Think Real Estate
Kristen Fondren
Realtor®
First Time Home Buyers
Somewhere Learning and Exploring
Kristen Fondren was born and raised in The Florida Panhandle and found her way to Panama City in 2010 after marrying her husband, Trey. After she graduated from FSU with a bachelor’s in business administration. In 2011, Kristen and her husband moved oversees to serve as missionaries. Returning stateside, she pursed a career in education, and they purchased their first property. This is when Kristen first got the real estate bug. Being a first-time home buyer was not intimidating for her, instead she enjoyed the whole process. Kristen recently moved back to the area after a short stint in Texas and knew she had to start her real estate career!
Kristen’s experience in education and working for Bay District Schools has given her great insight into the community. This is one of her biggest assets in helping you buy or sell your home.
Outside of the office, Kristen likes to spend time with her husband and three kids. She enjoys CrossFit and is training to run in a half marathon. Some weekends, you might even run into her at Disney World! She loves participating in events with her church and lives by the motto to do everything in life with a smile!
skill bars
Quick Learner
98
Building Team Synergy
95
Being Organized and Focused
93
Keeping House Plants Alive
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Are you ready to buy, sell, or invest in Bay County, Florida?
Call Kristen Fondren, Realtor with Think Real Estate.
850-896-4877
Think Real Estate
Buy Land and Build A Home or Buy An Existing Home in Bay County
Your future home awaits and we are here to help.
Are you in the process of locating your next dream home? If you are, you may be considering the differences between buying land and building new versus buying an existing home. Both of these options can be great, but each has a different journey to completion.
Fortunately, the real estate market in Bay County, Florida is still activity pushing along. And while there is not as much inventory, compared to 2020, there are still land & homes for sale across our wonderful community.
You can buy a neighborhood lot in a beachy or in-town community, or possibly find acres of land in the northern part of Bay County to start your own farm. Lynn Haven has become a very popular community to call home and the Cove has long been a wonderful community for those seeking to be near downtown Panama City. Lots and lots of choices to create a future that is uniquely you.
It is far more complex to buy land and build a home than it is to buy a home that is already built and move-in ready. Someone has to be available to make the continuous decisions that go along with such a project. And it is often times more expensive, too. Land costs, architectural design, permits, foundation work, framing, site work, exterior finishes, interior finishes, mechanical rough-ins— the details can add up rather quick. When building a custom home, $350,000 doesn’t build a palace in Bay County in 2020. Here is an example of what a $350,000 build budget would look like:
- Architectural Design: $17,430.00
- Site work. Design, Permit fees, inspections, etc.: $7,810.00
- Foundations. Excavation, concrete and retaining walls: $38,685.00
- Framing. Sheathing, trusses, etc.: $44,930.00
- Exterior finishes. Roofing, windows, and doors, etc.: $75,245.00
- Interior finishes. Drywall, flooring, insulation, paint, lights, appliances, etc.: $77,840.00
- Major systems rough-ins. Electrical, HVAC and plumbing: $35,445.00
- Hardscapes and softscapes. Driveway, fencing, landscaping, shed, etc.: $49,490.00
In contrast, the same budget of $350,000 can buy an existing home or condo, land included, that is move-in ready and waiting to welcome you home. And with the inventory in the Bay County Real Estate MLS, you can likely find your new home or investment project without too much effort.
Whichever your choice may be, Think Real Estate has two convenient offices in Bay County, Florida to serve your real estate needs. Our beach office is on Middle Beach Road, just east of Shipwreck Island Water Park, and our in-town office is on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., about one mile north of the mall. Both of our real estate offices offer the same high-quality service and personable, professional, dedicated Realtors. Contact us today to get started.
