Best Home Builders in Clay County, FL: Ranked by Recorded Closings
Shopping for the best home builder in Clay County, FL? Below is every builder we can verify through builder-affiliated sales offices in contributing MLS feeds, ranked by new-construction closings (build year 2024 or newer) — with median prices, what each has on the market right now, and the communities where they build. D.R. Horton leads the county by recorded volume.
Clay County new construction at a glance
The builders, ranked by recorded closings
| Builder | Closings (2024+) | Active now | Median price | Approx $/sqft | Where they build |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D.R. Horton | 52 | 82 | $303,690 | $207 | Corsair, Kindlewood, The Landing at Brannan Field, Rookery |
| Lennar | 66 | 45 | $359,999 | $172 | Edenbrooke at Hyland Trail, Granary Park, Holly Cove Townhomes, Holstein Crossing, Longbay Townhomes, Russell Retreat |
| Pulte Homes | 26 | 40 | $399,000 | $187 | Bradley Creek, Double Branch, Hyland Trail, Murray Farms |
| Adams Homes | 43 | 21 | $324,900 | $183 | Rolling Hills |
| LGI Homes | 9 | 49 | $384,900 | $227 | Jennings Farm, Rolling Hills |
| Mattamy Homes | 38 | 17 | $377,000 | $167 | Lakes at Bella Lago, Sandridge Hills |
| Meritage Homes | 21 | 32 | $298,490 | $186 | The District at Oakleaf, Lakes at Bella Lago |
| Starlight Homes | 0 | 11 | $361,990 | $184 | Fleming Island |
| Perry Homes | 0 | 10 | $712,400 | $259 | Hyland Trail |
| Ashton Woods | 1 | 4 | $229,990 | $164 | Westfield Park |
| David Weekley Homes | 0 | 4 | $624,110 | $211 | Laurelton |
Methodology: closings and actives are counted from listings recorded by builder-affiliated sales offices in contributing MLS feeds, build year 2024 or newer, as of 2026-06-16. Builders who sell primarily outside the MLS may be undercounted, and volume is not an endorsement of build quality. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Volume tells you who is active. It does not tell you who to hire.
A builder’s closing count tells you they can deliver homes in this county at scale — supply chains, trades and permitting all working. It does not tell you how they handle warranty claims, change orders, or a framing defect found at the pre-drywall walk. Before you sign: read the builder’s contract (it is not the standard Florida resale contract, and it is written by the builder’s attorneys), hire your own inspector for pre-drywall and final walks, and ask for addresses of homes delivered 12+ months ago so you can ask owners how service after closing actually went.
Negotiating with builders in Clay County
Builders protect base prices and negotiate with incentives instead: rate buydowns, closing-cost credits, design-center credits, or lot premium waivers. A $20,000 buydown and a $20,000 price cut are not the same deal — compare them properly with our builder incentive calculator. Then model the year-two tax bill (new construction is often taxed on the lot in year one, then reset to your purchase price) with the property tax after purchase calculator, and ask for the CDD assessment and remaining bond term in writing. An agent costs you nothing on a new build — the builder pays the commission — and an agent who has closed with these builders knows which incentives each will actually move on.
What it costs to own here
At Clay County’s typical combined millage of 15.05 mills, a purchase at $361,990 (the median recorded builder price) generates roughly $5,449 a year in property tax before exemptions — about $454 a month. Florida resets the assessed value to roughly your purchase price, so the seller’s current bill is not a preview of yours; a homesteaded owner then gets the $25,000–$50,000 exemption and the 3% Save Our Homes cap going forward. Citizens Property Insurance policies in Clay County average about $1,189 a year ($99 a month) — private-market quotes vary with roof age and wind mitigation, so price coverage before your inspection window closes. All-in, our county model puts the typical monthly cost of ownership in Clay County near $1,990 (principal and interest on the typical home, tax, and insurance).
Run your exact numbers: the property tax after purchase calculator uses Clay County’s verified millage, and the buyer closing costs calculator builds the full cash-to-close.
Demand and supply in Clay County right now
In the most recent IRS migration data (2022-2023), Clay County gained a net 3,611 people to relocation, with the largest inbound flows from CA, VA, NY. Households moving IN reported average incomes of $65,179 versus $61,245 for those leaving — the income mix of demand, straight from tax filings. Population is up about 7.8% over the recent multi-year window. On the supply side, builders pulled 1,522 residential permits in Clay County in 2025 (1,240 single-family), down 19.0% year over year — against 2,443 at the 2023 peak. Permits are tomorrow’s inventory: a shrinking pipeline supports prices, a swelling one hands buyers leverage. Our valuation model reads the county as undervalued by about 19.9% versus its income-and-rent fundamentals.
The Clay County market, in context
Clay County is the value play of Northeast Florida — more home for the money than St. Johns or the Duval beaches, with Clay County District Schools and an easy commute to Jacksonville's Southside and NAS Jacksonville. Growth is concentrated in Oakleaf, Fleming Island, and fast-rising Green Cove Springs along the new First Coast Expressway, which is reshaping where the county builds.
The economy behind the market: Clay County's economy leans on healthcare (Ascension St. Vincent's Clay County and nearby Orange Park Medical Center), retail and distribution along the US 17 and First Coast Expressway corridors, and a public sector led by the county school district and government. Just as important is what is across the river: a large share of Clay residents commute to Jacksonville's Southside and to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, so Duval's deep military, healthcare, and finance economy underwrites Clay housing demand.
What could change it: Clay's risks are riverine flooding (Black Creek and the Doctors Lake/St. Johns shoreline can flood in major storms), rising insurance, and the growing pains of fast expressway-corridor development, including county budget pressure as commercial construction cools. Inland and away from the water, risk is comparatively low for Florida.
Near-term outlook: Expect Clay to stay the region's steady value market over the next 12 months. Demand from buyers priced out of St. Johns and Duval keeps a firm floor under prices, while heavy new construction along the First Coast Expressway keeps a lid on resale appreciation — a healthy, buyer-friendly balance.
Run the numbers in Clay County
- Find the best agent in Clay County
- Get a cash offer in Clay County
- Clay County housing scorecard
- What would selling net you
- Buyer closing costs calculator
See also: New construction communities in Clay County.
What changed since June 16, 2026
Updated October 28, 2026. The builder rankings above use closings recorded through June 16, 2026. Since then, Clay County had 1,171 active listings and 405 pending sales on October 28, 2026, with 3,603 closings over the past 12 months, a median sold price of $360,000, a median list price of $359,990 and 3.9 months of supply, which our scale reads as a seller's market.
| Area | Active | Pending | Sold, 12 mo | Median sold | Median list | Days on market | Months of supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | 1,171 | 405 | 3,603 | $360,000 | $359,990 | 71 | 3.9 (Seller's market) |
| Eagle Landing at Oakleaf Plantation | 26 | 3 | 48 | $622,500 | $574,500 | 56 | 6.5 (Buyer's market) |
| The District at Oakleaf | 8 | 4 | 21 | $273,490 | $261,078 | 160 | 4.6 (Balanced) |
| Wilford Preserve | 25 | 15 | 65 | $429,010 | $424,900 | 130 | 4.6 (Balanced) |
Our new-home tracker lists nine Clay County communities checked from October 14 to 25, 2026, seven of them in ZIP 32043 around Green Cove Springs, with published starting prices from $284,990 at Dream Finders Homes' Amberly to $399,990 at Richmond American's Alder Creek at Laurelton. New construction took 24 of 41 Green Cove Springs contracts from October 13 to 26. Freddie Mac's survey for the week ending October 22, 2026 put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.32%, after two weeks at 7.40%, the highest reading since late 2023; the 15-year average was 6.68%.
What is the cheapest new construction in Clay County right now?
Among the nine Clay County communities in our October 2026 new-home tracker, the lowest published starting price was $284,990 at Dream Finders Homes' Amberly. Starting prices exclude lot premiums, options and fees and change often.
Are builders offering incentives in Clay County?
Many builders advertise rate buydowns or closing-cost credits, and terms change month to month. With 3.9 months of supply countywide on October 28, 2026, ask for the incentive in writing and compare it with a price cut using the buydown and incentive calculators.
Newer on this topic:
- Clay County new-home communities, October 2026
- builder incentive calculator
- Asbury Creek (coming soon)
- Alder Creek at Laurelton (coming soon)
Sources: Momentum Realty Market Pulse, computed from realMLS (NEFAR) listing data as of October 28, 2026; medians for list price, price per square foot and days on market use current active listings, and the median sold price uses closings over the past 12 months; Momentum Research new-home tracker, builder pages checked October 14 to 25, 2026; Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week ending October 22, 2026. Figures change daily; verify before relying on them. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Common questions
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Builder figures are aggregates from contributing MLS feeds as of 2026-06-16, deemed reliable but not guaranteed; ranking reflects recorded closing volume only and is not an endorsement or quality rating of any builder. Equal Housing Opportunity.