The Northeast Florida division of a national homebuilder is developing new neighborhoods, looking to acquire more land and going after a generation that hasn’t yet jumped into homebuying.
Matt Devereaux, president of Miami-based Lennar Homes’ regional division, said Lennar is seeking to grab the attention of young professionals.
“What we’re trying to capture is the millennial buyer who hasn’t yet decided to buy,” he said. “The millennial buyer has been slow to get to the market and has been focused on other things in their life.”
Now that many in that generation are marrying and having children, they are looking at forming plans to buy their first house, he said.
Lennar purchased 31 finished homesites in the Osprey Landing community for $1.47 million from St. Augustine-based Clay Investment Fund XIV LLC.
The acquisition bumps the number of Lennar single-family homesites in the neighborhood to 227.
Osprey Landing, which Devereaux said Lennar starting selling in the spring, is on Dunn Avenue near Interstate 295 in Northwest Jacksonville.
Home sizes are 1,544 to 2,400 square feet with prices from $199,990 to $244,990.
Richmond American Homes and Ashley Homes also are selling homes in the neighborhood.
Lennar also is building a townhome community near Empire Point.
Lennar submitted plans to the St. Johns River Water Management District in late July to build 60 townhomes on the south side of Atlantic Boulevard between Brookside Circle West and Jork Road.
The community, Pottsburg Pointe, will comprise three-bedroom units ranging from 1,600 to 1,800 square feet. Prices will start in the high $100,000s and top out in low $200,000s.
Devereaux said Lennar hasn’t determined what amenities will be included, but said all of their homes come with features and that some other homebuilders charge extra for, like stainless steel appliances.
“It all comes in the base price of the home,” he said. “So you don’t feel like you’re being nickel and dimed.”
Devereaux said the company is working on building more homes in the region.
Lennar has 38 active communities in Duval, St. Johns and Clay counties, and it also is considering a move into Nassau County.
“We have a lot of things in the works right now,” he said. “Nothing that I can speak about right now but we have our crosshairs on all counties.”
