The Northside: From Up and Coming to BOOMING!

When is the last time you drove out to the Northside of Jacksonville? I have (3) words for you “River City Marketplace”. Seriously? In NW St Johns County I would kill to have shopping like that available to me. It’s just a smaller version of Town Center!

The Northside is very reminiscent of St Johns County where you can still find rural land, tree farms and lots of new construction!

I recently had a customer who called me and said “What can you tell me about the Northside because I notice I can get more for my money out that way?”. I honestly couldn’t tell her much as I had not previously sold in that area or spent much time there other than flying in and out of the airport. We were on the hunt for builder inventory homes so that she could move right in before the holidays. So I packed up my kids on a Saturday (I had already missed them from working all week) and my husband and I drove out there on a discovery mission. We spent the entire day exploring the new construction communities, available builders, finding out there is an “A” rated school that is BRAND NEW and leisurely strolling the shops of River City Marketplace after dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. It was like a real-estate stay-cation!

Some of my favorite communities that we found are:

Yellow Bluff Landing (a master planned community) that hosts a ton of amenities such as basketball courts, clubhouse, splash park for the kids, swimming pool, jogging paths, etc. The builders available in Yellow Bluff landing include DR Horton, Providence Homes and Lennar. All (3) builders have active inventory spec homes available and are offering spectacular incentives! DR Horton has $7500 in “flex money” available. Lennar has an interest rate buy-down incentive going on if you use their in-house lender as well as provides everything you need to move right in—-blinds, refrigerator, washer and dryer! The community is mostly built out meaning it is a more mature, established community. Build new in here while you still can!

Rouen Cove is a SEDA Homes community that is literally across the street from the brand new “A” rated New Berlin Elementary School—walk to school! There are 43 homesites in this community that is within walking distance to Williams Sheffield Regional Park which houses a regional community center, pool, nature trails, skateboard park, and ball fields. This community also boasts NO CDD FEES! They are currently offering $9,000 incentive towards closing costs.

Chandlers Crossing is a DS Ware community that features 40 homesites with either preserve or lake views located off of Yellow Bluff Road. DS Ware is known for their generous standard features and utilizing the latest technologies in energy efficiencies and security. The price point begins at $180K in this community. They are offering a washer, dryer, refrigerator and blinds with the purchase of any inventory homes and a $10,000 flex money incentive (use for closing costs or upgrades) for any to-be-built homes that go under contract before the end of the year. I walked through their inventory home currently available and it is BEAUTIFUL! Check out the floorpan here: http://www.dswarehomes.com/new-homes/chandlers-crossing-cayman-i/

Something else I learned from my trip to the Northside is that there is bond money available in certain areas of Duval County that can be combined with builder incentives. This program is available to first time home buyers and can provide $15,000 in down payment assistance. 20% of the money received, or $3,000, per year is forgiven for every year that you live in the home. Both income and credit score are used to determine eligibility.

Let’s think about this….if you have $15,000 to use for a downpayment through the bond program, a builder pays all of your closing costs, and you receive an average of $5,000 in incentives to add value to your home from a builder you are looking at upwards of $30,000 in FREE MONEY/INSTANT EQUITY in your home! New construction keeps looking better all the time!

Remember when dealing with new construction homes that you should utilize a Realtor® with experience in new construction. They can help you navigate the contract and ensure timelines given are realistic and are met. Should any issues arise you want to know you have your own representation that is experienced with this type of real estate. Call Amanda Houser, Realtor® at 904-466-0092 to schedule an appointment today to view the available new construction homes in St Johns County! For more new construction updates follow Amanda’s facebook page at www.facebook.com/amandasellsjax.