New Construction Homes on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
New subdivisions are going up from Diamondhead to Gautier, and a brand-new home is a sound choice on the Coast: current wind code, new roof, new systems, lower insurance. But the friendly agent in the model home works for the builder. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Expect Realty works for you, at no added cost in most builder transactions, and that changes what you pay and what you get.
Talk to an agent before you visit a model homeSee new construction for saleThe builder's agent works for the builder. We work for you.
The agent in the model home
- Is employed by, or contracted to, the builder
- Is paid to sell that builder's homes at that builder's price
- Uses the builder's contract, written to protect the builder
- Recommends the builder's preferred lender and title company
- Has no duty to tell you what the last ten buyers in the neighborhood negotiated
Your Expect Realty buyer's agent
- Represents you and only you, in writing, from the first visit
- Knows what the builder actually accepted on recent closings in the MLS
- Reads the builder contract and explains what you are giving up before you sign
- Negotiates upgrades, closing costs, rate buydowns and the lot premium
- Schedules independent inspections the builder's agent will never suggest
One rule matters more than any other: register your agent on the first visit. Most builders will not let an agent represent you if your name is already in their system from an earlier walk-in or online sign-up. Call us before you tour, or bring us with you.
Builders rarely move on price. They move on everything else.
A national builder protects its list price because every sale sets the comps for the next phase. What they will do, if someone asks, is pay for things that cost them less than a price cut would. We know which builders are offering what this month because we see their incentives in the MLS and at our closings.
How our fee works is explained in writing before you tour a home. Most builders on the Coast pay the buyer's agent fee directly, so in most new-construction purchases our representation costs you nothing out of pocket; where a builder does not, we tell you before you visit.
Closing costs
Builders commonly pay several thousand dollars toward closing costs when you use their lender. We make sure the lender's rate and fees are competitive so that credit is a real saving.
Rate buydowns
A builder-paid buydown can lower your payment for the first years of the loan or for the life of it. We compare it against the same money applied to the price or to upgrades.
Upgrades, lot premiums and appliances
Flooring, countertops, a covered patio, a fence, the blinds, the fridge, the premium for the corner or pond lot. Each one is negotiable, especially on spec homes and at the end of a quarter.
Yes, a new home needs inspections. Three of them.
A county inspector checks for code minimums in a few minutes. A licensed home inspector working for you checks whether the house was built right. On a new build we schedule three visits, and the cost is small next to what they find.
1. Pre-drywall
After framing, plumbing, electrical and HVAC rough-in, before the walls are closed. This is the only chance to see the structure, the flashing, the duct runs and the hurricane straps.
2. Final, before closing
A full inspection of the finished home plus the builder's own walk-through. Everything found goes on the punch list and we hold the builder to finishing it, or we negotiate an escrow for what is left.
3. Eleven-month warranty
Most builder warranties cover workmanship for one year. An inspection in month eleven catches settling cracks, roof and window leaks and HVAC issues while the builder still has to fix them.
We also order a termite inspection and confirm the termite treatment and bond, which is required on new construction in Mississippi, and a wind-mitigation report so your insurance reflects the new code the house was built to.
The lot matters as much as the floor plan
On the Coast a builder's plat can put the same floor plan in Zone X on one street and Zone AE two streets over, with a very different insurance bill. Before you reserve a lot we check:
- Flood zone and base flood elevation. We pull the FEMA map for the specific lot and ask the builder for the elevation certificate on the finished slab.
- Drainage and the retention pond. Where the water goes in a Gulf Coast rain, and whether your lot sits downhill of it.
- Future phases. What is planned behind the lot: more houses, a commercial outparcel, a road connection.
- HOA covenants and dues. What you can park, fence, build and rent, and what it costs each year.
- Wind coverage and roof. New construction built to current code usually prices well with insurers. We get the quote during your contract period, not after.
Builder contracts are not standard contracts
The Mississippi Association of Realtors contract protects both sides. A builder's contract is written by the builder's attorney. Expect to see earnest money that is not refundable once you pick upgrades, closing dates the builder can move, substitution clauses for materials, and arbitration instead of court. None of that is a reason not to buy. It is a reason to have someone on your side read it first.
Spec home or build-to-order?
A spec home is finished or close to it, closes in 30 to 45 days and is where builders negotiate hardest. A build-to-order home lets you choose the lot, plan and finishes and takes six to nine months on the Coast. We help you decide which fits your timeline and your lease.
Where new construction is happening on the Coast
Harrison County
The most new-home activity on the Coast: Woolmarket and north Biloxi, D'Iberville along Lamey Bridge Road, north Gulfport and Orange Grove, Lyman and Saucier, and elevated new builds in Long Beach and Pass Christian. Biloxi, D'Iberville, Gulfport, Long Beach, Pass Christian.
Jackson County
Subdivisions filling in around Ocean Springs and St. Martin, along Highway 57 in Vancleave, in Gautier near Shell Landing and in north Pascagoula and Moss Point, much of it minutes from Ingalls and Chevron. Ocean Springs, St. Martin, Vancleave, Gautier.
Hancock County
Diamondhead's golf and bayou lots, new elevated construction in Waveland and Bay St. Louis, and acreage builds in the Kiln, a short drive from Stennis Space Center. Diamondhead, Waveland, Bay St. Louis.
We work with the national builders, the regional builders and the local custom builders across all three counties. Tell us the town and the budget and we will tell you who is building there right now and what they are offering.
The builders we work with most on the Coast
Four production builders account for most of the new subdivisions between Pass Christian and Vancleave. We have closed homes with each of them, we know their contracts and their incentive patterns, and we can tell you which phase is open, which lots are left and what the last few buyers negotiated. Communities open and sell out through the year, so treat this as a map, not a menu, and call us for what is selling today.
D.R. Horton
The largest builder on the Coast, with communities in nearly every town. Biloxi: The Reserve at Carr Bridge, Mallard Creek, Lost Garden Villas. Gulfport: Swan Landing, River Hills, Autumn Lake, Sycamore Grove, Summerfield Estates, Highland Lake Townhomes. Ocean Springs: Palm Pointe, Harper Grove Townhomes. Pass Christian: Trinity Park, Magnolia Walk. Saucier: The Village at Spring Hill, Success Road. Vancleave: Ramsay Farms, Crane Landing.
DSLD Homes
Louisiana-based builder that has expanded quickly along Highway 90 and north of I-10. Gulfport: Oak Landing, Swan Ridge, Gulf Grove, Stockridge. Long Beach: Bear Point and the newly opened Magnolia Run. Biloxi: Dogwood. Ocean Springs: Admiral Landing. Pass Christian: South Oaks.
Meritage Homes
Energy-efficient construction, concentrated in Ocean Springs and Gulfport. Ocean Springs: Savannah Estates, Madison Place, The Greens at Gulf Hills, The Enclave at Palmetto Pointe. Gulfport: Hidden Trails, Landon Meadows, River Estates, Westbury Estates. Biloxi: The Preserve.
Adams Homes
Regional builder known for included features and straightforward floor plans. Gulfport: Hatten Manor. Vancleave: Osprey Landing. Earlier Adams communities in Gulfport and Biloxi, such as Swan Lake Estates and Emerald Lake Estates, are sold out but come up on the resale market.
Local and custom builders, including Elliott Homes in Florence Gardens and Landon Green, build across the same areas and often in the communities above. Builder and community names are listed for reference only; Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Expect Realty is not affiliated with any builder and represents buyers in every community on the Coast.
Buying new construction with us, step by step
Call us before the model home
Ten minutes on the phone and we are registered as your agent with the builder. Visit a model first and most builders will refuse to let anyone represent you.
Get pre-approved, with the builder's lender and one other
Builder incentives are often tied to their lender. A second quote tells you whether the incentive is a real saving or a rate markup in disguise.
Tour the communities and the lots
We walk the models with you, pull what each builder has closed at recently, and check the flood map and the plat for the lots you like.
Negotiate the package, then review the contract
Incentives, closing costs, upgrades, lot premium and timeline, in writing. Then we go through the builder's contract line by line before you sign.
Inspect at pre-drywall and before closing
We schedule the independent inspections, attend the builder walk-throughs and manage the punch list.
Close, move in, and see you in month eleven
We confirm the warranty paperwork at closing and remind you when it is time for the eleven-month inspection.
New construction homes for sale on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Live from the MLS: new and under-construction homes across Harrison, Jackson and Hancock counties. Save a search and we will send you new ones the day they list.
Listed by Expect Realty
Listed by Ellis Realty
Listed by Meritage Homes of Mississippi, Inc.
Listed by Meritage Homes of Mississippi, Inc.
Listed by Meritage Homes of Mississippi, Inc.
Listed by Meritage Homes of Mississippi, Inc.
New construction for sale
New and under-construction homes across Harrison, Jackson and Hancock counties, updated from the MLS.
Guides for new-construction buyers
New construction questions, answered
Do I need my own agent to buy new construction?
You are not required to have one, but the agent in the model home represents the builder, not you. Your own agent reads the builder's contract, knows what the builder has accepted on recent sales, negotiates incentives and schedules independent inspections. In most Gulf Coast builder transactions the builder pays the buyer's agent fee, so representation costs you nothing out of pocket.
Does using an agent raise the price of a new home?
No. Builders budget for buyer's agents in their pricing and in most cases pay the fee directly. A buyer who walks in without an agent does not get a discount; the builder keeps the difference.
When do I need to tell the builder I have an agent?
On your very first contact, whether that is a model-home visit, a phone call or an online form. Most builders will not allow an agent to be added afterward. Call us first and we will register with the builder for you.
Will the builder negotiate on price?
Rarely on list price, because each sale sets the comps for the next phase. Builders negotiate on closing costs, rate buydowns, upgrades, appliances, lot premiums and timing instead, and they negotiate hardest on spec homes and near the end of a quarter.
Do I need a home inspection on a brand-new house?
Yes. We recommend three: at pre-drywall, before closing and at month eleven of the one-year builder warranty. A county code inspection is not the same as a licensed inspector working for you.
Do I have to use the builder's lender?
No, but builder incentives are often tied to their lender. We suggest getting the builder lender's quote and one independent quote so you can see whether the incentive is a real saving.
Are new homes on the Gulf Coast in flood zones?
Some are. A single subdivision can have lots in Zone X and lots in Zone AE. We check the FEMA map and ask for the elevation certificate before you reserve a lot, because the zone changes your insurance cost and whether flood coverage is required.
How long does new construction take on the Coast?
A spec home that is finished or nearly finished closes in 30 to 45 days. A build-to-order home typically takes six to nine months from contract to keys, depending on the builder and the weather.
Can I use a VA, FHA or USDA loan on new construction?
Yes. Builders on the Coast close VA, FHA and USDA loans regularly, and many offer incentives with those programs. See our military and VA page and our first-time buyer page.
Planning to visit a model home this weekend?
Call first. One call registers us as your agent, and from then on the builder's incentives, contract and inspections get negotiated by someone who works for you.
Talk to an agentCall (228) 215-1861