New farmhouse-style homes rise on 71st Street in west St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG — A St. Petersburg builder has put up five new houses on a single block of 71st Street North, betting that buyers will pay close to $1 million for farmhouse-style homes in a neighborhood where nothing else has ever sold for half that price.

DHM Construction Services built the homes at 3801, 3809, 3819, 3829 and 3839 71st St. N. The two-story houses range from about 2,471 to 3,006 square feet, with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. A fifth home at 3839, the designated model, is a smaller four-bedroom, four-bath layout with solar panels installed. All include two-car garages. The homes are listed between $899,999 and $949,000, according to Zillow listings as of mid-April.

None has sold. The model at 3839 was previously under contract, but the deal fell through for reasons unrelated to the home or its pricing, according to the builder.

The asking prices dwarf the surrounding market. On the same block, a three-bedroom, two-bath house built in 1958 carries a Zillow estimated value of about $310,000. A one-bath house on nearby 74th Street North sold for $220,000 in 2024. A renovated four-bedroom on 39th Avenue North — the highest recent comparable sale in the immediate area — went for $440,000 in February 2025. The median home value in the 33709 ZIP code is about $265,000.

Heather Morin, who owns DHM Real Estate Group, said comparing the homes to the ZIP code median is not a meaningful benchmark.

“That figure is largely driven by older, smaller homes — many under 1,500 square feet — built decades ago under very different construction standards,” Morin said. “These homes are fundamentally a different product.”

Morin said the appropriate measure is price per square foot. New construction in non-coastal, non-luxury parts of St. Petersburg trades in the mid-to-high $300s per square foot, she said. The DHM homes are listed at about $320 per square foot.

She said the homes are designed for how families live now, with flexible spaces for remote work, homeschooling and multigenerational living. Each features custom closets, built-in pantries and designer finishes.

“When you factor in insurance, energy efficiency, and maintenance, the total cost of ownership is often more favorable than many lower-priced resale homes,” Morin said.

Morin said DHM looks for signs that an area is evolving before committing to a project. She pointed to a cluster of recent healthcare investments near 71st Street as one such signal.

Orlando Health operates a freestanding emergency room and multi-specialty medical building at 1800 66th St. N., about two miles from the DHM homes. Encompass Health opened a 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital at 1000 Tyrone Blvd. N. in October. BayCare bought the Barnes & Noble property at 2501 Tyrone Blvd. N. for $10 million in January 2025 and plans a $30 million freestanding emergency room on the site, though construction has not yet begun.

“When you start to see sustained investment from groups like Orlando Health, BayCare and Encompass Health — alongside public infrastructure improvements — it’s usually a strong signal that an area is evolving in a meaningful way,” Morin said. “That’s typically the point where we step in.”

DHM has made this kind of bet before. The company was originally established in Denver more than 20 years ago. Daniel and Heather Morin moved the business to St. Petersburg in 2009, during the housing downturn, and registered in Florida in 2011. They have built in several south St. Petersburg neighborhoods, including single-family homes in the 2300 and 2500 blocks of Palmetto Park near the Warehouse Arts District and townhomes along First Avenue South. Morin said the company faced similar skepticism in those areas.

“We pride ourselves on identifying evolving needs within St. Petersburg and being both willing and able to invest in neighborhoods that may not yet be fully recognized for their potential,” she said.

The homes sit in the Tyrone subdivision near Tyrone Square Mall, in an area of mostly midcentury block houses. There is no HOA. The properties are outside the flood zone. The Pinellas Trail is about a three-minute bike ride away.

Morin said the homes are well-positioned for medical professionals, noting their proximity to St. Petersburg General Hospital and the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center. She also pointed to city and county infrastructure investments along the Belcher Road-71st Street corridor, including road widening, sidewalks and improved drainage.

DHM Construction holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Nancy Burris serves as broker and manager of DHM Real Estate Group and leads the sales team, which includes agents Roxane Nelson, Crystal Keeter, Natali Rodriguez and Andrew Perez.

The houses feature HardiPlank and metal siding on wood frames, engineered hardwood floors and porcelain tile. Kitchens include Samsung Bespoke appliances, wine refrigerators and stone countertops. Primary suites sit on the second floor with walk-in closets and private balconies. Secondary bedrooms share a Jack-and-Jill bath.

The corner lot at 3801 is the largest of the five, a double lot at 7,645 square feet. The other lots run about 5,620 square feet each. Morin said all five offer backyard space suitable for a pool.

Prices have dropped steadily since the first home hit the market, according to Zillow. The property at 3819 was originally listed in November 2024 at $1.1 million. It has been cut five times and now asks $945,000, a reduction of more than 14%. It has sat on the market for more than 500 days.

The home at 3801, listed in November 2025 at $1.09 million, has been cut four times to $949,000. The property at 3829 was first listed in November 2024 at $1.06 million, pulled from the market, relisted in December 2025 at $995,000 and reduced to $945,000. All three took their most recent cuts on March 26.

Morin said the extended time on market reflects the fact that the homes were listed before construction was complete. She said larger new construction homes serve a more targeted buyer pool, which can affect absorption timelines.

The seller is offering up to $10,000 in closing cost assistance or interest-rate buydowns.

The lots were legally subdivided under local zoning, Morin said. A listing that described one home as part of a senior community was an error; the homes are not age-restricted.

The area is zoned for 74th Street Elementary, Azalea Middle and Hollins High schools. The homes are pre-wired for solar and at least one includes an EV charging plug. All five are available for showings.