Autumn is a season of home-buying bargains

Buying a new home during the autumn can be a smart move for prospective buyers. In fact, according to the latest research from RealtyTrac, October is the best month to buy a new home.

And it isn't too late to make that change, according to area builders. Most have a nice selection of immediate delivery homes that you can move into within weeks or months, if you so desire.

“We generally keep an inventory of quick-delivery homes for people who sold their home quickly or get transferred from another city, even though we aren't really known as a spec builder. We actually compete with the resale market on these homes,” said Ann Jacobs, sales manager for Toll Brothers' Bowes Creek County Club community in Elgin (www.tollbrothers.com). “We currently have seven townhouses and five single-family homes available at our four Bowes Creek communities, ranging in price from the low $200,000s to the upper $300,000s.”

Toll Brothers also has a two-bedroom ranch available immediately for $629,995 in its age-restricted Regency at the Woods of South Barrington community, and three single-family homes ranging from $984,000 to $1.24 million in non-age-restricted portion of The Woods of South Barrington.

Chris Naatz, vice president for sales and marketing for D.R. Horton Homes, makes sure his communities always have an abundance of immediate occupancy homes available.

“People love the idea of a new construction home they can move into in the same time frame as a resale home. Our customers are delighted to find a new home that enables them to move within 30, 60 or 90 days.

“Some people choose to build a new home from the start, but many times people discover the tremendous convenience of buying a quick delivery home,” he said. “Renters like quick delivery homes because they can time the end date of their lease with the move-in date of a new home. In addition, people who transfer to Chicago for a job or who have recently sold a home find quick move-in homes to be a great way to own a new home now.”

A quick survey of D.R. Horton's website (www.drhorton.com/Illinois/Chicago) showed, for instance, that it has five immediate occupancy single-family homes ranging in price from $369,990 to $410,990 at Bristol Park in New Lenox, two ranging in price from $221,990 to $234,990 available at Symphony Meadows in Volo and five available at Lions Chase in Huntley, ranging in price from $298,990 to $335,901.

All area D.R. Horton communities have similar availability of already-built homes.

Buyers who want to move into a new-construction home in a clubhouse community have the option of doing so at Greenbrook, an exclusive neighborhood of 22 single-family homes in Elgin by Meritus Homes. The builder is offering a four-bedroom, 3½-bath spec home at Greenbrook, which is located within the larger Highland Woods development on Elgin's west side.

“Purchasing an inventory home is always a great option for someone who wants to fast-track the typical timeline for moving into a new-construction home, and that's especially the case for buyers who are just now entering the market and want to be settled into a new home before the end of the year,” said Brian Brunhofer, president of Meritus Homes.

Located three miles west of Randall Road on the north side of Route 20, Highland Woods is a fully developed lifestyle community by Crown Community Development, planned to include approximately 1,100 homes across 12 individual neighborhoods. Meritus Homes is the exclusive builder for the semi-custom Greenbrook neighborhood.

Priced at $529,990, the 3,944-square-foot home features a two-story design with four bedrooms, 3½ baths and a three-car garage. On the first floor, it includes a large family room with a custom fireplace, den, formal dining room and an island kitchen with breakfast area. For more information, visit www.MeritusHomeBuilders.com.

William Ryan Homes (www.williamryanhomes.com/chicago) is down to having six immediately available homes across four communities — Lindenhurst, Barrington, Hampshire and Island Lake — because it has sold much of its inventory in recent weeks, said Anita Olson, director of sales and marketing. The available homes range from $310,000 in Lindenhurst to $799,000 in Barrington.

“With our quick move-in homes, we try to be strategic in our planning, building only the most popular home in each community and filling it with the most popular options,” Olson said. “These homes are perfect for people who want a new home but don't want to wait for one to be built and don't want to take the risk that their current home won't sell.

“These homes actually compete with the resale market and compete very well because they come with a warranty (one year on everything, two years on all mechanical systems and ten years on the structure), everything is new, and because they are so much more energy-efficient than older homes,” she said. “They are 50 percent more efficient, for instance, than homes built only ten years ago.”

On the western edge of Huntley, Henning Estates (www.henningestates.com) has one ranch home available for immediate occupancy, set in the midst of a picturesque natural landscape. Developed and built by Rock Creek Homes, the ranch homes at Henning Estates feature open-concept living, which also incorporates inviting private spaces.

The 2,353-square-foot home is available for $439,500. It was built as a model and is filled with many special amenities, as well as a full master suite with a private bath, a second bedroom and second full bath, a walkout unfinished basement, sunroom, a covered front porch, a three-car garage, an in-ground irrigation system and a beautiful landscape package.

Chicago-based Lexington Homes (www.lexingtonchicago.com) generally has townhouses available for immediate occupancy across its many communities, said Jeff Benach, co-principal. he said Lexington Homes adheres to its set building schedule, constructing townhouse buildings before all of the units in a previous building are not yet sold.

Lexington has only one two-story townhouse available at Lexington Hills, located on Lake-Cook Road in Palatine. This 1,905-square-foot unit features an open floor plan that includes 3-inch plank hardwood flooring throughout the main floor, granite kitchen countertops and an island with generous seating space for eating and entertaining. Additionally, the home includes a master suite featuring a walk-in closet and private master bath with a granite-topped, double-bowl vanity.

Elsewhere in Palatine Lexington has two immediate-delivery homes available at Lexington Oaks, a community of 15 townhouses near downtown Palatine.

Lexington Oaks offers two-story townhouses in two floor plans with three bedrooms, 2½ baths, basements, backyard decks and two-car garages. One of each floor plan design — Hickory and Cypress — are available for immediate delivery.

“Both floor plans at Lexington Oaks are designed to use space more efficiently and provide open, flexible areas so buyers can adapt their homes to meet their specific needs,” Benach said.

Meanwhile, in Morton Grove, Lexington Homes has one immediate-delivery rowhouse available at its Lexington Station community.

The immediate delivery unit is a three-bedroom, 2½-bath, 1,913-square-foot townhouse featuring hardwood floors throughout the home, an oak staircase, granite kitchen counters with stainless steel appliances, 42-inch upper cabinets, 9-foot ceilings on the main living level and a granite countertop in the master bath.

Shodeen Homes, unlike Lexington, makes a concerted effort to keep a constant inventory of completed or under-construction homes. Shodeen has 14 single-family homes available in Geneva's Mill Creek, ranging in price from $329,958 to $649,951. It also has three quick move-in single-family homes at Reston Ponds in Sycamore, ranging in price from $234,568 to $279,981.

Shodeen has long had a philosophy that it wants to have a wide range of styles and floor plans available for purchase at all times so it is able to capture the breadth of the market. Last spring, Nate Amidon, director of sales for the Geneva-based builder, estimated 60 percent of Shodeen homes are sold on a quick-delivery basis to those who are relocating or have another reason for needing to move quickly. Visit www.shodeen.com for more information.

A wide variety of immediate-delivery homes are also available now at Heritage Harbor Ottawa (www.heritageharborottawa.com), a marina vacation resort community on the Illinois River in Ottawa. Located within the Starved Rock area, Heritage Harbor is just 90 minutes southwest of downtown Chicago.

“Starved Rock Country has always been a bit of a hidden gem when it comes to its appeal as a second-home location in the Midwest, but once people realize how much easier it can be to travel here than Michigan or Wisconsin, they'll feel like they've made a great discovery and never want to leave,” said Tammy Barry, director of sales and marketing for Heritage Harbor. “Heritage Harbor Ottawa is a unique residential option in this area where homeowners can have a great waterfront lifestyle and enjoy everything this region offers, from hiking in three nearby state parks and biking on the I&M Canal Trail to boating on the Illinois and Fox rivers.”

Barry said the immediate-delivery residences available at Heritage Harbor range from small vacation cottages and carriage homes to townhouses and custom single-family homes, offering a wide choice of floor plans and pricing to fit a variety of budgets and lifestyles. Homes can be purchased for prices ranging from $159,900 to the upper $300,000s.

Of special interest are four residences that are available for immediate move-in at the West Harbor Lofts, a collection of multilevel townhouses that feature large roof decks overlooking the harbor and boat slips immediately in front of the residences. Priced from $259,900, the 1,380-square-foot townhouses feature two bedrooms, two baths and tandem two-car garages.

Any which remain on the market by mid-November will be sold by online auction Nov. 18-20 via www.svnauctionworks.com.

“We're extremely excited to offer our West Harbor Loft townhouses at auction, because we know many buyers increasingly prefer this format for the quick closing time and competitive pricing it allows,” said Barry. “Whether they're purchasing a home to enjoy themselves or as an investment property to rent out, this auction is a unique opportunity to buy one or more homes in our community in a very short time frame.”