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New construction

New construction in Southern Utah.

I work with a small, hand-picked group of home builders, the kind whose finished homes you can drive past and walk through. Two of them are here today, and the list grows as I find more I would put my own name next to. One of them, I already have.

Talk about building Meet the builders
Southern Utah resident 20+ years, licensed REALTOR + lender Owner-developer at Old Sorrel Heights, disclosed below

Build homes in Utah? See how to get featured on this page.

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Sketch your build.

Five questions, about a minute, and the house draws itself as you answer. I read every one of these myself and I will call you to talk it through. Nothing here commits you to a builder, a lot, or a loan.

Your quiz progress

Sheet Dream build
Client ________
Drawn by Scott Buehler

How much land do you want under it?
How do you want the floor plan laid out?
How much garage do you need?
Which way do you want to build?
When would you like to break ground?
Where should I send the sheet?

Answer the questions above, then send the sheet.

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Scott Buehler is a licensed REALTOR with Real Broker LLC and a licensed mortgage loan originator with Guild Mortgage (NMLS #1794818). How I work in both roles.

Vetted, not padded

Two builders I will personally stand behind, never a directory I bought ads for.

Your agent, not the builder's

The rep in the sales trailer works for the builder. On a new build, I work for you.

Agent and lender

Licensed in both, so I read the contract and understand how a build gets financed.

The builders

Builders I trust.

New construction is the part of this job I genuinely love, so I am picky about who I send people to. Right now that means two builders, both in Southern Utah, where I am your agent directly rather than a referral to someone two counties over. One builds the development I am pouring footings into myself. The other builds custom homes on your lot, including a clever way to add a rentable suite over the garage.

You will see two paths in new construction. A spec home is built or nearly finished, so you can walk it and close on a known timeline. A to-be-built or custom home is the other way: you pick the lot and the finishes, then wait on the build. Both count as new construction, and which one fits depends on your timeline and how much you want to choose. I am happy to talk through either before you fall for a model home.

AJ Caplin Custom Homes AJ Caplin Custom Homes Cedar City + Southern Utah Jones Custom Homes Jones Custom Homes St. George area
Referral disclosure. The builders on this page are people I know and trust, not the only builders in Utah. If you choose to build with one of them through a Moving Utah connection, that builder may pay my brokerage, Real Broker, LLC, a referral fee. It comes out of the builder's side, it is never an added cost to you, and it does not change your price. You are always free to choose any builder you wish, and using one of these builders is never required.

For buyers

Why buyers bring me to the build.

New construction is its own kind of purchase. The home does not exist yet, the contract reads nothing like a resale offer, and the only person in the room who is not paid by the builder is the agent you bring with you. Here is what that gets you.

The sales-trailer rep works for the builder

The friendly person in the model home is paid by the builder to look after the builder's interests. Bringing your own agent puts someone in the room who answers to you. On a new build, that balance matters more, not less.

I read builder contracts for a living

Allowances, change orders, what is and is not included, the timeline and what happens if it slips. A new-build agreement hides a lot in the fine print. I read yours line by line before you sign anything.

I know the financing side too

I am licensed in both real estate and mortgage lending, so I can help you understand how a new-construction purchase actually comes together and what to line up before you commit. Fewer surprises at the finish line.

Straight answers, even about my own project

I hold an ownership interest in one development on this page, and it is disclosed everywhere it appears. If it is not the right fit for you, I will say so out loud and point you to the builder or community that is.

Start with a conversation See how a build comes together

Featured builder

AJ Caplin Custom Homes.

AJ Caplin Custom Homes logo
Vetted builder Cedar City + Southern Utah 20+ years building Hundreds of homes
Owner-agent disclosure. Scott Buehler is a licensed real estate agent and holds an ownership interest in Old Sorrel Heights. That interest is disclosed here and on every page and listing where the development appears, per Utah R162-2f-401h(3) and NAR Standard of Practice 12-6.

AJ Caplin Custom Homes is the builder behind Old Sorrel Heights, the phase I am developing in Cedar City, and that is not an accident. Alan Caplin has been building in Cedar City and across Southern Utah for more than two decades, with hundreds of finished homes you can drive past and walk through. That track record is the reason his name is on my own project.

At Old Sorrel Heights he builds the Westview series, floor plans that run about 3,000 to 4,300 square feet, and he welcomes custom changes. The lots sit on the southeast side of Old Sorrel Ranch, higher than the rest of the community, with views toward Three Peaks and the valley floor, underground utilities and fiber, and walk-out basements on several of the sites.

Because I own a piece of this one, you get the clearest disclosure on the page and a promise with it: if Old Sorrel Heights is not the right fit, I will say so and point you toward whichever builder or community is. The lot map, floor plans, and current availability live on the community site.

Visit OldSorrelHeights.com See the Old Sorrel Ranch community

At a glance

Builder
AJ Caplin Custom Homes
Where
Cedar City + Southern Utah
Experience
20+ years, hundreds of homes
Building now
Westview series, Old Sorrel Heights
Lots
0.25 to 0.3 acre, walk-out sites

The Westview series

Front and rear elevations of three Westview plans at Old Sorrel Heights.

Westview Grande by AJ Caplin Custom Homes, front elevation
Front
Westview Grande by AJ Caplin Custom Homes, rear elevation
Back

Westview series

Grande

Westview Horizon by AJ Caplin Custom Homes, front elevation
Front
Westview Horizon by AJ Caplin Custom Homes, rear elevation
Back

Westview series

Horizon

Westview Signature by AJ Caplin Custom Homes, front elevation
Front
Westview Signature by AJ Caplin Custom Homes, rear elevation
Back

Westview series

Signature

Featured builder

Jones Custom Homes.

Vetted builder St. George, Hurricane, Washington 10+ years building Custom on your lot

Jones Custom Homes builds custom homes in the St. George area, including Hurricane and Washington. Blake has been building custom homes for more than ten years, and his approach is refreshingly direct: you bring the lot, he builds the house. Buy in just about any new development in the area and he will build a custom home on it.

His specialty is the accessory dwelling unit, a separate suite above the garage. Some owners rent it out, some keep it for extended family or guests, and some turn it into a home office or studio. It is one of the more flexible ways to add square footage and options to a new build, and it is the kind of thing worth planning from the first set of drawings rather than bolting on later.

Because Blake builds across Washington County, this is home turf for me, so I am your agent on the purchase directly rather than a referral somewhere else. Tell me the part of the valley you are after and what you want the home to do, and I will get the two of you talking.

Visit the builder's site Ask me about building with Blake
Jones Custom Homes logo

Project photos coming soon.

What he builds

Where
St. George, Hurricane, Washington
Experience
10+ years, custom homes
Specialty
ADU suite above the garage
Builds
On your lot, any new development

How it works

From bare lot to the day you get the keys.

Building looks complicated from the outside, so here is the whole arc in plain terms. Every build is a little different, but it almost always moves through these stages, and I am next to you at each one.

  1. 01 · Bare lot

    Stakes in the ground, a footprint, and a plan for what goes here.

  2. 02 · Foundation

    Footings and walls poured. The house finally takes its place on the lot.

  3. 03 · Framed

    Walls and roofline go up. This is the pre-drywall walk we do together.

  4. 04 · Move-in ready

    Finishes in, punch list done, lights on, and the keys are yours.

The whole arc, step by step

No jargon, no surprises. This is the path almost every build follows, and the points where having your own agent earns its keep.

Read the full new-construction guide
  1. 1

    Know your number

    Before you fall for a model home, we settle on a comfortable budget and get you pre-qualified, so every lot and plan you walk is one you can actually build.

  2. 2

    Pick your path

    Spec or to-be-built. A spec home is ready or nearly ready; a to-be-built or custom home lets you choose the lot and the finishes, then wait on the build. We pick the one that fits your timeline.

  3. 3

    Choose the lot and the plan

    The lot drives the home: the view, the grade, whether a walk-out basement works, how the light falls. We walk the sites and match a floor plan to the one you love.

  4. 4

    Selections and the contract

    You make your finish selections inside the builder's allowances, and I read the agreement line by line: change orders, what is and is not included, and what happens if the timeline moves.

  5. 5

    Construction and walkthroughs

    Footings, framing, drywall, finishes. We do the key walkthroughs together, including the pre-drywall walk, when problems are still cheap to fix.

  6. 6

    Closing and keys

    Final walkthrough, punch list, closing. Then it is yours, brand new, with no one having lived in it before you.

A few things worth knowing first

Spec or to-be-built

A spec home is ready or nearly ready, so you walk it and close on a known date. A to-be-built home lets you choose the lot and finishes, then wait on the build. Knowing which one you are looking at saves a lot of crossed wires.

Lot and timeline

The lot drives a lot of the home: views, grade, whether a walk-out basement works, and how long the build runs. We talk through the site and a realistic timeline before you commit, not after.

The contract

A new-build contract reads differently from a resale offer: allowances, change orders, and what is and is not included. I read these for a living, and I will read yours line by line.

Go deeper: The new-construction buyer's guide New construction in Cedar City Building while you sell

Questions, answered

New construction, the honest version.

Two right now, and I would rather have two I trust than a long list I do not. AJ Caplin Custom Homes builds in Cedar City and across Southern Utah, including the Westview series at Old Sorrel Heights. Jones Custom Homes builds custom homes in the St. George area, Hurricane, and Washington. I add builders only when I know the work, and this page grows as I do.

No. These are builders I know and trust, not the only builders in Utah, and using one is never required. If you choose to build with one of them through a Moving Utah connection, that builder may pay my brokerage a referral fee out of their side, never an added cost to you. You are always free to choose any builder you wish.

Yes. Blake Jones builds on your lot, so you can buy in just about any new development in the St. George area and have a custom home built on it, including his specialty, an accessory dwelling unit above the garage. AJ Caplin builds the Westview floor plans at Old Sorrel Heights and welcomes custom changes.

Reach out and show me your work: a few finished homes, your service area, and how you like to build. I vet builders before they go on the page, the homes you have actually delivered, your licensing and insurance, and how past clients were treated. If it is a fit, we build your profile and I start introducing you to buyers who suit your work. The roster stays short on purpose.

A spec home is already built or nearly finished, so you can walk it, see the actual finishes, and close on a known timeline. A to-be-built or custom home is the other path: you pick the lot and choose the finishes, then wait on the build. Both are new construction, so it is worth knowing which one you are looking at before you get attached.

Yes, and it gets the clearest disclosure on the page. I hold an ownership interest in Old Sorrel Heights in Cedar City, which AJ Caplin builds, and that interest is disclosed everywhere the development appears, per Utah R162-2f-401h(3) and NAR Standard of Practice 12-6. It does not lock you into it. If it is not the right fit, I will say so and point you toward whichever builder or community is.

You do not buy your way onto this page. Featuring is based on vetting, not a placement fee. If a buyer I introduce builds with you, you may pay my brokerage, Real Broker, LLC, a referral fee out of your side, the way referrals work across real estate. It is never an added cost to the buyer and never changes their price, and there is no guarantee of leads or sales, because no honest person can promise that.

I feature builders whose finished homes I can stand behind, who carry current licensing and insurance, who write contracts that spell out allowances and timelines, and who treat clients straight. I would rather keep the list short and mean it than pad a directory. If I would not point my own family to a builder, they do not go on this page.

How my dual role works. I am licensed in both real estate and mortgage lending. On any single transaction I take one role only, never both at once, and every role is disclosed. You are always free to choose your own agent and your own lender. The full explanation is on How I Work.
For general information only. This page describes builders I work with; it is not legal, tax, or investment advice. Floor plans, square footage, lot details, availability, and pricing come from the builders and can change. Confirm the current specifics directly before you rely on them.
Scott Buehler, Moving Utah

Thinking about building in Southern Utah?

Tell me where you want to be, whether you are after a move-in-ready spec or a custom build on your own lot, and what you want the home to do for you. I will point you to the right builder for the job, walk the lots with you, and give you straight answers about timeline, what is included, and how it really comes together. If Old Sorrel Heights is in the running, I can show you that one myself.

Buying or building

Tell me your timeline and what you want the home to do. I will point you to the right builder and walk the lots with you.

Start the conversation Browse new construction

You build homes

Show me your finished work and your service area. If it is a fit, I will get you in front of the buyers already looking here.

Introduce your work See how getting featured works

Two builders today, more as I find the right ones. Using either is never required, and you are always free to choose any builder you wish.