LABELLE, FL -- Spring, 2021 appears to be one of the busiest home building seasons in Hendty county, as builders and lot owners saw opportunities to build on vacant lots throughout the county.
(Drone photo by Don Browne - Ramrod Circle in Port LaBelle)
Port LaBelle, on the western side of the county has seen some of the largest numbers of new home building activity this year.
The vacant lot owner in the county with the most new home building permits issued, and most homes completed so far is Dwayne House. His company, Career Financial Corp whose owners include House, Kevin Berth, and Barbara Willard has 96 homes now under construction in Port LaBelle.
House partners with a local builder, Heartland Homes of Florida, owned by House and Kevin Berth to build homes on his large inventory of lots. House, a Miami businessman has extensive property investments in the county including Goodno Ranch and the Port LaBelle Marina, and the former golf course property on the Hendry/Glades county line.
Showing a large increase in home building activity, the Hendry County Building and Zoning Department indicated 277 new home permits have been issued so far in 2021.
The upswing in new home building appears to have begun around December 2020 when 34 permits were issued by the county building department, increasing to 68 permits in April 2021. The numbers have been decreasing since then. The average number of new home permits per month since January 2020 is 21.
The average contract price the builder charged the lot owner per home over that 19 month period is about $160,000. The owner or builder would sell the home to a buyer at a higher cost to make a profit.
Update: In May of 2022, home prices have risen considerably, and Heartland Homes of Florida has notified customers who already have homes under construction that the contracted price will be raised by tens of thousands of dollars due to construction costs. The buyers have two weeks to decide to continue and pay more or get a refund of their deposit.
Since January 2020, 362 new homes are under construction in Hendry, and an additional 253 have been completed since January 2020.
Hendry County collected $1,006,000 in permit fees over the last 19 months on the $96,975,000 in home values of 605 homes finished or under construction.
It remains to be seen whether buyers will be able to afford the dramatically rising prices and will continue buying from the large inventory of homes going up this year. Permit numbers topped out in April.
Monthly new home permits for Hendry county, Fl since October 2020:
Oct 2020 10
3
34
Jan 2021 37
22
54
Apr 2021 68
41
36
Jul 2021 19
Since January 2020, 362 new homes are under construction in Hendry, and an additional 253 have been completed since January 2020.
Hendry County collected $1,006,000 in permit fees over the last 19 months on the $96,975,000 in home values of 605 homes finished or under construction.
It remains to be seen whether buyers will be able to afford the dramatically rising prices and will continue buying from the large inventory of homes going up this year. Permit numbers topped out in April.
Monthly new home permits for Hendry county, Fl since October 2020:
Oct 2020 10
3
34
Jan 2021 37
22
54
Apr 2021 68
41
36
Jul 2021 19
Excellent article, well researched.
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