Gainesville, FL
Gainesville, the largest city in North Central Florida, is home to the University of Florida, the birthplace of Tom Petty, and a vibrant, diverse hub of business, academics and top notch athletics. Consistently on lists of best places to live, Gainesville enjoys an amazing climate, convenient location and that big town with a small town feel.
Preferred Realtor in Gainesville, Florida
Melissa Green – Farm Bureau Insurance Agent
Profile
Melissa Green can help you as an independent agent to find the policies that are right for you and your family.
Profile
ICI Homes is a custom home builder in Florida and they have been building homes in the Sunshine State for several decades, including locations in Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Gainesville, and Tampa.
They are known for their quality craftsmanship and a variety of home designs. The builder offers a range of floor plans including the popular Arden, Juliette, Weston and more.
ICI Homes are often customizable, allowing buyers to choose from various design options and features to suit their preferences. ICI Homes typically constructs homes in master-planned communities with amenities such as golf courses, swimming pools, and fitness centers.
You will find ICI Homes at Oakmont, the most popular community for new construction in Alachua County. Nearly 40% of all new homes priced at $500K or over are built at Oakmont!
One of the great things about Oakmont is that they have model homes that are easy to visit to get a real feel for how the house will fit you and your family. The models are different floorplans and each has a different backyard size and setup to simulate different needs and how the homebuilder can help to meet then for the customer.
Give us a call before you visit, though, to set it up so we are able to help you navigate this process. You’d rather have a representative of your own to advocate for you and find extra incentives, etc than to deal directly with the builder when it comes to new construction.
We know the community very well and can help you with a purchase at Oakmont or any of its surrounding communities if SW Gainesville is your vibe! Please reach out to us with any questions about purchasing, whether you are ready now or later, or even if you are not sure. Better to ask and learn from voices of experience.
That is why we are here.
Barry Bullard Homes
Profile
Barry Bullard Homes specializes in offering comprehensive custom building plans and interior design services. Their design team will bring the vision to life, whether it’s based on one of their existing portfolio plans or a unique, one-of-a-kind design created exclusively for the buyer.
Throughout the design process, the builder works closely with the customer to select materials and finishes, refining design and specifications. After finalizing the plans and specifications, they will calculate the ultimate pricing and create the necessary construction documents for permitting and financing the new home.
Barry Bullard Homes currently builds in several communities in the Gainesville area including Oakmont, Flintrock, Gloria’s Way, and The Estates of Wild’s Plantation. Remember, however, this is a custom builder and could build on any appropriate lot.
The floorplans offered by Barry Bullard Homes include the Charleston 3575, Savannah 5105, and Neilson among many more. Their floorplans size from 2500 sq ft to 5000.
Barry Bullard Homes is highly respected and considered one of the areas top builders of custom homes. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to us and we can arrange it. KC Harder has worked with many builders and one thing to know, is that each of them has a specific way of doing things from planning to fiancing the purchase. We can help to make this process stress free and efficient!
Whether you are purchasing a resale home from the market, buying a new construction home from a production builder, or starting from scratch with a custom builder, the Harder Home Team is the place to start. Each of these scenarios is different with it’s own preparation steps and best practice “must haves” before getting under way. We can help you with each and every one of these situations. Contact us and let’s get started!
Adams Homes
Profile
Adams Homes is a well-known residential home builder with operations in several states in the United States, including Florida.
The company was founded in 1991 and has since grown to become one of the largest privately-held home builders in the Southeastern United States, operating in multiple states, including Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Adams primarily focuses on building single-family homes. They offer a range of floor plans and designs to meet the needs of different homebuyers. They name their models based on the amount of heated and cooled square footage so, for example, the “1820” 4/2 single family home from Adams has 1,820 heated and cooled square footage. Adams include matching granite in the kitchen and bathrooms as well as a one-year warranty.
Adams Homes is a production builder with Gainesville area communities including Country Way South in Newberry, Riverwalk of Fanning Springs, Rolling Hills in Bell, and Savannah Station in Alachua, Florida. Learn more about Adams Homes Gainesville here.
In Ocala, their communities include Oak Hill Plantation, Juliette Falls, Silver Run Forest, Oaks at Ocala Crossing, and Brookhaven. More information about Ocala area homes from Adams can be found here at this link.
Whether you are purchasing a resale home from the market, buying a new construction home from a production builder, or starting from scratch with a custom builder, the Harder Home Team is the place to start. Each of these scenarios is different with it’s own preparation steps and best practice “must haves” before getting under way. We can help you with each and every one of these situations. Contact us and let’s get started!
Contact KC and Rob to find out more. Our experience in new construction can help you find great incentives when buying and often we can get you incentives that are exclusive to the Harder Home Team.
Profile
D.R. Horton is one of the largest and most well-known residential homebuilders in the United States, and they have a significant presence in Florida. D.R. Horton specializes in constructing and selling homes in various communities across the state. D.R. Horton, Inc. is a publicly traded company headquartered in Arlington, Texas. The company was founded in 1978 and has since grown to become one of the largest homebuilding companies in the United States. They have a significant presence in many states, including Florida.
D.R. Horton has a substantial footprint in Florida. They build and sell a wide range of homes, including single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums, in various communities throughout the state and many here in North Central Florida. Popular 2-story models include the Hayden, the Coral and the Hemmingway. Single story homes include the Cali and the Destin among others.
In North Central Florida, they have developed several communities. Some feature ammenities but not all. Some of the most popular ones in Alachua County include Arbor Greens, Tara Esmeralda, and Oaks Preserve. In Ocala, you can find DR Horton homes at Ocala Preserve, Deer Path, Ridge at Heathbrook and Ocala Crossings.
D.R. Horton is known for offering homes at various price points, making homeownership more accessible to a broad range of buyers. They often have homes in both entry-level and move-up segments of the market. Homes built by them have a one year warranty on much of the build. This is something that gives many customers peace of mind.
We are very experienced in dealing with the good folks at DR Horton and would be glad to help you understand your options and work through the process. If you are at all interested in a DR Horton home or just want to find out more, contact us and we will be happy to step you through it obligation free!
GRU
Profile
Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) is a municipal utility company serving the city of Gainesville, Florida, and the surrounding areas. GRU is a multi-service utility that provides various essential services to its customers, including electricity, natural gas, water, and wastewater.
Services provided by Gainesville Regional Utilities:
1. Electricity: GRU supplies electricity to residents and businesses in Gainesville. They generate power from various sources.
2. Natural Gas: GRU also provides natural gas services to customers in its service area. Natural gas is used for heating, cooking, and other residential and commercial purposes.
3. Water: GRU is responsible for the treatment and distribution of clean and safe drinking water to its customers. They ensure the quality and reliability of the water supply.
4. Wastewater: The utility manages the collection and treatment of wastewater, ensuring that it is treated and disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.
GRU is owned and operated by the city of Gainesville and is a not-for-profit entity. The revenues generated by the utility are reinvested into the community to maintain and improve utility services, support infrastructure development, and meet environmental and sustainability goals.
GRU Utilities Gainesville can be reached at 800-818-3436 or online at GRU.com.
The company serves approximately 93,000 retail and wholesale customers in Gainesville and surrounding areas. Contact GRU at these numbers and locations.
We are also able to walk you through utilities setup and the timetable for that as you prepare to close. Reach out to KC and Rob to learn more about how this works.
Cox Communications
Profile
Cox Communications is a major telecommunications company in the United States, providing a variety of services including cable television, internet, digital phone, and home security solutions. While Cox Communications serves customers across the United States, it’s important to note that the specific services, coverage, and plans offered can vary by area.
Cox Communications is available in many parts of North Central Florida, particularly in Gainesville, Ocala, and the Florida Panhandle. They offer high-speed internet packages, cable TV services with various channel lineups, digital phone services, and home security solutions to residential and business customers alike.
Please keep in mind that the availability of Cox Communications services, the specific packages they offer, and their coverage areas change from time to time so contact the company to find out if your address can receive Cox service.
Among the services offered, Cox provides high speed internet in multiple packages with varying prices based on the top internet speed desired. Move.org suggests the following minimum speeds for common activities:
Email and streaming music – 1 to 2 MBPS (Megabits per second)
Web browsing – 3 to 5 MBPS
Social Media – 3 to 10 MBPS
Video Streams or online gaming – 5 to 25 MBPS
Video Conferencing – 5 to 10 MBPS
Smart Home Device – 1 to 10 MBPS
Of course, the more devices you have, the faster your speed will need to be to accomodate all demands. Cox offers packages of 100MBPS, 200MBPS and higher. Check their website for details.
Contact the Harder Home Team to find out more about internet options for a home you’d be interested in looking at.
Profile
Florida Public Utilities (FPU) provides natural gas, propane and electric service to homes and businesses throughout Florida. The services offered by FPU depend on your county location.
In North Central Florida, FPU provides propane only services to Alachua, Levy and Clay counties. Florida Public Utilities provides propane and natural gas services to Gilchrist and Marion counties. Union and Suwannee counties get natural gas only services from FPU. Keep in mind, these services are subject to change and you should consult their website for updates on service areas and services provided. See the areas they serve here.
Some communities in the Gainesville and Ocala areas will allow propane tanks in the community but not all. If having or installing a propane tank is important to you, let us help. Before you consider a neighborhood for a home purchase it is important to find out if there is a homeowner’s association and, if so, does the HOA allow propane tanks. The Harder Home Team, as part of our service to you, can research this for you and let you know which communities would allow propane.
If it is importnant to you to have natural gas to your home for cooking or heating, then, in Alachua County, that would be handled by GRU. Many homes in the area are already connected to natural gas, in fact. Even homes with electric ovens currently may, at one time, have used natural gas so the connection may still be there. We can help you find out.
There are many things to know about a home when considering a purchase. Location, floorplan and age of systems are very important, but so is knowing about your utilities. What is the traditional cost of electric in the home you are considering? Is natural gas available? How about high speed internet? Who are the providers? These are just some of the many things we help with when you are buying a home. We also can help organize this information for sellers.
Profile
Gator Home Inspections serves North Central Florida with years of experience and high quality inspections. Services include multiple inspection types. Find them at GatorHomeInspections.com