The Complete Guide to Buying New Construction in Gainesville & Alachua County

Builder Incentives

Builders use incentives to move inventory, and what's offered changes with market conditions, how far along a community is, and how quickly a particular home needs to sell. Common forms include closing cost assistance, interest rate buydowns, design center allowances, and free structural or cosmetic upgrades.

Incentives are usually conditional

Most are tied to using the builder's preferred lender, their affiliated title company, or both. That isn't inherently bad, but it means the incentive can't be evaluated on its own.

How to compare honestly

The comparison that matters is the preferred lender's rate and total costs minus the incentive, against an outside lender's rate and total costs. Sometimes the incentive comes out ahead. Sometimes a better rate elsewhere outweighs it. The only way to know is to get a loan estimate from both and compare them side by side.

What's often more negotiable than the price

Builders are frequently reluctant to reduce base price, because a lower recorded sale price affects the appraisals and comparable sales for every remaining home in the community. Upgrades, closing cost credits, and lot premiums are more commonly where movement happens.

Financing & Construction Loans

How you finance a new home depends on what you're buying.

A completed or nearly completed home

This works essentially like any other purchase. You get a standard mortgage and close when the home is finished. The main difference is timing — if the home isn't done yet, your rate lock has to cover a moving completion date, and extended locks generally cost something.

Building in a community

With most production and semi-custom builders in a community, the builder carries the construction cost and you close on a finished home with a standard mortgage. You typically put down a deposit and make selections along the way, but you're not financing the construction itself.

Building on your own land

This is where it changes substantially. You may need a construction loan or a construction-to-permanent loan, which funds the build in draws as work is completed and then converts to a permanent mortgage. These usually require a larger down payment, have different qualification standards, and involve appraisals based on plans rather than an existing structure.

If you're also purchasing the land, that may be a separate loan with its own terms. See our build on your own lot page.

Things worth asking early

• How long is the rate lock, and what does an extension cost if the build runs long?
• Does the loan estimate include the builder's incentive, and what happens to it if you change lenders?
• If the appraisal comes in below contract price, what does the contract say happens?

New Construction Contracts

Builders typically use their own purchase agreements rather than the standard forms used in resale transactions. These documents were drafted by the builder's attorneys to protect the builder. That's expected — but it means reading them carefully matters more, not less.

Areas buyers commonly ask about

• Completion dates. How firm is the date, what delays are excused, and what happens if it runs long.
• Deposits. How much, when it's due, whether it's refundable, and under what conditions.
• Price escalation. Whether the builder can adjust price for material or labor costs after signing.
• Change orders. How changes are priced, when the deadline to make them passes, and whether they're refundable.
• Contingencies. Whether financing, appraisal, and inspection contingencies are included, and on what terms.
• Specifications. Whether the builder can substitute materials, and what happens if the finished home differs from what was shown.
• Dispute resolution. Whether disputes go to arbitration, and where.
• Assignment. Whether you can transfer or resell the contract before closing.

New Construction Inspections

A common assumption is that a brand-new home doesn't need inspecting because it passed county inspections. Those inspections verify code compliance for the jurisdiction. They aren't performed on your behalf, they don't cover workmanship beyond code, and they're not a substitute for your own inspector.

Pre-drywall inspection

Performed after framing, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC rough-ins are complete but before insulation and drywall go up. This is the only chance to see the structure and systems before they're sealed inside the walls. Scheduling is tight, so it has to be arranged in advance.

Final inspection

Performed near completion, before closing. Covers the finished home the way a standard home inspection would — systems, appliances, finishes, grading, and drainage.

Eleven-month warranty inspection

Many builder warranties include a one-year period covering workmanship and materials. An inspection at around eleven months finds items while that coverage is still active, giving you time to submit a claim before it expires. This one is frequently overlooked.

Practical notes

• Confirm the contract permits independent inspections and at what stages.
• Ask about builder policies on site access and whether the inspector needs to be accompanied.
• Submit findings in writing and keep the documentation.

Builder Warranties

Most new homes come with some form of builder warranty, but coverage, duration, and claim procedures vary between builders. Read the actual warranty document rather than relying on a summary.

A common structure

Many builders use a tiered warranty, often described as one-two-ten: roughly one year on workmanship and materials, around two years on major systems like plumbing, electrical, and HVAC, and around ten years on major structural components. The specific terms differ by builder, and some use a third-party warranty administrator rather than warranting directly.

What's typically excluded

• Normal wear, and settling or cracking within stated tolerances
• Damage from owner modifications or lack of maintenance
• Appliances and some components, which often carry separate manufacturer warranties
• Landscaping, in many cases

Making a claim work

Warranties usually have specific procedures — written notice, particular forms, defined response windows. Following the stated process matters. Keep your closing documents, warranty paperwork, and any correspondence about defects together.

Upgrades & Design Selections

The model home you toured is almost always a heavily upgraded version of the base plan. The gap between the advertised base price and the price of the house you actually want is often substantial, and it catches buyers off guard more than any other part of the process.

Three categories, three deadlines

• Structural options — room extensions, additional bathrooms, a third bay, moving walls. These have to be decided earliest, often before permits are pulled, and generally can't be added later.
• Design selections — flooring, cabinetry, countertops, fixtures, paint. Selected at the design center on a set schedule.
• Lot premiums — charged on lots seen as more desirable. Not an upgrade to the house, but part of the price.

What to think about

Some upgrades are difficult or expensive to add after closing — anything structural, anything inside a wall, and often flooring. Others are straightforward to do later, sometimes for less than the builder charges. Light fixtures and some appliances tend to fall in that second group.

Also worth considering: not every upgrade holds its value at resale, and financed upgrades are paid for over the life of the loan.