Walk down N Waypoint Circle in Suttons Bay right now and you'll find framing, not finished townhomes. Harbor Heights, the village's only active new-construction condominium development, has its first phase of construction underway as part of a planned sixteen buildings on a 7-acre parcel a few blocks from downtown. The listings are live. The prices are real. And if you're pricing your budget off the number on the MLS sheet, you're pricing off the wrong number.
Two comparable phase-one units at Harbor Heights are currently listed at $650,000 and $750,000. Both are three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath townhomes with main-floor primary suites and walkout lower levels. Both come with the same disclosure buried in the listing text: the price is for white box condition, and the buyer signs a separate construction agreement with the builder for finishes. Flooring, countertops, paint, a fireplace if you want one, a bar if you don't. None of that is in the number you see.
That's not a hidden fee or a bait-and-switch. It's how presale construction works, and it's a completely reasonable way to build a condo. But it means the sticker price at Harbor Heights answers a different question than the sticker price on a finished bayfront cottage three streets over. One tells you what a home costs. The other tells you what an empty shell costs before you've chosen a single fixture.
What "White Box" Actually Buys You
White box, in the language these listings use, means mechanicals installed, drywall up, primer on the walls. It's a real structure with real bones, not a hole in the ground. What it isn't is livable. The buyer's actual move-in cost is the white box price plus whatever the construction agreement with the builder ends up totaling once flooring, cabinetry, countertops, and any upgrades are selected.
That two-step structure is exactly why the same style of unit can list at $650,000 in one case and $750,000 in another. The base shell price varies by unit even before anyone has picked a single finish. If you're comparing Harbor Heights units against each other, or against a finished home elsewhere in Suttons Bay, the number that matters is the one you get after the construction agreement is signed and priced out, not the one on the listing sheet.
| Phase-one unit type | Bed/Bath | Approx. finished SF | Listed white box price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit A | 3 / 2.5 | ~2,500 | $650,000 |
| Unit B (comparable style) | 3 / 2.5 | Similar layout | $750,000 |
Ask for the builder's finish package and pricing before you get attached to a number. It's the single most useful question a buyer can ask at Harbor Heights, and it's one the listing itself won't answer for you.
The Amenities You're Paying For Aren't All Built Yet
The second piece of the Harbor Heights story is timing, and it matters just as much as price. The development's amenity package includes a clubhouse and pool, tennis and pickleball courts, and shared waterfront access with private marina slips. All of that is real and all of it is coming. Not all of it is here.
Listing language for current phase-one units describes the clubhouse and pool renovation as set to open in 2026. Marina access is further out: shared waterfront with ten slips is scheduled for 2027. If you close on a phase-one unit this year, you're buying into amenities on a rollout schedule, not a finished amenity package. That's not unusual for a phased development, but it's worth knowing before you assume your first summer in the unit includes a boat slip.
A short list of what that timeline actually means for a phase-one buyer:
- Clubhouse and pool: renovation targeted to open in 2026, which may or may not align with your specific closing date
- Tennis and pickleball courts: part of the planned amenity package, timing tied to overall build-out
- Marina slips: ten slips planned as part of shared waterfront access, arriving in 2027, not at initial occupancy
If dock access is a priority for your first season, ask directly whether a slip is guaranteed with your unit or allocated separately once the marina phase is complete.
Harbor Heights' Marina Isn't the Village Marina
Here's where a buyer can talk themselves into an assumption that isn't true. Suttons Bay already has a marina. The Village of Suttons Bay operates its own public marina off Front Street, with slip reservations opening every April 15 through the village's own booking system on Dockwa. It's a separate facility with separate rules, run by the Village, not by the Harbor Heights developer.
The "shared waterfront access" and marina slips described in Harbor Heights marketing are private amenities tied to the development itself, arriving on the development's own 2027 timeline. They are not additional access to the Village's public marina, and they don't shortcut the Village's own reservation process if you also want a slip there. If you're picturing one marina that serves the whole village, it's worth separating the two in your head now, before you're standing at a closing table assuming your unit comes with dockage it doesn't include.
What This Means If You're Actually Considering a Unit
None of this makes Harbor Heights a bad option. It's genuinely the only new-construction product in a village where inventory turns over slowly and off-market deals are common. For a buyer who wants a walkable, low-maintenance townhome near downtown and the Leelanau Trail, and who's comfortable with a phased build-out, it's a real opportunity. The point isn't to talk anyone out of it. It's to make sure the numbers and the timeline you're working from are the real ones, not the ones on the listing sheet.
Before you write an offer on a Harbor Heights unit, it's worth getting clear answers on a few specifics:
- What is the total estimated cost once the construction agreement and finish selections are priced out, not just the white box number
- What is the actual delivery date for your specific unit's access to the pool, clubhouse, and courts
- Is a marina slip guaranteed with your unit, or allocated through a separate process once that phase is complete
- What happens to your construction agreement and price if the builder's finish-out timeline slips
Suttons Bay's inventory doesn't turn over quickly, and new construction inside the village limits is rare enough that Harbor Heights stands as the primary option for anyone who wants a brand-new unit rather than an existing one. That scarcity is exactly why it's worth getting the numbers right the first time instead of discovering the gap between listed price and actual cost after you've already signed.
A Few Questions Worth Asking First
Is the Harbor Heights listing price the full cost of the home? No. The listed price covers white box condition only, meaning the structure with mechanicals, drywall, and primer complete. Flooring, countertops, and other finishes are priced separately through a construction agreement with the builder.
When will the pool and clubhouse actually be usable? Current listings describe the renovated clubhouse and pool as set to open in 2026, though the exact timing relative to any individual unit's closing date is worth confirming directly.
Does my unit come with a boat slip? Harbor Heights plans ten marina slips as part of its shared waterfront access, with that phase arriving in 2027. Whether a specific unit is guaranteed a slip or placed on an allocation list is a question to ask before you sign.
Is the Harbor Heights marina the same as the Suttons Bay Village Marina? No. The Village of Suttons Bay operates its own public marina with a separate reservation system that opens each April 15. Harbor Heights' shared waterfront access is a private development amenity on its own timeline.
If you're weighing a presale unit at Harbor Heights, or trying to figure out what a comparable finished home in Suttons Bay actually costs against it, that's exactly the kind of comparison Ken Kleinrichert spends his days working through with buyers and developers across the Grand Traverse region. Request a free home valuation and consultation, and let's get you the real numbers before you make an offer.
