that a contract written for new construction will close, unlike so many of the short sale listings that are prevalent in our area. There’s a sure thing happening in new construction … less so with distressed property listings.

It can’t be stressed often enough, however — If you have a plan to purchase new construction, whenever possible, visit the sites for the first time with your own broker/agent, who will register you in the community and help you obtain all of the important information. Your agent can then work on your behalf from the very beginning to be of help to you as you buy the home of your dreams.

If you can’t, or don’t, go with your agent the first time around, be sure to let the site representative know that you are working with your own broker/agent and that the agent will contact the site rep ASAP on your behalf. Then get in touch with your agent before visiting the site again and again!

While I haven’t worked from start to finish with each of these builders, I’ve visited a most of these communities, helped Buyers through the new construction process, and had a chance to talk with many of the site representatives. Over the years, I’ve resold many many of their homes as well!

Here’s a brief summary of new construction in the area and in no particular order; click the builder or community name to visit the associated Web site. Because there are SO many new construction options in this south King/north Pierce county area, I’ve split this list into a couple of different posts. Be sure to refer also to Part 2 – New Construction In and Around the Auburn WA Area, and especially 20 Tips to Buying a New Construction Home, also to be posted in the next few days.

One quick addition note – the builders and communities in this list are not custom build sites – all are based on preapproved plans and typically few changes can be made to the plans, although all offer a limited number of upgrades so that the look of the home can be personalized.

DR Horton

hammerOne of the biggest builders in the area is DR Horton. Prolific, that’s for sure! DR Horton tends to build similar plans in almost every community I’ve visited and can be a very good choice especially for first time homebuyers. In my experience, they tend to have great financing incentives packaged with their listings, which can be attractive if you are comfortable working with the DR Horton preferred lender.

There are a couple of DR Horton communities near Auburn – one on Auburn’s west hill (Lakepoint) with prices in the low $200’s, and another huge community in Covington (CornerStone), just past the Highway 18 and Kent Kangley interchange with prices in the higher $200’s to mid $300’s.

Schneider Family Homes

hammerThe folks at Schneider Family Homes are definitely one of my favorite builders for reasonable prices with nice quality finishes. I’ve worked with a buyer in the past who purchased a new Schneider home—it was a wonderful experience and those buyers are still thrilled with their house, and I’ve been involved with resales of several as well. While the folks at Schneider homes tend to build just a few homes at a time in each community, there are typically a few homes available in each neighborhood. You’ll find lovely true hardwood floors, solid granite surfaces and thoughtful designs. Most Schneider homes in the greater Auburn area tend to be priced in the low-mid $300’s, from about 2,200 square feet and above.

Soundbuilt Homes

hammerSoundbuilt Homes is another busy busy builder in the area with three Auburn communities currently under construction. Their basic price point is really attractive to many buyers, offering generous size for the $$.

Brandon Meadows may be their newest community – located on 312th just past the 132nd and 312th junction. Similar to the newest MainVue community almost across the street on 312th/132nd, this community’s property was cleared several years ago just before the housing decline in 2009 in our area. From the Brandon Meadows Web site, it looks as though pricing will be from the mid $200’s up into the low $300’s.

Two additional sites for Soundbuilt in Auburn are the small Sterling Court, located at about 304th and 121st with similar pricing, and Terrace View, a townhouse community located in Lakeland Hills.

Conner Homes

hammerConner Homes is a local builder with some delightful home plans and a couple of communities in the Auburn area. They tend to build about 20 houses at a time in each community, which means each build gets personal attention and the communities are not quite as “rapid fire” as some others. I like their finishes and floor plans a lot!

Monterey Park in the Auburn valley (just behind one of the Carpinito Brother farms) has both single family and duplex style homes ranging from about $175k to the high $200’s.

Lakeland East in the Lakeland Hills area of Auburn features homes from about 1,300-3,300 square feet (quite a spread!) fitting in to almost every buyer’s pocketbook.