New Construction Homes in Estero: Builders, Communities and How to Buy

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McGreevy and Comisar lead Domain Realty Group, the #1 real estate team in Southwest Florida. Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008. Over $900 million in personal sales and $2.5 Billion sold as a team.

This page is for the buyer who is about to walk into a builder's welcome center with an Estero address on the brochure. The wider Village story lives in our Estero area guide and the county picture in our Lee County guide. What follows is the part nobody at the model home volunteers: which side of the Village line the new homes actually sit on, who the builder's salesperson works for, what Florida's deposit statute does and does not protect, what the V-Dana Community Development District adds to a Verdana Village tax bill, why a first property tax bill on a new home is usually the wrong number to budget from, and why most of this market never shows up on the MLS. By Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar, with every figure read from a primary source or the county's own recorded sales on 26 September 2026. Call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072 before your first builder visit, or Marc at (239) 287-5873. Updated September 2026.

Key Takeaways

Each point is sourced further down the page, and each one corrects something a new-construction buyer in Estero is likely to have been told or to have assumed.

• Most "Estero" new homes are not in the Village of Estero. In the twelve months to 12 August 2026, 387 of the 463 builder-direct sales recorded on parcels with an Estero address sat in unincorporated Lee County, almost all of them in Verdana Village. Only 73 were inside the Village, and 71 of those were RiverCreek, where 541 of 554 homes have recorded builder sales and GL Homes no longer markets the community.
• About 23 percent of recorded Estero home sales were sold direct by a builder in those twelve months: 463 of 2,010 DOR-qualified sales. In ZIP 33928 the share was 28 percent. Most builder closings never reach the MLS, so an MLS-only "Estero median" undercounts the new-home market.
• The Village itself permitted only 98 new single-family homes in 2025, against 9,962 across Lee County, according to the Census Bureau. The Village's 2026 zoning agenda has been dominated by apartments, not for-sale subdivisions.
• Your agent has to be registered at your first interaction with the builder, not later. Lennar's written policy says the buyer must register the broker "on buyer's first interaction with a Lennar employee" and sign within 60 days. A website form or phone call can be that first interaction.
• Florida's deposit statute protects deposits up to 10 percent of the price, and you can waive it in writing. Section 501.1375 does not reach the part of a deposit above 10 percent, and a waiver line in a builder contract removes the escrow entirely. Condominium deposits follow a different, stronger statute, section 718.202.
• A Verdana Village home carries a V-Dana CDD assessment of $1,319.15 to $3,337.07 a year for FY2027, and almost all of it is bond repayment: the operations component is $70 per home. For the newest phases the district's budget prints two numbers, before and after a "paydown", and the gap on a 66-foot lot is $980.69 a year.
• The first property tax bill on a new Estero home is usually a land-only bill. Florida law places no value on an improvement that is not substantially complete on 1 January, so the following year's bill, on the finished home, is the one to budget from.
• Lee County's impact fees on a single-family home outside the Village add up to about $9,855 before the 3 percent administrative fee, and they sit inside the builder's price. Inside the Village, road and park impact fees are the Village's own.
• A builder can reward you for using its lender but cannot require it. Federal Regulation X says a package discount must be "optional to the purchaser" and "a true discount", and Pulte's own page states you are "not required to finance through Pulte Mortgage".
• Florida cut the construction-defect statute of repose to 7 years in 2023, and a notice of claim under chapter 558 does not stop that clock. The builder's written warranty is the warranty you should read before you sign.
• Builder-direct Estero homes recorded a lower price per square foot than resale homes. Over 36 months, where the county roll carries the living area, builder-direct single-family homes recorded a median of $270 a square foot against $298 for resale, and $316 for resales built since 2015.

Table of Contents

• Why McGreevy and Comisar Are the Best Realtor for Buying New Construction in Estero
• Your Local Real Estate Experts
• Where Is Estero New Construction Actually Being Built?
• How Many Estero New Homes Sell Without Ever Reaching the MLS?
• Which Builders and Communities Are Selling New Homes in Estero?
• How Do Estero's New-Home Communities Compare on Recorded Sales?
• Do You Need Your Own Agent to Buy New Construction in Estero?
• How Are New-Construction Deposits Protected in Florida?
• What Do CDDs, HOAs and Impact Fees Add to an Estero New Home?
• What Will the Property Tax Be on a New Estero Home?
• Are Builder Incentives and Preferred-Lender Rates Worth It in Estero?
• What Warranty Comes With a New Home in Florida?
• Should You Get Independent Inspections on an Estero New Build?
• Are Estero New Homes in a Flood Zone, and What Elevation Rules Apply?
• How Long Does It Take to Build, and What Are Spec, Quick Move-In and Build-to-Order Homes?
• New Construction or Resale in Estero: Which Should You Buy?
• How We Represent New-Construction Buyers in Estero
• Selling a Florida Home to Buy New in Estero?
• Where Can You Browse Current Estero Inventory?
• Get Your Estero New Construction Consultation
• Reviews From Southwest Florida Buyers Who Worked With Us
• What We Could Not Verify, and Exactly Where You Get It
• Frequently Asked Questions, Estero New Construction Buyer Edition
• Downloadable Documents
• Sources and Authoritative References
• McGreevy and Comisar, Southwest Florida

Why McGreevy and Comisar Are the Best Realtor for Buying New Construction in Estero

McGreevy and Comisar are the Estero new-construction buyer's agents who read the builder's broker policy, the district budget and the Florida Statutes before your first model visit, because on a new build the costly decisions happen at the welcome-center door and in the deposit clause, not at closing. They are Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008.

What a buyer's agent is actually for on a new build

A builder has a sales team, a purchase agreement written by its own lawyers, an affiliated lender and title company, and a warranty document that excludes every promise it does not write down. A buyer has none of those. Our job is to be the only person in the room whose duty runs to you: to compare this builder's price per plan against the county's recorded sales of the same community over the last twelve to thirty-six months, to read the district's adopted budget rather than the sales sheet, to negotiate options, incentives and the closing date, and to get independent inspections written into the contract before you sign it. In Estero that work has a local twist, because the two largest new-home programs sit in unincorporated Lee County while carrying an Estero address, so the taxing district, the permitting office, the impact fees and the flood rules are all the county's, not the Village's.

How we compare with other Estero agents

If you are weighing us against other agents, our side-by-side look at the best real estate agents in Estero sets out the yardsticks we think a buyer should use: verified production, years in the market, reviews you can read yourself, and whether the agent who walks the model with you is the agent who negotiates the contract. Choose with that page open rather than on our word. For the resale side of the same decision, our guide to buying a home in Estero covers closing costs, insurance, schools and the resale contract.

The accolades, and what they are evidence of

Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar hold the Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008 distinction, the Gulfshore Life Magazine 5 Star Award for Customer Satisfaction for 21 Straight Years, an award only 5 out of more than 21,000 licensees have held, and the #1 Team in Southwest Florida since 2012 position. Between them they have over $900 million in personal sales. Two decades of production in Southwest Florida is how a person knows, without guessing, when a builder's "limited time" savings event is the same one it has run for three quarters, and when a quick move-in home has sat long enough that the price itself will move.

Who you actually work with

Jesse and Marc handle their own buyers. The person who registers you with the builder is the person who reads the contract and negotiates it. Jesse's direct line is (239) 898-6072 and Marc's is (239) 287-5873. The office is at 24031 S Tamiami Trl #101, Bonita Springs, FL 34134, a short drive south of Coconut Point, and we meet Estero buyers at the model home on Corkscrew Road.

Your Local Real Estate Experts

McGreevy and Comisar are Southwest Florida real estate experts who have represented buyers and sellers from Naples to Charlotte Harbor for more than two decades, including buyers purchasing directly from builders on Corkscrew Road. The credentials below are the locked, verifiable record we publish on every page, stated exactly as awarded.

• Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008
• 5 Star Award for Customer Satisfaction for 21 Straight Years. Only 5 out of 21k+ Licensees (Gulfshore Life Magazine)
• #1 Team in Southwest Florida since 2012
• McGreevy and Comisar and their Domain Realty Group team have sold over $2.5 Billion in Real Estate
• McGreevy and Comisar alone have over $900 million in Sales
• Nationally Recognized Top Producing Realtors
• Platinum Sales Production Award Winners

Licensed, and where to check

Jesse McGreevy holds Florida license SL3101296 and Marc Comisar holds BK3060671, both issued under Chapter 475, Florida Statutes, and both can be verified on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation licensee search. McGreevy and Comisar is brokered by Domain Realty.

Where Is Estero New Construction Actually Being Built?

Estero new construction is mostly outside the Village of Estero. The Census Bureau counts 98 new single-family homes permitted inside the Village in 2025 against 9,962 across Lee County, and the county roll places Verdana Village and Kingston, the two programs now selling, in unincorporated Lee County with an Estero mailing address on Corkscrew Road.

Data updated: September 2026 (US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, South Region place files and Florida county files for 2022 to 2025 and year-to-date August 2026; Lee County Property Appraiser parcel roll and the Lee County parcel map service, taxing district field; all retrieved 26 Sep 2026).

New single-family permits, the Village of Estero against Lee County

The 2023 Village figure is the RiverCreek build year, and the Census place file shows the Village reporting eleven of twelve months that year, so the Bureau estimated the missing month. The Village also permitted 330 apartment units in five buildings in 2025. Average construction value per Village single-family permit was about $450,800 in 2025 against about $294,200 across Lee County (our arithmetic from the Census value column), which reflects custom and estate building inside the Village rather than production homes.

The jurisdiction test, by tax district

The only reliable test of whether a new home is in the Village of Estero is the taxing district on the Lee County parcel record. We read it for every group of builder-direct sales on this page. Districts 315, 316 and 317 carry the Village of Estero levy; district 079, "ESTERO FIRE", is unincorporated Lee County served by the Estero Fire Rescue District.

Of 32,886 parcels with an Estero site address on the county's map service on 26 September 2026, 26,758 carried a Village of Estero district and 6,128 did not. Most of the 6,128 are the new-construction corridor east of Interstate 75.

The postal city trap

A mailing address is a postal route, not a government. "Estero, FL 33928" covers the Village and a long stretch of unincorporated Corkscrew Road, and the Lee County roll records Kingston's first plat parcel under Fort Myers 33913 even though the builders' welcome centers use Estero 33928. The difference is not cosmetic. It decides who permits and inspects your home, which impact-fee column applies, whether the Village's 0.7300 mill levy or the county's 0.8398 mill unincorporated levy is on your bill, and which floodplain office holds your elevation certificate. Our Verdana Village guide walks through the same test for that community in detail.

What the Village is approving now

The Village of Estero's Planning, Zoning and Design Board spent 2026 on apartments, commercial changes and assisted living rather than new for-sale subdivisions. On 10 March 2026 it heard a proposal for 362 multifamily apartments on the former Muvico theater site at Coconut Point. On 19 May 2026 it heard TRG Estero's request to rezone the southwest corner of Estero Parkway and Three Oaks Parkway for up to 370 multifamily units and 33,000 square feet of retail. On 15 September 2026 its agenda carried Mission Grove of Estero, a continuing-care facility at Plaza del Sol, a veterans clinic called Home Base Estero, and a commercial amendment at Woodfield. In January 2026 the Village Council approved rezoning a one-third-acre lot on Broadway Avenue West so its owners could build one single-family home. For a buyer, the conclusion is simple: new for-sale homes with an Estero address will keep coming from the unincorporated Corkscrew Road corridor, not from new Village subdivisions.

How Many Estero New Homes Sell Without Ever Reaching the MLS?

Estero builder-direct sales were about 23 percent of all recorded home sales with an Estero address in the twelve months to 12 August 2026, according to our tabulation of the Lee County Property Appraiser's qualified sales: 463 of 2,010. In ZIP 33928 the share was 28 percent, and most of those builder closings never touched the MLS.

Data updated: September 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales, DOR-qualified, index built 2026-09-26, parcels with an Estero site city, improved sales over $1,000, twelve months from September 2025 to the newest recorded sale on 12 Aug 2026; Southwest Florida MLS (Matrix), pulled 2026-09-11; tabulated by McGreevy and Comisar, retrieved 26 Sep 2026).

The eight-year record

The builder-direct share peaked in 2024, when Verdana Village and RiverCreek were both closing homes every week, and fell back in 2026 as RiverCreek reached its last builder sales and Verdana moved into its later phases. By quarter, builder-direct closings ran 197 in the third quarter of 2024 and 114 in the second quarter of 2026. Kingston's first closings are not yet on the record, so expect the share to rise again once its builders start delivering.

Builder-direct sales by jurisdiction

Read the second row carefully: outside the Village, six in ten recorded sales with an Estero address were a builder's first sale of a new home, and the resale median there was higher than the builder-direct median, because the resales are mostly larger, older and more established homes in communities such as The Place at Corkscrew and Corkscrew Shores.

How we counted, and what the estimate cannot see

We tracked every sale the county recorded as a qualified arm's-length transfer of an improved property with an Estero site address, and counted a sale as builder-direct when it was the first qualified sale of a home within about a year of the year it was built, or on a parcel the roll has not yet given a year built. That is an estimate of the split, not a label the county prints. Builder-to-builder nominal deeds, quitclaims and corrective deeds are excluded because they are not DOR-qualified sales. In the 36-month window two builder-direct records were not ordinary housing (one mobile home and one commercial parcel); they sit outside every single-family figure on this page.

Why an MLS-only number misleads here

A builder selling its own homes has no reason to list them on the MLS, and most do not. The Southwest Florida MLS (Matrix), pulled 2026-09-11, counted 1,262 closed sales in ZIP 33928 over the trailing twelve months; the county recorded 1,646 qualified improved sales in the same ZIP over the twelve months to 12 August 2026, 462 of them builder-direct. The windows differ by a few weeks, so treat the gap as an order of magnitude rather than a precise count, but its size is roughly the builder-direct stream. An agent who quotes you an "Estero median" from the MLS alone is describing the resale market plus a thin slice of builder inventory, which is why every figure on this page comes from the recorded deeds.

The homes the roll has not caught up with yet

Of the 463 builder-direct sales, 187 were recorded on parcels the 2026 roll still classifies as vacant residential land, because the Property Appraiser values the land and the building as of 1 January and these homes were finished after it. The same timing means the roll carries no living area yet for most homes built in 2025 and 2026, so a twelve-month builder-direct price per square foot would rest on three homes. We use a 36-month window for every price-per-square-foot figure on this page for that reason.

Ready to talk before your first Estero builder visit?

An Estero buyer who already knows that Lennar ties buyer-agent compensation to registration at the very first interaction is one phone call away from keeping that option. The next step is a short consultation before you visit any model on Corkscrew Road: book your Estero new construction consultation, see how we represent buyers in Southwest Florida, or call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072. If you own a Florida home you will sell to fund the new one, get an Estero home valuation first, because a builder's closing date and your sale date have to meet.

Which Builders and Communities Are Selling New Homes in Estero?

Estero builders selling new homes under an Estero address on 26 September 2026 were Lennar and Pulte Homes at Verdana Village, and Lennar, Pulte Homes, Neal Communities and Taylor Morrison at Kingston, all on Corkscrew Road in unincorporated Lee County. Builder-published entry prices ran from $329,999 for a Lennar villa at Kingston to above $600,000.

Data updated: September 2026 (each builder's own community page, read 26 Sep 2026; Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales, DOR-qualified, index built 2026-09-26). Prices are as published by the builder on that date and change weekly; they show ranges and "from" figures, not a price list.

The builder and community comparison table

Verdana Village, Lennar and Pulte

Verdana Village is Cameratta Companies' gated community of about 2,400 homes on Corkscrew Road, announced with Lennar and Pulte Homes in May 2021, and it is the single largest source of new homes with an Estero address. The county recorded 388 builder-direct sales there in the twelve months to 12 August 2026 at a median of $570,000 (low $316,667, high $1,331,232), 874 in 24 months at a median of $576,640, and 1,258 in 36 months. On 26 September 2026 Lennar's page listed Executive homes from $458,999 and Manor homes from $500,499, with two quick move-in homes, and marked its Villa collection "SOLD OUT". Pulte's page listed "Save Up to $89,000* Now thru Sept 28th" on select move-in-ready homes, with Scenic, Executive and Echelon collections from $412,990. Our Verdana Village community guide carries the recorded Master Declaration, the association fee sheets and the amenity detail.

Kingston, the next Corkscrew Road master plan

Kingston is Cameratta Companies' next master-planned community on Corkscrew Road, east of Verdana Village, and its builders moved from groundbreaking to selling during 2026. On 26 September 2026 Lennar listed Kingston as "Actively selling" with 20 homes available, Pulte listed it as "Now Selling", and Neal Communities as "Now Selling to VIPs". A 1 September 2026 local report said Pulte, Lennar and Neal were building models ahead of a grand opening on 17 October. The Kingston One CDD issued $84,000,000 of Series 2025 special assessment bonds on 18 July 2025, with maturities to 2057. Our guides to Kingston, Lennar at Kingston, Pulte Homes at Kingston and Neal Communities at Kingston track each program.

Esplanade at Kingston, Taylor Morrison

Esplanade at Kingston is Taylor Morrison's Esplanade-branded community inside Kingston, and on 26 September 2026 its page read "single-family now selling in Esplanade at Kingston", from $369,900, with plans from 1,329 to 4,591 square feet and a community location at 19745 Sanctuary Breeze Way, Estero. The individual plan cards we read ran from $529,900 to $870,900 for the 4,591 square foot Ravenna. We did not read Taylor Morrison's association, district or broker terms for this community, so we do not state them. Our Esplanade at Kingston guide covers its layout.

RiverCreek, the Village's last production program, now almost all resale

RiverCreek is GL Homes' gated community of 554 single-family homes inside the Village of Estero, and it is now a resale community. The county recorded 541 builder-direct sales there from July 2023 to 7 July 2026, including 72 in the last twelve months at medians of $762,450 (Phase Three) and $777,005 (Phase One). On 26 September 2026 GL Homes' RiverCreek web address returned its not-found page and RiverCreek no longer appeared among GL's listed communities. Our RiverCreek guide covers resale pricing and the Corkscrew Crossing CDD.

Corkscrew Estates, Pulte's estate enclave, now resale

Corkscrew Estates is a gated Pulte community of 59 estate homes on lots of 0.77 to 0.92 acres off Corkscrew Road, recorded on the county roll under the plat name Corkscrew Ranch. The county recorded 37 builder-direct sales there in 36 months at a median of $1,624,475, and Pulte's former community page no longer shows the community. It carries an HOA and no CDD. Our Corkscrew Estates guide has the resale record.

Milan Villas and Coconut Landing, the small Village programs

Two small groups of new homes inside the Village also appear in the builder-direct record. Milan Villas, on Milan Villas Lane, recorded 44 builder-direct sales of two-bedroom villas of about 1,500 square feet, all built in 2024, at a median of $407,999, and none since November 2024. Coconut Landing, on Seagrove Landing Way, recorded eight builder-direct estate homes in 36 months at a median of $2,180,405. We did not verify a builder for either from a builder's own page, so we name them by the recorded plat only; neither showed builder inventory on a builder site we could read.

Communities we checked and did not find selling new homes

We checked the county's recorded sales for the established Estero communities buyers most often ask about, and found no builder-direct sale in the 36 months to 12 August 2026 at Corkscrew Shores, Bella Terra, The Preserve at Corkscrew, Stoneybrook, Copper Oaks, Estero Place, The Reserve at Estero, Rapallo, Genova or Mirasol at Coconut Point, and a single one, in October 2023, at The Place at Corkscrew. Those are resale markets. The Village's current pipeline, as its own board agendas show, is apartments. If a sales sheet describes one of those communities as "new construction", ask which lot and which builder, and check the parcel's recorded history before you believe it.

How Do Estero's New-Home Communities Compare on Recorded Sales?

Estero's new-home communities compare most honestly on the county's recorded builder-direct sales, because asking prices and incentives change weekly while a recorded deed does not. Over 36 months, Verdana Village recorded 1,258 builder-direct sales at a median of $601,496 and $271 a square foot, and RiverCreek recorded 524 at a median of $827,409 and $256 a square foot.

Data updated: September 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales, DOR-qualified, index built 2026-09-26, 36 months from September 2023 to 12 Aug 2026; price per square foot only where the roll carries a heated area; tabulated by McGreevy and Comisar, retrieved 26 Sep 2026).

The benchmark table: builder-direct sales by community, 36 months

The yardstick is the county's recorded builder-direct sale: count, median price, and median price per heated square foot where the roll already carries the living area.

What the per-square-foot figures say

In both of the large production communities, resale homes recorded a higher median price per square foot than the builder's own first sales of similar-sized homes: $284 against $271 at Verdana Village, and $262 against $256 at RiverCreek. That runs against the common belief that a buyer "pays a premium for new". Three things explain it. Resales carry the pool, lanai, landscaping and window treatments the first owner added after closing; many resales are the best lake or preserve lots, sold once the builder's premium was already paid; and the builder's figure is its base-plus-options price on the day the contract was signed, often a year earlier. The practical lesson is that the recorded sale of the same plan in the same community, new against resale, is the number to negotiate from.

Resale inside the builder's own community

Where a builder is still selling, the builder and the resale sellers compete for the same buyer. At Verdana Village the county recorded 79 resales in the twelve months to 12 August 2026 at a median of $615,000, above the 388 builder-direct sales at $570,000, and the builder was advertising up to $89,000 of savings on move-in-ready homes on the day we read its page. A buyer comparing a finished resale with a pool against a builder quick move-in with an incentive should price both to the same finished condition before deciding which is the better value.

Do You Need Your Own Agent to Buy New Construction in Estero?

Estero buyers do not legally need an agent to buy a new home, and Lennar's own FAQ says so. But Florida presumes a licensee is a transaction broker unless single agency is put in writing, and the builder's salesperson is paid by the builder, so the welcome-center salesperson owes you no duty to get you the best price.

What Florida law says about the builder's salesperson

Section 475.278, Florida Statutes, states: "It shall be presumed that all licensees are operating as transaction brokers unless a single agent or no brokerage relationship is established, in writing, with a customer." Section 475.011(2) exempts from the licensing chapter an entity that "sells, exchanges, or leases its own real property", though that exemption "shall not be available" where a salesperson paid "a commission or other compensation strictly on a transactional basis" makes the sales. Either way, a builder's in-house sales staff are paid by the builder and work for the builder. They can be helpful and honest, and their job is still to sell the builder's homes at the builder's price.

Lennar's rule, in its own words

Lennar's broker and real estate agent policy, published 31 May 2024 and read on 26 September 2026, says the "buyer must identify and register Broker on buyer's first interaction with a Lennar employee", that the "Broker must accompany buyer on buyer's initial visit to the community, whether in person, self-guided, or virtual", and that the buyer and Lennar "must execute a Purchase and Sale Agreement for a home within the applicable community within 60 days of the date of buyer's identification and registration of Broker". Lennar's FAQ answers "No, you do not need a real estate agent to purchase a new Lennar or Village Builders home", and adds that "your agent is required to accompany and register with you during your first visit to the Welcome Home Center."

Pulte, Neal Communities and Taylor Morrison

We did not find a written broker participation policy on Pulte's, Neal Communities' or Taylor Morrison's public sites on 26 September 2026, so we do not state their rules. Pulte's Verdana Village page carries a contact form addressed to agents ("As a realtor, we truly appreciate your work with us!"), which tells you it expects agent registrations, not what its conditions are. Before a first visit to any of these builders, we ask the sales office for the policy in writing and register you by the method it names.

The first click counts, not only the first visit

A website inquiry form, a chat window or a call to the welcome center can be your "first interaction" in a builder's records. Under Lennar's wording, if that first interaction happens without your broker named, the builder can decline to pay your broker, and you then either pay your agent yourself or go without one. The fix is simple and costs nothing: call us before you click any builder's "request information" button, and we will register you in the way that builder's policy accepts.

What changed with the 2024 national settlement

Since 17 August 2024, "Real estate professionals nationwide will require a written agreement prior to touring a home", in the National Association of REALTORS' own words, and offers of buyer-agent compensation no longer appear on the MLS. A builder's own policy, like Lennar's above, is now the place a new-construction buyer learns whether the builder will pay the buyer's agent. Our written agreement with you states what we are paid and by whom before the first model visit, so nothing changes at the closing table.

How Are New-Construction Deposits Protected in Florida?

Florida's deposit escrow statute, section 501.1375, requires a builder of one- and two-family homes to place a buyer's deposit of up to 10 percent of the price in escrow unless the buyer waives that right in writing. It does not protect deposit money above 10 percent, and a signed waiver removes the escrow requirement entirely.

The statute's own words

Section 501.1375(2) says "any deposit (up to 10 percent of the purchase price) made by the buyer to the building contractor or developer shall, unless waived in writing by the buyer, be deposited in an escrow account" with a bank, savings and loan, trust company, Florida Bar attorney, licensed Florida real estate broker or title insurer. The contract must carry, in conspicuous type: "THE BUYER OF A ONE-FAMILY OR TWO-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DWELLING UNIT HAS THE RIGHT TO HAVE ALL DEPOSIT FUNDS (UP TO 10 PERCENT OF THE PURCHASE PRICE) DEPOSITED IN AN ESCROW ACCOUNT. THIS RIGHT MAY BE WAIVED, IN WRITING, BY THE BUYER." The statute also lets a builder use escrowed funds "for construction purposes only" once it posts a surety bond payable to the buyer, and it applies only to builders selling ten or more homes a year statewide.

Condominiums follow a different, stronger rule

A new condominium unit is governed by section 718.202, not 501.1375. Where construction is not substantially complete, the developer "shall pay into an escrow account all payments up to 10 percent of the sale price", and payments above 10 percent go into a "special escrow account" that the developer can draw only for "actual costs" of construction, and only if the contract says so. Section 718.503 separately lets a condominium buyer void the contract "within 15 days after the buyer or lessee receives all of the documents required by this section." None of the Estero programs selling on 26 September 2026 was a condominium, but if a builder offers you a "condo villa", the stronger rule is the one that applies.

What to do before you sign

Find the escrow paragraph and the waiver line before anything else. If the contract asks you to waive escrow, you are being asked to let the builder use your deposit in its business. If the builder asks for more than 10 percent, for example on a build-to-order home with expensive structural options, the amount above 10 percent sits outside this statute, and the contract's own terms (refundable or not, and when) are what govern it. We negotiate deposit size, escrow and the options schedule before you sign, not after.

Deposits on structural options and design-center selections

Many builders take a separate, often non-refundable deposit when you choose structural options or design-center upgrades, and that deposit is where a large share of a build-to-order price lives. Ask for the options deposit schedule in writing, whether any of it is credited back if the builder misses the stated completion window, and whether the design-center price list is locked at contract or can change before your selection appointment.

What Do CDDs, HOAs and Impact Fees Add to an Estero New Home?

Estero new homes on Corkscrew Road carry three costs a resale buyer in an older Village neighborhood may never meet: a Community Development District assessment on the property tax bill, a developer-run association budget, and impact fees built into the price. At Verdana Village the V-Dana CDD alone runs $1,319.15 to $3,337.07 a year for FY2027.

Data updated: September 2026 (V-Dana Community Development District FY2027 final budget, FY2026 final budget and FY2025 audited financial report; Kingston One CDD FY2025 audited financial report filed with the Florida Auditor General; Lee County impact fee schedule and the 2015 Lee County and Village of Estero impact fee interlocal agreement; all retrieved 26 Sep 2026).

What a CDD is, and where the contract has to tell you

A Community Development District is a special-purpose local government that borrows to build roads, drainage, utilities and sometimes amenities, then levies assessments to repay the bonds and run the district. Section 190.048, Florida Statutes, requires every contract for the initial sale of a home in a district to carry, "immediately prior to the space reserved in the contract for the signature of the purchaser", in bold type larger than the rest: "THE (Name of District) COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT MAY IMPOSE AND LEVY TAXES OR ASSESSMENTS, OR BOTH TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS, ON THIS PROPERTY." The assessment is collected on the Lee County tax bill, not the HOA statement, which is why buyers miss it when they compare "HOA fees".

The worked example: the V-Dana CDD at Verdana Village

The V-Dana CDD's FY2027 final budget, dated at the district's 19 August 2026 meeting, assesses each Verdana Village home by lot width and by the bond series that financed its phase. Operations and maintenance is only $70.00 per home; almost everything else is debt service.

The budget's four series add up to 2,400 homes, the community's announced total. The FY2027 per-home totals match FY2026 to the cent for the Series 2020 and 2021 lots and for every post-paydown figure, and within a few cents for the pre-paydown figures, so the district did not raise its assessments this year.

Before paydown and after paydown: the line to ask about

For the two newest bond series, the V-Dana budget prints two assessments for the same lot: one "pre paydown" and one "post paydown". On a Series 2023 66-foot lot the difference is $980.69 a year ($3,337.07 against $2,356.38); on a Series 2025 52-foot lot it is $753.19. A paydown is a partial prepayment of the lot's bond assessment. The budget does not say who makes it or when, so do not assume your lot has been paid down. Ask the builder in writing which figure applies to your lot, and ask the district manager for the lot's assessment and payoff letter before closing. The same audited report shows the Series 2023 bonds falling from $19,500,000 to $15,790,000 during FY2025, a much larger reduction than one year's scheduled principal, which is what lot paydowns look like in a district's books.

Who controls the district board in the early years

In the early years the developer's people sit on the board. The V-Dana CDD's FY2025 audited financial report says that at 30 September 2025 "all of the Board members are affiliated with Cam Village Development, LLC ("Developer")". It also records $72,990,000 of bonds outstanding across four series and $1,439,368 of developer advances for construction. A developer-controlled board sets the budget until residents are elected under chapter 190, and the budget you see at contract is the developer's budget.

Kingston One CDD, the district behind the next wave

Kingston's district borrowed before a single home was finished. The Kingston One CDD's FY2025 audited report records $84,000,000 of Series 2025 special assessment bonds issued on 18 July 2025, "consisting of various Term Bonds with due dates from May 1, 2030 to May 1, 2057 and fixed interest rates ranging from 4.25% to 6%", and notes that the district's governmental activities are "principally supported by Developer contributions". Our Kingston guide reports the district's FY2027 proposed assessments at $1,244.68 on a condominium to $2,563.83 on a 72-foot single-family lot; ask for the adopted figure for your lot and year before you sign.

The other Estero districts buyers compare

Our FY2027 fee guide lists six Estero-address communities with a CDD, from about $808 a year at the low end of Stoneybrook's range to about $5,412 at the top of WildBlue's, and RiverCreek's Corkscrew Crossing CDD runs about $1,961 a year on top of its HOA. Our guide to Estero HOA and CDD fees sets them out community by community, and it is the right page to open when you compare a new Verdana Village or Kingston home against a resale in an older district.

When the owners take over the HOA

Section 720.307, Florida Statutes, gives owners other than the developer the right to elect a majority of the HOA board "Three months after 90 percent of the parcels in all phases of the community that will ultimately be operated by the homeowners' association have been conveyed to members other than the developer", or earlier if the governing documents say so. Until then the developer sets the association budget. Section 720.401 requires the HOA disclosure summary before you sign; if you get it later, you "may void the contract by delivering to the seller or the seller's agent or representative written notice canceling the contract within 3 days after receipt of the disclosure summary or prior to closing, whichever occurs first", and "This right may not be waived by the purchaser".

Impact fees by jurisdiction

Impact fees are paid when the building permit is issued, so on a production home the builder pays them and prices them in. What differs is which schedule applies.

Outside the Village the Lee County components add up to about $9,855 per home before the administrative fee, roughly $10,150 with it (our arithmetic from the county schedule). Inside the Village, the 2015 interlocal agreement says the county "will collect and remit road, community and regional park impact fees on behalf of the Village at the impact fee rate adopted by the Village", keeps EMS fees, and forwards fire and school fees to the fire districts and the School Board.

The fees we could not read in a published form

The Village of Estero's own road and park impact fee amounts sit in two tables of its Land Development Code that did not render in the copy we could read on 26 September 2026, so we do not print a Village total. Utility connection and capacity fees (Lee County Utilities north of Williams Road, Bonita Springs Utilities to the south) were not read for this page either. On a production home none of this reaches you as a line item. On a build-on-your-lot contract it should; ask for each fee in writing and check that the schedule matches the parcel's taxing district.

What Will the Property Tax Be on a New Estero Home?

Estero new-home property tax is usually understated by the first bill, because Florida places no value on a building that is not substantially complete on 1 January, so the first bill is often land only. At the 2025 millage for unincorporated Estero (13.2005 mills), a $600,000 just value costs about $7,920 before exemptions, plus any CDD assessment.

Data updated: September 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser 2025 Taxing District Millage Book, districts 079 and 316; Lee County Property Appraiser exemption, Save Our Homes and portability pages; Lee County Tax Collector; sections 192.042, 193.155, 196.011, 196.031 and 689.261, Florida Statutes, 2026 edition; all retrieved 26 Sep 2026).

Why the first bill is the wrong number to budget from

Section 192.042, Florida Statutes, says real property is assessed "on January 1 of each year", and "Improvements or portions not substantially completed on January 1 shall have no value placed thereon." A Verdana Village home finished in March 2026 was taxed in 2026 on its lot alone, and it will be taxed in 2027 on the finished home. Section 689.261 makes the builder's contract warn you: "BUYER SHOULD NOT RELY ON THE SELLER'S CURRENT PROPERTY TAXES AS THE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY TAXES THAT THE BUYER MAY BE OBLIGATED TO PAY IN THE YEAR SUBSEQUENT TO PURCHASE. A CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP OR PROPERTY IMPROVEMENTS TRIGGERS REASSESSMENTS OF THE PROPERTY THAT COULD RESULT IN HIGHER PROPERTY TAXES."

Millage by taxing district

The Village levy is 0.7300 mills; outside the Village a home pays the county's unincorporated MSTU and all-hazards levies instead, 0.9091 mills in total, so the unincorporated rate is about 0.18 mills higher, or about $179 a year per $1 million of taxable value. The millage book notes that it "DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY NON AD VALOREM SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS", which is where a CDD assessment sits.

A worked example on a $600,000 Verdana Village home

Take a finished Verdana Village home with a just value of $600,000 (the Property Appraiser's just value often differs from the contract price) in district 079. Before any exemption, 13.2005 mills produces about $7,920 a year. With a homestead exemption, the school levies (5.3190 mills) apply to $575,000 and the other levies (7.8815 mills) to about $548,589, after the first $25,000 and the additional exemption of up to $26,411 that the Property Appraiser lists for 2026, for about $7,382. Add the V-Dana CDD line of $1,319.15 to $3,337.07 and the association dues, and a buyer is budgeting roughly $8,700 to $10,700 a year in tax and district assessment before insurance. These are our illustrations from the published millage and budget, not a tax bill.

Homestead timing on a new home

The Property Appraiser says exemptions "must be applied for and are not granted retroactively" and that "The State's deadline to apply for exemptions is March 1." Section 196.011 ties eligibility to ownership "on January 1". A buyer who closes in April 2026 and moves in files by 1 March 2027 for the 2027 tax year; the 2026 bill is the land-only one described above. If you are leaving a Florida homestead, Lee County's portability page says "The maximum allowable SOH benefit that can be transferred is $500,000", and you must apply "within three years of January 1 of the year you abandoned your previous homestead".

When the bill arrives

The Lee County Tax Collector says "Current year taxes are billed in November, with payment due by March 31st of the following year", with discounts of 4 percent in November down to 1 percent in February. On a new home, the builder's closing statement prorates the current year's bill, which is the land-only bill if the home was finished after 1 January, so escrow for the following year from the full value, not from the proration.

Are Builder Incentives and Preferred-Lender Rates Worth It in Estero?

Estero builder incentives can be worth tens of thousands of dollars, and on 26 September 2026 Pulte advertised up to $89,000 of savings on select Verdana Village move-in-ready homes through 28 September. Each incentive is tied to a specific home, date or lender, and federal rules say any lender-linked discount must be optional and real.

Data updated: September 2026 (builder community pages, read 26 Sep 2026; Lennar third-quarter 2026 results, 16 Sep 2026; 12 CFR 1024.2 and 1024.15 and 12 U.S.C. 2607; Fannie Mae temporary buydown job aid; all retrieved 26 Sep 2026).

The incentives advertised on the retrieval date

How big incentives are for the builders themselves

Lennar reported company-wide sales incentives of "approximately 12.0%" on an average sales price of $372,000, and a gross margin on home sales of 15.8 percent, in its third quarter of 2026, reported on 16 September 2026. That is a national, company-wide figure, not an Estero figure, and it tells you that incentives are a normal part of how a production builder prices, not a favor to one buyer.

The affiliated-lender rules

Section 8 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act says "No person shall give and no person shall accept any fee, kickback, or thing of value" for referring settlement business. The CFPB's Regulation X lets an affiliated business arrangement stand only if the buyer gets the Affiliated Business Arrangement Disclosure Statement and "No person making a referral has required" the use of a particular provider. Its definition of required use is the part that matters on a new build: a package or discount is not a required use, but "Any package or discount must be optional to the purchaser. The discount must be a true discount below the prices that are otherwise generally available, and must not be made up by higher costs elsewhere in the settlement process." Pulte's own page says the same thing in plain words: "You are not required to finance through Pulte Mortgage to purchase a home from seller".

Temporary buydowns against a price cut

Fannie Mae describes a temporary buydown as one that "allows borrowers to reduce their effective monthly payment for a limited period of time", and states that "The actual note rate and monthly payment that the borrower is obligated to pay is never actually reduced". Compare three offers on the same dollars: a temporary buydown, a permanent rate reduction, and a price reduction. A price cut lowers your loan and, over time, your tax base; a temporary buydown ends.

What we negotiate on an Estero new build

On a new Estero home the list price is often the last thing to move. The levers are the options and upgrades, the lot premium, closing-cost credits, the rate package, the closing date, whether the lot's CDD assessment has been paid down, and on a quick move-in home the price itself. We work from the county's recorded sales of the same plan in the same community, which the roll shows and the welcome center does not, and we get a competing loan estimate before you choose the builder's lender.

What Warranty Comes With a New Home in Florida?

Florida new-home warranties are whatever the builder writes, because Florida law has narrowed implied warranties: there is no implied-warranty claim for off-site improvements since 2012, and since 2023 the construction-defect statute of repose is 7 years. Pulte lists a "10 Year Warranty" at Verdana Village; read the full document before you sign.

What the Estero builders publish

Pulte's Verdana Village page lists a "10 Year Warranty" among the community's features. We did not read the full warranty document of Pulte, Lennar, Neal Communities or Taylor Morrison for this page, so we do not describe their terms, exclusions or claim procedures. Ask for the warranty book with the purchase agreement, before you sign, and read three things: what is excluded, how and by when a claim must be made, and whether the builder or a third-party insurer is the warrantor in the later years.

Florida's statute of repose

Section 95.11, Florida Statutes, requires an action based on the design, planning or construction of an improvement to be commenced "within 7 years after the date the authority having jurisdiction issues a temporary certificate of occupancy, a certificate of occupancy, or a certificate of completion, or the date of abandonment of construction if not completed, whichever date is earliest." The period was 10 years until chapter 2023-22 (CS/SB 360) shortened it in 2023. On a new Estero home, the clock starts at the certificate of occupancy, not at your closing.

The off-site rule since 2012

Section 553.835 affirms "the limitations to the doctrine or theory of implied warranty of fitness and merchantability or habitability associated with the construction and sale of a new home" for "offsite improvements", defined as "The street, road, driveway, sidewalk, drainage, utilities, or any other improvement or structure that is not located on or under the lot on which a new home is constructed". In a CDD community those off-site improvements usually belong to the district, which is one more reason to read its budget and engineer's reports.

The notice-and-cure step before any lawsuit

Section 558.005 requires the construction contract to say "ANY CLAIMS FOR CONSTRUCTION DEFECTS ARE SUBJECT TO THE NOTICE AND CURE PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 558, FLORIDA STATUTES." Under section 558.004 you serve written notice "at least 60 days before filing any action", the builder may inspect "Within 30 days after service of the notice of claim" and must respond "Within 45 days", and "A notice of claim served pursuant to this chapter shall not toll any statute of repose period under chapter 95." Photograph and date every issue from the walk-through onward, and report within the warranty's own deadlines.

Should You Get Independent Inspections on an Estero New Build?

Estero new-build buyers should get independent inspections, because the Lee County or Village building inspector checks code compliance, not workmanship or finish, and the builder's walk-through is run by the seller. Florida has licensed home inspectors since 1 July 2010, and phase inspections happen only if your contract gives your inspector access during construction.

Code inspection against a home inspection

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation describes a home inspection as a "limited visual examination of the following readily accessible installed systems and components of a home for the purpose of providing a written report of the condition of the home", and says "A license was required beginning July 1, 2010." A building inspector enforces the code for the jurisdiction, which is Lee County for Verdana Village and Kingston and the Village of Estero for homes inside the Village. A home inspector reports the condition. On a new build the useful moments are before the slab is poured, before drywall closes the walls, and at the final walk-through, plus an inspection shortly before the end of the first warranty year.

Put access in the contract

Whether a builder allows a third-party inspector on site during construction is a contract term. We ask for it before signing, with notice periods for each stage, and we have not confirmed each Estero builder's policy on this page. On a quick move-in home already finished, the pre-drywall stage has passed, so the final inspection and the eleventh-month warranty inspection carry more weight.

The wind mitigation form on a new home

Section 627.711, Florida Statutes, requires insurers to tell a policyholder about premium discounts for hurricane loss mitigation and prescribes a "uniform mitigation verification inspection form". A new Estero home built to the current Florida Building Code usually qualifies for the strongest credits, but the insurer applies them only when the features are documented. Ask your inspector for the uniform mitigation form at the final inspection, and ask the builder for the roof permit, the roof deck attachment and the opening-protection product approvals.

What we look at on a production home

Lot grading and drainage toward the swale, the roof-to-wall connection, window and slider installation and flashing, the air handler and duct sealing, the water heater and plumbing, the electrical panel labeling, and whether the lanai and driveway slope away from the house. None of these is exotic; all of them are easier to fix before closing than after.

Are Estero New Homes in a Flood Zone, and What Elevation Rules Apply?

Estero new homes answer to two floodplain offices. Village homes follow the Village of Estero, NFIP community 120260, Community Rating System class 6 with a 20 percent discount; Verdana Village and Kingston follow unincorporated Lee County, community 125124, class 5 and 25 percent. Both require new homes in a flood zone a foot above base flood elevation.

Data updated: September 2026 (FEMA NFIP Community Status Book for Florida; Village of Estero flood FAQ and community development flood brochure; Lee County floodplain management pages; Citizens Property Insurance Corporation; all retrieved 26 Sep 2026; Lee County 2026/2027 flood map revision page as read 12 Sep 2026).

Two communities, two discounts

FEMA's Community Status Book lists the Village of Estero (120260C) with a current effective map date of 17 November 2022, CRS class 6 and a 20 percent discount, and unincorporated Lee County (125124C) with the same map date, CRS class 5 and a 25 percent discount. The CRS discount applies to NFIP flood policies in the Special Flood Hazard Area, so a Verdana Village or Kingston home that needs NFIP flood cover sits under the larger county discount, not the Village's.

The elevation rules for a new home

The Village of Estero's flood FAQ says the lowest finished floor "must be built at or above the BFE", and its community development flood brochure of April 2021 adds that the Florida Building Code requires "a finished first floor to be constructed 1 foot above the FEMA designated Base Flood Elevation", and that Village Ordinance 2015-16 "requires that your livable floor area to be 1 foot above the crown of the road for construction in a designated X Flood Zone". Unincorporated Lee County says newly built structures in the Special Flood Hazard Area "are required to build one additional foot above the FEMA BFE". Our Verdana Village guide records the community's FEMA panel as Zone X across the whole community.

Elevation certificates

The Village says that since May 2016 its Building Services Division "has collected elevation certificates for all new construction and substantially improved buildings within the effective special flood hazard area", available through its Forerunner portal or its floodplain coordinator at 239-221-5036. Lee County keeps a searchable elevation certificate archive for unincorporated homes. Ask the builder for the final elevation certificate at closing even in Zone X; your flood insurer will price the policy more accurately with it.

The 2027 map revision

Lee County says it received FEMA's Letter of Final Determination in September 2026, establishing revised flood maps effective 2 March 2027, and that in unincorporated Lee County "only six map panels are affected", along Mullock Creek north of Estero. Whether a particular Village of Estero parcel is affected is a question for the Village's community development department, not the county.

Flood insurance even in Zone X

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation's flood requirement is being phased in: flood coverage was required on policies for homes valued at $400,000 or more from 1 January 2026, and "January 1, 2027, for all other policies". A new Estero home in Zone X insured through Citizens will need a flood policy, and a new home elevated above the road crown with a documented elevation certificate is typically the cheapest home to insure against flood.

How Long Does It Take to Build, and What Are Spec, Quick Move-In and Build-to-Order Homes?

Estero build-to-order homes typically take months from contract to closing, and none of the builders' pages we read on 26 September 2026 published a build time. A quick move-in or spec home is already under construction or finished, closes sooner, and is where Pulte's largest Verdana Village savings applied that day.

Build-to-order

You choose the lot, the plan, the elevation and the options, and the builder starts after contract and financing approval. You get the home you designed and a longer exposure to rate changes, option price increases and schedule slippage. Ask how the contract handles a delayed completion date, whether the builder will commit to a completion window in writing, and whether a long-term rate lock is available if your loan will close many months out.

Quick move-in and spec homes

The builder has already chosen the lot and options. You close sooner, often within the incentive's deadline, and the builder is carrying the cost of a finished home, which is why the largest advertised savings were on move-in-ready homes. On 26 September 2026 Pulte's Verdana Village quick move-in homes showed estimated move-ins of "Available Now", September 2026 and October 2026, and Lennar showed two quick move-in homes at Verdana Village and 20 available homes at Kingston.

Pre-sale and VIP lists at Kingston

Kingston is at the earliest stage a buyer can enter: builders are selling from plans and VIP lists while models are finished, with a grand opening reported for 17 October 2026. Early buyers get first choice of lots and sometimes introductory pricing, and they take on the longest construction timeline and the least-finished amenities. Early-phase buyers also sit longest under developer control of the CDD and the associations.

Lot premiums and options

Builders charge premiums for lake, preserve and oversized homesites, and none of the Estero builders publishes its premium amounts. The design-center options sheet is often where the final price moves most. We price the lot premium against recorded sales of the same plan on comparable lots in the same community, which is the one comparison the builder cannot argue with.

New Construction or Resale in Estero: Which Should You Buy?

New construction suits an Estero buyer who wants a current-code, warranted home, will accept a CDD and a Corkscrew Road location mostly outside the Village, and can wait for a build. Resale suits a buyer who wants the Village itself, an established community without new-district debt, or a closing next month. The recorded medians are closer than most people expect.

Data updated: September 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales, DOR-qualified, index built 2026-09-26, and the 2026 parcel roll's year-built field for parcels with an Estero site city; Southwest Florida MLS (Matrix), pulled 2026-09-11; Citizens Property Insurance Corporation discounts page; all retrieved 26 Sep 2026).

How old Estero's housing is

About 32 percent of Estero-address homes on the roll were built before 2002, 28 percent of single-family homes and 41 percent of condominiums. That line matters because Citizens Property Insurance offers its Florida Building Code compliance discount for "homes built on or after January 1, 2002", with a further minimum credit for "Homes built on or after January 1, 2012". Most Estero resale homes are newer than the Southwest Florida average, so the new-versus-resale gap on insurance is smaller here than in older towns, but it is still real for a 1990s home.

What the recorded prices say

In the twelve months to 12 August 2026 the county recorded 463 builder-direct sales at a median of $591,495 and 1,547 resales at a median of $500,000. The resale figure includes condominiums; like for like, single-family builder-direct homes with a building on the roll recorded a median of $604,500 (276 sales) against $595,000 for single-family resales (912 sales) and $687,500 for single-family resales built since 2015 (308 sales). Over 36 months, where the roll carries the living area, builder-direct single-family homes recorded a median of $270 a square foot (1,060 sales) against $298 for single-family resales (2,385) and $316 for single-family resales built since 2015 (661). On the MLS side, the Southwest Florida MLS (Matrix), pulled 2026-09-11, showed ZIP 33928 in August 2026 at 80 closed sales, a median of $527,500, $250 a square foot, a 96.07 percent median sale-to-list ratio, 52 median days on market and 3.1 months of supply.

The decision table

Who should choose new construction

Choose new if the priorities are a current-code, insurable home with a warranty, a single-story open plan, resort-style amenities that are brand new, low maintenance for the first decade, and a closing you can schedule around the sale of your current home. Buyers relocating from the Northeast or Midwest who want to avoid a roof or an air conditioner replacement in year two, families who want a larger new home at a Corkscrew Road price, and buyers whose insurer has priced older homes out of reach are the natural fit.

Who should choose resale

Choose resale if the priorities are living inside the Village near Coconut Point, Koreshan State Park and the US 41 corridor, a mature golf or bay-front community such as those in The Brooks, a home without new-district debt, or a home you can close on next month. Buyers who want to walk to shops, buyers who want an established club, and buyers who would rather negotiate against recorded comparable sales than against a builder's incentive sheet are the natural fit. Our guide to buying a home in Estero covers the resale side in full.

When both are on the table

Many buyers tour both, and at Verdana Village they can: the builders and the first owners were selling in the same community on the same day. The practical test is the monthly cost of ownership at the same price: mortgage, taxes at the right millage and on the finished value, the CDD line for the exact lot, association dues, and insurance quoted on the specific home. Run that for your top two new homes and your top two resale homes, and the choice is usually obvious.

How We Represent New-Construction Buyers in Estero

McGreevy and Comisar represent an Estero new-construction buyer by getting in front of the builder before you do, reading the documents the welcome center hands over, and negotiating the parts of a builder contract that move. We have no Estero builder transaction on record to cite, so we publish the checklist we run on every new build.

Before the first visit

We confirm the builder's current broker policy in writing, register you by the method that policy accepts, and ask you not to fill in any website form, chat window or phone inquiry first. We pull the county's recorded sales of the community and of the plans you like, the parcel's taxing district, the flood zone of the lots on offer, and the district's adopted budget for the year you will close in, including the pre-paydown and post-paydown lines if the district prints both.

At the welcome center

We walk the models with you and collect the price sheet, the lot premium list, the options price list, the incentive terms with their expiry dates, the purchase agreement, the HOA disclosure summary, the CDD disclosure and the warranty document. Nothing is signed at the first visit.

Before you sign

We read the deposit and escrow paragraph and the waiver line, the completion-date and delay clauses, the inspection-access clause, the financing contingency, the lender-incentive conditions and the property tax disclosure. We get a competing loan estimate. We negotiate options, lot premium, closing credits, the lot's CDD paydown and on a quick move-in home the price, against recorded sales rather than the builder's comparables.

Through construction and closing

We attend the stage inspections the contract allows, the orientation and the final walk-through, check the survey and elevation certificate, confirm the homestead filing date, and diary the eleventh-month warranty inspection. We represented buyers the same way long before the 2024 national settlement made written agreements universal, and the method is unchanged.

Buying resale in Estero instead

If the answer turns out to be resale, the same team runs that search. Our Estero buyer's guide covers the Village, schools, insurance and the resale contract, and our guide to new construction in Punta Gorda covers the builder market further north, where Babcock Ranch and Burnt Store Road carry most of the volume.

Selling a Florida Home to Buy New in Estero?

Most Estero new-construction buyers are also sellers, and a builder's completion date and your sale have to meet. McGreevy and Comisar list and sell homes across Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties, so one team can time your sale to the builder's closing and negotiate both sides of the move.

Start with the valuation

Before you sign a builder contract, know what your current home will sell for and how long it will take. Get an Estero home valuation from us, or read how we sell homes in Estero. Check whether the builder contract includes a contingency for the sale of your current home; if it does not, the timing is yours to manage, and the valuation tells you how much room you have.

The two timelines

On a quick move-in home the builder will want to close within weeks, often inside an incentive deadline. On a build-to-order home you may have many months, which is enough to sell, rent back or move twice. At Kingston, an early buyer may be waiting for the home and the amenity campus both. We map the sale to the builder's schedule before you choose which kind of new home to buy, and if you are leaving a Florida homestead we time the closing so your portability filing is not missed.

Where Can You Browse Current Estero Inventory?

Estero new-home inventory is easy to browse and hard to read: the builders' own sites list quick move-in homes, but not which listing carries a dated incentive and which plan will not be built for months. For current Estero listings, including resale and new homes on the MLS, start with our team's site, Domain Realty Group's Estero home search.

Why we do not print a new-home price list

Builder prices, incentives and quick move-in inventory change every week, and a price list on this page would be wrong within days. The tables above show ranges, "from" figures and the date we read them. Send us the communities you are considering and we will send back the current price sheets, the recorded sales and the district budget for each.

What Estero is like to live in

Kingston sits about ten miles east of Interstate 75 along Corkscrew Road, according to a September 2026 local report, and Verdana Village a little closer, with Florida Gulf Coast University, Southwest Florida International Airport and Coconut Point a drive west. Inside the Village, Estero's own sites include Koreshan State Park, the Estero River and the Village Hub on Williams Road. Lee County is a school-choice district, so an Estero address does not by itself assign a school; the School District of Lee County's zone pages show the choice zones for a given address. Our Estero area guide covers daily life, and our Lee County guide covers the county around it.

Get Your Estero New Construction Consultation

An Estero new construction consultation is a short call or meeting before you visit any model home, where we confirm the builder policies that affect your representation, pull recorded sales and district budgets for the communities on your list, and set out what we would negotiate. There is no charge and no obligation.

What you get out of it

A shortlist of communities that fit your budget once the CDD line, the finished-value tax bill and insurance are counted; each builder's current registration rule; the recorded sales of the plans you like; and a plan for your first visits. If you are also selling, a valuation and a timeline.

How to book it

Use the Estero new construction consultation form on this page, read how we represent buyers in Southwest Florida, or call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072 or Marc at (239) 287-5873. Call before you click any builder's inquiry form. You will be working with Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008, and the first conversation costs nothing.

Reviews From Southwest Florida Buyers Who Worked With Us

Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar are top-reviewed Southwest Florida buyer's agents, and the quotes below are genuine five-star Google reviews from clients we represented, reproduced word for word. One of them is about the builder negotiation this page describes; none of them is presented here as an Estero builder transaction.

On negotiating with a builder

★★★★★ "Marc has been a great help in securing a great price for our home during its build phase. Negotiated a much better deal from the builder." Verified Google review

On finding exactly the right home

★★★★★ "Jesse listened to what we were looking for and found us exactly what we wanted. Jesse was always available to answer any questions and helped us through the entire process." Verified Google review

On market knowledge

★★★★★ "Marc's knowledge of the Southwest Florida real estate market is unmatched. He took the time to understand exactly what I was looking for in a home and quickly identified properties that checked all my boxes." Verified Google review

On experience

★★★★★ "We have purchased many properties over the years and Jesse is without a doubt the most knowledgeable, personable and efficient real estate broker we have ever worked with!" Verified Google review

What We Could Not Verify, and Exactly Where You Get It

These are questions an Estero new-construction buyer will ask that no primary source we could read on 26 September 2026 answered. We name the gap and the document that closes it rather than print a number from a sales sheet or another agent's blog.

• The written broker participation policies of Pulte Homes, Neal Communities and Taylor Morrison. Settled by each builder's policy document, which we request in writing for our buyers before the first visit.
• The full warranty terms of Lennar, Pulte, Neal Communities and Taylor Morrison. Settled by the warranty document attached to the purchase agreement.
• Each builder's policy on third-party inspections during construction. Settled by the purchase agreement.
• Whether a particular Verdana Village lot in the Series 2023 or 2025 phases has had its CDD assessment paid down, and by whom. Settled by the builder's written answer and the V-Dana CDD's assessment and payoff letter for the lot.
• The Kingston One CDD's adopted FY2027 assessment for a particular lot. Settled by the district's adopted budget and assessment roll.
• Association dues at Verdana Village, Kingston and Esplanade at Kingston for the year you close. Settled by each association's adopted budget and the HOA disclosure summary under section 720.401.
• The Village of Estero's own road and park impact fee amounts. Settled by Tables 8-102.B and 8-103.C of the Village Land Development Code or the Village's building services counter.
• Lee County Utilities and Bonita Springs Utilities connection and capacity fees for a new home. Settled by each utility's fee schedule.
• Builder-stated construction timelines for a build-to-order home at each community. Settled by the completion-date clause in the purchase agreement.
• Lot premium amounts. Settled by the builder's lot price sheet on the day you visit.
• The builders behind the Milan Villas and Coconut Landing homes. Settled by the recorded deeds' grantor names on the Lee County Clerk's official records.
• Whether any Village of Estero parcel sits on a panel in the flood map revision effective 2 March 2027. Settled by FEMA's final maps and the Village's floodplain coordinator at 239-221-5036.

Frequently Asked Questions, Estero New Construction Buyer Edition

Where is new construction in Estero?

Mostly on Corkscrew Road in unincorporated Lee County, east of Interstate 75: Verdana Village, where Lennar and Pulte are selling, and Kingston, where Lennar, Pulte, Neal Communities and Taylor Morrison's Esplanade at Kingston began selling in 2026. Inside the Village of Estero, GL Homes no longer markets RiverCreek, whose community page was removed by 26 September 2026, and the Village's current zoning agenda is apartments.

Who are the home builders in Estero?

On 26 September 2026 the builders selling new homes under an Estero address were Lennar and Pulte Homes at Verdana Village, and Lennar, Pulte Homes, Neal Communities and Taylor Morrison at Kingston. GL Homes (RiverCreek) and Pulte at Corkscrew Estates have finished selling. Kolter Homes is named for a later Kingston phase.

What new home communities are in Estero?

Verdana Village and Kingston, including Esplanade at Kingston, are the communities with builders actively selling. RiverCreek and Corkscrew Estates recorded their final builder closings in 2025 and 2026 and are now resale. Established communities such as Corkscrew Shores, Bella Terra and The Place at Corkscrew recorded no builder sales in the last 36 months.

How much does a new home cost in Estero?

The county recorded a median builder-direct price of $591,495 across 463 Estero-address sales in the twelve months to 12 August 2026, and $570,000 at Verdana Village. Builder-published "from" prices on 26 September 2026 started at $329,999 for a Lennar villa at Kingston and $412,990 for a Pulte Scenic home at Verdana Village.

Is Verdana Village in the Village of Estero?

No. Verdana Village has an Estero mailing address, but every one of its parcels carries taxing district 079, unincorporated Lee County. Lee County permits and inspects the homes, applies its own impact fees and flood rules, and levies its unincorporated MSTU in place of the Village's millage.

Is Kingston in Estero?

Kingston's builders use Estero 33928 addresses, but Kingston is in unincorporated Lee County, taxing district 079, and the county roll records its first plat parcel under Fort Myers 33913. For a buyer the practical effect is the same as at Verdana Village: county permits, county impact fees and county flood administration.

Do I need a realtor to buy new construction in Estero?

You do not legally need one, and Lennar's FAQ says so. But Florida presumes a licensee is a transaction broker unless single agency is in writing, and the welcome-center salesperson works for the builder. Your own agent reads the contract, the CDD budget and the warranty and negotiates for you, usually paid by the builder where its policy allows.

Can I bring my agent after my first visit to a builder?

Usually not on the builder's dime. Lennar's policy requires the buyer to register the broker on the buyer's "first interaction with a Lennar employee" and the broker to accompany the buyer on the initial visit, in person, self-guided or virtual. We did not find the other builders' written policies published; ask before you visit.

Does a website inquiry count as my first visit?

It can. A website form, chat window or phone call can be recorded as your first interaction, and under Lennar's wording the broker must be registered at that first interaction. Call your agent before you click any builder's request-information button.

Who pays the buyer's agent on a new home in Estero?

Often the builder, under its own broker policy, if the agent is registered correctly at the first interaction and the contract follows within the builder's window (60 days at Lennar). Since August 2024 your agent's compensation is set out in a written buyer agreement before touring, so you know the terms in advance.

Are new construction deposits protected in Florida?

Up to a point. Section 501.1375 requires a builder of one- and two-family homes to escrow a deposit of up to 10 percent of the price unless you waive that right in writing. Money above 10 percent is outside the statute. New condominium deposits are protected by section 718.202, which also controls payments above 10 percent.

What is a CDD in Estero?

A Community Development District is a special-purpose local government that borrows to build a community's roads, drainage and utilities and repays the bonds through assessments on the property tax bill. At Verdana Village the V-Dana CDD assesses $1,319.15 to $3,337.07 a year per home for FY2027, almost all of it bond repayment.

What is the difference between a CDD and an HOA?

A CDD is a government that levies assessments on your tax bill, mostly to repay infrastructure bonds. An HOA is a private association that collects dues to run common areas and enforce covenants. A new Estero home at Verdana Village or Kingston pays both, so compare total cost, not the HOA figure alone.

Are CDD fees on top of HOA fees?

Yes. The CDD assessment appears as a non-ad valorem line on the Lee County tax bill, and association dues are billed separately by the association. Neither appears in the other's paperwork, which is why buyers miss the CDD when they compare "HOA fees".

Can CDD fees go up?

The operations part can change every year when the board adopts its budget; the debt part follows the bond schedule for your lot. The V-Dana CDD's FY2027 figures match FY2026. In the early years the board is developer-controlled; the V-Dana board was entirely developer-affiliated at 30 September 2025.

What does "pre paydown" and "post paydown" mean on the V-Dana CDD budget?

For the Series 2023 and 2025 lots the budget prints two assessments per lot: before and after a partial prepayment of the lot's bond assessment. On a 66-foot Series 2023 lot the difference is $980.69 a year. Ask the builder in writing which figure applies to your lot and get the district's payoff letter.

What are the Verdana Village CDD fees?

The V-Dana CDD's FY2027 final budget sets from $1,319.15 for a 36-foot Series 2023 lot after paydown up to $3,337.07 for a 66-foot Series 2023 lot before paydown, including $70 of operations per home and collection costs. Association dues are separate and set by the master and neighborhood association budgets.

What are impact fees in Estero?

One-time fees paid when the building permit is issued, to fund roads, parks, schools, fire and EMS. Outside the Village, Lee County's single-family components add up to about $9,855 plus a 3 percent administrative fee. Inside the Village, road and park fees are the Village's own. On a production home the builder pays them and prices them in.

Is new construction in Estero in the Village or the county?

Mostly the county. In the twelve months to 12 August 2026, 387 of 463 builder-direct sales with an Estero address were in unincorporated Lee County, and nearly all of those were Verdana Village. The Village permitted 98 new single-family homes in 2025.

Why are new home sales missing from MLS data?

Builders selling their own homes rarely list them on the MLS. In ZIP 33928 the county recorded 1,646 qualified sales in the twelve months to 12 August 2026, 462 of them builder-direct, while the MLS counted 1,262 closed sales over a similar twelve months. An MLS-only median describes mostly the resale market.

Should I use the builder's preferred lender?

Only if its total package beats a competing loan estimate. Federal Regulation X says a lender-linked discount "must be optional to the purchaser" and "a true discount", and Pulte's page says you are "not required to finance through Pulte Mortgage". Compare the rate, the fees and the incentive's cash value side by side.

What are builder incentives?

Price reductions, closing-cost credits, options credits or below-market mortgage rates a builder offers to move a specific home or plan by a deadline. On 26 September 2026 Pulte advertised up to $89,000 of savings on select Verdana Village move-in-ready homes through 28 September. Lennar reported company-wide incentives of about 12 percent in its third quarter.

Can you negotiate with new home builders in Estero?

Yes, though rarely on the base price of a build-to-order home. The levers are options, lot premium, closing credits, the rate package, the closing date, the lot's CDD paydown and, on a finished quick move-in home, the price itself. Recorded sales of the same plan are the strongest argument.

Is a temporary rate buydown better than a price cut?

Not usually over the long run. Fannie Mae says the note rate and monthly payment "is never actually reduced" in a temporary buydown; the subsidy ends. A price cut lowers the loan and, over time, the assessed value. Compare both on the same dollars over the years you expect to own the home.

What warranty does a new home come with in Florida?

Whatever the builder writes. Pulte lists a "10 Year Warranty" at Verdana Village. Florida has limited implied warranties for off-site improvements since 2012, and the construction-defect statute of repose is 7 years from the certificate of occupancy. Read the warranty document before you sign.

How long is the statute of repose for new construction in Florida?

Seven years. Section 95.11 requires a construction-defect action to be commenced within 7 years after the certificate of occupancy, temporary certificate of occupancy or certificate of completion, whichever is earliest. It was 10 years until the 2023 change, and a chapter 558 notice does not pause it.

What is the chapter 558 notice and cure process?

Before suing a builder over a construction defect, you serve written notice at least 60 days before filing; the builder may inspect within 30 days and must respond within 45 days. The builder's contract must tell you the process applies, in capital letters.

Should I get a pre-drywall inspection on a new home?

Yes, if the contract allows it. A licensed home inspector before drywall can see framing, fastening, plumbing and wiring that disappear behind walls a few days later. Put inspection access, with notice periods, into the contract before you sign.

How long does it take to build a house in Estero?

A build-to-order home typically takes months from contract to closing, and none of the builder pages we read published a build time. Quick move-in homes close in weeks; Pulte's Verdana Village quick move-ins showed dates from "Available Now" to October 2026. Kingston's buyers are joining at the pre-sale stage.

What is a quick move-in home?

A home the builder has already started or finished on a lot and options it chose, available to close sooner than a build-to-order home. The largest Estero incentives on 26 September 2026 were on quick move-in homes, because the builder carries the cost of each finished home until it closes.

What is a lot premium?

An extra charge for a lake, preserve, corner or oversized homesite. None of the Estero builders publishes its premium amounts, so compare the premium against recorded sales of the same plan on comparable lots in the same community.

Are new homes in Estero in a flood zone?

Many are not. Our Verdana Village guide records Zone X across the community, and every new home in a flood zone must be built a foot above base flood elevation. Citizens now requires flood coverage on all its policies from 1 January 2027, so plan for a flood policy regardless.

Is new construction cheaper to insure than an older Estero home?

Usually. Citizens gives its building-code discount to homes built on or after 1 January 2002 and a further credit from 2012, and a new home's mitigation features are easy to document with the uniform mitigation verification form. About 32 percent of Estero-address homes on the roll predate 2002.

Is new construction or resale better in Estero?

It depends on location and cost of ownership. Recorded medians are close: builder-direct single-family $604,500 against resale single-family $595,000 over twelve months, and builder-direct single-family recorded $270 a square foot against $298 for resale over 36 months. New means a CDD and a Corkscrew Road address; resale means the Village and an older home.

What does the first property tax bill on a new home look like?

Often a land-only bill, because Florida places no value on a building not substantially complete on 1 January. The next year's bill is on the finished home. At 13.2005 mills, a $600,000 just value is about $7,920 before exemptions, plus the CDD line.

When should I file for homestead on a new Estero home?

By 1 March of the year after you own and occupy the home on 1 January. A buyer who closes and moves in during 2026 files by 1 March 2027. If you are leaving a Florida homestead, file for portability at the same time, within three years of 1 January of the year you left.

Can I void a builder contract if I did not get the HOA disclosure?

Yes. Under section 720.401, if the disclosure summary was not provided before you signed, you may void the contract by written notice within 3 days after receiving it or before closing, whichever comes first, and that right cannot be waived.

When do homeowners take control of a new community's HOA?

Under section 720.307, owners other than the developer elect a board majority three months after 90 percent of the parcels in all phases have been conveyed to them, or earlier if the governing documents say so. At a 2,400-home community such as Verdana Village that takes years.

Is the Village of Estero approving new home communities?

Not in 2026 so far. The Village's Planning, Zoning and Design Board agendas this year carried apartment proposals of 362 and up to 370 units, a continuing-care facility, a veterans clinic and commercial changes, and the Council rezoned a single lot for one home. New for-sale subdivisions with an Estero address are coming from unincorporated Corkscrew Road.

Is RiverCreek still selling new homes?

No. GL Homes' RiverCreek recorded its last builder-direct sales in 2026, 541 in all since July 2023 against 554 homes, and GL's RiverCreek web page no longer resolves. RiverCreek is now a resale community inside the Village, with the Corkscrew Crossing CDD on the tax bill.

Downloadable Documents

Every document below is hosted by the organization that issued it. We link to the source rather than re-host it, so you always read the current version.

Sources and Authoritative References

Every source below was read on the date shown. Builder and developer sites are cited only for their own communities and policies.

Builders and developers

• Lennar, Verdana Village, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lennar, Kingston, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lennar, broker and real estate agent policy, 31 May 2024, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lennar, frequently asked questions, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lennar third-quarter 2026 results, 16 Sep 2026, read 26 Sep 2026
• Cameratta Companies, Lennar and Pulte Homes announce Verdana Village, 24 May 2021, read 26 Sep 2026
• Pulte Homes, Verdana Village, read 26 Sep 2026
• Pulte Homes, Kingston, read 26 Sep 2026
• Pulte Homes, Corkscrew Estates (no longer shows the community), checked 26 Sep 2026
• Neal Communities, Kingston South, read 26 Sep 2026
• Taylor Morrison, Esplanade at Kingston, read 26 Sep 2026
• GL Homes, RiverCreek (returns the not-found page), checked 26 Sep 2026
• Verdana Village community association site, checked 26 Sep 2026

Special districts

• V-Dana Community Development District, read 26 Sep 2026
• V-Dana CDD documents library, read 26 Sep 2026
• V-Dana CDD FY2027 final budget, read 26 Sep 2026
• V-Dana CDD FY2026 final budget, read 26 Sep 2026
• V-Dana CDD FY2025 audited financial report, read 26 Sep 2026
• Kingston One CDD FY2025 annual financial report, Florida Auditor General, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County special districts, read 26 Sep 2026

Federal government

• Census Building Permits Survey, South Region places, 2025, read 26 Sep 2026
• Census Building Permits Survey, South Region places, 2024, read 26 Sep 2026
• Census Building Permits Survey, South Region places, 2023, read 26 Sep 2026
• Census Building Permits Survey, South Region places, 2022, read 26 Sep 2026
• Census Building Permits Survey, South Region places, year to date August 2026, read 26 Sep 2026
• Census Building Permits Survey, counties, 2025, read 26 Sep 2026
• Census Building Permits Survey, counties, year to date August 2026, read 26 Sep 2026
• Census Building Permits Survey, counties, year to date August 2025, read 26 Sep 2026
• Census Building Permits Survey overview, read 26 Sep 2026
• FEMA NFIP Community Status Book, Florida, read 26 Sep 2026
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center, read 26 Sep 2026
• FEMA, understanding Risk Rating 2.0 fact sheet, read 26 Sep 2026
• 12 U.S.C. 2607, RESPA Section 8, read 26 Sep 2026
• 12 CFR 1024.15, affiliated business arrangements, eCFR, read 26 Sep 2026
• 12 CFR 1024.2, definition of required use, eCFR, read 26 Sep 2026
• CFPB, Regulation X section 1024.15, read 26 Sep 2026
• Fannie Mae, overview of temporary buydowns, read 26 Sep 2026

State of Florida

• Section 501.1375, Florida Statutes, deposit escrow, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 718.202, Florida Statutes, condominium deposits, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 718.503, Florida Statutes, condominium disclosure and 15-day right to void, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 190.048, Florida Statutes, CDD disclosure, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 720.307, Florida Statutes, HOA turnover, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 720.401, Florida Statutes, HOA disclosure summary, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 689.261, Florida Statutes, property tax disclosure, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 192.042, Florida Statutes, date of assessment, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 193.155, Florida Statutes, Save Our Homes and portability, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 196.011, Florida Statutes, exemption applications, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 196.031, Florida Statutes, homestead exemption, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 558.004, Florida Statutes, notice and opportunity to repair, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 558.005, Florida Statutes, contract notice, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 553.835, Florida Statutes, off-site implied warranty, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 95.11, Florida Statutes, limitations and repose, read 26 Sep 2026
• CS/SB 360 (2023), Florida Senate, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 475.278, Florida Statutes, brokerage relationships, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 475.011, Florida Statutes, exemptions, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 627.711, Florida Statutes, mitigation discounts and the uniform inspection form, read 26 Sep 2026
• Section 627.351, Florida Statutes, Citizens flood coverage requirement, read 26 Sep 2026
• Florida DBPR, home inspector FAQs, read 26 Sep 2026
• Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, discounts, read 26 Sep 2026
• Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, flood insurance coverage requirement, read 26 Sep 2026

Lee County and the Village of Estero

• Lee County Property Appraiser parcel and sales data file, downloaded 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County parcels map service, taxing district field, queried 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County Property Appraiser, 2025 Taxing District Millage Book, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County Property Appraiser, exemptions, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County Property Appraiser, Save Our Homes, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County Property Appraiser, portability, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County Tax Collector, property taxes, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County, impact fee schedule, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County and Village of Estero impact fee interlocal agreement, 1 Sep 2015, read 26 Sep 2026
• Village of Estero Land Development Code, chapter 8, impact fees, read 26 Sep 2026
• Village of Estero, notice of impact fee revisions, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County, floodplain management, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County, the 50 percent rule and freeboard, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County, elevation certificate search, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County, 2026 and 2027 flood map revisions, read 12 Sep 2026
• Lee County Community Development reports, read 26 Sep 2026
• Village of Estero, disaster and flood FAQ, read 26 Sep 2026
• Village of Estero, flood information brochure, 13 Apr 2021, read 26 Sep 2026
• Village of Estero, Planning, Zoning and Design Board, 10 Mar 2026, read 26 Sep 2026
• Village of Estero, Planning, Zoning and Design Board, 19 May 2026, read 26 Sep 2026
• Village of Estero, Planning, Zoning and Design Board agenda, 15 Sep 2026, read 26 Sep 2026
• Village of Estero, Council meeting, 21 Jan 2026, read 26 Sep 2026
• Village of Estero, Planning, Zoning and Design Board news archive, read 26 Sep 2026
• Lee County Utilities, read 26 Sep 2026
• School District of Lee County, school zones, read 26 Sep 2026

News, research and industry

• Lehigh Acres Citizen, model homes opening at Kingston in Estero, 1 Sep 2026, read 26 Sep 2026
• National Association of REALTORS, the facts about the settlement, read 26 Sep 2026

Our own published work

• Our Estero area guide
• Our Lee County guide
• The best real estate agents in Estero, compared
• Buying a home in Estero, our buyer's guide
• Estero HOA and CDD fees, FY2027
• Our Verdana Village guide
• Our RiverCreek guide
• Our Kingston guide

McGreevy and Comisar, Southwest Florida

By Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar. For this page we tracked 2,010 qualified recorded home sales with an Estero address from the Lee County Property Appraiser's sales file, split every builder-direct sale by taxing district, and read each builder's own community pages, the district budgets and audits, the county and Village fee schedules and the 2026 Florida Statutes, so the figures here come from public records and the builders' own documents rather than estimates from a welcome center. Updated September 2026.

McGreevy and Comisar is the flagship brand of Domain Realty Group, the #1 real estate team in Southwest Florida since 2012, with $2.5 Billion in cumulative production and more than 4,000 transactions across Lee, Collier and Charlotte County. Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar have personally sold over $900 million in Southwest Florida real estate, hold the Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008 distinction, and have been recognized with the Gulfshore Life Five Star award for 21 consecutive years. Jesse co-founded the brokerage in 2015 and has been selling in this market since October 2004.

If you're searching for the best realtor for new construction in Estero, Florida, McGreevy and Comisar represents new-home buyers at builder sales centers across Southwest Florida, from Babcock Ranch and Punta Gorda to Estero, Bonita Springs, Naples and Fort Myers. Bring us before your first model-home visit, and we read the builder's contract, the district budget and the warranty book with you, register with the builder so our side is paid by the builder where its policy allows, and negotiate the options, the incentives and the closing date as hard as a resale.

Jesse McGreevy direct: (239) 898-6072. Marc Comisar direct: (239) 287-5873. Email: [email protected]. Office: 24031 S Tamiami Trl #101, Bonita Springs, FL 34134.

More on the team at about McGreevy and Comisar, or reach us through our contact page for Southwest Florida buyers and sellers. McGreevy and Comisar lead Domain Realty Group, a full-service Southwest Florida real estate team. The area guide for this page is our Estero area guide, and the county hub is our Lee County guide.

Send us the new communities on your list and we will send back each builder's current registration rule, the district's adopted budget, the parcel's taxing district and the recorded sales of the plans you like, with the source document behind every figure. Call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072 before your first builder visit. You are working with Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008, and there is no obligation.

Updated September 2026. This page is general information about buying a new-construction home in and around Estero, Florida. It is not legal, tax or insurance advice, and it is not an offer of representation. Builder prices and incentives change weekly, statutory figures change annually and market figures change monthly. Jesse McGreevy, SL3101296, and Marc Comisar, BK3060671, are licensed by the Florida Real Estate Commission under Chapter 475, Florida Statutes. Market data from Southwest Florida MLS, pulled 2026-09-11, and from Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales, DOR-qualified, index built 2026-09-26. McGreevy and Comisar, 24031 S Tamiami Trl #101, Bonita Springs, FL 34134, (239) 898-6072. Brokered by Domain Realty.