Building a Home

I renovated my first home back in the early 90’s and with it began my decades long fascination with the process of designing, building and renovating homes.  From the initial ‘back of the napkin’ sketches to watching the footings get poured to the final punch list, every aspect I find fun and engaging. But to a first time buyer of new construction, the thought of building a new home is equal parts daunting and exciting.

New construction provides the buyers with the option to design a style house that they like, make selections such as kitchen cabinets, counter tops, flooring, paint colors and even landscaping.  Having input as to the layout and materials of the place you will call home for years to come is powerful and offers a sense of accomplishment.

And as cites and counties across the region enact code changes designed to create more energy efficient homes, many buyers don’t realize the benefits and savings that a new home can provide. With today’s technologies, buyers are able to benefit from the engineered products such as floor systems, conditioned crawl space, energy efficient lights and appliances, composite siding, decking and trim.

Many new high efficient HVAC systems also allow the buyer to program when the system is in use to help lower heating and cooling bills. Advances in insulation technology, with products like foam and cellulose, coupled with dual-paned, energy-efficient windows, have increased the R value current in new homes to levels we didn’t think possible ten years ago. Couple that with advances in wiring and lighting, and you can see why new construction is a very desirable option to housing and it will only get better as time goes on.

The process of buying a new home can seem daunting and if you are considering ‘new’ as an option, an experienced advocate is a must.  The role of an agent changes when you are expiring the new home building process and an agent with direct new home experience can make a huge difference.