December 23, 2024 • 22 mins
In this episode of Jim Sells the Suncoast, Jim speaks with Jim Barbetto from KB Homes about the Sawgrass Lakes community in Parrish, Florida. Discover an affordable new-home option with no CDD fees, low HOA costs, and plenty of customization possibilities.
Key Highlights:
- Range of Home Sizes & Pricing: Two series of homes (30' & 40' lots) spanning ~1,200 to 3,000+ sq. ft., starting in the low $300s.
- No CDD & Low HOA: HOA fees are around $365/quarter, giving residents access to a resort-style pool, playground, and scenic common areas without hefty extra costs.
- Personalization & Energy Efficiency: Select structural options, finishes, and upgrades at KB’s design studio. All homes are Energy Star certified with included Whirlpool Energy Star appliances, resulting in notably lower utility bills.
- Ideal Location: Conveniently located near Tampa, Sarasota, and local amenities, with planned area growth including new medical centers, shopping, and dining.
- Flexible Financing & Incentives: KBHS lending options, closing cost assistance, and rate buy-downs help make homeownership more attainable. Current incentives include zero lot premiums and design allowances on select homes.
What’s Next?
Interested in buying a home at Sawgrass Lakes or on the Suncoast? Contact Jim at jim.ahearn@gmail.com or visit Jim Sells the Suncoast.
A Personal Note from Jim:
Hey there, I’m Jim Ahearn, your go-to real estate guide and host of Jim Sells The Suncoast podcast! 🎙️✨ Dreaming of Florida life? I’ve got you covered! As your dedicated buyer's agent, I’ll handle everything from walk-throughs to closing, making your home-buying journey as smooth as a Florida breeze.
Whether you're local or tuning in from afar, I’ll bring the Suncoast to you with virtual tours and expert advice. Let’s chat about your dream home and I'll connect you with all the right people to make it happen.
Ready to move to paradise? Drop me a line – I can’t wait to help! 🌴🏡
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jim (00:00):
All right.
And good afternoon today.
I am thrilled to welcome JimBarbetto here with me.
He's from KB Homes out atSawgrass Lakes.
He's been selling homes forabout 14 years, six years with
the company, and just recentlyout in this new development up
in the Parrish area.
So welcome, Jim.
Jim B (00:20):
Thank you, Jim.
Jim (00:21):
Glad to have you.
So tell me a little bit aboutSawgrass.
What's going on?
Where it's going, how big is it?
Jim B (00:29):
So we've been out here about a year and a half.
And currently we probably have27 home sites left to build on
to personalize the homes.
I've got 14 ready homes atdifferent stages of finished
from or completed And on top ofthat, we have 4 models to sell
once we get towards the end.
(00:50):
All right, we started out with282.
Basically 45 left.
Jim (00:55):
How many different styles of homes, what are we looking at
in there?
From the smallest to thelargest?
What kind of size do you have?
Jim B (01:02):
We have two series of homes, a 30 foot series and a 40
foot series.
the 30 foot series starts with a1, 272 square foot home.
It goes up to about 2, 500square feet.
Jim A (01:17):
And
Jim B (01:17):
then the 40 foot series homes starts with a 1, 541
square foot home.
And that tops out around 3, 016square feet.
Jim (01:29):
Okay, that's quite a bit of a range there and what's the
entry?
beginning price and what's it goup to
Jim B (01:36):
so Currently the 30 foot series homes at 1272 and let me
preempt it by saying we namethem by their size So it's so
much easier for a buyer to comein and say oh sure.
Jim A (01:48):
I'm
Jim B (01:49):
not looking for a heron or Whatever, whatever right?
We did they just say looking fora 1541 I know exactly what
happened.
So the 1272 starts out at justin the low 300s.
Jim A (02:02):
Okay.
Jim B (02:04):
And the 1541 on the 40 foot series starts out just
below 400.
Jim (02:15):
I think that's a pretty good spot when you look at the
Suncoast in the area homes inthat price point were pretty
hard to come by.
So being able to fill that nicheI think is a great opportunity
for buyers coming in that arelooking for that area.
Jim B (02:29):
Yeah, we have a lot of first time buyers that come in
AI, the price point, of course,
Jim (02:35):
Absolutely
Jim B (02:36):
But we also have second time third time buyers coming in
folks retiring here to Florida alot of folks coming from the
west coast or up north Sothey're six, 700, 000 million
dollar home and they come inwith cash.
And we love them because it's aquick, easy way to sell a home.
They get the most for theirmoney and they have money.
Jim (02:58):
What do you think sets this development apart in terms of
lifestyle and communityexperience?
Jim B (03:03):
We have a really nice amenity center.
It's a resort style pool.
There's a grilling station.
There's a playground for thekids with swings and slides.
It's a covered cabana also.
And in front of the cabana,there is, I would guess maybe a
20 foot counter for folks tocome in and set up food for like
(03:25):
birthday parties or guestscoming over and stuff.
Just have a really great time inthe summertime.
It's not real busy, but it'sreally nice.
And it's a steady flow of folkscoming in and using the amenity.
people use it here because it'sso gorgeous and it's really
nice.
Jim (03:39):
That's nice.
I think that's one of those bigpoints.
When you're coming to Floridaand you're moving to the
Suncoast in particular, you wantthat lifestyle of where you can
walk out to the pool, you can gocook out, and if you don't have
it in your particular house,it's available and it's there.
Jim B (03:53):
Yeah.
Jim (03:54):
It draws the community together.
Jim B (03:56):
It's all part of the amenity here at the community.
Jim (03:59):
Okay.
Speaking of amenity then, whatis the HOA for the area and are
DDS included in that?
Jim B (04:06):
Actually, the HOA is pretty low.
It was 365 a quarter.
Jim A (04:10):
Okay.
Jim B (04:11):
And all my years of selling horns, I've never seen
it go down.
Jim (04:16):
Wow.
So yeah, you're talking just
Jim B (04:18):
that never happens.
Usually they actually blockedit, which is a great selling
point because by the time I getoff the highway, you get to the
community, I pass six, seven newhome communities,
Jim A (04:34):
The
Jim B (04:34):
economy every morning as they're being built and all
their HOAs are hired because wecome shopping.
Jim A (04:40):
and
Jim B (04:40):
trade information with other builders, So we can find
out what they're selling, howthey're selling, what their CDD
is, because we don't have a CDD,which is a huge draw.
You can spend anywhere from twoto 400 a month to be added to
your tax bill, which is alsopart of your mortgage payment.
(05:01):
People, if they wanna live in acommunity with a that's fine.
We're saving'em tons of moneyhere.
Jim (05:05):
Yeah.
I think really you're talkingjust over a hundred dollars a
month for the HOA 106 or that'sa great deal when.
You have that much available forthat home buyer.
Jim B (05:15):
Yeah.
We get a lot of people the firstthing, first words out of their
mouth.
And I love saying sorry, wedon't have it.
Jim (05:21):
So what's included within that HOA, obviously it's gonna
be access to the amenities.
Is there anything else that'sincluded with that?
Jim B (05:28):
Yeah they include the pool and the cabana
Jim A (05:30):
right?
Jim B (05:30):
They maintain all the common areas.
Jim A (05:32):
We don't
Jim B (05:33):
have, we don't have a fitness center or a rec room or
anything like that,
Jim A (05:38):
They're going to
Jim B (05:38):
make sure that everybody's doing what they're
supposed to be doing, not payingtheir house, with stripes or
purple.
There's no aggressive breed dogsavailable around here.
Jim A (05:48):
Okay.
Jim B (05:48):
We are a multi generational community.
We have seniors, we havechildren, we have all types of
people, and it's a safe feelingthat people can, realize that,
don't worry about walking downthe street and having a pitbull
or a mastiff coming at you.
So the community is really calm.
It's quiet here.
We get a great breeze coming offthe skyway over here.
(06:08):
we do have several policeofficers that work in St.
Pete.
So people love that when theydrive down the street and see a
police cruiser in the street.
It gives them a sense of,security.
Jim (06:18):
So you're taking care of the common areas.
People would have to take careof their own lawns, right?
They would take care of theirown outdoor maintenance.
Jim B (06:25):
Yeah, only because people will fence their yard in.
Jim (06:28):
Sure,
Jim B (06:29):
obviously we've been cut the grass.
Jim (06:31):
is there an option to be able to put in pools in the
individual houses?
Jim B (06:35):
Yes, there is.
Jim (06:36):
Okay.
Jim B (06:37):
In fact, I just sent a realtor for photographs.
showing her the size of thehouse.
Plus the distance to the back ofthe property
Jim A (06:46):
and
Jim B (06:46):
the buyer was looking for a property that they could build
a pool behind and on 2 storyhomes.
There's more than enough roombecause obviously on 2 story
homes, we go up, not out.
So there could be 20, 30, 40feet behind any given home.
Jim (07:02):
Okay.
And then same thing with thefencing, it's anything
limitations or as long as it'sdone and within the HOA dock
that they can put a fence in.
Jim B (07:12):
We do require a six foot wide PVC fence.
if we have several ponds herethat your home backs up to then
that back fence.
has to be a four foot seethrough fence with a PVC, but we
want to not block the view ofyour neighbors.
Jim (07:31):
So what do you think the ideal buyer resident for this
community is?
Jim B (07:35):
I would say like a 30, let's say 40, 60 mix of 30
percent being first time buyersand 60, 70 percent being move up
buyers.
Jim A (07:46):
Okay.
Jim B (07:48):
We had a lot of folks that, have a home to sell.
And I always tell people, wedon't have a home to sell
contingency, but we do have ahome to close contingency,
meaning if someone has a home tosell, I'm working with several
buyers right now who have theirhomes listed.
Once they get a contract on thehome that we can move forward
with a contract on our home
Jim (08:08):
So the biggest thing there is coordinating that timing.
Once that's in place, then youcan get the date down and get it
pretty close What's theconstruction timeline for
completion development frombeginning to end on a home?
If you've got a spec home, isthat running?
Six months roughly.
Jim B (08:26):
So yeah right now on What we call BTO is built to order
homes or personalized homes.
We average between six and sevenmonths back in 2018 to give you
a barometer We were buildinghomes.
I was in Seminole, Florida WhenI was counting And we were
building two story homes withinfive to six months, then COVID
(08:49):
hit and everything went for ayear or more.
And then now that COVID has beengone a few years, the build time
has come down tremendously.
So we're, we have a schedule togo on, every single home has a
schedule.
With that schedule, what we dois once the buyer signs a
contract with us, it goes to thecorporate division office and
(09:13):
they spread the contract out toall the different departments,
land, studio,
Jim A (09:17):
finance,
Jim B (09:18):
And then it goes to permitting, like every other
boiler.
And within that permitting time,basically, we're scraping the
lot, getting it taken off theglass that's on there, and
getting it ready to pour theslab.
Once we pour the slab, we sitdown every week and call every
homeowner with the builder.
The builder and I call thempersonally.
(09:39):
And give them an update on thehome every single week.
So they're never going to haveto worry about, geez, what's
going on with the home,especially if they're out of
town, get to get out of town oreven people down the other side
of the bridge.
They don't want to drive overthe Skyway after work at six
o'clock or five o'clock at nightto come look at the home in the
dark during wintertime.
It's a peace of mind for them toknow how we're progressing with
(09:59):
home.
We're actually keeping incontact with them on a weekly
basis right after they close.
Jim (10:04):
I think that's crucial.
when you're making a purchase ofthis size, if you sign on the
line and then you don't hearanything for a week or two or
three, you start wonderingwhat's going on.
So having that continued touchpoint goes a long way.
Jim B (10:18):
People appreciate it.
Jim (10:22):
So talk to me a little bit about personalizing the homes.
What is available for somebody?
What kind of upgrades orfinishes or landscaping choices
can someone do to personalizetheir home?
Jim B (10:34):
In the beginning, I would sit down with a buyer and pick
out structural items.
Structural items being adding onto an eye, changing the tub and
shower to a walk in shower, forexample, that's an option.
All of our homes start at 8feet, so a structural item might
be, like in this home, wevaulted the ceiling.
Jim A (10:54):
floor.
Jim B (10:55):
So all those items are done with me in the sales office
because those items have to beprinted.
Jim (11:01):
And then once they're done, you can't really go easily
change it and say, you knowwhat?
Jim B (11:05):
Yeah, exactly.
We can't change them.
So after that's done in thecontract goes to the division
office.
They'll get a call from thestudio and then they'll be
invited to do a studio visitwith our designers, which are
wonderful.
They'll be able to pick outcabinets, countertops, flooring,
Jim A (11:25):
right.
Jim B (11:26):
Appliances, if they'd like to buy our appliances on a
side note, and we'll get to thata little later.
I'm sure we are an energy starcertified builder.
Jim A (11:35):
There
Jim B (11:36):
Because we use Whirlpool appliances and Whirlpool
appliances are Energy Starappliances.
If you were to go out to HomeDepot or one of the big box
stores and buy a Whirlpoolwasher and wire or range, you'd
get a one year warranty.
Jim A (11:49):
But with
Jim B (11:50):
us, because we're Energy Star certified and those are
certified appliances, we have atwo year warranty on every
appliance that we put in thehome, which no one else does
yet.
Jim (11:59):
Yeah, it's nice to just schedule it all up front, have
it done when you take a littlebit of peace of mind off and
then you've got that extendedwarranty.
It's nice to walk in that firstday and go, I've got some peace
of mind going forward.
Jim B (12:12):
Yeah, nobody wants to be disrupted when they're first
moving into a home.
Jim (12:18):
So speaking of warranties, what other warranties go along
with a new home purchase
Jim B (12:23):
Everything is covered In the home for the 1st year, we
have a warranty department.
For example, if you've got aleaky faucet or door starts to
squeak a little bit, somethingminor They could literally just
email my warranty department.
They'll send a representativeout to assess the issue.
And then that representative.
(12:46):
Schedule the trade to come backin and take care of that issue.
We do that for the whole firstyear.
Jim (12:53):
Yeah, excellent.
Jim B (12:54):
So after that.
Everything in the walls and theceiling is covered for two
years.
All your electrical plumbing iscovered for two years.
The structure is covered for tenyears.
And the roof, the shingles arethirty year shingles.
But if there is a default withthe shingles, from storm damage
like we had, And actually, wedidn't lose a shingle in this
(13:17):
community that homes alreadybuilt.
So it just adds to the qualityof the deal.
But if there's a defect in theshingle, they start to peel or
fade or something like that,then yeah, they're going to
replace and cover the shingles.
But if it's due to damage orsomebody decides to go up there
and just in case that would notbe covered.
(13:37):
So also we, like I said, aboutthe appliances, we also supply a
hybrid hot water heater in thegarage.
And it's programmable.
So if you want to go on vacationfor a week, you could program
the hot water heater to turn offthe day you leave and
automatically turn on the daybefore you come back.
(14:00):
So as I tell people, there's noneed to reach for hot water when
you're not here.
Jim (14:04):
Okay.
Jim B (14:05):
And heat escapes through those vents.
So we try to keep the heat to aminimum in the home We also
between the radiant barriers andthe ceiling we do r30 insulation
that gives us the right toCertify the home as an energy
star certified For example homeis 1989 square feet The average
(14:27):
energy cost is going to besomewhere around 140
Jim (14:30):
Yeah, that's really good.
Jim B (14:33):
Nice.
Jim (14:33):
talk a little bit about your location.
So you're up there in.
I guess it's the crossroads ofParrish, Ellington, Palmetto,
which puts you in a great spot.
You're 40 minutes, 45 minutesfrom Tampa airport, probably 35,
40 minutes from Sarasota airportand the growth that's going in
that North County.
Phenomenal.
Jim B (14:54):
Yeah I was just talking to one of my co workers who had
been here longer than I have,and she was telling me that
they're going to be building adaycare medical center here.
They're bringing in Panera,they're bringing in a couple
different restaurants, wellknown, brand name restaurants.
They're actually widening theroad on Mocca and Wallo.
They're making three lanes onboth sides, which will eliminate
(15:17):
a lot of the traffic we'rehaving right now.
And, we are targeting thosebuyers that are coming in,
definitely professional people.
Jim A (15:25):
That
Jim B (15:25):
are gonna be looking for homes, if they're gonna be
working at the hospital,doctors, nurses, whatever.
And this would be a goodopportunity for them to get into
a good time.
It takes about six or sevenmonths to build a home.
And if they know when thatopportunity is coming for them.
They want to be in place.
Jim (15:42):
Tell me, do you have any vertical integration when
somebody is coming to buy ahouse such as preferred lenders
or preferred insurance, anythingthat can make it an easy stop
for a person coming in
Jim B (15:54):
We have our own lender called KBHS.
Jim A (15:59):
Yeah.
Okay.
Jim B (16:00):
they take care of all of our loans.
The buyer chooses to go with us,but we're going to offer them
incentives to stay with ourvendor,
Jim A (16:11):
which
Jim B (16:11):
is take a lot of time.
What do you want me to offerthem to lower their interest
rate or pay part of the closingcosts?
We have an incentive here rightnow on moving ready homes.
It's a 6 percent incentive.
We take 6 percent of the priceof the home
Jim A (16:28):
and
Jim B (16:29):
that 400 and something dollars can be broken up any way
they choose.
Jim A (16:33):
So
Jim B (16:33):
that's a nice incentive so they're not digging into
their pocket for all of theclosing costs
Jim (16:38):
Whatever's going to work best for them.
It gives them that flexibilityto make it an easy fit.
Jim B (16:43):
Yep.
I had a buyer not too long agothat decided to take less money
to buy the rate down, but we didall the closing costs.
Jim (16:50):
Yeah.
You walk in the house and youfeel like you didn't have to put
anything down at all.
Jim B (16:55):
And we also have our own insurance company.
Jim A (16:58):
Okay.
Jim B (16:59):
So I always recommend people, tap our insurance
company for a week because newhomes are cheaper to insure than
used homes because of all thewarranty you get with them.
Jim (17:09):
All the warranty and then build into current code so
you're not suffering throughsome of those issues too.
Jim B (17:14):
Yeah.
And I tell people all the timewe do everything above code.
We don't do anything code here.
Carpet and flooring, all topbrands, names that people
recognize.
Jim (17:28):
Are there any other specific guidelines or
restrictions?
What's the limit on that?
Jim B (17:32):
So we do have investors that come in once in a while,
looking to buy a home.
Or people will, come in, stayfor a while and say, you know
what, we want to rent it out.
They've got to be vetted, ofcourse.
They've got to make sure thatthey can afford it.
And it is a one year commitment.
Jim A (17:51):
So
Jim B (17:53):
These aren't weekly and monthly rentals.
Jim (17:55):
It's a community for people living in it, not necessarily
transient through.
Jim B (18:00):
Exactly.
Jim (18:01):
Can you share any stories or testimonies from current
residents that highlight theirpositive experience?
Jim B (18:08):
Oh gosh.
Yeah.
I had a buyer not too long agothat his brother had bought a
home from us.
In a different community and hisbrother was emailing in his
electric bill showing him thatIt was a smaller home than this
one showing his electric billwas like 129 a month And he
emailed him like three months ina row and said look you got to
(18:29):
go to kb This is real, thisisn't something we made up, you
know we didn't believe it eitheruntil we moved in and started
seeing our electric bill Payingover 200 almost 300 a month for
our existing home down to 129 amonth and the guy came in
Because I think, yeah, no, thisis real.
And to this day, he justcouldn't thank us enough.
(18:50):
It's being able to also helpsome folks with in the county,
there's a program called downpayment assistance.
Jim A (19:01):
And
Jim B (19:01):
we have several actually Mortgage loan officers that are
really in depth with all thatgoes along with the DPA, the
down payment systems.
Jim A (19:09):
And I
Jim B (19:09):
put several people in homes over the last few years
using that program that beforethey couldn't afford that.
So our lender does VA, FHA, andconventional loans.
Jim (19:22):
I think that's a great point is having that knowledge
of what's local with ManateeCounty with their down payment
assistance being aware of thingslike hometown heroes when that's
available with some of thosethings can really help somebody
get in without having to go outof their pocket or being able to
make a first time homebuyer,make it affordable.
Jim B (19:41):
Yeah, and over the years that I've been with KB, we've
built several homes throughoutthe communities.
For the Wounded Warriorsprogram.
Jim A (19:49):
I
Jim B (19:52):
Yeah we built several homes for the Wounded Warriors.
I'm a veteran myself.
So it meant a lot to me to beinvolved in those programs for
years.
And it's just something we do.
KB, we have a saying basically,it says, We do the right things
for the right reasons and
Jim A (20:06):
then
Jim B (20:07):
of course throughout all of kb from california to florida
we have a commitment to ourbuyers.
It's important to us, you knowcalling buyers every week for
homes it's just great I've neverworked for a builder that Went
this far before to make surethat everybody's satisfied 100
complete.
Jim (20:24):
That's awesome to hear I love it.
when people are looking at thearea then Sawgrass and jim.
They got to come see and talk toyou.
So jim.
Thank you so much anything elseyou want to mention before we
wrap up today
Jim B (20:39):
Currently just I mentioned one program about the
six percent i'm leaving readyhomes So i'm going to talk about
that We also have an incentiveright now in personalized homes.
We have an incentive where we'llstill get the 6 percent and
we'll take 5, 000 off the baseprice of any home we also have
the next two homes will do zerolot premiums.
Jim A (21:00):
Okay.
Jim B (21:01):
So that's an awesome opportunity.
Somebody coming in, they won'thave to pay for it because
there's some lot premiums thatare 10, 20, 30, 000.
Having to wipe that price offthe list, give them 5, 000 off
the price of the home and givethem the 6 percent incentive.
Jim (21:19):
Jim, thank you so much for joining me on this conversation.
I really appreciate you comingout.
Thank you.
Jim B (21:24):
Jim, thank you so much for the opportunity.
You have a great day and a niceholiday.
Jim (21:29):
You too.
All right.
And good afternoon today.
I am thrilled to welcome JimBarbetto here with me.
He's from KB Homes out atSawgrass Lakes.
He's been selling homes forabout 14 years, six years with
the company, and just recentlyout in this new development up
in the Parrish area.
So welcome, Jim.
Jim B (00:20):
Thank you, Jim.
Jim (00:21):
Glad to have you.
So tell me a little bit aboutSawgrass.
What's going on?
Where it's going, how big is it?
Jim B (00:29):
So we've been out here about a year and a half.
And currently we probably have27 home sites left to build on
to personalize the homes.
I've got 14 ready homes atdifferent stages of finished
from or completed And on top ofthat, we have 4 models to sell
once we get towards the end.
(00:50):
All right, we started out with282.
Basically 45 left.
Jim (00:55):
How many different styles of homes, what are we looking at
in there?
From the smallest to thelargest?
What kind of size do you have?
Jim B (01:02):
We have two series of homes, a 30 foot series and a 40
foot series.
the 30 foot series starts with a1, 272 square foot home.
It goes up to about 2, 500square feet.
Jim A (01:17):
And
Jim B (01:17):
then the 40 foot series homes starts with a 1, 541
square foot home.
And that tops out around 3, 016square feet.
Jim (01:29):
Okay, that's quite a bit of a range there and what's the
entry?
beginning price and what's it goup to
Jim B (01:36):
so Currently the 30 foot series homes at 1272 and let me
preempt it by saying we namethem by their size So it's so
much easier for a buyer to comein and say oh sure.
Jim A (01:48):
I'm
Jim B (01:49):
not looking for a heron or Whatever, whatever right?
We did they just say looking fora 1541 I know exactly what
happened.
So the 1272 starts out at justin the low 300s.
Jim A (02:02):
Okay.
Jim B (02:04):
And the 1541 on the 40 foot series starts out just
below 400.
Jim (02:15):
I think that's a pretty good spot when you look at the
Suncoast in the area homes inthat price point were pretty
hard to come by.
So being able to fill that nicheI think is a great opportunity
for buyers coming in that arelooking for that area.
Jim B (02:29):
Yeah, we have a lot of first time buyers that come in
AI, the price point, of course,
Jim (02:35):
Absolutely
Jim B (02:36):
But we also have second time third time buyers coming in
folks retiring here to Florida alot of folks coming from the
west coast or up north Sothey're six, 700, 000 million
dollar home and they come inwith cash.
And we love them because it's aquick, easy way to sell a home.
They get the most for theirmoney and they have money.
Jim (02:58):
What do you think sets this development apart in terms of
lifestyle and communityexperience?
Jim B (03:03):
We have a really nice amenity center.
It's a resort style pool.
There's a grilling station.
There's a playground for thekids with swings and slides.
It's a covered cabana also.
And in front of the cabana,there is, I would guess maybe a
20 foot counter for folks tocome in and set up food for like
(03:25):
birthday parties or guestscoming over and stuff.
Just have a really great time inthe summertime.
It's not real busy, but it'sreally nice.
And it's a steady flow of folkscoming in and using the amenity.
people use it here because it'sso gorgeous and it's really
nice.
Jim (03:39):
That's nice.
I think that's one of those bigpoints.
When you're coming to Floridaand you're moving to the
Suncoast in particular, you wantthat lifestyle of where you can
walk out to the pool, you can gocook out, and if you don't have
it in your particular house,it's available and it's there.
Jim B (03:53):
Yeah.
Jim (03:54):
It draws the community together.
Jim B (03:56):
It's all part of the amenity here at the community.
Jim (03:59):
Okay.
Speaking of amenity then, whatis the HOA for the area and are
DDS included in that?
Jim B (04:06):
Actually, the HOA is pretty low.
It was 365 a quarter.
Jim A (04:10):
Okay.
Jim B (04:11):
And all my years of selling horns, I've never seen
it go down.
Jim (04:16):
Wow.
So yeah, you're talking just
Jim B (04:18):
that never happens.
Usually they actually blockedit, which is a great selling
point because by the time I getoff the highway, you get to the
community, I pass six, seven newhome communities,
Jim A (04:34):
The
Jim B (04:34):
economy every morning as they're being built and all
their HOAs are hired because wecome shopping.
Jim A (04:40):
and
Jim B (04:40):
trade information with other builders, So we can find
out what they're selling, howthey're selling, what their CDD
is, because we don't have a CDD,which is a huge draw.
You can spend anywhere from twoto 400 a month to be added to
your tax bill, which is alsopart of your mortgage payment.
(05:01):
People, if they wanna live in acommunity with a that's fine.
We're saving'em tons of moneyhere.
Jim (05:05):
Yeah.
I think really you're talkingjust over a hundred dollars a
month for the HOA 106 or that'sa great deal when.
You have that much available forthat home buyer.
Jim B (05:15):
Yeah.
We get a lot of people the firstthing, first words out of their
mouth.
And I love saying sorry, wedon't have it.
Jim (05:21):
So what's included within that HOA, obviously it's gonna
be access to the amenities.
Is there anything else that'sincluded with that?
Jim B (05:28):
Yeah they include the pool and the cabana
Jim A (05:30):
right?
Jim B (05:30):
They maintain all the common areas.
Jim A (05:32):
We don't
Jim B (05:33):
have, we don't have a fitness center or a rec room or
anything like that,
Jim A (05:38):
They're going to
Jim B (05:38):
make sure that everybody's doing what they're
supposed to be doing, not payingtheir house, with stripes or
purple.
There's no aggressive breed dogsavailable around here.
Jim A (05:48):
Okay.
Jim B (05:48):
We are a multi generational community.
We have seniors, we havechildren, we have all types of
people, and it's a safe feelingthat people can, realize that,
don't worry about walking downthe street and having a pitbull
or a mastiff coming at you.
So the community is really calm.
It's quiet here.
We get a great breeze coming offthe skyway over here.
(06:08):
we do have several policeofficers that work in St.
Pete.
So people love that when theydrive down the street and see a
police cruiser in the street.
It gives them a sense of,security.
Jim (06:18):
So you're taking care of the common areas.
People would have to take careof their own lawns, right?
They would take care of theirown outdoor maintenance.
Jim B (06:25):
Yeah, only because people will fence their yard in.
Jim (06:28):
Sure,
Jim B (06:29):
obviously we've been cut the grass.
Jim (06:31):
is there an option to be able to put in pools in the
individual houses?
Jim B (06:35):
Yes, there is.
Jim (06:36):
Okay.
Jim B (06:37):
In fact, I just sent a realtor for photographs.
showing her the size of thehouse.
Plus the distance to the back ofthe property
Jim A (06:46):
and
Jim B (06:46):
the buyer was looking for a property that they could build
a pool behind and on 2 storyhomes.
There's more than enough roombecause obviously on 2 story
homes, we go up, not out.
So there could be 20, 30, 40feet behind any given home.
Jim (07:02):
Okay.
And then same thing with thefencing, it's anything
limitations or as long as it'sdone and within the HOA dock
that they can put a fence in.
Jim B (07:12):
We do require a six foot wide PVC fence.
if we have several ponds herethat your home backs up to then
that back fence.
has to be a four foot seethrough fence with a PVC, but we
want to not block the view ofyour neighbors.
Jim (07:31):
So what do you think the ideal buyer resident for this
community is?
Jim B (07:35):
I would say like a 30, let's say 40, 60 mix of 30
percent being first time buyersand 60, 70 percent being move up
buyers.
Jim A (07:46):
Okay.
Jim B (07:48):
We had a lot of folks that, have a home to sell.
And I always tell people, wedon't have a home to sell
contingency, but we do have ahome to close contingency,
meaning if someone has a home tosell, I'm working with several
buyers right now who have theirhomes listed.
Once they get a contract on thehome that we can move forward
with a contract on our home
Jim (08:08):
So the biggest thing there is coordinating that timing.
Once that's in place, then youcan get the date down and get it
pretty close What's theconstruction timeline for
completion development frombeginning to end on a home?
If you've got a spec home, isthat running?
Six months roughly.
Jim B (08:26):
So yeah right now on What we call BTO is built to order
homes or personalized homes.
We average between six and sevenmonths back in 2018 to give you
a barometer We were buildinghomes.
I was in Seminole, Florida WhenI was counting And we were
building two story homes withinfive to six months, then COVID
(08:49):
hit and everything went for ayear or more.
And then now that COVID has beengone a few years, the build time
has come down tremendously.
So we're, we have a schedule togo on, every single home has a
schedule.
With that schedule, what we dois once the buyer signs a
contract with us, it goes to thecorporate division office and
(09:13):
they spread the contract out toall the different departments,
land, studio,
Jim A (09:17):
finance,
Jim B (09:18):
And then it goes to permitting, like every other
boiler.
And within that permitting time,basically, we're scraping the
lot, getting it taken off theglass that's on there, and
getting it ready to pour theslab.
Once we pour the slab, we sitdown every week and call every
homeowner with the builder.
The builder and I call thempersonally.
(09:39):
And give them an update on thehome every single week.
So they're never going to haveto worry about, geez, what's
going on with the home,especially if they're out of
town, get to get out of town oreven people down the other side
of the bridge.
They don't want to drive overthe Skyway after work at six
o'clock or five o'clock at nightto come look at the home in the
dark during wintertime.
It's a peace of mind for them toknow how we're progressing with
(09:59):
home.
We're actually keeping incontact with them on a weekly
basis right after they close.
Jim (10:04):
I think that's crucial.
when you're making a purchase ofthis size, if you sign on the
line and then you don't hearanything for a week or two or
three, you start wonderingwhat's going on.
So having that continued touchpoint goes a long way.
Jim B (10:18):
People appreciate it.
Jim (10:22):
So talk to me a little bit about personalizing the homes.
What is available for somebody?
What kind of upgrades orfinishes or landscaping choices
can someone do to personalizetheir home?
Jim B (10:34):
In the beginning, I would sit down with a buyer and pick
out structural items.
Structural items being adding onto an eye, changing the tub and
shower to a walk in shower, forexample, that's an option.
All of our homes start at 8feet, so a structural item might
be, like in this home, wevaulted the ceiling.
Jim A (10:54):
floor.
Jim B (10:55):
So all those items are done with me in the sales office
because those items have to beprinted.
Jim (11:01):
And then once they're done, you can't really go easily
change it and say, you knowwhat?
Jim B (11:05):
Yeah, exactly.
We can't change them.
So after that's done in thecontract goes to the division
office.
They'll get a call from thestudio and then they'll be
invited to do a studio visitwith our designers, which are
wonderful.
They'll be able to pick outcabinets, countertops, flooring,
Jim A (11:25):
right.
Jim B (11:26):
Appliances, if they'd like to buy our appliances on a
side note, and we'll get to thata little later.
I'm sure we are an energy starcertified builder.
Jim A (11:35):
There
Jim B (11:36):
Because we use Whirlpool appliances and Whirlpool
appliances are Energy Starappliances.
If you were to go out to HomeDepot or one of the big box
stores and buy a Whirlpoolwasher and wire or range, you'd
get a one year warranty.
Jim A (11:49):
But with
Jim B (11:50):
us, because we're Energy Star certified and those are
certified appliances, we have atwo year warranty on every
appliance that we put in thehome, which no one else does
yet.
Jim (11:59):
Yeah, it's nice to just schedule it all up front, have
it done when you take a littlebit of peace of mind off and
then you've got that extendedwarranty.
It's nice to walk in that firstday and go, I've got some peace
of mind going forward.
Jim B (12:12):
Yeah, nobody wants to be disrupted when they're first
moving into a home.
Jim (12:18):
So speaking of warranties, what other warranties go along
with a new home purchase
Jim B (12:23):
Everything is covered In the home for the 1st year, we
have a warranty department.
For example, if you've got aleaky faucet or door starts to
squeak a little bit, somethingminor They could literally just
email my warranty department.
They'll send a representativeout to assess the issue.
And then that representative.
(12:46):
Schedule the trade to come backin and take care of that issue.
We do that for the whole firstyear.
Jim (12:53):
Yeah, excellent.
Jim B (12:54):
So after that.
Everything in the walls and theceiling is covered for two
years.
All your electrical plumbing iscovered for two years.
The structure is covered for tenyears.
And the roof, the shingles arethirty year shingles.
But if there is a default withthe shingles, from storm damage
like we had, And actually, wedidn't lose a shingle in this
(13:17):
community that homes alreadybuilt.
So it just adds to the qualityof the deal.
But if there's a defect in theshingle, they start to peel or
fade or something like that,then yeah, they're going to
replace and cover the shingles.
But if it's due to damage orsomebody decides to go up there
and just in case that would notbe covered.
(13:37):
So also we, like I said, aboutthe appliances, we also supply a
hybrid hot water heater in thegarage.
And it's programmable.
So if you want to go on vacationfor a week, you could program
the hot water heater to turn offthe day you leave and
automatically turn on the daybefore you come back.
(14:00):
So as I tell people, there's noneed to reach for hot water when
you're not here.
Jim (14:04):
Okay.
Jim B (14:05):
And heat escapes through those vents.
So we try to keep the heat to aminimum in the home We also
between the radiant barriers andthe ceiling we do r30 insulation
that gives us the right toCertify the home as an energy
star certified For example homeis 1989 square feet The average
(14:27):
energy cost is going to besomewhere around 140
Jim (14:30):
Yeah, that's really good.
Jim B (14:33):
Nice.
Jim (14:33):
talk a little bit about your location.
So you're up there in.
I guess it's the crossroads ofParrish, Ellington, Palmetto,
which puts you in a great spot.
You're 40 minutes, 45 minutesfrom Tampa airport, probably 35,
40 minutes from Sarasota airportand the growth that's going in
that North County.
Phenomenal.
Jim B (14:54):
Yeah I was just talking to one of my co workers who had
been here longer than I have,and she was telling me that
they're going to be building adaycare medical center here.
They're bringing in Panera,they're bringing in a couple
different restaurants, wellknown, brand name restaurants.
They're actually widening theroad on Mocca and Wallo.
They're making three lanes onboth sides, which will eliminate
(15:17):
a lot of the traffic we'rehaving right now.
And, we are targeting thosebuyers that are coming in,
definitely professional people.
Jim A (15:25):
That
Jim B (15:25):
are gonna be looking for homes, if they're gonna be
working at the hospital,doctors, nurses, whatever.
And this would be a goodopportunity for them to get into
a good time.
It takes about six or sevenmonths to build a home.
And if they know when thatopportunity is coming for them.
They want to be in place.
Jim (15:42):
Tell me, do you have any vertical integration when
somebody is coming to buy ahouse such as preferred lenders
or preferred insurance, anythingthat can make it an easy stop
for a person coming in
Jim B (15:54):
We have our own lender called KBHS.
Jim A (15:59):
Yeah.
Okay.
Jim B (16:00):
they take care of all of our loans.
The buyer chooses to go with us,but we're going to offer them
incentives to stay with ourvendor,
Jim A (16:11):
which
Jim B (16:11):
is take a lot of time.
What do you want me to offerthem to lower their interest
rate or pay part of the closingcosts?
We have an incentive here rightnow on moving ready homes.
It's a 6 percent incentive.
We take 6 percent of the priceof the home
Jim A (16:28):
and
Jim B (16:29):
that 400 and something dollars can be broken up any way
they choose.
Jim A (16:33):
So
Jim B (16:33):
that's a nice incentive so they're not digging into
their pocket for all of theclosing costs
Jim (16:38):
Whatever's going to work best for them.
It gives them that flexibilityto make it an easy fit.
Jim B (16:43):
Yep.
I had a buyer not too long agothat decided to take less money
to buy the rate down, but we didall the closing costs.
Jim (16:50):
Yeah.
You walk in the house and youfeel like you didn't have to put
anything down at all.
Jim B (16:55):
And we also have our own insurance company.
Jim A (16:58):
Okay.
Jim B (16:59):
So I always recommend people, tap our insurance
company for a week because newhomes are cheaper to insure than
used homes because of all thewarranty you get with them.
Jim (17:09):
All the warranty and then build into current code so
you're not suffering throughsome of those issues too.
Jim B (17:14):
Yeah.
And I tell people all the timewe do everything above code.
We don't do anything code here.
Carpet and flooring, all topbrands, names that people
recognize.
Jim (17:28):
Are there any other specific guidelines or
restrictions?
What's the limit on that?
Jim B (17:32):
So we do have investors that come in once in a while,
looking to buy a home.
Or people will, come in, stayfor a while and say, you know
what, we want to rent it out.
They've got to be vetted, ofcourse.
They've got to make sure thatthey can afford it.
And it is a one year commitment.
Jim A (17:51):
So
Jim B (17:53):
These aren't weekly and monthly rentals.
Jim (17:55):
It's a community for people living in it, not necessarily
transient through.
Jim B (18:00):
Exactly.
Jim (18:01):
Can you share any stories or testimonies from current
residents that highlight theirpositive experience?
Jim B (18:08):
Oh gosh.
Yeah.
I had a buyer not too long agothat his brother had bought a
home from us.
In a different community and hisbrother was emailing in his
electric bill showing him thatIt was a smaller home than this
one showing his electric billwas like 129 a month And he
emailed him like three months ina row and said look you got to
(18:29):
go to kb This is real, thisisn't something we made up, you
know we didn't believe it eitheruntil we moved in and started
seeing our electric bill Payingover 200 almost 300 a month for
our existing home down to 129 amonth and the guy came in
Because I think, yeah, no, thisis real.
And to this day, he justcouldn't thank us enough.
(18:50):
It's being able to also helpsome folks with in the county,
there's a program called downpayment assistance.
Jim A (19:01):
And
Jim B (19:01):
we have several actually Mortgage loan officers that are
really in depth with all thatgoes along with the DPA, the
down payment systems.
Jim A (19:09):
And I
Jim B (19:09):
put several people in homes over the last few years
using that program that beforethey couldn't afford that.
So our lender does VA, FHA, andconventional loans.
Jim (19:22):
I think that's a great point is having that knowledge
of what's local with ManateeCounty with their down payment
assistance being aware of thingslike hometown heroes when that's
available with some of thosethings can really help somebody
get in without having to go outof their pocket or being able to
make a first time homebuyer,make it affordable.
Jim B (19:41):
Yeah, and over the years that I've been with KB, we've
built several homes throughoutthe communities.
For the Wounded Warriorsprogram.
Jim A (19:49):
I
Jim B (19:52):
Yeah we built several homes for the Wounded Warriors.
I'm a veteran myself.
So it meant a lot to me to beinvolved in those programs for
years.
And it's just something we do.
KB, we have a saying basically,it says, We do the right things
for the right reasons and
Jim A (20:06):
then
Jim B (20:07):
of course throughout all of kb from california to florida
we have a commitment to ourbuyers.
It's important to us, you knowcalling buyers every week for
homes it's just great I've neverworked for a builder that Went
this far before to make surethat everybody's satisfied 100
complete.
Jim (20:24):
That's awesome to hear I love it.
when people are looking at thearea then Sawgrass and jim.
They got to come see and talk toyou.
So jim.
Thank you so much anything elseyou want to mention before we
wrap up today
Jim B (20:39):
Currently just I mentioned one program about the
six percent i'm leaving readyhomes So i'm going to talk about
that We also have an incentiveright now in personalized homes.
We have an incentive where we'llstill get the 6 percent and
we'll take 5, 000 off the baseprice of any home we also have
the next two homes will do zerolot premiums.
Jim A (21:00):
Okay.
Jim B (21:01):
So that's an awesome opportunity.
Somebody coming in, they won'thave to pay for it because
there's some lot premiums thatare 10, 20, 30, 000.
Having to wipe that price offthe list, give them 5, 000 off
the price of the home and givethem the 6 percent incentive.
Jim (21:19):
Jim, thank you so much for joining me on this conversation.
I really appreciate you comingout.
Thank you.
Jim B (21:24):
Jim, thank you so much for the opportunity.
You have a great day and a niceholiday.
Jim (21:29):
You too.
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