Naples New Construction Market Overview

So you're interested in buying a new construction home in Naples. Great!

But where do you start?

What type of neighborhood might be a good fit? Are there any developments in particular I should know about? What should I look for in terms of build quality and design trends?

That's what we want to help solve in this post. We're going to give you an overview of the new construction market in Naples so you can make an informed decision on your purchase.

So sit back, relax and let us know if you have any questions along the way!

Naples New Construction Homes

If you've spent any time in Naples recently, you know that there's a bit of a boom happening here in the new construction market.

Everywhere you look there are new communities and condo buildings going up. But when you consider the stunning number of people moving to Florida, it's really no surprise.

While it's great that we now have so many options, it can be a lot to make sense of. To bring some order to everything, let's break down some of the main aspects of the market.

Community Types

There are a wide variety of communities throughout Naples that feature new construction homes and condos, so let's start by taking a look at how this breaks down.

Golf Course Communities

Golfers rejoice – Naples has more golf courses per capita than anywhere in the U.S.

All of these golf courses are built inside of residential communities, and the trend of building that got us to the number 1 spot has not slowed down.

East of Airport Pulling road, national developers have been building these golf course communities at a breathtaking pace. Particularly on Immokalee Road, there are new communities going up everywhere you look, each featuring an incredible golf course.

Typically, these communities offer a variety of residences. While they're mostly composed of single family homes, they can often times feature condos or even villas.

All of them feature spectacular, state of the art club houses with incredible amenities like gyms, libraries, pools and even game rooms!

Gated Communities

These communities are very similar to golf course communities in that you have (you guessed it) a gated entrance and a full homeowner's association, but there isn't a golf course.

Many of these communities still offer an incredible suite of amenities, such as gyms, pools, club houses, tennis courts and even the occasional nature trail.

A perfect example of this would be Barefoot Beach. As one of Southwest Florida's only gated communities directly on the Gulf of Mexico, it's a truly special community. And yes, I might be a little biased as this is where my family and I have called home for the last 30 years 😏.

While it's definitely an older neighborhood, many of the homes have been either completely renovated or torn down and rebuilt in recent years.

Non-Gated Communities

While they're far outnumbered by gated communities, in a handful of areas throughout Naples you can find neighborhoods without a homeowner's association or gated entrance.

These would include neighborhoods like The Moorings, Pine Ridge and Naples Park, all of which are along 41, along with other neighborhoods further East like Golden Gate.

If you take a quick drive through any of these neighborhoods, you'll quickly be inundated with new home after new home. Thanks to strong market fundamentals, local developers and flippers alike have come in and built or renovated a number of high end single family homes.

If you want that new home feel without the ties or fees of a homeowner's association, this is your ticket.

Condo Buildings

If you're looking for simplicity in your ownership experience, look no further than the incredible new condo buildings that are going up throughout Naples.

Often times offering similar amenities to gated communities, these buildings can offer a resort style experience where you have your pool, gym, shared office space, party room, tennis courts and even dry cleaners right on site.

Many of these buildings are also right on the Gulf of Mexico, so they feature breathtaking views. This would include buildings such as Kalea Bay and Mystique.

If you prefer to be closer to the social scene than the beach, you'll find great options in Naples Square or Mercato.

Design Trends

The one constant when it comes to design trends is change. What's in one year can easily be out of style just a few short years down the road.

Knowing this, when it comes time to buy your home you want to buy a property that is likely to age well.

In this section we'll point out what's hot right now and what's likely to last into the future.

Smart Home Tech

Perhaps nowhere is the constant of change more noticeable than in smart home technology.

Over the last 10 years technology has become more and more prevalent in our homes. Many buyers now expect new homes to have the ability to control lights, fans, blinds, speakers and even appliances like ovens, all from a smart home system.

So even if you're not planning on being a big user of the smart home tech yourself, it's important to keep this in mind for resale value.

The two most common systems that developers work with are Crestron and Control4. Because of their prevalence, it's best to go with a home that has one of these two operating systems installed if possible. It will give your home a broader appeal when it comes time to sell.

Color Schemes

Over the last decade or so, gray has been one of the most popular interior paint colors.

While this is almost certain to change at some point, right now it's what's in, and if you were to have to change it down the line it's only paint.

Another major component to the overall atmosphere of your home is the flooring. In Florida, hard surface floors rule the day because they're easy to maintain, especially when coming home from the beach!

Lighter colors like beige, gray and white have been in for the last 5 years, but recently we've been seeing a shift back to sand colored wood grain floorboards.

When it comes to the kitchen, white cabinets and quartz countertops (typically white or gray) are the most popular options and thus the safest choice in terms of resale value.

You may be thinking this is a boring look, but homeowners and designers can easily bring more color into the home through their choice of accent pieces such as lamps, pillows and rugs. 

Building Materials

Florida might be known for it's sunny beaches, but ask any longtime homeowner down here and you'll quickly learn it's also known for weather that tends to be pretty tough on homes.

Knowing this, it's important to get familiarized with what makes a well built home that can withstand the elements.

Wood Frame vs. Concrete Block

Building homes with wood presents a number of problems over the life of a home, particularly in Florida.

Wood is susceptible to rotting from either the humidity or wood eating organisms like termites and carpenter ants.

Concrete block on the other hand is much better suited to hold up to the elements. Because of this, many buyers specifically look for concrete block homes and are willing to pay a premium for them.

So even though it's going to cost you more up front, you'll be thanking yourself when it comes time to sell the home.

Roofing Materials

When you invest hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars into a home, you want to know it's protected.

The single best thing you can do to ensure your investment will stand the test of time is to buy a home with the correct roof type. Problems with your roof can lead to a slew of other issues throughout the house. On the other hand, a solid roof will ensure the rest of the house is as protected as it can be.

Over the last 5 years or so metal roofs have become the new trend. Not only do they look great, they're well suited to last decades in the Florida elements.

Tile roofs can be just as effective in the short to medium term, so it's not a deal breaker by any means if the home you fall in love with has a tile roof. The one thing to ideally look for with tile is to get flat tile, which is now the trending style.

Hurricane Windows

You may have heard that Florida has to deal with the occasional hurricane 🙄

Luckily, if you're reading this post you're interested in buying a newly constructed home. That means your home will be built to the latest standards and will be well positioned to withstand one of these storms.

Having said that, even though builders are more capable than ever at building sturdy homes, it doesn't necessarily mean they do. Hurricane windows aren't required by code, so be sure to determine whether the home you're looking at has them installed or not.

Price Ranges

Having lived in Florida for over 30 years now, I've seen the real estate market continue to grow and grow.

And while the housing supply has continued to increase, demand has far outpaced it. This has driven prices steadily up and provided incredible equity gains for homeowners here.

Right now, most new construction communities in Naples have homes starting at $300,000 and going up to $5,000,000. As you get closer to the Gulf of Mexico and look more at custom homes, prices can start to climb above $5,000,000 and in some neighborhoods such as Port Royal, Pelican Bay or Barefoot Beach can go well over $10,000,000.

Conclusion

While it's impossible to cover all facets of the Naples new construction market in a blog post, we hope this has given you a great starting point on your way to purchasing you new home!

If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to reach out to us at (239) 248-5580.

We look forward to helping you ensure your home purchase goes off without a hitch!

-Susan & David