Two-Home Comparison & Area Briefing · 31 July 2026
Two Kolter inventory homes under consideration — the Waverly at 13377 SW Shinnecock Drive and the Priscilla at 14176 SW Shinnecock Drive — inside a gated 18-hole golf community in western Port St. Lucie, Florida. What follows is both homes side by side, the location, the market, and what each one actually costs to own.
The two homes
Both are completed or near-completed Kolter inventory homes — designed and finished by the builder, sold as-is rather than built to order. They are two of eight inventory homes Kolter currently has at Astor Creek. The Waverly is the most expensive home in that set; the Priscilla sits in the middle.
Homesite 04.177 · Madison Collection
13377 SW Shinnecock Drive
$1,300,990
Homesite 07.234 · Hudson Collection
14176 SW Shinnecock Drive
$945,990
| Measure | Waverly | Priscilla | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | $1,300,990 | $945,990 | +$355,000 |
| Living area | 3,345 | 2,554 | +791 sq ft |
| Price per living foot | $389 | $370 | +$19 |
| Cost of each extra living foot | — | — | $449 |
| 20% down payment | $260,198 | $189,198 | +$71,000 |
| Monthly carry, financed | $10,465 | $7,804 | +$2,661 |
| Annual carry if paid cash | $46,726 | $36,306 | +$10,420 |
The step up costs $449 for every additional square foot. That is well above what either home charges on average ($370–$389), which means the extra space in the Waverly is priced at a premium to the house it is attached to — not a discount for buying in bulk. The $355,000 difference buys 791 square feet, a half bath, a dedicated dining room, a wet bar, a soaking tub, upgraded millwork and solid-core doors, and a Monogram appliance package in place of GE Profile. Monogram over GE Profile on a kitchen this size is a real upgrade, plausibly $30,000–$50,000 of the gap. The rest is space and finish.
And note what the more expensive house does not have: the Waverly's outdoor kitchen is a pre-plumb only. The Priscilla's is built and finished — grill, beverage refrigerator, sink, privacy wall. The $355,000-cheaper home comes with the outdoor kitchen already in it.
The Priscilla's premium over base is knowable; the Waverly's is not. The Priscilla floor plan starts at $697,990 to build. At $945,990, this home carries $248,000 (+36%) in homesite premium and Design Studio options above base. Kolter does not publish a base price for the Waverly, but extrapolating from the eight published base prices puts it somewhere near $840,000 — which would imply a premium in the neighborhood of $460,000. That estimate is mine, not Kolter's. Ask the sales office for the Waverly's actual base price — it is the single most useful number in this negotiation.
Kolter's full current inventory at Astor Creek, verified 31 July 2026. Use this to judge whether either home is priced fairly.
| Address | Plan | Total sq ft | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13008 SW Shinnecock Dr | 3 bd / 3 ba | 2,554 | $890,000 |
| 13769 SW Shinnecock Dr | Leslie · 3 bd / 3 ba | 2,196 | $899,990 |
| 14176 SW Shinnecock DrUnder consideration · ready August 2026 · summer kitchen, 16-ft slider, extended owner's suite | Priscilla · 3 bd / 3 ba | 3,511 | $945,990$269 per total sq ft — best value on the board |
| 14072 SW Shinnecock Dr | Priscilla · 3 bd / 3 ba | 3,511 | $1,005,990 |
| 14224 SW Shinnecock Dr | Sophia · 3 bd / 3.5 ba | 3,932 | $1,023,990 |
| 13585 SW Shinnecock Dr | Rebecca · 3 bd / 3 ba | 2,586 | $1,037,990$401 per sq ft — worst value on the board |
| 12961 SW Shinnecock Dr | Victoria · 3 bd / 3.5 ba | 4,698 | $1,288,990 |
| 13377 SW Shinnecock DrUnder consideration · move-in immediate | Waverly · 3 bd / 3.5 ba | 4,540 | $1,300,990$287 per total sq ft |
Read the square footage carefully — this is a real trap. Kolter quotes two different numbers for every home: total square feet (everything under roof, including garage and lanai) and living area square feet (air-conditioned space only). They differ by roughly 1,000 feet on these two houses. The listing aggregators mix them up constantly — one site lists the Priscilla as "3,511 sq ft" when its living area is 2,554, a 27% overstatement. Before comparing on price per foot, make sure both numbers came from the same column.
Kolter's to-be-built base prices start at $581,990 for the smallest plan and run to roughly $732,000 for the Sophia, before homesite premium and Design Studio options. Across the finished inventory homes, the gap between base and asking runs $218,000 to $322,000 — and on the Priscilla at 14176 it is $248,000. That entire gap is lot premium plus someone else's finish selections, and it is the strongest number to negotiate against. Kolter does not publish a base price for the Waverly; ask for it.
Carry
Purchase price is the easy number. In Florida the carrying cost is what surprises people from the Northeast — property tax resets to your purchase price, insurance runs about three times the national average, and here there are mandatory club dues on top of an HOA.
Down payment $260,198. Paid all cash, the Waverly still costs $3,894 a month — $46,726 a year — to hold.
Down payment $189,198. Paid all cash, the Priscilla costs $3,026 a month — $36,306 a year — to hold.
The recurring difference is $31,938 a year, every year. That is the carry gap between the two homes — $2,661 a month — and unlike the purchase price it never gets paid off. Over ten years of ownership it compounds to more than $319,000 before any tax-roll increases, which is roughly the purchase-price difference all over again. Property tax and insurance both scale with value, so the gap widens as the market does.
| Property tax | St. Lucie County's total 2025 millage is about 22.85 mills. Do not use the current tax figure shown on Zillow. Florida's Save Our Homes cap holds long-time owners' assessments artificially low; a new purchase resets to what you pay. ZIP 34987 already carries the highest median tax bill in the county at $5,962 — and that is against a county median home price near $330,000, a quarter of what these homes cost. |
| Insurance | Florida's statewide average is roughly $8,458 a year, about three times the national average. New CBS construction with impact glass and a brand-new roof should price well below that per dollar insured — but FEMA rates this location's hurricane risk as Very High (99.1), and replacement cost on a $1M+ home is substantial. Budget $4,000–$9,000 and get the actual quote before signing. |
| HOA | Kolter and the listing feeds both state $240 a month, covering lawn, irrigation, the manned gate and common areas. Third-party sources report anywhere from $225 to $416. Get the recorded figure in writing. |
| Club dues | Membership comes with the house and multiple sources report no initiation fee — genuinely unusual, and worth real money. Annual dues are reported around $5,000. Mandatory, not optional. Note that at least one resale listing in the community advertised a $50,000 golf membership initiation being paid by the seller, which suggests the no-initiation structure may not apply universally or may be changing. Ask directly. |
| CDD | Unconfirmed and material. Community Development District assessments are common in this exact corridor and typically run $1,000–$3,500 a year, billed on the property tax statement, often on a 20–30 year term with a lump-sum payoff option. Ask whether Astor Creek carries one, the annual amount, remaining term, and payoff balance. |
Site
A new-construction, all-ages gated golf community in western Port St. Lucie, immediately next to PGA Village. Not 55+ — which matters for both the day-to-day feel and the eventual resale pool.
| Golf | Private 18-hole championship course designed by Chris Wilczynski. A resident golf membership is included with every new home purchase — you are not buying in and then applying to a club. |
| Clubhouse | The 1566 Club: full-service restaurant and bar with indoor and outdoor dining, golf shop, locker rooms, EGYM-powered fitness center, resort-style heated pool with lap lanes and beach entry overlooking the course. |
| Racquet & courts | 4 tennis courts, 16 pickleball courts, basketball court, 2 bocce courts, event lawn. Full-time lifestyle director on staff. |
| Scale | Roughly 900 single-family homes planned. Still actively selling, so construction traffic and phased amenity delivery are live considerations. |
| Second builder | Taylor Morrison also builds inside Astor Creek, starting from $495,900 across 13 plans. Their inventory competes directly with Kolter's inside the same gates — useful leverage, and worth walking. |
| Construction | CBS block with impact windows on current product. All plans single-story with optional second-floor bonus rooms. Homes run 2–6 bedrooms and up to roughly 5,800 total square feet. |
| Closing timeline | Contract to close typically 30–40 days on a completed home. |
| Hurricane risk | Very High (FEMA index 99.1). This is Florida's Atlantic coast — it is the honest headline, and it is priced into every insurance quote you will receive. |
| Flood risk | Riverine flooding: Relatively Moderate (93.0). Coastal flooding: Relatively Moderate (78.1). Confirm the specific flood zone for each homesite — it changes the insurance requirement. |
| Noise & air | Soundscore 88 (Calm) across traffic, local and airport sources. 30-day average air quality rated Good. |
| Walkability | Walk Score 0 — fully car-dependent. Bike Score 43. Nothing is reachable on foot outside the gates. For an active retiree this is normal for the area; for anyone who might eventually stop driving it is worth thinking about now. |
Access
Calculated from the community entrance at 8975 SW Shinnecock Drive. Drive times are estimates over normal traffic.
| Destination | Miles | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| PublixSW Commerce Centre Dr | 2.2 | ~5 min |
| The Fresh MarketTradition | 2.9 | ~6 min |
| Target & Village Pkwy retail | 3.5 | ~8 min |
| Cleveland Clinic Tradition HospitalFull-service, 24-hour ER | 3.5 | ~8 min |
| Destination | Miles | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Tradition SquareThe closest thing to a walkable downtown — restaurants, green, events | 2.9 | ~7 min |
| Clover ParkNew York Mets spring training | 3.5 | ~8 min |
| Downtown Fort PierceHistoric waterfront, Saturday farmers market, marina | 13 | ~22 min |
| Downtown StuartBest small downtown on the Treasure Coast | 15 | ~28 min |
| Atlantic beachesHutchinson Island / Jensen Beach | 15–16 | ~25–30 min |
| Savannas Preserve State Park | 12 | ~22 min |
| Downtown West Palm Beach | 48 | ~60 min |
| Airport | Miles | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Treasure Coast International (FPR)Fort Pierce — general aviation and charter only, no scheduled commercial service | 14 | ~20 min |
| Vero Beach Regional (VRB)Limited seasonal service | 24 | ~35 min |
| President Donald J. Trump International (DJT)West Palm Beach — formerly Palm Beach International, renamed 9 July 2026. Booking code stays PBI until 18 Aug 2026, then DJT. This is the practical home airport. | 48 | ~60 min |
| Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood (FLL) | 87 | ~1 hr 45 |
| Orlando International (MCO) | 94 | ~2 hr |
| Miami International (MIA) | 105 | ~2 hr |
The gate sits a few minutes off I-95 at the Crosstown Parkway interchange, with Florida's Turnpike also close. That access is the single biggest locational asset — it is what puts West Palm at an hour and Orlando at two.
Zoned to Bayshore Elementary (GreatSchools 4/10), Southern Oaks Middle, and St. Lucie West Centennial High (3/10, enrollment ~2,766, about 5 miles away). Allapattah Flats K-8 rates 7/10 and sits 2 miles out. Renaissance Charter School at Tradition is 1.9 miles. Largely irrelevant for a retirement purchase, but the weak zoned-high-school rating does narrow the family buyer pool at resale.
Market
Single-family in St. Lucie is holding up better than most of Florida. Condos are not. These are single-family homes, which puts them on the right side of that divide.
| Metric | Current | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Total home sales | 628 | +9.2% |
| Single-family sales | 523 | +8.3% |
| Active listings | 2,937 | −12.9% |
| Months supply — single-familyUnder 6 months is conventionally a seller's market | 4.9 | — |
| Months supply — condo | 8.3 | — |
| % of original list price received | 96% | — |
| Days to contract | 63 | from 52 |
| Days to closing | 105 | from 94 |
| Distressed salesREO + short sales | 1.4% | historic low |
| Cash purchases | 28.2% | vs 25% U.S. |
| Total dollar volume | $270M | +14.9% |
Florida's June 2026 single-family median was $432,000, up 4.9% year over year on sales up 9.3%. That is the Realtor-association read. There is a real counter-signal: index-based trackers using Zillow data put the statewide typical home value at about $392,443 in May 2026, down 3.0% year over year, with a quarter of active listings carrying a price cut and roughly 85% of Florida ZIP codes below their year-ago value.
Both can be true. Medians get pulled up by mix shift — Florida's million-dollar segment saw June sales up 40% — while the typical home is worth slightly less. The honest read is flat to modestly down in real terms, with sales volume genuinely recovering. Normalization, not a crash.
Where the real distress is: condos. Post-Surfside reserve mandates are triggering six-figure special assessments statewide. Only 21 of 2,397 South Florida condo buildings are FHA-approved. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac eliminate the limited review option for many condo loans from 3 August 2026. St. Lucie's condo median fell 6.6% year over year. None of this touches a single-family home in Astor Creek — but it is why you will read alarming Florida headlines that do not describe this purchase.
Port St. Lucie's population is up roughly 37.5% since the 2020 census, to about 284,000, and the Census Bureau ranks it the 7th fastest-growing metro in the country. Consumer Affairs named it the No. 1 mid-size housing market for buyers in 2026, and ZIP 34987 — this ZIP — ranked hottest in America for inbound moves per capita. Primary origins: Long Island and Queens, in-state movers from Palm Beach and Broward, and Midwest retirees. That growth is the floor under this market.
Tax
| No state income tax | None on wages, Social Security, pension, or retirement distributions. For a household relocating from New Jersey this is the largest single factor offsetting higher insurance and property tax. |
| Homestead exemption | Up to $50,000 off assessed value on a primary residence — $25,000 against all levies, a second $25,000 against non-school levies. Must be filed. Does not apply to a second home or investment property. |
| Save Our Homes cap | Once homesteaded, annual assessed-value increases are capped at 3% or CPI, whichever is lower. The protection compounds — but it starts from your purchase price, not the prior owner's basis. |
| Portability | An existing Florida homesteaded owner can transfer accrued benefit to a new Florida home. Not available moving in from out of state. |
| November 2026 ballot measure | A proposed expanded $250,000 homestead exemption passed the Florida Legislature on 2 June 2026 and goes to voters in November 2026, needing 60% to pass. If it passes it would materially cut non-school property tax on a homesteaded property; school taxes would still apply. Treat as upside, not as a planning assumption. |
| Local tax trend | The City of Port St. Lucie approved a millage cut to 4.8750 for FY 2026-27 — its 11th consecutive annual reduction, 25% since 2016. The city portion is one line of the total bill, but the direction is favorable. |
| Insurance market | Stabilizing after the 2022–23 spike. New carriers have entered, Citizens has shed policies back to private insurers, rate filings are moderating. A major hurricane loss year is the obvious risk to that trend. |
Alternatives
A starting list for comparison, all within roughly 30 minutes. Confirm pricing and membership structures directly — club terms change more often than home prices.
| Community | Golf & racquet | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PGA Village VeranoKolter · ~2 miles away | Cart-path access to PGA Golf Club — 54 holes by Tom Fazio and Pete Dye. Tennis, pickleball, resort amenities. | From $371,990Membership optional, not bundled |
| PGA Village / The Legacy | Two Fazio courses inside the gates, Har-Tru tennis, pickleball. Golf Digest top-75 resort recognition. | Wide range34 subdivisions, condos to $5M estates |
| Tesoro Club | Two championship courses (Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson), Swim & Racquet Club, spa, ~100,000 sq ft clubhouse. | Luxury tierMost upscale in the immediate area |
| Ballantrae Golf & Yacht ClubNorth Fork St. Lucie River | Golf plus deepwater boating. Santa Lucia River Club membership optional. | Mid tierThe pick if boating matters too |
| Glynlea Golf & Country Club at Wylder | New golf and country club community — the most direct competitor to Astor Creek on newness. | New buildUseful for negotiating leverage |
| Harbour Ridge · Piper's Landing · Mariner SandsPalm City / Stuart · 25–35 min | Established equity-membership clubs, mature landscaping, several with two courses. | EstablishedOlder stock; equity buy-in required |
| Del Webb Tradition · Riverland55+ | No golf on site, but extensive tennis, pickleball, sports complex, arts center. | 55+ onlyLower carry, no mandatory club dues |
The structural comparison that matters. Astor Creek bundles a mandatory membership into the purchase with no initiation fee. PGA Village Verano and Ballantrae make membership optional. Del Webb and Riverland have no club at all. Golfing three times a week, the bundled model is excellent value. Golfing twice a month, you are paying roughly $5,000 a year for something you would rather buy à la carte — and that is a real argument for walking the community two miles down the road before signing.
Open items
Each of these is a number that moves the decision and that is not published anywhere. Ask the sales gallery in writing.