Testimonials
Our customer’s experience is a core value at Southern Development Homes. 99% of our customers say they would purchase from us again and also refer a friend. We are proud of our reputation and our excellent track record in our local community.
Read what our home owners have to say!
Click the photos below to read each client’s story.
Monika Jassal
Southern Development did a fantastic job guiding me through the new construction process, setting realistic expectations, and providing exceptional support during the entire process. The greatest standout to me that puts Southern Development above all other developers is their sales representative, Nancy Witte. She was absolutely delightful to work with, extremely knowledgeable, and made a point to keep me looped in on where we were with the construction. She treated me as if I was her only client. More importantly, Nancy brought a sense of community right from the start when I was still deciding on where to live, and this is what tipped me to this neighborhood and this builder. True to her word, she organized neighborhood meetups to bring our new and budding community together. In my experience, this level of service and commitment to a community by a builder is unprecedented. My home was finally ready last summer, and I could not be more pleased. I absolutely LOVE my new home and my new neighbors. It’s everything I ever imagined it would be and then some!
The Evans Family
We built with Southern Development in Old Trail in 2018 and have been in our house for almost a year. We definitely didn’t go into the process looking to build, but when we talked to Nancy Witte we started to see how it might make the most sense for our family. After looking at several neighborhoods and builders, we settled on Old Trail and Southern Development because we fell in love with the Pippin floorplan and the overall transparency of Southern. All of our questions were answered and we felt good about getting the most for our budget. Anna was amazing at the design center. She helped guide us to beautiful choices that were within budget. Nancy has been absolutely wonderful throughout the entire process, from the beginning when we had a million questions, to the when is this house going to be finished stage, to the we’ve moved in and still have questions stage. She is an invaluable asset to the team! The other thing we love is the family atmosphere Southern fosters hosting Old Trail neighborhood events allowing new and existing neighbors to meet and socialize. We are very happy in our new home!
Annalee & Josh Armstrong
We can’t thank Southern Development Homes enough for the excellent service we received. We weren’t looking to buy a house at the time, but thanks to Mike Kondor and the Towne First Mortgage team, we were able to make our dream come true! We love our new home and are blown away by the quality!
The Booz Family
It is no surprise that Southern Development Homes has nabbed the People’s Choice award for Charlottesville’s favorite builder! The team of Nancy, Doug, Anna and Virginia at Southern Development Homes was friendly, helpful, and oh-so efficient! Each step of the building process was thoroughly explained and completed right on schedule. We have moved and built homes many times and working with Southern Development Homes has been our most pleasant home-buying experience yet!
JeJe & Gus Moore
Buy a Southern Development Home! You won’t regret it! From the moment I walked into the Ridgeview model townhome in Old Trail I was hooked….had to find a way to move to Crozet and make one my own! Nancy Witte will go the extra mile to make sure you are getting the house of your dreams. She sincerely cares about the community of people she ishelping to build in Old Trail and successfully brings everyone together on a regular basis. I have not been disappointed with any phase of the process…from my experience with Ann in the Design Center to the thorough inspection with Doug before I moved in. Even now, more than a year after moving in, I know any questions or concerns I have will be addressed immediately. My new home is beautiful, extremely well built, and not a day goes by that I don’t feel happy to be here! Thank you SDH!
Andy & Andrea Wright
We just wanted to say what a wonderful experience working with Southern Development Homes was and especially with Nancy! Her enthusiasm and willingness to always answer our questions really allowed us to feel comfortable and confident about buying from Southern Development Homes. She is so warm and welcoming which made us feel like family. We also really appreciated how she provided us with multiple opportunities to meet our new neighbors by hosting potlucks and pizza parties which we feel is the glue that holds everything together. We would also like to give a huge thanks to Anna whose design guidance was invaluable and we absolutely love her taste! Last but not least, we would like to thank the very hard working Doug who was always so responsive while making sure that every little detail with the construction was taken care of!
The Flack Family
We absolutely loved working with Southern Development Homes! Nancy Witte was truly amazing to work with. She was so much fun, very attentive and beyond prepared to answer all of our questions. She was always there for us from beginning to end! From the talented Anna Posner at the Design Center who helped us make our home reflect our tastes, to Doug Morris leading the construction team, Southern Development Homes went above and beyond their jobs, and we could see the care that was put into our home. Virginia was also super helpful throughout out the process and such a wonderful person to work with. Even on move-in day, our young daughter Addy was greeted with a teddy bear holding a big red balloon and a Welcome Home letter in her new bedroom! The entire team was an absolute pleasure to work with and they truly made us feel like family!
Norm Jenkins & Michael Clarke
The entire process was seamless from beginning to end. Everyone was knowledgeable, professional, courteous, and accessible. We were treated with the utmost respect and could not have had a better experience! Thanks Southern Development and especially to Frank, Nancy and Doug!
The Bright Family
I can’t say enough wonderful things about working with Southern Development. The experience of building with them was delightful. How often you can say THAT when you are building a home? From our first meeting, until the final walk through, Southern Development Homes went above and beyond to make sure we got what we wanted and within our budget!! There were no surprises. Even the process of picking out finishings was fun and seamless at the Design Center. They know what they are doing, and you get the vibe when you are around any team member that they are one big family. Big shout out to Nancy and the whole team at SDH…thanks for making building a house fun!
The Jewel Family
We are SO THRILLED to be in our new home! We just absolutely love it. The whole Southern Development Homes team – Nancy, Anna, Lois, Frank and Doug – have been truly wonderful to work with! Thank you for making the process enjoyable, and helping us create a home that feels like a perfect fit!
The Kaiser Family
What an amazing group of people to work with!! We are absolutely thrilled to be in our new Southern Developmen
The Delimore Family
What makes Southern Development Homes so wonderful to work with is very simple – it is the people that we have interacted with at every step of the way. From our first meeting with Nancy after we chose the house, we immediately felt we were in great hands. She took time out of her schedule to open the Design Center, so we could get a peek at the options ahead of our appointment. Even our kids love her, and they often will run into the model home, just say hi. In fact, our daughter wants us to leave a spare key there, so if she ever forgets her key, Nancy will have one.
From our Design Center appointment with Anna and the many follow-up questions about floor choices, tiles or paint colors–to our construction manager Doug, who made sure all the right finishes, cabinets, etc. were in order–the people are great to work with. They make the building of a house less stressful. Every single question, every single email was answered quickly and wonderfully. The people are the reason we have loved our experience!
Troy & Brie Harding
We love Southern Development Homes and will highly recommend them to our family and friends! Everyone has been great to work with. We appreciate getting face time with Frank, and feel like we are getting an awesome home that will be built with care. We are so impressed with how organized the whole process has been. We’ve felt like we were the only people buying a home, yet there are tons of projects going on with Southern Development. We have never felt like we took a back seat. Thanks for making this process so painless. We can’t wait to see our dream home completed!
Kevin & Sue Hoover
Our Southern Development experience was better than all of our prior home buying experiences combined. From start to finish, the representatives were helpful, friendly, professional, and responsive. Any changes or concerns we had were addressed so easily without any push-back at all, even those found after our closing. We loved the Design Center – it made choosing our selections so easy, and the outcome much more perfect. We are so happy in our new home and would recommend Southern Development to anyone.
Sharon Kennedy
I had not expected to be moving and definitely not building a house but when life threw me a curve ball, Southern Development Homes was willing to work with me to customize a home plan to suit my needs. From expanding the garage to customizing the lower level to include 2 bedrooms, they were totally on board.
The best part of the building process was visiting the Design Center with my daughters to customize our home. Getting to see the floor, cabinets and counters all together made selections so much easier as well as getting to see the stone, siding, deck and roofing. Having Anna, the Design Center Expert, to make sure that everything coordinated, outside and in, was such a help. There are so many favorite features that I personalized my home with, it is impossible to pick just one. I telecommute and am barefoot all day so I love the heated floor in my master bath. The kitchen counters (soapstone and silestone) are beautiful and functional. The high ceilings and open floor plan suits my family perfectly. My daughters and my dogs love the back deck. The list goes on and on!
I don’t plan to move again for a really long time but if I did, I would build again with Southern Development Homes in an instant.
Sue Mantz
As a realtor here in Charlottesville, I have seen a lot of beautiful and open floor plans, but I remember thinking as I took my client through the front door… “Wow! I wonder how many guests Loretta and I could fit into this awesome great room!” For us, Dunlora Forest has absolutely everything we need for making our last move; one level living, a 2 car garage, a huge open floor plan, and a fabulous location. Not to mention a golf course right next door! Judi and The Southern Development team have made the building process easy and painless, and we can’t wait to truly experience an EasyLiving lifestyle at Dunlora Forest. Maddie loves it too!
Steve Muskie & Sandy Cook
Our house is beautiful and just the way we want it. During the building process our Sales Consultant, Andrea, couldn’t have been more helpful and responsive to questions and concerns. Robert, the Superintendent, made us feel welcome and part of the team. He kept us informed about what was happening, took us on tours of the house and was very responsive to our questions. We were nervous as first time builders and he was patient with us. I know he had many things to do, but he never made us feel rushed. Knowing that Robert was in charge and looking after us was reassuring. As we had our inspections and walk through we were confident that the house was just the way it should be. When every thing was complete, we were thrilled when the inspector told us we had a great house! It was fun watching the whole process as the house took shape. We took pictures during construction and it was amazing to see how quickly and efficiently your team worked to get the job done.
Village Oaks is a terrific place for us to live. It is only 15 minutes from Charlottesville, but still has wooded areas and open spaces. With walking trails, sidewalks, a clubhouse with a pool, and places for family get togethers, it will provide us with a comfortable neighborhood to make new friends.
The fact that it’s also close to the existing Lake Monticello community is an added bonus for us because we already have friends living there.
Bryan Fetzer
I am very pleased with my purchase of my Southern Development home. Having the opportunity to customize the townhouse to fit my specific desires and needs has made the experience perfect. After a year living in the The Pavilions at Pantops community, I know I made a great choice. It’s a peaceful location with fantastic views and easy access to I-64 and as well as downtown. I couldn’t have picked a better location for myself.
David & Carol Harrell
This was the fourth home purchase for our family, and it was the best one. The people at Southern Development made all the difference. Not only were they pleasant and personable to deal with, they listened to us. They modified their plans to fit our wants and then asked if we had any other changes we desired them to make. They continued working with us on the details until we had a home that was distinctly ours: a custom home at a less than custom price. Their construction was first rate, and our project manager was a true professional with a great personality. He had the home ready for move in a month and a half early. Rebecca in sales, Garnett the project manager, and Frank Ballif the president were all wonderful to work with from with our initial interest in their model going all the way through construction and our first year in the finished home. A superb builder to deal with, and we highly recommend them.
Michael & Judith Woodfolk
Frank Ballif and his team at Southern Development constructed our last two homes. In fact, we purchased the very first house the company built. We were so pleased by the workmanship, that we asked Southern Development to build our dream home.
When building our home, we wanted a functional house that provided a sense of family unity. The centrally located kitchen was designed to be the command and control center, with all other rooms flowing from it. We envisioned a Tuscan style interior that captured a European elegance, but was nonetheless practical for casual everyday living – and within a practical budget!
The Southern Development team worked hard to make our vision a reality. Their design team methodically adjusted our plans that were first scribbled on a napkin! Soon, our vision took shape on a computer screen, and then quickly translated to bricks and mortar. The final product was a home of outstanding quality, constructed with meticulous attention to detail. The team crafted our home with a “partnership” mindset starting on day one. Honesty and integrity were key ingredients to making it all work. Almost nine years post-construction, we are just as delighted now with our home as we were the day we first walked in. Frank is a special person and the company is a unique organization.
We would highly recommend Southern Development to anyone looking to build a home. The team truly takes a long term view to building homes, and to sustaining lifelong relationships.
Johanna & Kieran O’Loughlin
We really appreciated the way Southern worked with us to customize the building plans. We lived outside of the area and had several phone and video conferences with the Southern team over Skype to chose options and finalize designs. The result is a house that we really love. We were impressed that our energy audit and building inspector showed a well constructed, energy efficient house. We were very grateful that Southern addressed quickly the small number of minor issues that we picked up.
Andrew & Steph McElfresh
From initial meeting through contract signing, Southern Development fostered a great home buying experience. We still love our home seven years later.
John & Grace Matthews
From the moment we were introduced to Frank we felt very comfortable with his responsiveness and honesty. We enjoyed working with the whole Southern team to bring the vision of our custom dream home to life!
Jay James
I was so blessed to work with Southern Development. I love my home, and I love the relationship that I still have 4 years later with the builder. Southern Development is a relationship company. The salesperson that showed me the house helped me customize everything I wanted and made sure it fit in my budget. She worked hand in hand with my realtor and made the process so easy for me. The quality of the materials, the location, my neighbors, it’s all been a tremendous blessing for such a significant time in my life when I was buying my first home. Even after the warranty had run its course, Southern Development took my calls, heard my concerns and performed my maintenance needs. They have always treated me like a priority, even after the conclusion of our business. I will always believe in, and support Southern Development. They will have my business for sure for the next home I buy. I really appreciate their professionalism and kindness. They are a true asset to our community. I’m a Southern Development man!
Larry & Barbara Stremikis
We’ve developed a thirteen year relationship with Southern Development Homes. In 2001, we chose to build our first home with them because of the superior level of quality they offered. We were so impressed with the attention to detail, the craftsmanship and the level of communication that we experienced during the building process and long after, that we decided to build a second home with them in 2014. Over the years, they have become more than our builder, but our friends.
Chris & Kelley Virgilio
From the service we received, to the quality of the home we purchased, we were very pleased with the entire home building experience. Our Sales Consultant, David, helped gently guide us through every step of the process. His informed approach helped us feel at ease with each of our decisions, and provided insight beyond the sales process, and into the community and neighborhood.
The quality of the home speaks for itself. From the roof down to the flooring, each element is created from quality building materials. The high ceilings, wood floors and granite in the kitchen were upgrades we chose for their lasting value. Our family enjoys the open floor plan and the flexibility to adjust the space to suit our lifestyle.
Will & Rachel Schnorr
We are very pleased with our new home! The location is ideal and we have loved walking to the downtown mall. We were really drawn to the style of the house, the overall vision for the community, and the proximity to downtown. The high quality construction is noticeable and we were very pleased that SDH followed EarthCraftTM standards, which has resulted in lower than expected utility bills. SDH allowed us to fully customize the basement to meet our needs and also to make other floor plan modifications based on our desires. We are looking forward to seeing the community develop over the next few years!
Peggy & Minor Johnson
Minor and I purchased a Southern Development EasyLivingTM home in Dunlora Forest. It was a dream come true after looking for this type of home for years. We are very happy with the neighborhood and the convenience of Universal Design features. Thank you Southern Development Homes for making this possible!
Tony & Bonnie Lanquintono
Before my wife and I visited Dunlora Forest, we were not aware of what the term Easy Living meant. It didn’t take long to get a better understanding. As we walked through the front door of the model, what struck us first was the total openness of the first floor plan. There were no walls to separate the individual living areas, which gave a feeling of free flowing living. The foyer with its cathedral ceiling added to the dramatic effect and the stairwell leading to a walkway allowed us to view the entire floor plan below. This is our 16th home and we look forward to having it fulfill all our needs now and in the future. Living in the Dunlora Forest community will allow us to take advantage of its proximity to major shopping, health facilities, and the University of Virginia community. Lastly, the day we move into Dunlora Forest will mark the day I will never have to cut another single blade of grass again………now that’s easy living.
Andrew & Robin Owens
Southern Development Homes helped us not only build a home, but a sense of community. Being new to Central Virginia, we were looking for a deeper connection to our area and were pleasantly surprised by the company’s commitment to hiring and sourcing locally. We appreciated the ability to communicate with key decision makers in the company and loved being able to personalize our home to meet our lifestyle. On top of that, our new house is approx. 1,400/SF larger – but uses approx. 30% less electricity and water – which is very impressive – especially with having an additional child. We would absolutely recommend Southern Development Homes to our friends and family.
