It all started back in January when we were looking at buying a new home. We’ve been looking at existing homes for 6 months and really didn’t need a big home
Where To Start?
We’re empty nesters and basically just need a little yard for our two dogs. If we didn’t need a yard for the dogs to run, a villa or even looking at duplex plans would be fine for us, but a yard with a fence is definitely more ideal with younger and active dogs. We were looking at a home that was for sale by owner, but like many of these homes we’ve looked at over the past several months, the home was in our price range, but had many things we wanted to change. Many rooms had wallpaper, paint colors we didn’t like, and the wood flooring, although in good condition, looked a bit dated with smaller style wood planks and a lighter color we weren’t too fond of. This also was the same for the cabinetry. Although the home was only 6 years old, it’s funny how tastes change. And, all of those changes add up and can feel a bit overwhelming.
Finding The Perfect Home For Us
At the same time, the area where this home was located still had lots available. The builder even had a spec home available to look at. So, we thought, “Why not?” and we took a look inside. This builder home was the exact same floor plan as the home for sale by owner, but it was amazing to see how different it looked. Of course, interior designers really know how to maximize house floor plans and draw people in, but this home was perfect for us. Neither my husband, nor myself want to maintain a big home. We enjoy traveling to see family, and entertaining, and really want one of those home designs with an open floor plan. Ideally the floor plan would also feature the master suite located away from the other bedrooms, which is considered a house plan with split bedrooms. This home had all of that!
Pricing it Out
The builder’s assistant asked, “Why don’t you price this home out?” Immediately I thought this is going to be way more than the home for sale by the owner across the street. But, what the heck? Maybe then we’ll get this one out of our minds and focus on other homes on the market. So, innocently enough, we sat down and started “building” our home on paper. There are always certain things a homeowner envisions they want or need. Sometimes those spec homes can cloud what you need, or what is necessary because they often feature every upgrade imaginable to show future homebuyers what’s available, but we tried to stay realistic.
Within a matter of an hour or so, we basically had a home plan we wanted on paper including the amenities we wanted. There were a few things that we left out, but all in all, we had a great home with everything we could ever need. And, guess what? It was a couple thousand dollars less than the home that was for sale by owner! We were absolutely shocked and thrilled. Little did we know that day, when we innocently went to see homes for sale, we’d be pricing out the perfect new home for us. And so our home building story begins…