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5 Things to Know Before You Build a Custom Home

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5 Things to Know Before You Build a Custom Home

Your starter home may be full of memories, but a custom home can give you space, neighborhood, and personalized design you deserve. Explore these five key things to know before you work with a professional builder near Richmond, VA, to enjoy a custom home in Summer Lake. Use these when working with a local build team to create the perfect home for you and your household.

1. Plan for the Future

Whether you’re just getting started or you have growing children, it’s important to look forward to life as you plan your new custom home. Design features that appeal to a young married couple may not have the same convenience when you have a few children.

Look for a location with excellent schools, great amenities, and plenty of room for a growing family. These features are often the difference between a starter house and a forever home. Additional bedrooms, spacious living areas, and a great yard help you enjoy your new home through all stages of life.

2. Learn from Previous Home Design Mistakes

Is there anything you don’t absolutely love about your current home? A closed-off kitchen, cramped bedrooms, lack of bathrooms, and budget fixtures are just a few common features that many homeowners wish they could change about their current home.

Take advantage of your custom-designed home to fix these and other areas. By choosing an open-concept design, adding bedrooms, and investing in quality fixtures, you can create a dream home for you and your family. The design and fixtures of your home are the most difficult to change during a remodeling project, so work with an expert contractor to create a home you’ll love for a lifetime.

3. Wait Until It’s Finished to Move

It can be tempting to jump into your house as soon as you see four walls. While it may be possible to move in before landscaping, basement construction, and trim details are finished, it’s best to wait until your home is completed before unpacking boxes.

It’s much easier to make a punch list, which is a list of all the items that still need to be completed when you’re not living in your custom home. This step comes a week or more before the project is finished and is crucial to ensuring you enjoy a flawless new build in an ideal community.

4. Include Energy-Efficient Designs

Green technologies significantly reduce the utility costs of your home. While you’re designing a new home, be sure to include the latest energy-efficient appliances. The latest furnace, AC, water heater, and refrigerator are just a few items that can help you enjoy reduced bills and greater convenience in your dream home.

Energy-efficient designs aren’t just about reducing your electricity bills. Ask about the latest faucets, washing machines, and shower fixtures to see how you can reduce your water usage. Lowered water usage is great for the environment and great on your wallet.

5. Work With a Professional Team

Trust your new home to a qualified team of home builders to enjoy a hassle-free design and build. Work with custom home builders in Virginia to receive a stunning design that fits your lifestyle and custom home dream.

Contact us today at Summer Lake to learn more about building a custom home in our stunning, family-friendly community. Compare modern craftsman and luxury homes today before moving into your custom home in a vibrant, local community.

How to Tell if The Price is Right

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The search is finally over – you’ve found your dream home in your dream community. You’re ready to put in an offer but, like most people, you don’t want to overpay. How do you know if the price is too much or too little? 

Knowing and determining the right buying price for your home can be as daunting as the home search itself, but it doesn’t have to be. Ask yourself these questions to figure out what your initial offer should be.

What is the market value of the home? 

Market value is a price range (i.e. $400,000 – $450,000) of what a buyer is willing to pay for a home. If you purchase on the lower end you’re getting a great deal; on the higher end, top dollar. Where you end up in that range is back on market conditions, comparable home sales in the neighborhood, the motivation of both the buyer and seller, and financial preference. Another factor is the status of the current market. This is determined by comparing the sale price to the list price and amount of time on the market. The result of all these factors is the final price agreed upon by the buyer and seller. 

What about the comps? 

The most crucial step in determining a home’s asking price is analyzing the comparative sales, or comps, of all listings sold in the past six months in your desired neighborhood. Comps are a good baseline determine value, but each home’s value will vary based on condition, size, age, and other factors. 

Keep in mind that true market value only applies to sold homes. A listing only takes into account the perceived value of the home by the seller, not what you’re willing to pay. 

Is the list price in line with the comps? 

If you’ve done your research and analysis, then you’ve come up with a price you’re willing to pay that ideally matches up with the selling price. However, there are instances where your prices may differ. The seller could have priced the home lower than market value to entertain multiple offers. Or the seller could be pressing their luck to how much they can get for the home. While it can offer insight and help determine your initial offer, don’t think the seller’s motivation or strategy. 

Are you looking at the details?

 It’s easy to get carried away when touring your potential new home. Remember to take note of any upgrades improvements that may be needed, such as the HVAC unit, water heater, and appliances. These are items that usually are not negotiable after the home inspection, so fact in repair or replacement costs when making your initial offer. 

If you’re looking to move into the home of your dreams in an imaginative community, look no further than Summer. Lake! We have a variety of homes for sale that is just waiting for you to move in. Visit our Model Court, featuring three brand new homes from three of Richmond’s premier buildings. For more information about available homes and the Summer Lake community, visit our website or call 804-790-1950 today!

How to Tell if The Price is Right

 

 

Sources

https://www.thebalance.com/price-range-for-buying-a-house-1798238

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/mortgages-real-estate/08/fair-price-on-home.asp

Staging Your Home to Sell

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Staging Your Home to Sell

Declutter

Getting rid of clutter is the first thing you should do when preparing your home to sell. Few things will turn a buyer away faster than a cluttered, messy home. Potential buyers want storage space, so make the most of yours by removing unused items from closets (store out of season clothing elsewhere for the time being to capitalize on closet space), drawers, and cabinets. Even your garage should be decluttered. A clean, clutter-free home looks bigger and more appealing than one that’s stuffed to the brim with, well, stuff. If space is an issue while decluttering, see if you can stash the items at a friend or family member’s home while your house is on the market, or consider renting a storage unit if you have a lot of items.

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What Makes For An Ideal Community?

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Ideal Community

When looking for a new home, you must take into consideration the community in which it resides. The community you’ll potentially live in is just as important as the home you fall in love with. Your dream home could end up more of a nightmare if you aren’t happy with where its located. Read on to learn the top 5 features to look for in the ideal community.

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A Homeowner’s Guide to Comparing Available Lots

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Whether you’ve gone through the process yourself or if you’ve watched one too many marathons on HGTV, when it comes to looking for a new home, one of the first things buyers do is define what exactly they are looking for. They evaluate what they like about their current residence, what they wish they had in their current residence, and come up with the criteria that defines the house of their dreams.

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Should I try home staging to sell my home?

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Should I try home staging to sell my home?

Home Staging: Is it the Right Choice to Sell Your Home?

Let’s face it: nobody wants to get stuck with a property that sits on the market for months on end, waiting for a buyer to materialize. Real estate agents use a number of different techniques to generate interest in an available home. One such example is staging a home with new furniture and decor. Of course, home staging comes with a significant price tag, so before you decide to utilize this strategy for your own property, it’s important to know what to expect.
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