Buying or building a new home can be one of the most exciting and important events in your life. Choosing the best new home floorplan for your lifestyle that you will love to live in may seem daunting at first but following a simple process will help make it easier and fun!
Assess your current home and determine what you like and dislike about it. Do you love to entertain, but your current home doesn’t lend itself to easy traffic flow? Have you been dreaming of having a large chef’s kitchen with island seating and a spacious pantry? Are you now working from home and need a dedicated office or flex space? Would you love to have an outdoor patio or private courtyard that is easily accessible from the main living areas of your home? What about a covered porch? How many bedrooms do you need? Is your garage large enough? Would you prefer a single-story or multiple-story home? Are you happy with your neighborhood amenities?
Think about what your most important wants and needs are and anything you specifically want to avoid, like narrow hallways or a small garage without enough room for two cars plus storage. Maybe you currently have a two-story home but want the main living areas and bedrooms on the first floor.
Consider design style and how you will use your new home. Make sure to keep a list of your “must-haves” and “avoid-at-all-costs” handy while looking at floorplans to narrow down your search to a new home layout that will give you the most of what you want without anything you really don’t want.
Take into account what you think your life will be like in the future, and make sure to choose a floorplan that will still work for you for years to come.
Before spending a lot of time reviewing builders’ floorplans and looking at homes, get practical about how many of your wish list features fit into your budget for a new home. You don’t need to know exactly how much you can spend on a new home yet, but you should have a range to work with so you don’t fall in love with a floorplan that is beyond your financial reach.
If possible, talk with your financial adviser and/or mortgage lender to determine the amount you can comfortably spend on a new home. Don’t forget to include monthly utility savings with a more efficient new home in your monthly budget.
Now that you have a rough idea of what you can afford to pay for a new home, it’s time to prioritize your wish list. If you have a growing family, you will probably need to prioritize the size and number of bedrooms over amenities and features. If you are getting close to retirement, single-level living and desirable amenities may be more important than the overall square footage of your new home. In fact, you may prefer a smaller home that is easier to maintain.
The important thing is to right-size your new home to fit your current and future lifestyle needs while staying within your budget.
In addition to choosing the best new home floor plan for your lifestyle, you need to choose a community that also fits your lifestyle. Is it close to friends, relatives, schools, shopping, and restaurants? Does it have a community clubhouse, exercise equipment, or a gazebo? Do you desire resort-style amenities such as a swimming pool and pickleball courts? What neighborhood features and amenities matter most to you?
While it may cost more initially to buy or build a home in a community with desirable amenities, you can also save time and money by having access to everything you need close to your home. When choosing a new home, consider how your life will be impacted in a positive way if you love your community as much as your new home.
Once you have an idea of your budget, the size and type of home you want, and where you want to live, it’s time to get up close and personal with your floorplan search. Most builders have floorplans you can view online, including 3D interactive floorplans that can give you a feel for what it’s like to walk through the home. This makes it easier to narrow down your search for floorplans. However, if possible, physically touring homes and communities yourself is invaluable to discover what it would be like to live in the home and community in which you are interested.
Pay attention to the room size and the flow of the floor plan layout while touring each home. Is it the right size with everything you need? Does it have sufficient outdoor living space? Can you picture yourself and your family living happily in this home?
Don’t worry about features and fixtures at this point. Most builders can personalize their floorplans with upgrades to accommodate your design wishes. Once you’ve discovered and experienced the perfect floor plan and community for your lifestyle, you are ready to begin the exciting journey of building your new dream home!
Scarmazzi Homes builds homes that are designed for you to comfortably age in place. Our luxury patio homes are designed to support your lifestyle now and in the future, with first-floor owner’s suites, wide hallways, and open floorplans. We offer floorplans from 1,400 to over 3,000 square feet with 2-4 bedrooms, and many of our communities include resort-style amenities, so you’re sure to find the perfect fit. Living in a low-maintenance community frees up time for you to enjoy the activities and people that make your life more complete.
Contact us to schedule your appointment with an experienced New Home Consultant. We are eager to answer all your questions and provide advice to ensure you are choosing the best new home floor plan for your lifestyle!
