1. Establish a realistic budget for your new home. For a lot of us, price is a huge constraint, and purchasing a new home could be the biggest investment of your life! Before you start the process of looking for a new home or looking to build, talk with a mortgage officer and figure out how much home you can afford and compare that with how much you and your family feel comfortable paying. This will help you get a feel for what is possible within your budget and definitely do not base it off the cheapest builder in town!
2. Embrace how you want your home to “live.” Discuss with your family how you want the spaces in your house to feel. Evaluate how your home will suit your families’ needs by discussing your areas for entertaining, destressing, storage and organization, and flexible living areas. Knowing how you want these areas to “live” is important to discuss before you start the design process!
3. Rank your Priorities. A very common method of ranking ones priorities identifies putting options under three different categories: needs (things you and your family must have), wants (important, but not completely necessary), and desires (features you would love to have if the design of your home and your budget allows). After doing this, when you meet with us to discuss home plans and start the design process, you can assure that the most important product and home amenities that you were looking for in a home have not been overlooked.
4. Consider the bigger picture. Reflect on how long you see you and your family living in this home. Consider the changes that you will go through as life happens; getting married, having kids, kids moving out or back in, kids growing up, or becoming empty nesters, etc. Design your home with flexibility in mind so you are able to adapt to the many changes life throws at you. Thus, your home will be able to adjust to make changes and sustain long-term happiness with your new home!
5. Collect!!! Photos…Articles…Magazines…all of these help identify and communicate to our design team some of the elements of your new home that you like! Houzz and Pinterest are great resources that can help identify your style. Follow us on both of them to see past projects that we have done, and you could maybe find your style within them! You will be thankful that you did your homework and so will we!