Going to Kingston's Grand Opening on October 17? Read This First

Kingston's grand opening is Saturday, October 17, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and you don't need to RSVP. It's the first chance for the public to walk through the new model homes and see what Cameratta Companies has planned for the community's amenities.

The models are in the first two neighborhoods, Kingston South and Esplanade at Kingston. Kingston itself is at 22500 Corkscrew Road, east of I-75, and it's gated. It was announced at roughly 7,000 acres, with about half the land to be restored as wetland, wildlife corridor and preserve. At that scale it will be building for years, so October 17 is the start, not a finished community.

I'll be at the grand opening myself. After the 17th I'll write up what's actually there, model by model.

Four builders, split across the two neighborhoods:

• Kingston South: Pulte Homes, Lennar and Neal Communities. It's planned at 3,625 homes.
• Esplanade at Kingston: Taylor Morrison. It's planned at 1,285 homes, with its own amenities.

That split matters for your day. Each builder runs its own sales center, its own price list, its own options and its own contract. Two homes a few streets apart can come with very different standard features, so treat the four as four separate purchases that happen to share an entrance.

Because that first visit usually decides whether you have your own representation at all.

The person in a builder's sales center works for the builder. They're often helpful and they know their product, but their job is to represent the builder's interest, not yours. Most builders welcome buyers' agents, and most require your agent to be with you, or registered for you, on your first visit for that representation to count. Sign the guest book on your own on October 17, and you may lose it for that builder entirely.

At a grand opening, with four builders and a crowd, that's easy to do by accident. You wander into one model, fill in a card to get the floor plans, and that card is your first visit.

I've represented buyers on new builds across Estero, including Verdana Village, RiverCreek, Corkscrew Shores and The Place at Corkscrew, so I know how builders handle registration and where buyers get caught out. Settle representation and financing first, then walk the models. That's where the buying process starts.

Five questions for each builder you're serious about.

What's standard on this plan, and what am I looking at that's an upgrade? Models are shown with options, and a lot of what makes a model feel special is on the upgrade list. Ask for the standard features in writing.

Which homesites are released, and what will be built next to them? In a new community, the lot matters as much as the house. Ask what the homesite backs onto now and what's planned for the land around it.

What's built, what's scheduled, and what's only planned? Kingston's announced amenities include an indoor sports complex, outdoor recreation and a live-entertainment venue. Ask which exist, which have a date, and which are still plans.

What does the warranty cover, and for how long? Then ask how the builder has handled warranty claims in its other Southwest Florida communities.

When does the association pass from the developer to the owners? In a community this size, the developer will control the association for a long time. Ask what that means for fees and rules while it does.

It depends on how much you want first choice versus certainty.

Buying at the start of Kingston gets you the widest choice of homesite and floor plan. The trade-off is living alongside construction for a while, and buying into amenities that are partly still plans.

If you'd rather see a finished clubhouse before you buy, Verdana Village is further along and still selling new, with its air-conditioned indoor courts already built. I've compared the two in Kingston or Verdana Village. And if you don't need to build at all, a nearly new resale in an established community skips the wait entirely. My Estero new construction guide covers both routes.

Call or text me before October 17, and we'll go together. Your representation is in place from your first step inside, and I'll tell you what's standard, what's an upgrade and what to ask. If you can't make the 17th, I'll walk the models with you any time after.

I'm Kris Asquith, Broker Associate at Premiere Plus Realty. Get in touch or call (239) 300-1427.