Bunnell land and property blog
New construction near Bunnell, before you move in
New subdivisions have spread along the main roads around Bunnell, and many of their buyers come from far away: retirees from the north, families relocating from other states, investors. Often there are months between signing a contract and moving in. This guide covers how dated photos of the property help a buyer far away through construction, closing and the empty weeks before the move.
Growth around Bunnell
For most of its history, Bunnell grew slowly. In recent years, that has changed. As land in Palm Coast and on the coast has filled in, builders have turned to the open land around Bunnell, along State Road 100, US 1 and the roads between them. Whole new neighborhoods have appeared where there were fields and pine woods.
Many of the buyers in these neighborhoods do not live in Flagler County when they buy. They choose a lot and a plan online or on a short visit, sign a contract, and go home to wait while the house is built.
The main site's Bunnell and west Flagler photo guide describes where the new streets are and how they differ from the old ones.
While the house is being built
For a buyer far away, the months of construction can be anxious. Builders send updates, but they choose what to show and when. Many buyers want their own view of the lot from time to time: whether the slab is poured, whether the walls are up, whether the roof is on.
Photos from the public street in front of the lot show the house as it stands on each date, from the same spot each time, so progress is easy to follow from one set to the next. Nobody enters the site or the building, and nothing on the site is touched.
Photos record what can be seen from the street and never assess the work; questions about construction belong to the builder and, if the buyer chooses, an independent professional. The main site's guide to the street photo set explains how each frame is named.
After closing, before the move
Closing on a new house is not always the same week as moving in. Buyers from far away often close and then spend weeks or months selling their old home, finishing a job or arranging the move. During that time, the new house stands empty, with a fresh lawn, new plantings and nobody to look after them.
New sod and plants are especially vulnerable. Without water in a dry spring, sod can brown in days; in the summer rain, the yard grows quickly and weeds take hold in fresh beds. Construction debris left by other trades can blow around the street.
Photos from the street every couple of weeks during this gap show how the yard is holding up and whether anything has been left at the house. The main site's guide to lawns through a summer away describes how quickly a Florida yard changes.
A street still under construction
In a new subdivision, the house next door may still be going up after yours is finished. Trucks come and go, dumpsters fill, and dirt and debris travel. Mud can be tracked across a new driveway, a piece of lumber can end up on a new lawn, and a trailer can be parked across the front of the lot for a day or two.
None of this is unusual, and most of it clears as the street fills in. But an owner far away likes to know that the new house is not being used as a staging area by someone else's crew.
Photos from the street show the front of the house, the drive and the lawn as they stand on each date, framed on the owner's lot. The main site's questions and answers describe how photos are framed and delivered.
HOA rules in a new neighborhood
Most new subdivisions around Bunnell have a homeowners association, often still run by the builder in the early years. Associations have rules about lawns, trash cans, parking and the look of the front of each house, and they send letters when a house falls short, even if the owner has not moved in yet.
A letter about a brown lawn or a can left at the curb, arriving at an address in another state, is easier to answer with a recent dated photo. Regular photos also show problems early, before a letter is sent.
The main site's guide to HOA letters and code notices from afar explains how owners use dated photos when an association writes.
A new house in its first storm season
A new house built to current codes is generally sturdier in wind than older ones, but its first storm season still brings unknowns for an owner far away. New landscaping has shallow roots; young trees can lean or snap; new sod can wash out on a slope; and loose construction materials left on neighboring lots can be blown around.
When a storm is forecast to reach the county, a set of photos in the calm days before it shows the house and yard as the storm will find them. After the storm, once the roads are open, a matching set shows what changed.
For a new owner who has never seen the house through a storm, the pair is reassuring, and useful if anything needs attention. The main site's hurricane season guide covers the season as a whole.
Which views suit a new house
For most new houses near Bunnell, photos from the street do most of the work. New subdivisions have open fronts, young trees and short setbacks, so the street sees the whole front of the house: the roof line, the garage, the entrance, the windows, the drive, the lawn and the beds.
The back yard and the sides are hidden behind the house and, often, a new fence. A Full Property visit from the open grounds shows them, along with the AC unit and any pond or preserve behind the lot.
An aerial video is seldom needed for a new house on a standard lot, but it can be useful for a larger home site. The main site's guide to reading delivered photos shows how to compare one set with the next.
Getting ready for the move
A week or two before moving in, a set of photos shows the house just as the owner will find it: whether the lawn needs mowing, whether the beds need weeding, whether anything was left at the door or the curb, whether the street is clear for a moving truck.
With those photos, a new owner can line up a lawn service, a cleaner or a handyman before arriving, and walk into a house that is ready rather than one that needs a weekend of work.
After the move, the photos become part of the house's record from its first days. The main site's guide for owners who split the year covers what comes next for those who will still be away part of the time.
The first year in a new house
Builders around Bunnell usually stand behind a new house for its first year, and many buyers keep a list of small things to raise before that year ends: a gutter that drips at a corner, a section of sod that never took, a downspout that came loose. For an owner who has not yet moved in, noticing those things from far away is hard.
A set of dated photos from the street and the open grounds every couple of months during the first year shows how the outside of the house looks at each point. When the owner sits down to write the builder's list, the photos help them remember what they saw and when.
The photos record what can be seen and never judge the work; any question about how something was built belongs with the builder or an independent professional. The main site's questions and answers describe what each visit photographs.
Deliveries to a house nobody lives in yet
Buyers furnishing a new house from far away often order things to arrive before they do: patio furniture, a grill, outdoor lighting, even appliances. Builders and utility companies leave door tags and paperwork. Neighbors' packages are sometimes left at the wrong door on a new street where the numbers are still unfamiliar to drivers.
On a house nobody lives in, those boxes and papers sit on the porch or in the drive until someone comes. In the Bunnell summer, a carton left out for a week can be soaked by afternoon storms; at any time of year, a pile at the door tells passers by the house is empty.
Photos from the street show the front door and the drive on each date, so the owner can ask a neighbor, the builder's office or a friend to move what has arrived. The main site's guide to keeping an empty home looking cared for covers these small signs.
A plan from contract to move in
For a buyer far away, a simple plan covers the whole stretch from contract to moving day. Photos from the street every few weeks during construction, to follow the house as it rises. Photos from the street every couple of weeks after closing, while the new yard settles. A pair of sets around any storm. And a full set from the street and the open grounds a week or two before the move.
The regular photos can repeat on a schedule without reminders, and every set is dated and kept, so the house's whole history from the slab up is there to look back on.
To start photos of a new house near Bunnell, visit FlaglerPropertyWatch.com.