Five bedrooms. A three-car garage. More than half an acre. And a golf cart path that runs from the neighborhood to Locust Town Center, about four minutes away.
That’s Amber Glen, M/I Homes’ community on NC-200 in Locust. It’s an all-ages neighborhood, and it’s the one place in Stanly County new construction where the yard is the product. I walked it so you’d know what’s actually built, what’s still on the site plan, and where a buyer has room to negotiate.
The land is the point
Homesites here run about 0.55 to 0.57 acres, and they’re partially wooded, so most backyards end in trees instead of a neighbor’s patio. For comparison, the lots a few minutes down the road at Cresswind at Rocky River run 0.12 to 0.20 acres. Same town, same school district, completely different way of living.
If you want room for a swing set, a garden, a dog that actually runs, or just space between you and the next house, this is the community to start with.
Where it is and how you get there
Take Albemarle Road (NC 24/27) toward Locust, turn left on NC-200 / N Central Avenue, then left on Amber Glen Drive. The sales center is at 111 Amber Glen Drive. Hours run roughly Tuesday through Saturday 10 to 6 and Sunday 12 to 6, closed Monday – call ahead before you drive out.
Amber Glen and Cresswind are both off NC-200, minutes apart. If you’re touring one, see the other the same afternoon.
The homes
M/I builds two-story homes here from about 2,574 to 3,565 square feet. Every plan is five bedrooms, and the homes I toured all had three-car garages. Plan names you’ll see on site include the Stockton, Albright, Patterson, Bristol and Dickinson.
The Albright is the big one, at roughly 3,300 square feet with four and a half baths. Its standout is the extended carriage garage – room for a workshop or a third car you don’t want parked in the driveway. Across the plans you’ll find:
- A main-level guest suite with its own bath – the grandparent room, or the college kid who came home
- A private study behind French doors
- Open family rooms, with a linear fireplace in the model
- Kitchens with a big island, gas cooktop and wall oven
- Upstairs: a loft, secondary bedrooms with walk-in closets, and an owner’s suite with a tray ceiling and a closet big enough for two wardrobes
As always with a model, ask which finishes are standard and which are upgrades before you fall in love with the kitchen.
What’s on the market
As of September 2026, four homes were listed here between $514,999 and $566,990, ranging from 2,743 to 3,324 square feet. M/I advertises the community from $505,990; nothing in the MLS was actually listed that low when I checked, so ask which home and homesite hits that number before you plan around it.
One to watch: 221 Amber Glen Drive, a Stockton plan with 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, 2,743 square feet and a three-car garage. It was move-in ready in May and was still available months later. On a resale, that much time on market can be a warning. On a builder’s finished inventory, it’s leverage – and it’s exactly the kind of thing that gets discussed when you have your own agent at the table.
Amenities – what’s done and what’s coming
This is where marketing and reality usually drift apart, so here it is straight from my visit:
- Built and in use now: three pickleball courts, a playground, and a dog park split into small-dog and large-dog sides
- The golf cart path is finished and used daily – a 10-foot-wide path connecting to Dogwood Street and Locust Town Center
- Coming later: the pool and cabana are projected for late 2027, along with walking trails and a multi-use field
If a pool is a must-have for next summer, know that going in.
HOA and costs
- HOA: $313 per quarter (about $104 a month)
- $1,500 one-time capital contribution at closing
That’s modest for a community with this much land per home, and it’s well below what you’ll pay in an amenity-heavy community.
Phases and timing
Amber Glen is planned for 184 homesites. Phase 1 has 52 lots, and the rest – Phases 2 and 3, 132 lots – are expected to begin around the second or third quarter of 2027. If you buy in Phase 1, you’re buying before the next phases of construction start around you. Ask on your tour exactly where the Phase 2 lots sit relative to the homesite you like.
Incentives
When I filmed, M/I was offering closing-cost help with its preferred lender. As of October 2026, the community page advertises a below-market rate program through M/I’s lender and a house-to-sell program for buyers who need to sell first. Builder incentives change by phase, by quarter and sometimes by the week. Ask me what’s live the week you’re actually shopping, and get it in writing before you sign anything.
Schools
Amber Glen is assigned to Locust Elementary, West Stanly Middle and West Stanly High (Stanly County Schools). Assignments can change, so confirm with the district for your specific address.
Who Amber Glen fits
Good fit if: you need five bedrooms, you want real land without buying acreage out in the county, you like the idea of a golf cart ride to dinner in town, and you’re comfortable buying before every amenity is built.
Think twice if: you want a pool open the summer you move in, you’d rather not maintain half an acre, or you’re looking for a smaller, single-level home – every plan here is two stories and five bedrooms.
How it compares in Locust
- Amber Glen (M/I Homes) – all ages, five-bedroom plans, half-acre wooded lots, golf cart path to town
- Cresswind at Rocky River (Kolter) – gated, 55+, full resort amenity plan, small lots with yard care handled
- Meadow Creek Village (Century Communities) – Locust, family-oriented
- Crossroads – sold out by the builder, resale only now
Seeing two or three of these in one afternoon is worth more than reading about all of them.
Let’s go look
The on-site agent at Amber Glen is Josh Allen, and he’ll take good care of you. Here’s the part that matters: he works for M/I Homes. That’s his job and there’s nothing wrong with it – but if you walk in alone, the only licensed person in that conversation represents the builder.
Register with me on your first visit to the sales center. It costs you nothing, it doesn’t raise your price, and it means somebody in the room is reading the contract on your side. I wrote more about why you want your own agent for new construction, here’s my video on why you should have a buyer agent for new construction, and here’s a buyer who did exactly that.
I show every builder in Stanly County and I’m not tied to any of them. If Amber Glen is on your list, let’s walk it together – and let’s walk Cresswind the same day so you have something to compare it against.
More on the area: my Locust community guide and my guide to living in Stanly County.
More from the Stanly County Living series
Stanfield | Pine Bluff | Locust | Locust Valley | Whispering Hills | Meadow Creek Village | Oakboro
Oaks at St. Martin | Crossroads
Written by Danielle Edwards, full-time broker and New Home Buyer Specialist serving Stanly County since 2006.
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Danielle Edwards
New Home Buyer Specialist | RE/MAX Executive
704-604-2999 | info@soldondanielle.com
soldondanielle.com
