New Construction Gated Communities in Naples: What to Know Before You Buy

A brand-new home behind a gate has real appeal: modern construction, a warranty, and amenities designed for how people live today. Buying one is a different process from buying a resale, though. In new construction gated communities in Naples, Florida, you sign a builder’s contract, often pay deposits months before closing, and move into a community that may still be under developer control. This guide covers the contract, deposits, community development districts, HOA turnover and inspections, using three newer communities from our guides as examples.

New Construction Gated Communities in Naples: Three Examples

Our Naples guides include several communities developed in the last decade or so. Three show the range of what “new” can mean:

• Naples Reserve in South Naples, off U.S. 41, was developed by iStar beginning in 2015, with D.R. Horton as the preferred builder alongside others, across 11 lakefront neighborhoods on 688 acres. It has no golf course. Its amenities center on a 125-acre lake with a rowing lane and boat ramp, plus a social club, pool and fitness center.
• Winding Cypress in southeast Naples was built by DiVosta Homes, part of PulteGroup, as a non-golf community of single-family homes and villas around an 800-plus-acre nature preserve. Our guide records about 766 homes built toward a larger build-out, and a separate Winding Cypress community development district exists alongside the homeowners association.
• Esplanade Golf & Country Club of Naples, off Immokalee Road in North Naples, was built by Taylor Morrison, which has now sold out. Most homes carry a bundled golf membership, but some were sold with social or sports packages, so the membership attached to a specific home must be confirmed.

That last example makes an important point. Once a builder sells out, “new construction” becomes a near-new resale, and you buy from an owner rather than the builder. The questions in this guide still apply, because the documents and obligations travel with the home.

Reading the Builder’s Contract

Builder contracts are written by the builder, for the builder. They usually differ from the standard resale contracts used by Florida agents. Read every page, and have a Florida real estate attorney review it before you sign. Pay special attention to:

• Completion dates. Many contracts give an estimated completion date and broad rights to delay it. Find out what happens if the home is late.
• Price changes and selections. Check how upgrades are priced, when selections lock in and whether the builder can substitute materials.
• Your own lender and inspector. Some contracts reward using the builder’s lender. Confirm you may use your own, and that your inspector may visit during construction.
• Warranty terms. Ask for the written warranty and what it covers for workmanship, systems and structure, and for how long.
• Dispute rules. Look for arbitration clauses and notice requirements before you can bring a claim.

Deposits and Your Right to Escrow

New construction usually means paying a deposit at signing and sometimes more as construction moves forward. Florida law gives buyers a protection here. Under section 501.1375 of the Florida Statutes, the buyer of a one-family or two-family home has the right to have deposit funds, up to 10 percent of the purchase price, placed in an escrow account with a qualified holder such as a bank, title insurer or Florida attorney. The right can be waived only in writing by the buyer.

The contract must tell you about this right in conspicuous type. The statute applies to builders and developers who sell or build at least 10 units a year statewide, which covers the national builders active in Naples. Before you sign, find the escrow paragraph, check whether the contract asks you to waive the right, and ask what happens to deposits above 10 percent.

CDDs and HOA Fees

Many newer master-planned communities in Collier County use a community development district, or CDD, to finance roads, drainage and other infrastructure. The CDD then collects assessments on the annual property tax bill, separate from your homeowners association dues. Collier County’s tax collector lists more than 20 CDDs that bill this way, including a district for Naples Reserve. Our Winding Cypress guide also notes a separate Winding Cypress CDD, so look for that line on a specific tax bill.

Florida law requires the seller in an initial sale of a parcel in a CDD to include a disclosure about the district’s taxes and assessments in the contract. Ask the builder or the district for:

1. The current yearly CDD assessment for your specific lot and home type.
2. How much of it repays bonds, how many years remain, and whether you can pay the bond portion off early.
3. The current HOA budget, dues and any planned increases once the community is complete.

You should also receive the homeowners association disclosure summary that Florida law requires for homes in mandatory associations. It warns that you will owe association assessments that may change, that special assessments are possible, and that you may owe assessments to a city, county or special district. If the summary is not provided before you sign, the statute gives the buyer a right to void the contract within three days after receiving it or before closing, whichever comes first. Read it alongside the declaration, bylaws, rules and current budget.

New-community budgets can change as amenities open and the builder stops subsidizing costs, so treat the first year’s dues as a starting point, not a promise.

Builder Control and HOA Turnover

While a builder is still selling homes, it usually controls the homeowners association board. Florida’s homeowners association law sets when members take over. Under section 720.307, turnover is generally due three months after 90 percent of the parcels in all phases have been conveyed to members, or earlier on other events, such as a date set in the governing documents, the developer abandoning the project, a bankruptcy filing, a foreclosure, or a receiver that a court appoints and does not discharge within 30 days.

Before turnover, rules, budgets and amenity plans can still change. Ask how many homes remain to be sold, what amenities are still promised and how they will be funded. Our guides note when a board is resident-run; at Naples Reserve and Esplanade, the 2026 officers listed with the state are all residents.

Inspections Before Closing

A new home still needs an independent inspection. Building code inspections confirm minimum code compliance at certain stages, not workmanship or finish quality. Hire your own licensed home inspector, and if the contract allows, schedule visits at key stages:

• Pre-drywall, when framing, plumbing, wiring, ductwork and window installation are still visible.
• Final, before your walk-through, to build a punch list for the builder.
• Before the warranty ends, to catch issues that showed up after you moved in.

Keep copies of every report, warranty request and builder reply. If a construction defect claim ever becomes necessary, Florida’s Chapter 558 requires written notice to the builder at least 60 days before filing suit (120 days when an association sues over more than 20 parcels), and gives the builder a chance to inspect and to offer repairs or payment.

Also check the flood zone for your lot, which can vary even within one community. At Naples Reserve, about two-thirds of the mapped features fall in flood zone AE, so ask for the lot’s elevation certificate and an early flood insurance quote.

This is general information, not legal advice. Have a Florida real estate attorney review your contract and documents before you sign.

Frequently Asked Questions

Rules and fees vary by community. Check your own governing documents and county sources before you rely on any article. Spot something out of date? Report a correction.