Thinking about relocating to Durbin Crossing and building with Providence Homes (Miami: sale, real estate)

[beaming323i]

We are relocating from Charlotte, NC and building with Holder Johnson in Durbin North, we have been extremely happy with the attention to detail and the professionalism of their staff...the owners are on site daily and are very responsive to any questions you may have. We liked their approach to financing and that they don't use any of your money for construction, it is all held in a non-interest bearing escrow account, they also do not require any additional money down at the design center. After having built four homes in four states, we know what to look for in a good builder...HJ is it! Good luck in your search!

[ShakenStirred]

Originally Posted by movingnearthebeach

Greetings all,

I've been looking for relocation options for over a year now. I am currently living in the midwest and am looking to move to a warmer climate and bigger (but not too big) city. My job requires that I travel often which means I need to be nearby a decent to great airport. I've been to Phoenix (not for me), Charlotte (okay area - great airport) and just got home from Jax (love the area, so-so airport). I've built all my homes in the past and am now looking at doing that again. Really like the Durbin Crossing area and the look of Providence Homes. Any thoughts that would help me to make my decision in regards to Durbin and Providence? Your help will be greatly appreciated.

If you are looking for some nice houses in a small little neighborhood with a great view of the St. Johns River and close to the airport (just hope on 9A to 95) you should call JDB Homes about Dames Point Cove. There are only maybe 4 or 5 lots left, and about 20 lots total in there. It's off of Ft. Caroline in a beautiful area that feels a little bit country, but still close to shopping and stuff. 904-813-2544 is the number. Tell him Rusty sent you.

[movingnearthebeach]

Thanks for all of this information. I'm going to check out Holder Johnson online and see what I think. It does disturb me that Providence asks for money up front and uses it to build the house. What if they go bankrupt during the process? Makes me nervous.

[beaming323i]

Apparently that is a common practice here in Florida, we have never run into it though. Providence has a beautiful product and I'm sure they are stable, HJ was just a better fit for us.

[Robyn55]

Four things. First - the airport here is pretty bad for someone who travels a lot to certain areas of the country (like most of it). It is very hard to get non-stop flights to almost everywhere (and there is no international service). You might be ok if you only travel to cities with non-stop service - like NYC - Chicago - Houston - etc. Otherwise - you will spend a lot of time in airports waiting for connecting flights. You can look at a website like Kayak for info regarding direct flights to the cities you travel to. In terms of the SE - Atlanta probably has the best airport for a frequent flyer (think it has the most flights in the US these days). Miami is probably a distant second after Atlanta.

Second - I don't care what people think the "usual practice" is. It is not unusual to give a custom builder an initial "good faith" down payment on a house (perhaps about 10% of the total contract price). However it is essential that the down payment - and other interim payments before completion - be kept in a separate escrow account for you and your house. Otherwise - any money you pay to the builder simply becomes his money - and available to other creditors - many of which would have higher priority than you - in the event of a bankruptcy. I wouldn't give money outright to a builder in the best of times in the housing industry - and these are far from the best of times. Note that if this is a true custom house - builder building house for you on your land - the land and house should be in your name from day 1. Then money is released from escrow (or paid by you) to pay the builder when he completes certain stages in the construction process (and after he submits appropriate documents - like releases of mechanics liens). If this builder is building on his lot - and the house won't be yours until it's finished - I suspect you're dealing with a builder who has run out of financing sources other than his buyers. Not a good sign IMO.

Third - I wouldn't lock myself in with a builder who didn't allow me to pick a lender unless there is a guarantee of the terms and conditions of the loan up front that is agreeable to you.

Fourth - I'm the person mentioned above who will hassle you about CBS construction. I wouldn't build anything but CBS here. No need to go into the reasons now though. Because I think there's a good chance you'll find that JAX doesn't satisfy your travel needs. Robyn

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by beaming323i

Apparently that is a common practice here in Florida, we have never run into it though. Providence has a beautiful product and I'm sure they are stable, HJ was just a better fit for us.

Why are you sure Providence is stable? Have you checked their financials? I would guess that at least 50-75% of the builders in Florida are in trouble these days (if they haven't gone under already). Found this in the public records of St. Johns County (Notice of Lis Pendens against many parties - including Providence - don't know what their role is in these properties):

St Johns COUNTY RECORDS VERIFIED THROUGH Wednesday, Jun 30, 2010. LAST CFN = 2010031618

Robyn

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by EricBoyd

I'm working with a few Providence customers. They're a local builder and seem to put out a good product. The Durbing Crossing area is nice and quiet. But, if you need to be within a short drive to the Jax Int'l Airport, that location may not be best for you. You're probably 10-12 minutes from the closest interstate, then maybe another 35-40 minutes to the Jax airport. If that drive time is within what you need, you'll be fine.

Unless your approach to 9A to the airport (I'm assuming coming from the south) is on a busy road during rush hour - it's pretty easy to get to the airport. Takes us about 35-40 minutes from down here in Ponte Vedra - clear sailing - unless we're tackling JTB during morning or evening rush hour. The bigger problem is lack of flights from here to just about anywhere. An inconvenience for leisure travelers like me and my husband (last flight we took to Los Angeles - we missed the last connecting flight in Houston and wound up at El Dumpo at the Houston airport for an overnight). A major PITA if you're a business "road warrior". Robyn

[movingnearthebeach]

Wow, Robyn - sounds like you have done your homework. Thanks so much. I've also been looking at Charlotte. A lot better airport, but not close to anything that I like - ocean for one. Right now my airport situation is so bad - I live in a city that only has four flights daily to chicago. I spend on average approximately six hours per week in airports on a layover.

Also concerning about Providence having a suit against them. But I absolutely love the area. Is there any word that the airport is going to grow?

[Robyn55]

Didn't do much homework. Have just lived here for 15 years and like to travel. FWIW - I looked up the non-stop flights from JAX to Chicago. We are a little better than where you are now - but not much - 6 daily flights. With consolidation in the airline industry - I'd expect our flight situation to stay the same - or get worse. We lost some flights after 9/11 - but things have been pretty stable the last couple of years. Some airline tried a once a day non-stop to Los Angeles a year ago or so - but it was discontinued within a short period of time (guess there wasn't enough demand). Can say some good things about JAX. It is in the process of a major renovation (almost complete I think) - and looks really nice. It is also a very easy in/out airport. Lots of cheap private parking lots nearby. In fact - before 9/11 - the airport offered a free 45 minute parking lot right next to the terminal where people could park and pick up passengers (it was closed post 9/11 due to security concerns). No crowds. No big lines at security. During a time like Thanksgiving weekend - we look like most major airports on a normal day. Also - FWIW - if you fly out of Jax - you'll spend a lot of time on small Embraers.

I suppose one thing to consider is if you move to someplace in St. Johns County convenient to I-95 - you can use MCO (Orlando) for non-stop long haul flights (Orlando is a much busier airport than JAX with much better flight selections). The drive is a little over 2 hours depending on time of day/traffic. We occasionally fly out of MCO so we can get a non-stop international flight.

Before you consider NC - look at the tax rates. It has a very regressive state income tax (starts at 6% if you earn $1 - top rate of 7.75%). We don't have a state income tax. Might be worth your while to spend a few extra hours in airports every week to save the $$$$. Robyn

[dspenc8888]

I strongly suggest you check out D.S. Ware/Monarch homes and Beazer. I have had clients with excellent experience with both and Beazer is concrete block construction. DS Ware is a custom homebuilder, so you can make any floorplan changes to work for you. My last client did just that and they were not charged to make changes to the floor plan. Also, with DS Ware most upgrades are already included in the price and at design center, they were very reasonable on other upgrades the chose. When we compared to the other builders, with the desired upgrades, DS Ware was best price hands down.