Introducing Heron Glen by KB Home: New, Affordable Living Near the Skyway

In this episode of Jim Sells the Suncoast, Jim chats with Eric Ondry and Scott Leventhal of KB Home about the brand-new Heron Glen community in Parrish, Florida. Learn why this boutique development—offering no CDD fees, easy highway access, and fully customizable floor plans—could be the perfect fit for first-time buyers, downsizers, and everyone in between.

Key Highlights

1. Prime Location & Boutique Feel
   • Minutes to Major Roads: Quick access to 41, 275, I-75, and only ~15 minutes to downtown St. Pete via the Skyway.
   • Tucked Away Setting: Quiet, low-traffic streets and only 119 total home sites.
2. Single-Family Floor Plans
   • 7 Options (30' Series): Ranging from ~1,346 sq. ft. to 2,544+ sq. ft., priced from the low $300Ks to under $400K.
   • Personalization: Choose structural upgrades (like extended lanais) and finishes at KB’s design center, rather than settling for basic “inventory” models.
3. No CDD & Low HOA
   • Cost Savings: No community development district fees—rare among new Florida neighborhoods.
   • HOA Dues: $300/quarter covers common-area landscaping, fencing, and more.
4. Warranty & Builder Support
   • 1-2-10 Warranty: Full coverage for one year (workmanship), two years (systems), and ten years (structural).
   • In-House Lender & Insurance: KBHS streamlines financing, and affiliated insurance brokers ensure accurate quotes.
5. Ideal for Various Buyers
   • First-Time Homeowners: Competitive entry prices without sacrificing quality.
   • Upsizers & Downsizes: Multiple layouts, optional customization, plus easy commutes to Tampa, St. Pete, or Sarasota.
6. Development Timeline
   • ~Two-Year Build-Out: Early adopters benefit from introductory pricing and prime lot selection.
   • Move-In Ready or Customized: Choose existing inventory (4–5 month build) or design from scratch (~6–7 months total).

What’s Next?

Looking to plant roots near the Skyway without the usual CDD fees? Reach out to Jim at jim.ahearn@gmail.com or visit Jim Sells the Suncoast for more on Heron Glen by KB Home and other emerging neighborhoods in Parrish. Now’s the time to snag your spot while prices and lot availability are at their best.

A Personal Note from Jim:

Hey there, I’m Jim Ahearn, your go-to real estate guide and host of Jim Sells The Suncoast podcast! 🎙️✨ Dreaming of Florida life? I’ve got you covered! As your dedicated buyer's agent, I’ll handle everything from walk-throughs to closing, making your home-buying journey as smooth as a Florida breeze.

Whether you're local or tuning in from afar, I’ll bring the Suncoast to you with virtual tours and expert advice. Let’s chat about your dream home and I'll connect you with all the right people to make it happen.

Ready to move to paradise? Drop me a line – I can’t wait to help! 🌴🏡

Transcript

Jim: 0:51

Welcome to Jim sells the Suncoast today. I am happy to be joined by Andy and Scott Leventhal, both with KB over at Heron Glen. this is nothing new for these guys. They've been around the real estate for a little bit, 20 years for one and eight years for the other, both working in the new construction development site. So welcome gentlemen. Thanks for being on here. I appreciate you taking the time. Yeah. Thank you for having us. Absolutely. I ran into Eric as I was just out cruising the area and taking a look at the developments going up. We've got a couple going up in that parish area that is a hotbed of growth. And coming over here to Aaron Glenn, which is a new subdivision. You said just a couple of months really that since you've broken ground and just getting started there.

Eric: 1:39

Yes. Yeah. We just started selling about three weeks ago and then we had our grand opening just this past weekend. Oh nice. Food truck and everything. Marketing was out here. and yeah, so we were able to showcase the models and give them some empanadas from the empanada truck.

Jim: 1:57

Nice.

Eric: 1:58

It was a big turnout too.

Jim: 1:59

was good. That's good. At any time there's a food truck, it doesn't matter. Hey, we'll build houses around the food truck. We're good to go. Tell me and I'll be showing up. So obviously a new area in there. What do you think sets this development apart? Maybe from some of the others in the area. What's going on in this area?

Eric: 2:16

This is by far the closest new home community to Pinellas County and to downtown Bradenton. Yeah, so we were a quarter mile from 41 and also 275. As soon as you leave the community. You could easily get on to either 41 or 275 and then eventually, I 75. You could be over the Skyway Bridge in downtown St. Pete in about 15 17 minutes. Yeah, and I can attest to that. I used to live downtown St. Pete.

Jim: 2:51

Yeah, that's a perfect location. You've got, both communities to draw from here on the Suncoast, whether it's Sarasota, Bradenton, you've got St. Pete, and then you've got Tampa airport and Sarasota airport, probably what 30, 40 minutes either way to both airports. So yeah, a great location.

Eric: 3:10

Yeah, very good location and tucked away, even though we're that close to the interstate, we're actually, quite a bit tucked away and so it is nice and private and but yeah, very easy access to also moccasin wallow. So any of the heritage amenities in commercial. opportunities restaurants and publics and all that. That's right off moccasin wallow, which is probably only about a half mile from here.

Jim: 3:37

What variety of living options is everything just single family homes?

Eric: 3:41

Yes, it is.

Jim: 3:42

Okay. And then tell me a little bit about the floor plans. I know KB, it's nice that when you're talking about a floor plan, the name of the floor plan is the size of the home. So it's easy to remember.

Eric: 3:52

Yeah, that's right. we offer seven different floor plans here at Heron Glen. It's part of our 30 foot series. So we have three single story options and then four, two story options, the smallest starting at around 1, 346 square feet, and our largest is 2, 544 square feet.

Jim: 4:11

Okay. And what's the starting price range that we're running?

Eric: 4:15

Sure. So our smallest one right now is starting right at 305, 000 and our largest one is right at 390, 000, excuse me.

Jim: 4:24

Okay. That's a nice range. When you get in there too, and we look at the, the major topic of conversation seems to be affordability. That really fits that desire. So people coming in, we're really looking at first time home buyers, people who are interested in moving to the area. This is a great way for them to get their foot in the door.

Eric: 4:43

Oh Yeah. So like Scott said, 305 to 390. We do anticipate some price increases since we did already sell. for homes. eventually we do see pri we're trying to create right away with people. And also the pick of the litter on the lots, the home sites. So we are able to offer some waterfront sites as well as some cul-de-sac like pie shaped home sites. Right.

Jim: 5:11

Okay. How many home sites are there?

Eric: 5:15

There's one 19. There'll be a hundred. Okay. Yeah. So small, we call it a boutique community. There you go. I like it.

Jim: 5:26

It's tucked in there. you are hitting that affordability, so people come in, they can get that home, they can go in there, whether it's two years or five years or, maybe stay 30 years, but you have that ability to grow and move up through the housing life cycle.

Eric: 5:40

Yeah. And then we're also non flood zone. So high and dry no flood insurance required. So that's, obviously a positive too, because there are, some areas west of us would be, floods are like Anna Marie.

Jim: 5:52

While we're talking about the affordability and what goes in there with no, no flood insurance, but also as we were talking earlier, there's no C. D. Fees. So we might have an H. O. A. Which takes care of the community, but there's no C. D. Where you're looking at a long term. 30 year development additional costs associated.

Eric: 6:09

Yeah. No CDD is pretty rare. I would say 90 percent of the new home communities in the Tampa Bay area have a CDD. So that is pretty unique and yeah, very affordable. And yeah that's definitely a good selling point for this community.

Jim: 6:24

Okay. What's the total acreage and tell me a little bit about the green. the greenways that'll be incorporated, there's some water front lots.

Eric: 6:33

Yes. So we have four ponds one large one that there'll be about 15 home sites that will back up to it. We also have three cul de sac, so dead end streets where I was saying, some of those home sites are quite a bit larger than the standard, and quite a bit more private, low traveled street If they have kids go out and play, walk your dog, it's pretty low key compared to communities that have hundreds of homes and thousands,

Jim: 7:03

right? Yeah. Nobody's coming down that cul de sac unless they live there. So it's, the privacy is there, right? We talked a little bit about it, but what's the ideal buyer or resident for this community? Coming in and that nice price point in the threes. That's a great Welcome to people who are looking to buy their house. Maybe first time home buyers.

Eric: 7:27

Yeah. Scott opened the community a little bit before I did. So I think he could talk to that with at least what he's seen so far. Yeah. So far I would say it's actually a really, it's a mixed group in the sense that the first several lots that I've sold to have been to. You're first time home buyer, but the other two were sold to basically neighbors in the area who were just looking to basically upsize their home.

7:53

Yeah.

Eric: 7:54

Up. And what's nice about us is that we offer that personalization side of things where they can come in. choose their options and change some things structurally. Whereas some of the other builders, they don't offer that. So even though on a tight budget, you can make some options that might make it a little bit more unique than, just your standard cookie cutter apps.

Jim: 8:17

Yeah. You know what I, and that was I know talking with James and with Jim over at the other KB locations that kind of caught me by surprise. You hear a lot of, all right, we have some inventory homes. Everybody's got inventory homes. It's great. You want to move in, we can take care of you. And then a lot of places will do what I called, personalization versus customization, meaning you could come in and you could paint a wall or something like that, but there wasn't a lot of options. For you to make that home truly yours, that is not the case. You have a design center, you have some things set up so you can really, put your stamp on your house.

Eric: 8:49

Oh, for sure. Yeah. That goes down to exterior colors. That would also you could put stone, architecture on the front of the home. There's probably 18 different floor options and countertop options and all that. Yeah, a true personalization for sure with us.

Jim: 9:10

What kind of time frame do you think it'll take to fill out the community? We looking two years, three years?

Eric: 9:18

I would say this is probably two solid years. For 119 home sites, that would be my prediction would be, yeah, right about the two year mark. So yeah, 2027, we should be completely sold out and finished.

Jim: 9:34

Okay. And then do you have inventory homes now or do you see what's your projection for how many are going to be inventory, how many are going to be personal and what's your build time now on, on the custom home?

Eric: 9:48

The inventory, we have four or actually five, I'm sorry. We have five pre planned. Those will be done sooner. They're just getting ready to start construction. So those are probably going to be four to five process. And because we're new, we don't have any Inventory as of right now, but as far as personalization, it's going to be about a six to seven month process. Total a month or two of getting permits and design studio, and then building the home is between four and five months from when we break ground to

Jim: 10:26

Yeah, that's a nice improvement over the last couple of years where it's been upwards, maybe nine or 10 months.

10:31

yeah.

Jim: 10:33

So how does KB support the homeowners after the sales? What are the warranties, ongoing maintenance? how are they helping that homeowner continue on?

Eric: 10:43

We have a 10 year structural warranty. And then we have two years of all the systems like the plumbing, the electrical, all that's covered for two full years after the close date. And then one year like a bumper to bumper. So that would be any defects, any workmanship related that whole first year, we come out and an example would be maybe, let's just say like a cracked tile or something, Caulk, Toilet, to secure that, all those things would be covered for the first full year.

Jim: 11:14

Okay. Maintenance on the outside though, is going to be up to the homeowner, lawn care that kind of stuff.

Eric: 11:21

Yes. Yeah. They would now we do have the sprinkler system would be on reclaimed water through Manatee County. Okay. So that definitely will cut down on their water bill. the Manatee County has a facility where the water is just below drinking water standard. So it's not the type of water that's gonna make your white fence orange. But it's a nice perk, but no, the HOA does not include lawn care though. The homeowners would need to do that on their own.

Jim: 11:54

They'll take care of HOA. We'll take care of common areas and common upkeep. And what's the HOA? How much is the HOA?

Eric: 12:02

The HOA is only 300 a quarter, and, okay. Yeah, that would be thousands of feet of fence, the whole community's fenced in the whole, perimeter of it nice entrance, like a grand entrance really nice landscaping and things like that and HOA management reserves, all those kinds of things are taken into account with that.

Jim: 12:26

Are there any preferred partners that you have vertically integrated, whether we're looking at Insurance title or mortgage that helps with a buyer coming in.

Eric: 12:37

Yeah. Mortgage, we have in house. So it's KBHS home loan by KB obviously. And then we have our own affiliated insurance company. They broker it out to where they know our plans inside and out with the information. So they're able to give it a very accurate quote right away. and then our title company's first american title. So they've been doing all of our closings in the Tampa Bay area for the last several years. Real good partnership within the company.

Jim: 13:08

It's nice if somebody really, doesn't want to make the home buying, like shopping for a car, come in, we can take care of it, find what you want everything's right there. So we're taking care of that customer from the beginning to the end until they get their keys.

Eric: 13:22

Exactly. Yeah.

Jim: 13:25

So are there any specific guidelines or restrictions such as pet policies or rental? Restrictions.

Eric: 13:34

Yeah, so no short term rentals as far as your rental restrictions. Minimum of a year term. You can rent the home, but obviously no short term like Airbnb.

Jim: 13:42

And that's becoming pretty common along this coast that most people are doing, minimum of one year. So you could have two rentals in a year if it ended midway through and you sign again, but it's a minimum of a year lease kind of thing.

Eric: 13:53

I'm just really trying to keep the community as far as everyone on the same level playing field

13:59

is

Eric: 14:00

interested in the home itself. Yeah. One good thing too, Jim, is that we do allow investors, but they can only buy one home total. So it's not like they're coming here. Asking for, four homes, we do restrict the amount that one investment group or one investor can purchase. that helps with the community rather than just driving through seeing a bunch of for rent signs. That's right. I see a few here and there, but nothing. Yeah, we do restrict that.

Jim: 14:31

Good. Can you share any testimonials or any stories from, the people who have bought there in that four or five that are just starting off? What are they saying? Or what's been their experience?

Eric: 14:45

We're still quite early on. Most of them have just recently been getting scheduled into the design studio. I don't think even the first one has gone in just yet, but I will say that the first buyers in this community, they happen to live right next door. And we've seen a whole litany group of their whole neighborhood coming through here. So they've obviously liked the experience they've had so far, because there's certainly sharing that experience with their neighbors and we're. We're now meeting all of them secondhand

Jim: 15:15

which is nice. That's really cool that, hey, here's your opportunity to pick your neighbors. Come on in. Let's let's live with people we like.

Eric: 15:22

Yeah, we've seen two different neighborhoods actually. There was one that's like a newer home community that I guess is primarily rentals. So we've seen a few of those. And then like to Scott's point, one of the first ones he sold was a community nearby. it's like a 55 plus community where yeah, they've definitely referred people because we were very busy over the weekend with a lot of their neighbors.

Jim: 15:48

Oh, that's awesome.

Eric: 15:49

I love it coming in.

Jim: 15:52

So first off, Eric and Scott, thanks for coming on with me. What else would you like to tell people about the Heron Glen? Get him down here. Come check it out. 119 homes just breaking ground. We've got probably a two, maybe two and a half year window.

Eric: 16:12

Yeah, that's the big thing. Like I had mentioned before would be this introductory pricing here that could end any day. Could jump up 10 grand tomorrow for all I know. So we definitely drive that point home. And a lot of people have, sped up their process because of that and we do right now we're giving away. We're doing flex cash depending on the home. Some of the smaller homes don't get as much of an incentive, but anywhere from 19, 000 27, 000 flex cash. If they go with our lender, then that cash is basically anything they want to do with buying down the interest rate or, closing costs, title fees, a combination of the two. So we do have really bad consent of going on as well.

Jim: 16:56

Fantastic. Gentlemen, I want to thank you guys for coming on with me. I appreciate the time. All right.

Eric: 17:06

Jim. Yeah. Come visit any time. we'll be happy to take care of your buyers.

Jim: 17:10

Yeah, just let me know when that food truck will be there. I'll be there.

Eric: 17:14

All right.

Jim: 17:14

All right. We will.

Eric: 17:15

will.