Luxury Homes: Is a Spec Home Builder Right for You?

May 27, 2022

The dining room and living space for one of our spec homes in the King house plan.

You have several options when it comes to buying your dream home. You could buy a pre-owned home if you can find one in the market you desire. Of course with inventory at historic lows, that can be very challenging right now.

You can build a custom home from scratch, making every decision yourself, even choosing your own lot, if you prefer. This gives you tons of control, freedom, and options. But there will be a waiting period before you can move in.

Or you can purchase a spec home that is already built or partially built.

What Is a Spec Home?

A spec home is shorthand lingo in the home building industry for a “speculative home.” The home builder “speculates” that it will sell after they build it. The builder designs the home to make it appealing to a wide variety of potential home buyers in that market.

Often, a spec home is a home that is already in the process of being built, or it may even be completely finished and ready to move in.

Spec home builders choose the house plan. Or, if you, as a potential buyer, get to the neighborhood early enough, you may be able to choose the lot and plan that you like the best out of a small menu of custom home plans.

You can buy many types of spec homes from lower-end to luxury homes, depending on your budget and preferences.

The master bathroom in one of our fully-built King house plans.

The Advantages of Building Spec Homes

Spec home building has a huge advantage over custom homes and pre-owned homes in that a homebuyer can have a beautiful, new home without having to wait for the entire building process. So it is a faster way to get to move into a brand new dream home.

It’s perfect for those who want to skip months of waiting or for those who just don’t enjoy going through the construction process and making every single decision.

It’s a good fit if you like the neighborhood where the spec homes are being built and don’t already own your own land.

Also, you don’t have to use your imagination to picture what the home will look like. You can walk through it, see it in person, and touch it. It’s a lot easier to picture your life in a home that is already built for many people.

And, unlike with a pre-owned home, you won’t have to tear out 40 year-old wallpaper, paint over the hideous 1970s bathroom tile, replace the old carpet, or worry about the hassle of a fixer-upper. Some people enjoy fixing up an older home. Others would much rather have a new house that is turn-key. You just turn the key and it’s ready and perfect from day one.

The HVAC units are all brand new. The air filters are clean. Everything is pristine and your family is the first family to touch and use everything.

One of our spec home kitchens for the King house plan.

Spec Home VS Custom Home

A huge advantage of a custom home is that you have a lot of freedom with location, design, finishes, etc… You get to make, essentially, all of the decisions yourself. So your home is specifically built for your preferences and needs.

Spec home construction, in general, sometimes gets a bad rap because some spec homes use lower-quality finishes and features in their homes. This may be true with some builders.

However, if you go with a luxury home builder for a spec home, thankfully, you don’t have to worry about skimping on quality. You won’t be getting a cookie-cutter home or less-than finishes.

At Blythe Building Company, we give the same level of quality and attention to our spec homes that we do to our custom homes. When we finish them ourselves, we use high-end materials. And, in many cases, you will be able to even choose the finishing touches for your spec home, yourself, for the perfect fit for your taste.

The Right Time to Buy a Spec Home

There is no specific “right time.” But we would encourage potential buyers to buy sooner rather than later in the process so that you can have more control over the final touches.

Of course, for some buyers, the convenience of having a home completely finished and move-in ready may be more important than being able to choose the finishes of the home. So it just depends on what works best for you.

Spec Home Plans in South Carolina

We have six spec home plans you can take a look at online through The Moore Company. Here is a brief overview:

Rendering of our Brennan House Plan

Brennan

5 beds | 4.5 baths
3,184 sq.ft.

2 Car Garage
Loft Space
Attic Storage
Master Suite
Guest Suite
Front Porch
Screened Back Porch

Disclaimer for renderings

Renderings produced are meant for illustrative purposes only. Finishes seen in renderings are not guaranteed and subject to change upon completion of the home. Buyer to confirm finishes prior to contract.

A fully-built Burwell home with mahogany garage doors and Bermuda shutter.

Burwell

4 beds | 4 baths

3,319 sq.ft.

2 Car Garage
Study
Master Suite
Guest Suite
Front Porch
Screened Back Porch
with outdoor kitchen

A rendering of our Davidson Home Plan

Davidson

4 beds | 3.5 baths
3,279 sq.ft.

2 Car Garage
Loft Space
Attic Storage
Master Suite
Front Porch
Back Porch

A rendering of our Devereaux plan.

Devereaux

4 beds | 3 baths
3,103 sq.ft.

2 Car Garage
Loft Space
Attic Storage
Master Suite
Front Porch
Covered Back Porch

A fully-built King house plan with limewashed brick.

King

5 beds | 4 baths
3,281 sq.ft.

2 Car Garage
Bonus Room
Attic Storage
Master Suite
Front Porch
Back Porch

A rendering of the Saluda floor plan.

Saluda

5 beds | 4.5 baths
3,187 sq.ft.

2 Car Garage
Loft Space
Attic Storage
Master Suite
Guest Suite
Front Porch
Screened Back Porch

Looking for Luxury Spec Homes for Sale in SC?

Blythe Building Company builds spec homes as well as custom homes in the luxury market in the Greater Columbia, SC area.

Currently, we are building multiple luxury spec homes in Lexington, South Carolina.

All homes are in the Golden Hills neighborhood in Lexington situated on the beautiful Golden Hills Golf and Country Club for those who are looking for resort-style living. Enjoy a community pool, tennis courts, clubhouse, and golf course.

This neighborhood is zoned for the prestigious Lexington 1 School District, which ranks near the top in the state of South Carolina.