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Home for the Holidays: Why This Is the Season to Make Your Move!
September 21, 2026
Picture it: String lights along a fresh roofline. Cinnamon rolls in an oven no one has ever used before. The whole family around a big kitchen island on Christmas morning, still in pajamas, coffee in hand…
This season is about coming home, and there's no more meaningful way to do that than in a place that's truly yours. If you've been thinking about buying a new home, the final months of the year may be the perfect time.
1. Potential Tax Benefits Before the Ball Drops
Closing before December 31 could put money back in your pocket when you file next spring. Homeowners who itemize may be able to deduct mortgage interest paid between closing and the end of the year, along with prorated property taxes paid at closing. Discount points you pay to lower your interest rate may also be deductible in the year you buy.
There's more good news for 2026: Mortgage insurance premiums are deductible again starting this tax year, and the cap on state and local tax deductions has gone up.
Every financial situation is different, so talk with a tax professional about how a year-end purchase fits into yours.
2. A Florida Bonus: The Homestead Exemption
This may be the best-kept secret of buying before year end. In Florida, you have to own your house and live in it as your permanent residence on January 1 to qualify for the homestead exemption that year.
If you close and move in by December 31, you can apply for your 2027 exemption by March 1. That can reduce your home's taxable value by up to $50,000. It also starts Florida's "Save Our Homes" protection, which limits how much your assessed value can rise each year.
If you close even a few days into January, you'll wait an extra year for those savings.
3. Year-End Savings from Builders
As the year draws to a close, many builders, including us, offer special incentives on quick move-in homes. The best part? We have several ready now through year end, perfect timing to be settled in well before the holidays.
Schedule a private tour of our models today and ask about our exclusive incentives!
4. Your First Christmas, Made to Remember
There's something magical about the first holiday season in a new place. You'll hang stockings on walls that have never held them and pick the perfect corner for the tree. You'll find out which window shows off the lights best from the street.
A fresh beginning, new traditions, and memories that last a lifetime.
5. Room to Host Everyone
No more squeezing twelve relatives around a table built for four. An open-concept layout means the cook can stay in the conversation, the kids can spread out, and nobody eats Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner on the arm of the couch.
Whether you're hosting a big Christmas Eve feast or a cozy New Year's Day brunch, a flexible floorplan with guest-ready bedrooms lets family stay a while instead of heading back to a hotel.
6. The Party Pad You've Been Dreaming Of
Nothing christens a new space quite like a holiday housewarming, and the season serves up plenty of reasons to celebrate:
- A white elephant exchange, where the new address is the real gift
- An ugly sweater party in a living room made for group photos
- A cookie swap in a kitchen with room for everyone to roll, frost, and sample
- A New Year's Eve countdown with friends toasting on the lanai
- A holiday movie night with blankets, cocoa, and a marathon of classics
7. Christmas Outdoors, Florida Style
One of the best perks of Central Florida living is December weather. It's mild enough for a covered lanai dinner, a backyard fire pit, or a Christmas morning bike ride. Hurricane season wraps up at the end of November, and moving in the cool of winter sure beats hauling boxes in August.
8. A Blank Canvas for Holiday Decor
Every decorating idea you've saved all year finally has a home. Garland on a staircase, wreaths on crisp new doors, luminarias lining a brand-new walkway. And with modern, energy-efficient construction, those twinkling lights won't feel quite so heavy on your utility bill.
9. New Neighbors, New Traditions
The holidays are the easiest time to meet the neighbors. Drop off a plate of cookies, join a neighborhood lights walk, or wave from the driveway while you hang lights side by side. By the time spring comes around, you won't just have a new address. You'll have a community!
10. A Fresh Start for the New Year
Few feelings compare to ringing in the new year already settled in. No moving boxes, no waiting for spring. Just a fresh calendar, a fresh space, and a whole year ahead to make memories in it.
Make This the Year You Come Home
From Apopka to Eustis, DeLand to East Orlando, our communities across greater Orlando are ready to welcome you. Our quick move-in homes are ready for a fast closing, so you can unpack the ornaments instead of the moving boxes. Browse our available homes, visit a model, or talk with one of our New Home Consultants about timing your closing before December 31.
Because the best gift under the tree this year might just be a set of keys.
Built in Orlando. Built With Heart.
Browse Our Quick Move-In Homes - We'd love to help you schedule a private showing!
