Across West Michigan, new home construction remains strong despite rising material and labor costs. One of the biggest reasons is that the financial gap between buying a brand-new home and purchasing an older house is often much smaller than buyers realize.

In an interview with Greenville Daily News, Sable Homes President John Bitely explained the shrinking gap between new and existing homes in West Michigan is being driven by standardized floor plans, bulk purchasing and large-scale production that helps keep costs in check.

“Sable Homes has always had a passion for starter homes or more reasonably priced homes for people that can’t afford a McMansion,” Bitely told the Greenville Daily News. “Our teachers, our local police officers, they make a good living but they don’t make a ton of money to afford these great big fancy homes. Our competition really is existing homes, as far as price goes. If we can compete within $10,000 to $20,000 in buying a new home versus a 20-year-old home, it should be a no-brainer. Why would you want a used roof, a used furnace, a used water heater and a dusty old crawl space when you can have a brand-new home for $300,000 or less?”

Sable Homes has multiple local housing developments, including around 30 new homes at Viking Hollow in Reynolds Township, plans for around 40 new homes at Daggett Flats in Pierson Township just outside of Sand Lake by U.S. 131, and plans for around 17 new homes in Knightstead Estates on Crook Street in Belding.

Viking Hollow is a single-family home development at Dewey Road and Amy School Road just outside of Howard City. The 30 home sites are wooded and will have a minimum lot size of 1.25 acres with homes starting at approximately $300,000.

“Part of the reason Tri County schools chose our bid when they put the property up for sale was because we were offering to build as many homes as we would be allowed to and our track record of getting them built as quickly as possible,” Bitely said. “There aren’t enough houses to support the school systems, so it’s very important that we add houses to make sure that we support our schools.

“The challenge for us is finding property to build on that is reasonably priced,” Bitely added. “There are townships and municipalities that are supportive of housing and try to create a balance of housing within their zoning, but we also have some townships that just don’t want housing and they do everything they can to stop it. They change their zoning to make it impractical or only the elite can afford it.”

While the economics of home construction have changed dramatically over the past decade, the demand for new homes remains strong. Local buyers are embracing simpler designs and alternative building styles, like Sable Homes’ Mayapple model.

Read the full Greenville Daily News story, here.

Sable Homes has a variety of new homes available in West Michigan. Give us a call and we’ll connect you with one of our new home consultants for a private tour: (616) 866-3913.