Buying a New Home From a Builder at Hendrix Reserve

Buying a new construction home is a genuinely different process than buying a resale—no back-and-forth negotiation over someone else's repair list, but also a longer timeline and a few steps first-time new-construction buyers don't expect. Here's what actually happens at Hendrix Reserve, start to finish.

Step 1: Pick a plan and a homesite.

Start with how many bedrooms and garage bays you actually need, not just square footage—the full plan comparison is the fastest way to narrow six plans down to two or three, and Classic vs Estate Collection at Hendrix Reserve explains the bigger fork in the decision if garage space matters. Once you've picked a plan, the sales team will show you which homesites are currently available for it. Not every plan is available on every lot, and popular lots (lake views, corner lots) tend to move first.

Step 2: Reserve the homesite.

Reserving a homesite typically involves a deposit that goes toward your purchase, locking in the lot and the base price for that plan at that point in time. Ask directly what the current deposit amount is and what it's refundable against—this varies by builder and can change between releases, so don't rely on anything you read online, including here, as the current figure.

Step 3: Choose your options and finish.

This is where new construction differs most from resale—instead of inheriting someone else's choices, you're selecting from DiVosta's available options for your plan: lanai extensions, garage configurations, and any upgrades beyond the standard included-features package. Bring your must-haves to this meeting rather than deciding on the spot; it's easier to know what you want ahead of time than to make every decision in one sitting.

Step 4: Sign the purchase agreement.

Once your homesite and selections are locked in, you'll sign the purchase agreement. This is the point to have an attorney review the contract if you want one—it's standard practice for new construction and doesn't slow the builder's timeline meaningfully. Ask specifically about the estimated completion window; DiVosta's own materials for Hendrix Reserve list some current inventory with delivery estimates a few months out, but a to-be-built home on a newly released homesite will run longer.

Step 5: Construction and the walkthrough stages

DiVosta's own materials describe three homeowner meetings during the build: an introduction, a confirmation, and a celebration walkthrough near completion. These are your chances to see the home at different stages and flag anything before closing—use them. This is also the stage where DiVosta's Pulte Protection Plan warranty starts; see What's included at Hendrix Reserve for the full coverage breakdown.

Step 6: Financing

DiVosta's affiliated lender is Pulte Mortgage, and using them isn't required—you're free to shop for your own lender for a new construction home just as you would for a resale. Some builders offer incentives tied to using their preferred lender; ask directly whether that applies at Hendrix Reserve and compare the total cost against an outside quote before deciding. Get pre-qualified before you start seriously touring homesites—it tells you your real budget before you fall for a plan that's outside it, and it speeds up every step that follows.

What closing costs typically include

Beyond the home price itself, budget for closing costs, which on new construction typically run a few percentage points of the purchase price—title work, recording fees, prepaid taxes and insurance, and any lender fees. Ask your sales consultant for a written closing cost estimate specific to your loan type early in the process, not at the closing table, so there are no surprises on the actual numbers.

Don't forget the HOA.

Hendrix Reserve carries a community association with its own fees, which cover the resort-style pool, cabana, playground, and other shared amenities. The builder doesn't publish a fixed dollar amount on its site, and like closing costs, this is something to get in writing from your sales consultant early rather than assuming it matches what a friend pays at a different DiVosta community—association fees are set per community, not as a company-wide number.

Step 7: Final walkthrough and closing

Before closing, you'll walk the completed home one more time to confirm everything matches what was agreed—this is the celebration walkthrough DiVosta describes. Closing itself works similarly to a resale closing: title transfer, final paperwork, and keys handed over.

What's genuinely different from resale?

No inspection contingency in the way resale buyers use one, since you're the first owner and the home is covered by a new builder warranty instead. No negotiating over someone else's deferred maintenance. But also less room to negotiate the price the way you might with a motivated resale seller—new construction pricing tends to be closer to fixed, with negotiation happening more around included upgrades or closing cost credits than the base price itself.

If you're weighing quick move-in vs. to-be-built

Hendrix Reserve currently has quick move-in inventory available with design selections already made—a faster path for buyers who don't want to go through the full selections process. See Quick move-in homes at Hendrix Reserve for what's currently available and how that timeline compares.

What genuinely surprises first-time new-construction buyers

Two things come up on calls more than anything else. First, the timeline—a to-be-built home on a newly released homesite can take considerably longer than buyers coming from resale expect, since it hasn't been built yet and every stage from foundation to final walkthrough takes real time. Second, that "included features" and "standard" aren't the same as ""everything"—options like extended laundries, upgraded flooring beyond the base package, and additional garage configurations cost more than the starting price, and it's easy to assume a model home's finishes are all standard when some are upgrades. Walk through the actual included-features list, not just the model home, before you fall in love with a specific look.

What to ask before you commit

Bring a list: the current deposit amount and what it's refundable against, the estimated completion date for your specific homesite, whether your preferred plan's homesite selection includes a lake or preserve view, and what's actually included versus what costs extra. Getting clear answers to these four questions before you sign saves the most confusion later in the process.

The process moves faster with someone walking it with you who isn't the builder's own sales team. Visit the Hendrix Reserve community page, call 561-704-0091, or schedule a visit, and we'll go through it together, start to finish.

Common Questions