BOSS Deal of the Week — Clermont Region, Week 2: A Brand-New 2,560 Sq Ft Home for $400,000 (and the $80,000 Question Next Door)

by Troy Boss

Update, September 25: This home went under contract this week, days after the price cut. That is exactly how the best-value home in a 154-listing set behaves. The numbers and the questions below still apply to every new-construction home you look at, and next week's pick goes to the DEAL text list first. Text DEAL to 315-335-4622 to be on it.

The short version: I pulled every newer-construction home for sale in the Clermont area between $400,000 and $600,000 — 154 of them, built 2024 through 2027, across Clermont, Groveland, Minneola and Winter Garden — and ranked every one by price per square foot. The winner is a brand-new, move-in-ready 2026 home in Groveland: 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2,560 square feet, resort-style community pool, $400,000. That is $156 per square foot, the lowest of all 154. And the builder didn't start there — it was originally priced at $450,000 and cut $50,000.

How I pick the Deal of the Week

Every week I export the whole market for one buyer type and rank it with one honest yardstick. This week's buyer is the family that wants a new home and doesn't want to overpay for the word "new." The yardstick is price per square foot, because it is the one number a builder's marketing can't dress up. Among these 154 homes the median is $235 per square foot. Clermont-city listings run about $241; Groveland about $186. The top of the list is $156.

Price per square foot is a calculation, not an appraisal, and it doesn't know about lot size, finishes or the view from the lanai. It is where the conversation starts, not where it ends. But when one home sits $79 a foot below the pack, you at least owe yourself the question: why?

This week's deal, by the numbers

Price	$400,000 (original list price $450,000 — a $50,000 reduction)
Size	2,560 sq ft heated · 4 bed / 2.5 bath · two-story · 2-car garage
Price per sq ft	$156 — lowest of 154 newer-construction homes in the export
Built	2026, move-in-ready (a standing, finished home — not a "from" price on a to-be-built lot)
Community	Groveland master-planned community: resort pool, splash pad, clubhouse, fitness center, fishing dock, dog park, playgrounds
HOA	$96 / month, required
CDD	Yes — about $1,207 / year
2025 property tax	$2,563 (no homestead exemption in place yet)
Flood zone	X (outside the high-risk flood area)
Financing accepted	Cash, Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA
Days on market	36 as of September 21

Inside: 9'4" first-floor ceilings, 42-inch cabinets, quartz counters, stainless appliances, tile through the main living areas, a covered rear lanai, walk-in closets and an en-suite primary. Leases of 8 to 12 months are allowed with no association approval, which matters if you ever need to rent it rather than sell it.

Text DEAL for next week's pick ›

What $400,000 buys elsewhere in this market

The fair comparison is homes of the same size. Among the 38 four-bedroom homes between 2,400 and 2,700 square feet in this export, the median asking price is $521,240, or about $207 a square foot. This home is $121,000 under that median. Only three of the 154 give you 2,500 square feet or more for under $420,000, and this is the only one of those three with a community pool.

The runners-up were worth a look too: a Meritage 4/3 with 2,623 square feet at $417,530 ($159 a foot, no pool), a Taylor Morrison 4/2.5 with 2,514 square feet at $415,000 ($165), and a Lennar 5/4 with 3,011 square feet at $487,490 ($162). Inside Clermont city limits the best value I found was a 5/3 with 2,601 square feet at $525,000 — $202 a foot, which tells you what the Clermont zip code itself costs.

The $80,000 question next door

Here is the part that made me stop. On the same street, in the same subdivision, a home with the same 2,560 square feet and the same 2026 build year is listed at $479,990 — about $187 a square foot, and $79,990 more than this week's deal. Six doors apart.

I'm not going to tell you they're identical. I haven't verified that the floor plan, finishes, lot or orientation match, and two homes can share a footprint and differ in ways that matter. What I will tell you is that the gap is real, the price cut is real, and both are questions a buyer's agent should be asking the builder before you sign anything: Why was this one cut $50,000? What's different about the one up the street? Is there room on price, closing costs or a rate buydown? Builders answer those questions differently depending on who is asking.

Two things every new-construction buyer should know first

1. HOA and CDD are part of the price. New communities in Lake County almost always carry both. Here that's $96 a month to the association and roughly $1,207 a year to the community development district — call it about $196 a month combined, on top of taxes and insurance. That is not a reason to walk away; it's a number you put in the budget on day one. I wrote a plain-English guide to exactly this: HOA and CDD fees on Clermont-area new construction.

2. The builder's sales counselor works for the builder. That's not a criticism; it's their job. The person in the model home is there to sell the builder's inventory on the builder's terms. You are allowed to bring your own representation to a new-construction purchase, and in most cases it costs you nothing extra. I've written about the incentives most buyers never hear about: Builder incentives most buyers miss. Is this my listing? No. Would I represent you on it? Gladly.

If you're a first-time buyer, read this twice

This home accepts USDA financing, which for qualified buyers in eligible areas can mean zero down. Florida's Hometown Heroes program may also apply for eligible first-time buyers who work full time for a Florida-based employer, and the two can sometimes stack. I say "may" on purpose — eligibility depends on income, location, occupation and the lender's review, and I'm not the one who makes that call. Frank Pugliese at Columbus Capital Lending (NMLS 1976704) is, and he can usually tell you what you qualify for in minutes.

What Do I Qualify For? ›

For the bigger picture on whether this is a smart moment to buy at all — rates near 6.95%, almost five months of supply, homes sitting 64 days — this deal is the worked example in this week's post: Is now a good time to buy a home in Clermont?

Want to see it?

Text me the word DEAL and I'll reply with the full details and set up a private showing. If you'd rather talk first, grab fifteen minutes on my calendar — no pitch, just the numbers and your questions.

Text DEAL to 315-335-4622 › Book a 15-minute call ›

Troy Boss, REALTOR®
LIFESTYLE International Realty · Clermont, FL
315-335-4622 · tboss@bossregroup.com

Deal of the Week! This property is listed by another brokerage. Shared for informational purposes only. If you'd like more information, a private showing, or buyer representation, contact Troy Boss with Lifestyle International Realty. I am happy to help you purchase this property. Listing courtesy of Risewell Homes Florida. Data from Stellar MLS as of September 21, 2026; prices, availability, fees and terms are subject to change without notice. Price-per-square-foot figures are calculations from list price and MLS-reported heated square footage, not appraisals. Loan program eligibility is determined by the lender; nothing here is a commitment to lend or a guarantee of approval, pricing or outcome. Equal Housing Opportunity.