Brightleaf - New Homes in Durham on 70 (Cary, Apex: countertops, buyer)

[pearljammer]

Okay, my apologies but I'm not ready to go back and read ALL the entries so....can anyone advise what the prices are running on these homes? Low end? A co-worker mentioned this place and she thought they started around $250 but when I went to the website it appears that they are in the low 3's?

[sbanawan]

Originally Posted by pearljammer

Okay, my apologies but I'm not ready to go back and read ALL the entries so....can anyone advise what the prices are running on these homes? Low end? A co-worker mentioned this place and she thought they started around $250 but when I went to the website it appears that they are in the low 3's?

They run the gamut from low 200's to above 400. Standard Pacific homes start at 200, I believe. The other builders start higher (much).

[sneezecake]

Originally Posted by pearljammer

Okay, my apologies but I'm not ready to go back and read ALL the entries so....can anyone advise what the prices are running on these homes? Low end? A co-worker mentioned this place and she thought they started around $250 but when I went to the website it appears that they are in the low 3's?

Hey Pearljammer-

You're right, this is a HUGE thread now, and encompasses many things.

In fact, I kind of wish a new BL thread would take over as the source for all things Brightleaf since this one deals a lot with Mikeheel's build process

Anyhow, here's the skinny:

Brightleaf has 4 builders - Standard Pacific, Drees, St. Lawrence, and Shea.

Brightleaf is divided into sub-neighborhoods, and each neighborhood is comprised of one or two builders.

You can go here to get a copy of the site plan:
http://brightleafinfo.com/resources/...MasterPlan.pdf

Standard Pacific
Standard Pacific builds in the Crossing right now, the Trace very soon, and they built all the homes in the Bluffs (which is sold out). All three of these neighborhoods are on the East end of the property near the elementary school.

Brightleaf Crossing - Base prices on the homes in the Crossing section are listed on the website as starting from $199,900, but we all know that the base price for a home isn't what you'll pay (and I'm not sure of SP's policy on lot premiums). Realistically, I'd guess the prices start from $220k. Homes range from 1700 to 3100 square feet, and there are some walk-out basement lots available

Brightleaf Trace - Base prices on the homes in the Trace section, which is still being graded for release, aren't posted yet on the website but they will be the same home offerings that were in the sold-out Bluffs section, which had base prices starting from around $250k. These homes range from 2600 to 3100 square feet. I do not know if basement lots are available

Drees
Drees builds in Brightleaf Point and Brightleaf Crest - I believe the same homes are offered in both neighborhoods, and both neighborhoods are a mix of Drees and St. Lawrence Homes. Base prices start from $312k and go up to $385k and I believe they have inventory homes for sale now starting at $349k. Base plan sizes range from 2400 to 3200 square feet.

The Drees neighborhoods are very central in the community, both being located immediately west of the birdhouse circle and Brightleaf Club.

In my opinion, Drees builds a very nice home with attractive floorplans, but their lot selections are not great (there are a few good lots in the newer Crest section) but when we looked at homes, by the time we added in all the options we wanted, the value was better with other builders there. What's strange is that many people think that Drees is the middle choice for builders in BL (above SP but below StL and Shea) but pricing just doesn't bear this out. I will say though, if you do not like Brick homes, Drees is maybe your best choice as they have a greater selection of Hardi-plank front home looks.

St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence builds in the Point, Crest, and Ridge sections. The first two are mixed with Drees, the third is mixed with Shea.

Their Executive series starts at 324k for around 2500 square feet and goes up (in base price only) to 357k for about 3150 square feet.

They also have the Estate series starting at 359k base for 2700 square feet and going up to 459k for over 4500 square feet.

Bear in mind with St. Lawrence and with any other builder here, that these are all base prices and they may be running incentives at any given time.

Not sure what they do on lot premiums, but I know they will be very soon getting a new crop of lots in the Ridge neighborhood.

St. Lawrence is definitely positioned as one of the high-end builders in Brightleaf, and most of the homes are brick front.

Shea
Shea builds in the Ridge (shared with St. Lawrence) and then Glen (exclusively Shea). The Ridge starts at 299k for around 2500 square feet, up to 3200 square feet and base prices as high as 341k. Right now there are only about 6 lots left in the Ridge for Shea, but they will be getting a crop of new ones shortly (along with StL)

Both the Ridge and the Glen are in the North/Northwest part of the Brightleaf community.

The Glen features larger lots (mostly over 1/3 acre). Base prices go from $309k for 2500 square feet up to $399k for nearly 4000 square feet.

We bought a Shea home in the Ridge and will be getting over 3000 square feet for under $360k with all our design options on a lot well over 1/3 acre. One misconception I hear time and again (we made the same mistake) is that Shea is the most expensive builder there - entirely untrue....in fact, you might be able to get the best price per square foot with a model like the Fremont which gives you 3100 square feet for 308k on the base. We avoided the Shea model because we thought it would be too much money, but in the end, found that it was a great value too.

Other stuff

-The Brightleaf Club is open, but it's an additional cost to the residents for membership
-The school in the neighborhood is called Spring Valley Elementary and is a neighborhood school to which residents of Brightleaf are districted - it will open in Jan/Feb of 2009
-TONS of building going on neighborhood-wide right now, and I keep seeing SOLD signs popping up on new lots. It's great!

Whew, that's a lot of stuff. Sorry to chew your ear off but I am a big fan of this community. I get happy every time I drive in there (and our house now has a crawlspace built so that's even more exciting!!)

Any specific questions feel free to post and I am happy to respond!

[pearljammer]

That bout summed it up. Thanks!

[temong]

Wow! very informative input guys....

ok we've kinda set our minds on the SP homes and i'm thinking of not workin with a buye's agent (any benefit for that?) if not could someone kindly guide me to a good buyers agent?

tnks coltank / sneezcake / christina bean

@ sneezecake: is it better to get a home built on trace instead of crossing....any immediate benefits.....kindly advise

[sneezecake]

Originally Posted by temong

Wow! very informative input guys....

ok we've kinda set our minds on the SP homes and i'm thinking of not workin with a buye's agent (any benefit for that?) if not could someone kindly guide me to a good buyers agent?

tnks coltank / sneezcake / christina bean

@ sneezecake: is it better to get a home built on trace instead of crossing....any immediate benefits.....kindly advise

There are always arguments about better to work with a buyers agent or not - the YES group says that its helpful to have an agent and it costs you nothing, the NO group says that if you know what you're doing, you might be able to get a better deal from the builder since they aren't paying 3% to an agent.

I have yet to see anyone with a major national builder (like SP) say that they got a better deal because they got discounted the money that was earmarked for the agent.

Therefore, we decided to use an agent. He was very helpful.

One other option that a CDF member used was that he had a relative that was a RE Agent, and he just asked to use her name on the realtor form, but not actually participate in the process since he felt he knew enough to handle on his own. The relative agreed to collect the commish and then just hand it over to the buyer.

As a first-time buyer though, we love the peace of mind of having an agent.

As far as Trace versus Crossing? Tough to say - Trace isn't really built out yet - my guess is that it may be more wooded up there, or at least the area is surrounded by woods now, whereas the Crossing is a more open feel. Crossing has some beautiful lots with a view overlooking wetlands (C-Bean got one of those).

I think it all boils down to which floorplan you like the best - they have 4-6 models for each collection,and each set must be built in it's neighborhood - you cant build a Montclair, for example, in the Crossing.

Comps-wise, I'd say the Trace will have a higher median home price/value just due to sizes, though both neighborhoods have homes that go over 300-350k.

One major advantage to the Crossing is that the neighborhood is already built out quite a bit, whereas the Trace will be a construction zone for a couple of years.

None of these factors would lead me to one side or the other (Comps, construction...) - it would come down to a specific lot and what floorplan I liked most.

If you'd like a referral for an agent, mine was very helpful with my new construction, and he's Durham-focused. DM me if you'd like his info.

[coltank]

One other thing to add on the builders is that Drees also has those rear entry garage homes, which are much larger and in the 400-500 range. Have you seen that available one on the circle with the double front porch? I walked through it last weekend, and the view from upstairs is awesome.

[sandycat]

Awww... I love reading this thread. BL was one of the places that we considered but in the end, for what we wanted, we would be priced out. I really hope the area around the neighborhood gets spruced up with some nice amenities: grocery and the like. I really like Brightleaf.... and Amberly... and Cary Park. I guess I just like new suburban living. I hope you all enjoy your new homes!

[sneezecake]

Originally Posted by coltank

One other thing to add on the builders is that Drees also has those rear entry garage homes, which are much larger and in the 400-500 range. Have you seen that available one on the circle with the double front porch? I walked through it last weekend, and the view from upstairs is awesome.

Definitely - it takes a certain kind of person to live on that circle just because it's the center of activity for the neighborhood, but it's gorgeous.

Shea's section has about 20 lots all with rear-entry garages on Golden Belt as you come in from the Sherron Road gate.

[Petunia16]

I just read the whole thread! phew!

We looked at BL last summer and really liked Drees, more specifically the Nicholas IV model.

I'm a complete newbie when it comes to builders and new construction so upon going to their design center and adding up all the details, I was in shock. I started with all base interiors and exteriors, no bells and whistles... no crown moulding or upgrades... it completely priced us out!

The house started at $307K but after what we wanted to do... it would have been closer to $400K... and I went with a buyer's agent... didn't do anything for us, although we weren't drafting up any final papers, so... maybe we weren't "serious" enough to start negotiating.

The same model starts at $315K now... it started at $311K in March. Is it because of the new phase location or is demand really just that high??

I'm really quite disappointed that we couldn't buy in BL, but I may go check out the SP homes this time... maybe we'll be christinabean's neighbor Otherwise, we'll purchase a resale with more square footage in Cary or Apex... or Durham... not sure yet

Ryan, please let us know how construction is going! I'd love to hear any updates! Oh, and did the pool ever open??