Building a new construction home is one of the biggest decisions a family can make and one of the least understood. Most buyers go into it without knowing what actually happens between choosing a community and picking up the keys.
My wife Anna and I are documenting our own real new construction journey, start to finish, building our Hayden model with D.R. Horton in Star Farms at Lakewood Ranch. This page is the hub for that entire series — every decision, every milestone, and every lesson we learn along the way, updated as we move from empty lot to move-in day.
As a Lakewood Ranch Realtor, I’ve guided many buyers through this exact process. Now I’m living it myself, and sharing it in real time so future buyers know what to actually expect — not the builder brochure version, the real one.
Expected closing: December 2026. Follow along below.
Most new construction content online is either builder marketing or generic advice that doesn’t reflect what actually happens on the ground. We wanted to give buyers something different: a real, unfiltered account of the process from someone who is both living it as a buyer and guiding clients through it as an agent.
Each stage of our build gets its own post covering what we decided, what we learned, and what any buyer in Lakewood Ranch or Southwest Florida should know before facing that same decision.
Whether you’re building with D.R. Horton, another builder, or in a different Lakewood Ranch community entirely, the lessons in this series apply broadly:
Part 1: Why We Chose Star Farms — How to Pick the Right Community and lot!
Before floor plans, before lots, before anything else, we had to answer the question most buyers skip: what lifestyle do we actually want to live? This post covers how we defined that, the honest pros and cons of Star Farms, and why lot selection deserves to be its own separate decision from choosing your community.
Negotiating Terms and Signing The Contract!
After choosing Star Farms, our homesite, and our floor plan, the next step was negotiating and signing the builder contract. Unlike a traditional resale purchase, new construction isn’t always about negotiating the lowest price—the total package matters, including builder incentives, closing-cost assistance, financing offers, upgrades, and what is actually included with the home. We also took a close look at the deposit requirements, financing deadlines, construction timeline, and other important contract terms. In Part 2 of our buyer journey, I share what we learned from our own purchase and why having your own Realtor involved before your first visit to the builder can help you make a more informed decision.
Once construction began on our new home in Star Farms at Lakewood Ranch, the progress happened incredibly fast. In about six weeks, Anna and I watched our homesite go from lot preparation and a concrete slab to block walls, two-story framing, roofing, and the HVAC, electrical and plumbing rough-ins. We drove by with the kids almost every week to see what had changed, take photos and experience our future home coming together—along the way, we even started meeting our new neighbors.
In Part 3 of our Star Farms New Construction Journey, I walk through these major construction stages, share what it was like watching the home take shape, and explain how everything led up to an important milestone: our independent pre-drywall inspection.
Part 4: Pre-drywall Inspection
Part 5: Final Inspections and Walkthrough (coming soon)
Our punch list, what we found, and how to handle corrections before closing.
Part 6: Closing and Move-In Day (coming soon)
The final milestone — closing, move-in, and a full retrospective on what we’d do differently.
The Lakewood Ranch real estate market is competitive and highly neighborhood-specific. Pricing strategies, builder inventory, HOA rules, and timing all play a role in successful transactions.
If you’re:
Working with a knowledgeable Lakewood Ranch Realtor can help you avoid costly mistakes and uncover opportunities others may miss.
Michael Fyvie, Realtor
📞 (518) 878-6869
KW Coastal Living
5391 Lakewood Ranch Boulevard N, Suite 100
Sarasota, FL 34240
🌐 https://michaelmfyvie.kw.com/
🌐 https://movetolakewoodranchflorida.com/
