Frequently Asked Questions

Why Build a New Home?

• You get the new home you want exactly the way you want it.
• You are not inheriting the wear and tear and potential misuse of others.
• Your new home comes with a warranty and provides lower maintenance and operating costs.
• You will not need to fix, change or alter any of the structural or mechanical systems.
• The materials and systems incorporated in the new home are less likely to require attention than the components of a used home.
• The new home will be more energy efficient than a used home.
• Your new home is built to exceed the latest codes and is designed and built to be more resistant to storm damage than homes built as recently as three (3) years ago.
• A new home incorporates the wiring technology that supports modern electronic equipment.

Why Hire the Gentleman Builder to build your home?

• Michael Stein, The Gentleman Builder has decades of real estate development experience and is therefore able to provides customers with the most cost effective construction solutions.  We truly understand the connection between price and value.
• Our track record.  We have built over 2,000 homes throughout the US and over 400 homes in Naples since 1999.  We have won several industry awards for excellence in planning, design, construction and management.
• Management is always available to address the needs of customers.
• We offer Design/Build services allowing customers to get exactly what they want in their new home from one source.  Coordinating the efforts of construction and architectural design is key to a great outcome.
• We have an outstanding reputation for excellent customer service

Is Now a Good Time to Build a New Home?

    As explained above, a new home offers several advantages over purchasing a used property.  However, presently there are some disadvantages to building a new home due to the downturn in real estate values that began in 2006.  The extraordinary decline in home prices have created opportunities for buyers to purchase a home for well below the properties replacement cost.  Consider a home that was built in 2005 and sold for $500,000.  Roughly 75% of a new homes price reflects the land and construction costs.  In spite of the land and construction costs equating to $375,000 some recently built homes are selling for 50% or more off of the peak prices.  At a 50% discount the sample would sell for $250,000 representing a $125,000 discount from the actual cost.  It would be impossible for any builder to replicate a comparable new home to the 50% discounted 2005 home and cover the costs. Certainly in this hypothetical case the used home is a superior value.  However, the supply of bargain homes is diminishing and as the economy recovers this scenario will disappear.  In fact this question and answer will likely to be deleted from the website in the not so distant future.

Are there special circumstances that make building a new home a wise choice now?

•  Research has shown that if you own a home site, the best way to unlock the value in that property is to construction a home upon it.
•  If you already own a home site and you want to live at that location, a newly constructed home is necessary.
• The recession has been very hard on the construction industry and the best trades and companies are the only survivors.
• If you have special need, such as handicapped access, aging issues, proximity to work or schools or specific lifestyle issues a new home may offer the most economical and effective housing situation.
• New homes typically appreciate at a faster rate than used houses, so your equity will accumulate more quickly.  This is particularly beneficial in a down real estate market.