Take Note: New Home Community and Builder News

MODELS AND OPENINGS
Centex Homes has unveiled new single-family exterior designs in five distinctive architectural styles at Sterling Meadows, located in Sanford. The five new architectural styles include Classic, Craftsman, Santa Barbara, Coastal and French Country. New three-, four-, five- and six-bedroom homes at Sterling Meadows range in size from 1,433 to 3,514 square feet and are priced from $156,990 to $219,990.

Mattamy Homes has opened a sales center at its townhome community in Baldwin Park, an Orlando">Orlando Traditional Neighborhood Development. The three-story townhomes are available in five floorplans with many upscale options and range in size from 2,003 to 2,283 square feet. Prices start in the $240s.

Ashton Woods Homes has unveiled three new single-family floorplans at Thornhill in Windermere. The homes range in size from 1,870 to 4,000 square feet, with three, four or five bedrooms. Prices start at $249,900.

Beazer Homes has started construction of four ready-to-move-in, single-family homes at Sawgrass in east Orlando">Orlando. The three-, four- and five-bedroom homes range in size from 1,400 to 3,200 square feet and are priced from $179,990.

Lennar is unveiling nine new model homes and nine floorplans at the Lennar Concept Home Showplace at Wyndham Lakes in southeast Orlando">Orlando. The Concept Home Showplace is a one-stop model home showcase with smarter, more efficient and more practical designs priced from the high $100s to the low $300s. The new floorplans include larger kitchens, more spacious owner’s suites, space-saving closets and outdoor living areas.

Royal Palm has recently open-ed three ready-to-move-in luxury homes at Lake Burden in Windermere. Three more homes are under construction and will be completed in November. Prices start in the mid-$400s.

Kolter Homes has opened its first three-story townhome building with elevators at Grande Oaks at Heathrow in Orlando">Seminole County. Luxury three-bedroom townhomes priced from $279,600 feature three-and-a-half bathrooms, two-car garages and offer 1,863 square feet of living space.

Ashton Woods Homes recently unveiled its “Power House Green” program, which helps homebuyers realize at least 25 percent savings on their energy bills. Every Ashton Woods single-family home and townhome meets certification standards for two programs: Environments for Living, which uses building science techniques to help reduce energy loss; and Energy Star, which promotes energy efficiency.

Taylor Morrison has opened a second phase in its townhome community, Terracina at Lake Forest. Phase II has 27 units available, a dozen of which sold almost immediately. Homes in the gated community are priced starting in the $150s and range in size from 1,490 to 2,275 square feet.

AWARDS
Avalon Park in east Orlando">Orlando won three awards during the recent Orlando" target="_blank">Orlando" target="_blank">Orange County Neighborhood Services Community Conference. Developer Beat K?li, who heads Avalon Park Group, was presented a special award for Excellence in Leadership. Also, Avalon Park was named Orlando" target="_blank">Orlando" target="_blank">Orange County’s Clean and Attractive Neighborhood of the Year and was honored in the Excellence in Safety and Security Initiatives category. ?

Sullivan Ranch was named the largest residential development in Orlando" target="_blank">Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County this year by the Orlando">Orlando Business Journal. The Centex Homes gated community, spread over 300 acres in Mount Dora, features paired villa homes priced from the $140s as well as single-family homes priced from the $170s.

For the fourth consecutive year, Where to Retire magazine has names Solivita one of America’s 100 Best Master-Planned Communities for active adults. Avatar Properties is developer of Solivita, a 47,000-acre gated community in Poinciana with a Mediterranean-style Village Center and two 18-hole championship golf courses. Solivita features detached single-family homes priced from the $130s to the $330s as well as attached single-family home plans from the low $200s.

INCENTIVES
Taylor Morrison is offering a unique program that will refund a homebuyer’s downpayment, up to 10 percent of the original purchase price, should the home decrease in value in five years. The program, called “Taylor Morrison Total Assurance,” began in August and is available for a limited time.