Harbor Lake and Lake Meadows offer affordable new homes

If you are looking to get away from the problems of failing schools, high property taxes and the fear of rising crime, you might want to visit the communities of Lake Meadows and Harbor Lake in the Clay County suburb of Smithville. Smithville, named “Best Affordable Suburb in Missouri” by Business Week Magazine, boasts good schools, low taxes and a crime rate that is almost non-existent.

Harbor Lake and Lake Meadows have new homes available to fit most any budget. Homes in Lake Meadows range from the $160,000s to the $180,000s, while Harbor Lake Homes start in the $180,000s and go to the upper $200,000s.

Buyers with homes to sell can take advantage of the Trade-in Program offered by the developer, Porter Communities. The program is available on selected new homes in each community and allows a buyer the luxury of having just one move without the worry and stress of two mortgage payments while waiting for their previous home to sell.

In the Lake Meadows community, located in the northern part of Smithville, buyers can purchase The Charleston, a new three-bedroom, two-bathroom home offered for $167,900. Eligible buyers can qualify for a mortgage with no down payment and interest as low as 3.75 percent.

“Don’t think this is a stripped down model either,” said builder Joe Hendrix of H2 Development LLC. “The home is built with many energy-saving features including low-E glass windows for additional energy savings.”

Other features include custom cabinets with an island, a fireplace and a large master bedroom with a 3/4-bathroom and a walk-in closet.

“When people see the quality of these homes they are pleasantly surprised,” Hendrix said. “They are even more surprised when we do the mortgage calculation and they find out the payment, including taxes and insurance, is approximately $1,000 a month.

Other homes available in Lake Meadows are the Jamestowne, starting at $169,900, and the slightly larger Jamestowne II for $179,900. New homes in both Lake Meadows and Harbor Lake qualify for all types of conventional financing, including FHA, VA and the USDA “Guaranteed” financing which allows buyers to purchase a home with no down payment. In many cases buyers will find their monthly payments are less than the rent on a comparable house.

For buyers looking for larger homes, there is Harbor Lake, located less than a mile away and adjacent to Smithville Lake. Here, buyers can choose from lots that back-up to the Smithville Lake/Corps of Engineers land.

“One thing you can count on with the lots that back to the lake property,” said Paul Garnett, who markets the properties for Realty Executives, “is never having any neighbors living behind you, unless you want to count the deer, wild turkey and other wildlife.”

Prospective buyers will find several floor plan options from which to choose, including The Burton, a new plan being built by Tucker Construction. This reverse 11/2-story home, priced at $269,900, encompasses four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a three-car garage, and is situated on a beautiful lot backing-up to the treed common area. The home features hardwood floors, custom cabinets with granite counter tops and a covered deck.

Other popular floor plans here include The Chase, a four-bedroom, three-bathroom, California-split with a three-car garage that also backs up to the community open space, offered at $259,900, and The Hampton, a two-story, four-bedroom, 21/2-bathroom home priced at $269,900 and nestled against the Smithville Lake property.

Harbor Lake amenities include a pool, paved walking trails, a lake and over 20 acres of common open space.

“Most of the lots either back to the lake, the common areas or the lake property,” Garnett said. “It makes for some great home sites.”

Photos, plans and locations of all the homes in Lake Meadows and Harbor Lake can be viewed by visiting the Porter Communities website at portercommunities.com.

Both the Lake Meadows and Harbor Lake communities are located north of Smithville on U.S. 169 Highway. The Lake Meadows entrance is directly on U.S. 169, and Harbor Lake is located just east of U.S. 169 on Missouri Highway W.

For directions and more information visit the Porter Communities website at portercommunities.com. You can also contact marketing agents Katharine Porter with Woodward Realty at 816-225-3535 or Paul Garnett with Realty Executives at 816-985-7285.

This story was originally published January 26, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Harbor Lake and Lake Meadows offer affordable new homes."