By Carole Hawkins, [email protected]
On the first day of sales at Old Still, AV Homes Division President David Smith was thinking about how quickly he could mobilize for phase two.
His team had already taken so many $5,000 deposits, it was clear the first 45 lots in the 124-home community were going to sell out quickly.
“We’ve been so busy, we can’t even write up the sales contracts right now,” he said Friday.
The huge response is because, Smith said, the best marketing is having the best location. It’s a mantra he’s repeated often since AV Homes announced in September it had picked up the 80-acre parcel a few minutes’ drive from the St. Johns Town Center.
There was no advertising leading up to the opening, save for a sign out front during construction to greet passers-by and an email blast sent to those who’d registered for information.
By noon Friday, 100 people had toured the model.
A woman named Michele had been there since 9:30 a.m. She was waiting for her son, who was picking out a home and finishes.
“I think it will be a good investment because of the location,” said the woman, who wouldn’t give her last name.
Her son has owned three condos and rents nearby at The Reserve. But this will be his first house. He’s been watching the project for eight months.
A shopper named Ned, who also wouldn’t give his last name, has been watching the community take shape from his apartment across the street.
“It’s not cookie cutter, there’s a diversity of floorplans,” he said. “There’s nothing like it around here, except for Deercreek and Deerwood. And those are huge amenity communities.”
Shimon Meir, an agent with Watson Realty, echoed the sentiment — the lack of amenities was refreshing. Old Still will have a park, but no CDD fees or huge association fees to worry about.
“Amenities are nice if you use them,” he said. “But, people who don’t use amenities don’t want to pay all of those fees.”
Smith said it’s comforting to see that Old Still, a neighborhood that creates a sense of place without being an amenity-laden master-planned community, has been embraced by the market.
“The response has exceeded my expectations,” he said. “I wish I had room for another 200 homes here.”