Building in
North Port Florida

As the Sarasota real estate market continues to be challenging when it comes to building new construction and not to mention new home prices have increased significantly over the past 1.5 years. In Sarasota, new home buyers are looking to spend at minimum $550,000 for smaller single family new construction home. This has caused many buyers to look elsewhere as they will have more options in terms of size, outdoor space, and even upgrades throughout the house. However, when building new construction with a private/custom builder there are a few things to be aware of that most people do not consider when purchasing a vacant lot in North Port.

Gopher Tortoise

Whenever you are looking to purchase a vacant lot in North Port there are several species of animals you need to look for with the Gopher Tortoise being one of the major animals. These little critters do look very cute and harmless when you see them cross the road or along the roadside, but what you need to know is if one of these little animals decides to call your vacant lot home it can cost up to $6,000 to remove just one of these protected animals from your property…legally. Whenever you are looking to purchase land, what we suggest is always walking the property to see if you see a gopher tortoise hole, hire a person to conduct an environmental assessment, or give us a call and we can help you navigate the purchase of a piece of land that you can then build your dream home on.

Scrub Jays

Similar to the Gopher Tortoise, Scrub Jays are a protected bird in the State of Florida and can cause some delays when it comes to building. Luckily, both Sarasota County and Charlotte County have maps of known Scrub Jay habitat and where most of the species will be found. If you already have a piece of land where you know you have Scrub Jays you will have to apply for a Scrub Jay Permit that allows for tree clearing to take place during the non-nesting season. The nesting season for the Florida Scrub Jay begins on March 1st and ends on June 30th and in accordance with the Endangered Species Act, lot owners are prohibited from clearing any trees or brush on their land in the designated Scrub Jay occupied habitats.

Flood Zone

When looking to purchase a piece of land in North Port you not only want to take a look at what kind of animals you have living there, but also what is the flood elevation. In the State of Florida, especially in Southwest Florida we have several flood zones including X, X500, AE, A, VE, and many more. If you are looking to get a loan for financing the purchase of your property and not need to worry about paying for flood insurance you are going want to purchase on vacant lot in a Flood Zone X. This means that no flood insurance will be required. However, if you are looking to purchase a lot on a canal that connects to the Gulf of Mexico then you will most likely be looking at being in a Flood Zone AE. Now you may be wondering what is the cost of flood insurance and the answer to that question is that the price will vary significantly from location to location. The Flood Insurance range can be anywhere from $500 to $3,000+ per year if you are in a AE Flood Zone. If you did want to purchase a piece of land on a canal we would highly suggest you get an insurance quote from a local insurance agent to see what the annual insurance would be for that property if you were to finance the new build.

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