After careful consideration, you’ve decided that building a new home is the best option to meet your changing lifestyle. You’ve thought about what you want, how you want to live and where you want to be. So, how do you make it happen?

Getting the life and home you envision depends on research, planning and discovering what you want in your next home. It starts with choosing the right style of home, determining your budget, selecting the right neighbourhood and locating excellent schools for your children. 

Below, we’ve outlined the most important steps you need to take to create your new home. 

Include the Family

Allowing your entire family to get involved in the decision-making process can complicate your final choices, but will also help you narrow in on your priorities for a home and neighbourhood. Even small details can have a noticeable impact on the enjoyment of your new home; create a list of your family’s wishes and use them to guide your decisions.

Choose a Community

For families with young children, excellent schools, safe parks, and quiet streets may be at the top of your list. Your commute to work is an important consideration as well; a short commute leads to less stress and more time at home with your family. 

Other considerations such as access to public transportation, the distance to your church, favourite shops, and hospitals are important to weigh as well. It is wise to spend time in the neighbourhoods you’re considering to get a sense of how it would feel to live there.

Select Your Home Builder

As you take a closer look at desirable communities, you may see several models of new homes that pique your interest. Many home builders have showhomes available to tour, and they may offer additional models to help you identify an appealing design to suit your family’s specific needs.

Visiting the showhome and speaking to the Area Manager will help you learn more about the builder’s professional memberships and qualifications, available home styles, home buying process, new home warranties and the plans for landscaping and amenities in the community. 

Select Your Home Model

Once you have selected your builder and neighbourhood, you can focus on finding a home model that fits your needs. The ability to walk through the rooms of a builder’s showhome will give you a better idea of the room size, configuration, and traffic flow to help you determine the best options for your family; your home builder may offer a variety of layouts which allow you to select from traditional, modern, open plan or custom floor plans. 

You may also be able to choose special features such as pre-wired technology, energy efficient appliances, and heating or cooling systems to control indoor air quality. 

Selecting a Lot

If you have a choice of various lots within a subdivision, you can choose the best one available based on your interest in privacy, quiet streets, the direction of sunlight and window location in your new home.

In a neighbourhood with tree-lined streets, you may wish to choose a lot which positions your home to enjoy sunlight through your windows; a lot that positions your windows towards a beautiful sunrise or sunset view will boost your enjoyment of the property and the value of your home. A quiet lot that is not on a busy street or intersection will allow you to have more privacy when enjoying your home’s outdoor space.

Financing Your New Home 

Your builder’s preferred lenders are ready to help you determine your budget for your new home within the parameters of your available down payment, other financial obligations, and the amount of your monthly mortgage payment. Asking your lender for mortgage pre-approval is the best way to determine your price range and quickly qualify to purchase the home of your choice. 

Make a Decision, Sign a Contract

Now that you have your financing in order and have determined which builder and neighbourhood will meet your needs, it’s time to visit with the builder’s Area Manager. You will need to work out the details of the costs, make decisions about the model of your new home, determine the required payments and sign a contract with the builder. 

It is important to ask careful questions about the financial agreement you’re signing and to ensure you have covered all the details of the costs and the home you will soon enjoy.

The Construction Process

Once all the decisions are made and you’ve signed the purchase agreement, the work is now in the hands of the builder. You can enjoy watching the progress of your home’s construction while dreaming about your upcoming move-in day.

As construction proceeds, you can choose colours, flooring, cabinetry and finishes to appeal to your family’s taste and specific needs. Depending on your agreement with the home builder, you may make other decisions along the way to further customize your home.

Closing Day and Beyond

When closing day arrives, the builder will transfer you the title to the home, outstanding payment balances are transferred to the builder from your bank and, most importantly, you will get your keys.

Over the next year, your new home will begin to settle and the material will start to dry out. Not to worry – this is completely normal. For this reason, the builder will come to touch up or fix any imperfections as covered by the first year of warranty.

In the meantime, don’t be afraid to contact your builder should you have any questions or concerns. Professional builders stand by their work and provide after-sales service to ensure customer satisfaction. 

With the careful selection of your favourite neighbourhood, ideal lot, home model, and custom design choices, your professional home builder will create a high-quality home for you and your family. The joy of creating traditions in a home environment designed to meet your specific needs will make it a special place for your children to create their childhood memories.

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Photo credit: couple visualizing home, shaking builder’s hand, couple moving into new home