New homes: Choosing a floor plan

There is much to consider when choosing a floor plan for a new home.  Building a new home is exciting and it seems the sky is the limit.  It is important to remain grounded when choosing a floor plan, though, so that you remain satisfied with your choice in the years to come.

1.    Look at your current home to decide what works for you and what doesn’t.
 What about your current home makes you want to move?  What makes you want to stay?  Analyze what works and what doesn’t about your current house to help you know what you need in a new home.

2.    List what is important to you. 
After analyzing your current home, prioritize what is important to you.  Make a list of what you want and don’t want in your new home and rank it.

3.    Get a copy of all of the floor plans from the builder. 
The builder most likely has a folder to give potential homebuyers that includes the various floor plans for the new home community.  Spend a lot of time with these.  Spread them out; examine every detail.  Compare the different aspects of the plans for the new homes.  Throw out ones that you do not like or that won’t work for you.  Rank the remaining ones.  Settle on about 3-5 floor plans for the next stage of this process of choosing a floor plan for your new home.

4.    Consider the number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
 One of the most important parts of deciding whether or not a floor plan will work for your new home is whether or not it has the right number of bedrooms and bathrooms for you.  Even if it is the right size for now, will it still be right in the near future if you have a growing family, are about to become empty nesters, or have an elderly family member move in?

5.    Don’t let the model home distort reality. 
Model homes are gorgeous.  Their purpose is to overwhelm you with how great the new home can be.  However, they are also usually completely upgraded.  If you think the floor plan of a particular model can work for you, be realistic about which of the upgrades you can afford with your own new home.  Will you love the floor plan as much without $50,000 in upgrades?

6.    Ask about the floor plan availability on all lots.
 With your potential floor plans that you are considering for your new home, you need to ask the builder if they are all available on all lots.  Sometimes certain new homes are limited in which lots they can be built on.  If you want a specific lot and your favorite floor plan is not available on that lot, you may have to make some compromises.

7.    Consider if the floor plan fits your lifestyle. 
Your lifestyle dictates your needs in a new home.  If you have kids, you may need a more open floor plan to make it easier to keep an eye on your children as they play throughout the house.  An open floor plan can also be more conducive to entertaining.  Perhaps you prefer a more intimate floor plan that is not as open.  Whichever floor plan you choose should meet the needs of your lifestyle.

8.    Look at your furniture. 
Consider whether or not your current furniture can work with the floor plan you are considering for your new home.  If it doesn’t, will you have to buy new furniture or just a few pieces to make it work?  Building a new home is expensive and it may not be worth it to choose a floor plan that causes you to spend thousand of dollars on new furniture.

Choosing a floor plan is an important part of building a new home.  Take time with the decision - it is probably the biggest decision involved with a new construction home.  Investigate what the builder has to offer, know what is important to you, and consider all aspects of this decision.  Then, you can decide on the floor plan for your new home that best fits your family.