If you are shopping for a new home in St. Johns County, then new construction is the way to go. Although some do-it-yourselfers relish the idea of renovating an older home, the reality is that most people don’t realize that turning a resale into the home of their dreams can take a lot of time and upfront cash. You may also experience many costly surprises along the way. Here are five reasons why newly constructed homes are a good choice.
1. YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT
The best part of buying a brand new house is being able to select exactly what you want before your home is even built. You’re not stuck with someone else’s green cabinets or powder blue tile.
Although some builders don’t offer many options, MasterCraft Builder Group allows buyers in the Jacksonville area to customize pretty much everything. You can pick a standard floor plan, modify a standard floor plan or build a custom home from scratch. That’s just the beginning. You get choices on almost every detail from flooring, faucets, cabinets, counters, lighting, appliances, wiring and more. New construction from MasterCraft also gives you:
- Modern Floor Plans – New home buyers get the latest floor plans and features designed for the way people live now. MasterCraft’s homes reflect today’s less formal lifestyle offering casual dining spaces, kitchens that open to great rooms and flex areas that can be used for anything you want, from an office to a designated pet room.
- Progressive Construction – The latest advances in technology help make new homes more durable and comfortable. MasterCraft includes construction features such as sound blocking AdvanTech sub floors on two story homes and insulated garage doors that help keep your garage cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
- Improved Indoor Air Quality – Allergy and asthma sufferers know the importance of clean air. We use the latest filtration systems along with environmentally friendly no smell Zero VOC paint to help everyone in your household breathe a little easier.
2. NEW HOME BUILDERS IN JACKSONVILLE AND OTHER AREAS OFTEN OFFER SPECIAL PURCHASE INCENTIVES
Many homebuilders, including MasterCraft Builder Group, offer special promotions to increase the value of your new home. For example, in Shearwater, a new St. Johns community, MasterCraft is offering new home buyers a free custom pool package or $30,000 in Flex Cash that can be used towards structural changes or luxury design finishes. This incentive is valid in both The Trails and The Woodlands neighborhoods in Shearwater. This promotion is not available for move-in-ready homes.
3. NEW HOMES COST LESS TO MAINTAIN
New homes are less expensive to operate and maintain than older homes because they come equipped with modern appliances and infrastructure. New homebuyers save on:
- Utility bills – Higher energy efficiency in your new house means lower monthly electric bills. Because North Florida sees temperatures ranging from extreme heat in the summer to below freezing in the winter, utility bills in older homes with less insulation can get costly. Newly constructed MasterCraft homes are equipped to meet or exceed the latest energy-efficiency standards with programmable thermostats, 15 SEER heating and cooling systems, R19 wall insulation, R38 ceiling insulation, tankless gas water heaters, premium appliances and more.
- Repairs – New homes and appliances come with warranties. Since everything is brand new, you won’t have to shell out money for costly repairs.
- Homeowner’s insurance – Homeowner’s insurance tends to be less expensive for a new home than for a resale. New homes are constructed to the latest building codes and are less susceptible to damage in the event of a fire or natural disaster.  The risk that a water heater will leak and flood a brand new home or that other significant damage will occur is relatively low.
4. NEW HOMES COME WITH NEW COMMUNITIES
Buying from MasterCraft Builder Group means that you can get more than a new home; you can get a new lifestyle. The resort-style community of Shearwater features over 1,500 acres of walking trails and parks and access to Trout Creek that connects to the St. Johns River. The community has resort-style amenities including a lazy river, water slide, parks for different age groups and tennis courts that are designed to bring neighbors together. MasterCraft is also building in other master-planned communities, such as Madeira and TrailMark in St. Augustine.
5. NEWER HOMES ARE SMARTER HOMES
Infrastructure to effectively run today’s high-speed electronics and communication equipment, entertainment centers, lighting systems, home automation and security systems needs to be more sophisticated than in the past.  Whereas a resale home may not be equipped with the latest, new construction homes come already wired or pre-wired to run your systems. For example, many MasterCraft Builder Group homes come prewired for home theater systems with surround sound. They are also equipped with cell phone charging stations in the foyers.
Newly built homes also come installed with modern safety features such as hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The newest detector systems are more reliable than old battery-powered ones that may need to be replaced in a resale. New homes can also have more sophisticated security systems as well that give remote operating and monitoring options.
As an award-winning homebuilder in Jacksonville, Florida, the team at MasterCraft Builder Group is proud to offer well-crafted homes with exceptional value. For more information about our new St. Johns communities, please contact us or register to receive email updates.
 * Homeowner is still responsible for HOA and CDD Operations and Maintenance fees.
