The sales center price is not the real price. Here's what new construction in Sun City Center's market actually costs after design center upgrades, missing inclusions, and the CDD question — and when resale wins even at a higher sticker.
South Hillsborough's 55+ market has limited true new construction options at the time of writing. The primary options: Regency at Waterset (Toll Brothers, Apollo Beach, upper $300s+), Fairway Pointe (William Ryan Homes, Sun City Center, mid $200s), and Preserve at La Paloma (Villages at Cypress Creek, Sun City Center, low $300s–mid $400s). Medley at Southshore Bay (Lennar, Wimauma) also has new inventory available.
The large established communities — Sun City Center, Kings Point, Southshore Falls, Valencia Lakes — are all resale markets. Understanding what each option actually costs is the starting point for any comparison.
Builder base prices in this market — and nationally — are structured to look attractive at the front door of the sales center. What they routinely exclude:
| Item | Typical Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Window treatments / blinds | $3,000–$8,000 | Almost never included at base |
| Landscaping / sod (rear yard) | $4,000–$10,000 | Front may be done, rear often bare dirt |
| Screen enclosure / lanai cover | $8,000–$18,000 | Resale homes almost always have these |
| Upgraded countertops / cabinets | $5,000–$20,000 | Base cabinets and counters are functional, not aspirational |
| Upgraded flooring | $4,000–$12,000 | Base spec is builder-grade LVP or tile |
| Extended garage / golf cart garage | $8,000–$15,000 | Common add-on at South Hillsborough builders |
| Refrigerator / washer / dryer | $2,500–$5,000 | Often not included at base |
| Mailbox, gutters, attic insulation upgrades | $1,500–$4,000 | Miscellaneous but real |
The design center effect: Builders make significant margin on design center upgrades. A $350,000 base home can easily reach $410,000–$430,000 after a typical design center session. Get an itemized quote from the design center before signing, and compare that total to a resale home with comparable finishes already installed.
This is the one area where new construction has a clear, quantifiable advantage over pre-2001 resale homes. Florida's updated building codes — particularly for wind resistance, roof attachment, and impact glazing — dramatically reduce insurance costs for new construction vs. older homes.
A representative comparison for South Hillsborough:
| Home Type | Estimated Annual Insurance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-2001 SCC or KP home | $4,500–$7,000+/yr | Wind coverage increasingly expensive or unavailable |
| 2001–2010 construction | $3,500–$5,000/yr | Better but pre-2010 code |
| 2010+ construction (SCC, SSF) | $2,800–$4,000/yr | Modern code; best rates |
| 2024 new construction (Regency, Fairway Pointe) | $2,500–$3,500/yr | Latest code; sometimes discounts for impact glass |
The $2,000–$3,000/year insurance difference between a 1975 Kings Point condo and a 2024 Regency villa is real money — and it can partially offset the new construction price premium over 5–10 years. Run the math on your specific scenarios.
In South Hillsborough's market, new construction and CDD fees are closely correlated. The communities with active new construction (Regency at Waterset, Medley at Southshore Bay) all carry CDDs. The established resale communities without CDDs (Sun City Center, Kings Point, Southshore Falls) have no new construction inventory.
This means buyers who specifically want new construction in this market have to accept a CDD. That's not necessarily a dealbreaker — but it's a structural feature of the market that buyers should understand going in, not discover at closing.
New construction at Regency at Waterset (upper $300s–$500s+) + CDD (~$77–$118/mo) often produces a higher all-in monthly cost than a resale home at Southshore Falls ($249K–$380K) with no CDD and a single $320/mo HOA. The "newer is better" assumption doesn't always hold when you run the full math.
Resale wins when: the established community's social infrastructure is part of what you're buying, you can find a well-maintained home with finishes you like without paying the design center premium, you want to avoid CDD fees permanently, or you value a no-construction-phase buying experience.
In the specific Sun City Center / Kings Point resale market, buyers can find 2000s–2015 construction in good condition at $220,000–$350,000 with renovated kitchens and baths, screen enclosures already installed, mature landscaping, and immediate access to fully-functioning amenity campuses. That's a complete move-in package that typically underprices the equivalent new-construction total cost by $40,000–$80,000.
New construction wins when: you specifically want to customize finishes, you're planning a long hold (10+ years where insurance savings compound), you want the peace of mind of new systems and a builder warranty, you're buying at the entry of a community where appreciation potential exists as it builds out, or you genuinely can't find a resale home that meets your space or layout requirements.