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Kaye Homes' Land Specialists Key To Home Sales

As new home sales continue to boom through Southwest Florida the availability of home sites continues to tighten. As a service for those looking for the perfect place to build their home some local building companies have expanded their operations to include a department of land specialists whose sole job it is to find, secure and permit potential homebuilding sites.

One such company is Kaye Homes, which was founded in 1986 by Stuart Kaye. During the past 19 years the company has built more than 3,000 residences and has been voted "Best Builder" three years in a row. Kaye Homes currently offers 40 different floorplans, the majority of which are priced from the $200s to the $500s. Other homes are also available with prices ranging from the $500s to more than $1 million.

Kaye Homes' land specialist Richard Maunz was a homebuilder in his home state of New York prior to joining Kaye Homes in July 2004.

"We have a department of three people and many outside Realtors looking for homesites for us and Kaye Realty Group," said Maunz. "Not only do we have to find homesites, we also have to research them to determine how much of the site can be built on and then we file and then follow the entire approval process."

Even in the past year Maunz has seen a big change in homesite availability as well as pricing.

"The market in Golden Gate Estates for instance is much more aggressive than it was even six to 12 months ago," he said. "It's getting harder to find homesites, especially closer in, and prices continue to climb."

A 75-by 660-foot homesite fairly far out in Golden Gate Estates are typically priced between $115,000 to $140,000, according to Maunz. The same size lot off Golden Gate Parkway is priced between $130,000 and $160,000. Just west of Collier Boulevard homesites are priced over $200,000.

Maunz estimates that 75 to 80 percent of potential homeowners visiting the Kaye Homes' sales centers are looking for inventory lots on which to build and want the company to secure a lot for them.

As of mid-September, Kaye Homes had a total inventory of 52 homesites. Of those, 32 were immediately available for purchase with the other 20 going through various phases of the approval process.

"Since the majority of the homesites in Golden Gate Estates, which is the bulk of our business, measure approximately an acre and a quarter, the size of the homesites seldom come into question," said Maunz. "Some buyers do want more space and may purchase an additional adjacent lot. It really comes down to balancing price and location. And even though most buyers would like to be closer in to Naples the affordability factor has them selecting a site usually in the Northeast section of Golden Gate Estates."

Maunz enjoys his work, although he quickly adds it's not always easy finding families their piece of paradise.

"I think the hardest part of my job is finding land that is not encumbered by Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issues," said Maunz.

According to Maunz, the DEP is concerned about the vegetation on the site and soil condition and determines what part of the site, if any, is a wet land area. If an endangered species is found on the property the DEP refers the case to the US Army Corps of Engineers for further analysis.

"A wetland area doesn't mean the site is under water, but is determined by the type of grasses and vegetation that grows there," explained Maunz. "The portion of a homesite that is deemed to be a wetland area is usually never under water, while some portion of the homesite deemed an uplands area might have some standing water on occasion. It's sometimes perplexing."

If a homesite passes its DEP inspection and is approved, Kaye Homes can have it ready for purchase in about a month. The new sites not yet approved or inspected by the DEP can take up to four to five months to get on the market.

"Due to the number of homesites being sought the Department of Environmental Protection is extremely busy," said Maunz. "Potential buyers need to understand that you can't rush the DEP approval process and you can't get a building permit from the county without it.

"Luckily, Kaye Homes aggressive approach to finding homesites and our capability to follow the homesite through the entire approval process, we have many great homesites available immediately. And that has been a big advantage for us in the single-family homebuilding business compared to some of our competitors."