10 Topics to Help You Decide Where and How to Build a New Home

There are many things to consider when you are contemplating building a new home.  Here’s a list of items to keep you on the right track when making your decision on where and how to build:

1. Budget: What is the budget for your home purchase?  This could be what a bank will lend you or it could be what you are comfortable spending.  The new home decision process should always start with a budget assessment.
2. Location: What city or town do you want to live in?  Sometimes your budget helps decide the community based on affordability.
3. School District: For families with children in public school, the school district may be the most important factor in the decision of what community to live in.
4. Builder Research: Who will you entrust the largest purchase of your life to?  You should meet with builders, check out the quality of their homes, talk to people who have built with the builder and check into the financial health of the builder.
5. Warranty: Does the builder stand behind their work?  Check with past clients on how the builder performed during the warranty.  Also make sure the builder provides a detailed written warranty.
6. Master Bedroom Location: Do you want the master on the first floor or the second floor?  If you have young children, having the master on the second floor where it’s close to the other bedrooms is an advantage.   If you plan to stay in the home as you age, a master bedroom on the first floor eliminates climbing stairs on a daily basis.
7. Energy Efficiency: Today’s new construction home should be much more energy efficient than a used house.  This saves money on utility costs.  Make sure your builder explains how their homes compare to others energy efficiency-wise.
8. Deed Restrictions: Make sure you read the deed restrictions for the community you want to live in.  Some subdivisions limit what you can do with accessory structures, fences, pools and the like.  Restrictions are good in that they are designed to keep up property values.  But if you want to fence in the yard for the family dog and don’t realize fences are not allowed then that could create a big problem for your lifestyle.
9. Safety: You should check into the safety of the town you choose to live in.  Cleveland Magazine does an annual “Rating the Suburbs” issue which researches crime data for the communities.
10. Property Taxes: Check the property tax rates for the community you choose to live in.  Rates can vary dramatically city to city or county to county.