FRONT PORCH

Purchasing a brand new Florida home doesn’t have to be complicated. And to prove it, we’re chronicling real Neal Communities home buyers as they buy and build their home from start to finish.

From touring communities, to picking out a plan and navigating the design center, all the way through financing, closing and moving in. Jim and Penny Lynch are spilling the beans and we’ll publish their entire journey right here on our blog.

Follow along and discover how easy the process can be.

From Boston to Ft. Myers Real Estate

Like many Florida new home buyers, the Lynch family first started visiting the Sunshine State to escape brutal northern winters and all that Boston snow. What started as an annual getaway turned into a dual-residence situation. Six years ago, the Lynches purchased a Ft. Myers carriage home so they could split the year between Massachusetts and Florida.

Now that they’re both retired, they figured it was time to put their current Ft. Myers home on the market and upgrade. At the same time, they’ll also be switching to a one-story plan. Penny’s had both of her knees replaced, so a stair-free home will be much easier to navigate. She’ll also enjoy the peace of mind in owning all new appliances and an energy efficient HVAC system. Another beauty of building from scratch is a brand new roof!

Getting to Know Jim & Penny

The Lynches worked hard their entire lives. Now it’s time to relax in the home of their dreams.

Jim is a retired police sergeant. He served the City of Boston for nearly 40 years. Penny worked as a registered nurse for Boston Medical.

They’re looking forward to spending more time in retirement sharing the Florida dream with their three adult children and 3 1⁄2 year old granddaughter, Ruby. Ruby loves to come down to visit grandma and grandpa (who she calls Mimi & Papa.) After all, they’re just a short drive from the beach and she adores splashing in the sea and playing in the sand.

Why Neal Communities?

We asked Jim and Penny how they heard about Neal Communities. They said their real estate agent first made the recommendation and that once they saw the model homes it was love at first sight. The deal was sealed when they met Krista, their Neal Community sales associate. They hit it off from the get go and truly appreciated Krista’s friendly no-pressure sales approach.

Penny was instantly drawn to the exterior home styles and open-concept layouts. Jim said the homes look very well put together and that a quality build was high on their criteria list.

“We liked Neal from the start,” he noted, “the homes are so beautiful that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on upgrades.”

But speaking of upgrades, the Lynches do have a few priorities where they’ll be willing to pay a little extra to design the exact home they want. Penny wants to finally have the kitchen of her dreams and this means quartz countertops and special flooring. To keep housekeeping simple, they’re also considering a central vacuum system.

Finding the Right Community

More than anything, the Lynch family is looking for a smaller community where neighbors know one another and you don’t have to walk too far to get out of the neighborhood. They’re not interested in an amenity-rich community as they’d rather not pay for facilities they’ll never use. They’re more into beach days than relaxing at the pool!

Check out which community Jim and Penny chose!  

See how their home building process went!