House hunting. Those two little words are enough to send any prospective homeowner into a spiral. The name itself is even referred to as a “hunt,” insinuating a strenuous, time-consuming chore. Unfortunately, there is some truth to this. Finding a new home that’s perfect for you and your family is a huge responsibility and there’s so much to consider when purchasing a new home. There’s location, proximity to good schools, and safety, plus the actual house itself and making sure it has all the features and space you need.
At Revere Homes, we strive to help relieve the burden of this endless house hunt. We understand the importance of finding a home that meets all your criteria and we don’t believe you need to sacrifice any of it.
In order to help make the house hunting process as easy and stress-free as possible, we’re sharing some top tips to help find the right home for you. We’re highlighting the biggest things to consider before purchasing a new home, plus important questions to ask yourself, your real estate agent, and your construction company. The hunt is on!
Why Choose A New Build Home?
Older homes can have plenty of charm and character but with that comes potential trouble, think creaky floorboards, faulty electrical wiring, and dated appliances to start. There is also the added cost of trying to turn an older house into your dream home.
Having a newly constructed turn-key home comes with tons of perks. Some of those include: upgraded energy-efficient appliances, open floor plans, smart features, and custom finishes designed to your particular needs and taste.
Moving into a brand new Revere Homes custom designed house for example, means everything from the wall color to the kitchen backsplash is completed upon your arrival. You get to spend more time unpacking and enjoy your new home rather than having to immediately start worrying about the time and cost it will take to make your house a home.
Having everything brand new and personalized to your specific needs and taste are incredible benefits of having a new build home. However, the other benefit is knowing that everything is up to code and your home has been carefully and safely built to current standards.
Questions To Consider
Before you begin your house hunt it’s crucial to sit down and really assess what is important for you and your family in a new home. Going house hunting without a list of essentials is like going grocery shopping while hungry. You might not end up with five bags of cheetos but you will wind up touring numerous houses without purpose or success.
Dedicate an evening to crafting a master list of what’s needed for you and your family in a new home. Establish a maximum budget (make sure to include closing costs), number of bedrooms and bathrooms needed, and any desired features.
Next, look beyond the obvious needs and consider your hobbies and lifestyle. Do you love to cook? If so you’ll want to have a large kitchen with plenty of counter space and storage. Do you entertain often? You’ll likely want an open floor plan. Do you have young kids that need to be bathed in a bathtub? Asking the right questions before you step foot in a potential house is the only way to ensure you’re focused and will avoid any future issues.
In addition to the questions you need to ask yourself and your family, there are some Essential Questions to Ask Before Buying a New Construction Home [link to blog post] like lot cost, timeline, and so much more.
House Hunting Tips: What To Consider Before Choosing A New Build Home
Once the fundamental questions have been asked its time to expand on a few of them and consider some important aspects of choosing a new build home. Things like:
The Construction Company
You would hardly eat at a new restaurant without reading some reviews first, so you definitely shouldn’t do that with construction companies and builders. Finding a reputable builder may take some time and research but it’s integral you work with someone experienced and trustworthy.
Some ways to do this is to research a potential builder’s reputation through Google, BBB, Yelp, or Angie’s List. It’s also worthwhile to look through their social media accounts to view their work and see how they communicate with clients.
Once you’ve narrowed down a list of potential companies schedule a phone call or in-person visit. Use this time to ask several questions and gage their personality. A good building community will provide tons of information, connect you with previous clients, and answer all your questions.
Location
The location of your new build home is about so much more than just the immediate surrounding area. While it’s important to consider things like the distance to grocery stores or whether or not you want to live on a quiet street, location dictates much more. It will determine your commute, what school your children attend, proximity to extended family, distance to social activities like restaurants and movie theaters, and nearby attractions to explore on weekends.
Similarly, location will determine who your neighbors are and if it will have a communal feel. It’s also important to do research on the safety of a potential location. You can do this by looking into specific statistics online and chatting to locals. Ultimately, location is directly connected to the type of lifestyle you want to lead and so it’s important to consider all aspects of how it will impact that.
Timeline
The home of your dreams can’t be built overnight. It takes time to safely build a house up to code, ensuring that electrical, plumbing, and more are functioning properly. Plus, custom finishes, cabinetry, and more will take some time to install. This isn’t a process that can be rushed. As such, purchasing a new build home can take 8-10 months on average to be built.
Make sure you go into the new build process knowing the average timeline and don’t expect to fully move into your new home for about a year after you close. It might seem like a long wait but what’s a few months compared to a lifetime of memories?
Your Must-Haves
Hopefully, you’ve already asked yourself the tough questions about what’s important to you in a new home. You’ll have outlined the yard size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms you need plus an ideal of the floorplan you want.
Aside from these fundamentals you should also nail down the specific amenities and features you want in a home. Consider things that may not be complete deal-breakers but are nice to have, things like garage size, porch or patio, upstairs laundry, walk-in closets, and more.
The benefit to purchasing a new build house is the ability to customize it to your preferences. This means you can tailor a house to have all your must-haves before you even move in.
The Future
Imagining the future can be next to impossible. You might have a plan, but in reality we have no idea what our lives will be like in five years. While you can’t plan for the unknown you can take some time to consider your future and the future of the neighborhood where you’ll be living. When considering the space of your home and number of bedrooms think about your family circumstances. Will you be having children? Will extended family ever need to move in with you? Planning for the future as best you can will prepare you for unexpected events and help avoid running out of space later.
Another thing to consider is the future of your neighborhood. While at first if it seems like the area is far from a grocery store look into new developments, most often amenities will appear close to new housing developments.
Sourced from Revere Homes, original article here
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