Charlotte Observer Applauds Brandon Oaks Builder and Developer Team

Early last week the Charlotte based newspaper, The Charlotte Observer, made Brandon Oaks the focus of their latest story on the ever changing world of real estate. Brandon Oaks welcomes a new builder to the team which leads to more opportunities to own a home in this established Union County neighborhood.

Charlotte Observer

Published June 20, 2009 by Allen Norwood

It's a buyer's real estate market among the pros, just as it is for individuals.

There are all sorts of complicated ways to measure a buyer's market, but you know what the term means: The buyer is in the driver's seat. He can be picky; he can be demanding. He can wait for just the right deal at just the right price.

Builders are the buyers when they go shopping for neighborhoods. 

These days, they want affordable lots in successful neighborhoods that already are up and running – with all those expensive amenities in place. They don't want to have to invest in pools and playgrounds before selling that first house.  

When they look for neighborhoods to build in, they're in the driver's seat.

Toll Brothers just completed a model in Skybrook, the popular Huntersville neighborhood, and began selling there. Now, D.R. Horton has moved into Brandon Oaks in Union County and broken ground on a model.

Brandon Oaks opened in 1994. It currently has more than 1,200 homes, according to developer Brian Pace of Pace Development. At completion, there'll be 1,368 homes.

It has been successful from the beginning, and recently ranked first in permits and second in closings in its price range. The amenities are in place, including two swimming pools, walking trails and green spaces.  

Those attributes cut the initial costs for the builder, Pace said, and increase the odds for success.

D.R. Horton's Brad Brundage agreed, and added a couple of other reasons his company selected Brandon Oaks. The community's homeowner association has a healthy reserve fund, while builders typically have to subsidize associations in brand new neighborhoods. “Schools are a huge part of it, too,” he said.

D.R. Horton's model should be complete by the end of July.

The company plans to build homes with base prices from the $180,000s to the $230,000s. They'll range from 2,000 to 4,000 square feet.

Brundage, D.R. Horton's Charlotte division president, said the houses will be similar to homes the company sells in such neighborhoods as Berewick in southwest Mecklenburg and The Farm at River Pointe in Cabarrus. Architectural details will be tweaked so the homes will fit into the Union County neighborhood. “We have rolled out new elevations for Brandon Oaks,” he said.

The company plans 66 houses in the first phase, and will build a few speculative homes.

The builder hopes to complete some homes in time to allow first-time buyers to take advantage of this year's $8,000 tax credit, he said.

D.R. Horton will build in a village called Forest View. It's within walking distance of   Harris Teeter, McDonald's and Starbucks, Brundage said. The community's new sports club is adjacent to the village.

Brandon Oaks is off Monroe Road in Indian Trail, just a few miles inside Union County. D.R. Horton's sales office is at 1011 Mustang Drive, at the community entrance beside the Harris Teeter.

Other builders in Brandon Oaks over the years have included Ryan, Ryland, Shea, Pulte and Centex. Ryland is currently selling homes beginning just under $200,000, and  Shea is selling at prices from about $250,000 to $420,000.

Information: www.drhorton.com, www.brandonoaks.com.