Pulte Buys Land for 100 Homes in Palm Beach County

Prolific South Florida residential developer Pulte Homes plans to build 100 homes after buying a Lake Worth tract for $9 million.

Pulte Homes, part of Atlanta-based PulteGroup Inc., is to build Windsong Estates northeast of State Road 7 between Lake Worth Road and Lantana roads east of Wellington.

Pulte bought the 31-acre vacant tract Tuesday from William and Patricia Mazzoni, who sold it individually and as trustees.

F. Thomas Godart, managing director of Fort Lauderdale-based Godart Florida Real Estate Investments, represented Pulte in the transaction.

Windsong Estates is to have 32 larger and 61 smaller single-family houses and seven townhouses, according to a site plan submitted to Palm Beach County.

The county has approved the project. Pulte will start preparing the site this month and built model houses in March. Homes will range from 1,800 square feet to 2,800 square feet, according to Godart.

Sales are set to begin next summer starting in the low $500,000s, according to a Pulte news release.

Windsong will built under Pulte’s DiVosta brand focused on high-end communities with resort-style amenities, high-quality houses and in-demand locations, according to Pulte’s DiVosta website.

Homes will include features sought by residents based on a PulteGroup study reflecting demand for additional storage, workout space, antimicrobial countertops, spacious floorplans allowing for more hangout space while social distancing, and home offices big enough for multiple people.

Buyers want these features as a reaction to lifestyle changes resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Many people are working from home and avoiding crowded areas like gyms, explaining the demand for in-home offices and exercise spaces.

Pulte is capitalizing on greater demand for single-family homes in the pandemic. Employees working from home are looking to get out of cramped downtowns and opting for more suburban settings with yards after high-rise amenities such as pools and gyms closed. Historically low interest rates also make mortgages more attainable.

“We felt the timing was right to introduce a new boutique community to the area and build off the success we have enjoyed so far at The Fields,” Brent Baker, president of PulteGroup’s southeast region, said in prepared remarks. “The pandemic is driving more people to buy single-family homes in less urbanized areas, and we fully expect that trend to continue for the foreseeable future.”

Windsong is a short drive from another DiVosta community, The Fields, near Florida’s Turnpike.

Demand has exceeded supply, pushing up prices. The average price for a Palm Beach County single-family house this year is $512,000, according to Eric Sain, who runs the Palm Beach Gardens office of The Keyes Co. Last year’s average price was nearly $432,000 for a 19% jump.

Builders have had a hard time keeping up with demand because of a lack of available land in South Florida, Sain added.

Pulte’s other South Florida projects include Oak Tree community with 273 single-family homes and 132 townhouses on a closed Oakland Park Golf Course.

Read more: 

Townhouse Community Planned on Golf Course West of Delray Beach

Disappearing Greens: New Housing Rises on Shuttered Golf Courses in South Florida