You’re shopping for a new home. And by “new”, we mean brand new construction. How do you compare them? In the Raleigh, NC, area take a look at the cutting edge homes from New Home Inc. vs cookie cutter tract homes.

What is a tract home?

A tract home refers to a home built within a subdivision by the builder who is developing that neighborhood’s homes. The builder chooses one of their floor plans and uses the finishes they want. It’s brand new construction and usually carries a builder’s warranty. This coverage protects the structure, while the contents of the home are protected by manufacturer’s warranties.

That’s the basic description of a tract home. The reality is much broader.

What are cookie-cutter tract homes?

Builders vary as much as the homes they build. They have certain preferences, in terms of home styles, design, materials, and included features. 

Each builder has their own portfolio of floor plans. They don’t accept custom plans from clients, because there’s a risk that the plan includes an error. If a measurement is off, the fix can be costly—and it’s entirely at the expense of the homebuyer.

More than that, the builder doesn’t look at building one home at a time. They see a bigger picture: the community as a whole. They want to build the homes and sell them. 

The homes must be affordable to the buyers they are targeting, like first-time homeowners, empty-nesters, or upscale buyers. Builders choose the details according to the prospective homeowners’ preferences—or how they perceive those preferences. Then, they buy materials in large quantities in order to gain cost savings from volume purchasing. Individual choices outside of these selections may not be possible.

Cookie cutter tract homes are the result of a limited vision. It’s an assembly line approach that limits creativity and individuality. If you’ve ever driven through a neighborhood and seen one home after another that is similar to the neighbor, you’re in a cookie cutter community.

For some people, that’s perfectly fine. But what if you want your home to be as unique as you are? Do you have to choose a custom home? Or is there another option?

New Home Inc.’s approach to cutting edge homes

New Home Inc.’s leadership team consists of professionals with extensive building experience. We each brought knowledge, ideas, and the desire to do homebuilding in a better way.

When we came together to start New Home Inc., we had a mission to design and build cutting edge homes. Our innovative home designs would be more forward-thinking in design and construction, yet remain affordable. And we wanted a partnership experience with our homebuyers that they would enjoy—educational, fun, and gratifying.

More exterior choices

We agreed that homebuyers should not be restricted by floor plans and designs that lacked flexibility. To begin with, every floor plan we created must have variations on the architectural details. With the right planning and choices, a home can be transformed from something like Traditional architecture to Craftsman, Farmhouse, or English Country, to name just a few. And we’re in North Carolina, so we need to also offer the Low Country style of coastal homes.

Do these various styles work together within a community? Absolutely. Because at New Home Inc., we designed homes to complement one another, without replicating each other, as in a cookie-cutter home design. New Home Inc.’s communities are developed with the idea that each home should be unique, while also contributing to the overall curb appeal that adds value to the neighborhood, and therefore, its homeowners.

Take a look at any of our floor plans, like The Cary. Click on “Personalize This Floorplan”. You’ll see the choices of elevations, which are the exterior designs. You’ll see how the same floor plan can be changed from French Country to Low Country. Each one is distinctive. No cookie cutters here!

Lifestyles have changed

Home designs need to reflect current trends, inside and out. That means floor plans should be updated. When a builder has been using the same plans for a long time, they might not see the need to change much. They’ll offer more options in the finishes, like maybe quartz countertops or different lighting packages. 

These details are useful, but it’s the plans themselves that need to be reviewed. Our lifestyles have changed over just the past 5 years. 

• Households have become larger for many families, with older members moving in and adult children moving back.
• Smart technology impacts the entire home now.
• Larger family size leads to more traffic in the kitchen.
• Working from home is more common, requiring a productive workspace to be successful.
• More electronic devices are in use, which puts excess demand on your home’s Internet network.
• Home deliveries are an almost everyday occurrence, and managing the safe delivery is a concern.
• The increasing number of electric vehicles drives the need for easily charging them at home.
• Indoor air quality has become a growing concern in the aftermath of the pandemic.
• Saving energy continues to be a priority, but the manner in which we do it has evolved to a higher level.
• Outdoor living spaces are more than a nice thing to have, so they require more thoughtful design and planning.
• Pets are part of the family and part of the home, and deserve some consideration in the home’s design.

Do these changes impact you? Have you had to adapt your home to fit them? Or are you living with compromise?

The benefit of future-proof homes

Your home is your haven, or it should be. When you accept features that are inconvenient to the way you live, the home isn’t serving your needs. It’s not “performing” for you. 

But it should.

That’s how we look at it at New Home Inc. Before we designed our first floor plan, we researched what homeowners loved, hated, and wished for in their homes. We uncovered plenty of opportunities to improve home design.

The cutting edge homes from New Home Inc. vs cookie cutter tract homes reflect our future-proof approach. Don’t limit thinking to the way people live right now. Things change. Homes should be adaptable. Builders need to look beyond today when planning the homes and communities.

Our innovative home designs incorporate solutions to these life changes.

Accommodating bigger households

Families often include more than 2 generations now. Aging parents and adult children are expanding the family dynamic. If this is you—or will be in the foreseeable future— you need a future-proof home that works for the age of your family. 

Families with young children want their kids’ bedrooms close to their own. Conversely, adult members of the household want more privacy, which can require additional suites. A full bath and walk-in closet are a must for any adults living in your home. And those who have difficulty with stairs should have a suite on the main level. It’s difficult—and costly—to adapt an existing home that doesn’t fit the adults in your household.

In addition, bigger households create more clutter. New Home Inc.’s homes—including single-family homes and townhomes—have an organized drop zone as a standard feature. The drop zone is outfitted with a hall bench, cubbies, and hooks, providing a space to keep things organized.

New Home Inc. also gives homebuyers different options for the owner’s suite bath. Don’t compromise on the relaxing experience of the right bathroom.

Reducing the kitchen bottleneck

The kitchen is the hub of activity in any home. It’s where you prepare meals, grab a snack, eat, sort through mail, talk with family, and entertain guests who seem to always drift to the kitchen. The kitchen island is at the center of it all. We looked at the functionality of the center island and recognized ways to improve upon it.

First of all, we leveled and expanded the countertop, getting rid of the raised breakfast bar that breaks up the usable space. This move extended the workspace, whether for prep or serving. With the extended countertop on the island, we also extended the seating to 3 sides, not just 1 or 2, so you can accommodate more people there.

Kitchens also need enough storage. Is there really ever “enough”?

Our future-proof home designs include an extra pantry that adds storage and workspace. In addition to the traditional pantry for story non-perishables, we incorporated a service pantry adjacent to the kitchen and separated by a pocket door. We distinguish this pantry by calling it a “messy kitchen”. You can use the cabinets and countertops in your messy kitchen for storage and additional workspace. It’s also great when entertaining, because you can set up your serving dishes here. The messy kitchen can have a sink, dishwasher, mini fridge, and/or wine chiller. Families like to use part of this nook as a beverage and snack station. Keep the coffee drinkers and munchers out of the way while you’re working in the kitchen. And if you have a sink and dishwasher, those dirty cups and dishes stay out of sight until you’re ready to deal with the mess in your messy kitchen.

Living with smart home automation

Smart technology is everywhere. The opportunities to use it in your home keep growing. From security systems to appliances, money-saving smart lighting and thermostats, smart home automation must be considered when designing cutting edge homes.

New Home Inc. includes a smart home technology package that gives you what you need to take advantage of the convenience of moving into a home that’s ready for your technology immediately and in the future.

• The whole home network panel gives you a central, accessible place for your router, modem, and smart home components.
• The smart security system we include provides a video doorbell and smart lock on the front door.
• A smart lighting package lets you customize your settings and control.
• The smart thermostat helps you manage the indoor temperatures so you can conserve energy and save money.

When looking at new homes, be sure you know if smart technology is not just available, but included.

Working productively from home

Working from home—either part- or full-time—is still a popular choice. One of the most sought-after features of modern homes is flex space that can be used as a functional home office. A cookie cutter home design has a room by the front entry that can be used as an office, formal dining room, or office. But if you don’t want to be interrupted with the noise here, you should have a better option.

New Home Inc. solves the problem by situating a pocket office near the kitchen. The location is quieter, and gives you access to the kitchen, for grabbing coffee or multi-tasking meal prep with work. 

All of our floor plans are designed with flex space, so you can lay out your home with the functions you need, when you need them. 

Protecting home deliveries

We use the convenience of home deliveries more than ever. Retailers, grocers, and restaurants have discovered the need to offer this service in order to remain competitive. 

As a homeowner, do you worry about the safety of the packages being left at your door? New Home Inc. came up with a solution that our homebuyers welcome. The smart door delivery center is a fully enclosed space between your exterior and interior front doors. This unique zone protects your purchases from the weather and theft. The delivery person can access the smart door delivery center—and only this space—with a code to unlock the exterior front door. Once they leave, the door automatically locks.

Eliminating dead zones

More users with more devices put a strain on your home’s internet. Crawling action and dead zones are frustrating. We chose to upgrade to CAT6 ethernet cabling in our new home communities in Raleigh, NC, and the surrounding suburbs. This more advanced cable delivers a stronger, more reliable connection throughout your home. When shopping for new construction homes, ask the builder about the ethernet cable. You might regret accepting anything less than CAT6.

Charging electric vehicles

Do you own an electric vehicle, or plan to buy one? We’ve planned ahead and realized that being able to charge that vehicle is another one of the important features of modern homes. In our future-proof homes—including townhomes—we rough in an electric vehicle charging station. All the work has been done beforehand, making it an easy connection when you want it to go live. 

Protecting the indoor air quality

The pandemic demonstrated the importance of indoor air quality. WIth all the efforts made to prevent drafts, the air contained inside your home flows with allergens and pollutants. To clean that air, we have added a whole home air filtration system into all of our new homes for sale near Raleigh, NC. This system filters out microscopic particles, so you can breathe healthy air. We also use low-VOC paint to prevent anyone from inhaling those toxins!

Conserving more energy

Energy efficiency is another area of homebuilding that continues to improve. New building products deliver greater results. New Home Inc. adheres to the requirements to earn ecoSelect Home Efficiency Program certification. The process requires third-party inspection that covers the HERS standards, as well as affirming our high performance building envelope, energy efficient lighting, high efficiency HVAC, reduced water usage, and advanced air sealing. We invest in your home’s energy efficiency so you can save energy and money.

Living and loving the outdoors

Maybe some builders consider a concrete slab to be outdoor living space, but New Home Inc.’s definition is bigger. Our innovative home designs include a front porch and rear patio. Some multi-level homes feature a rear deck. We also offer you the choice of expanding the size of your patio, covering it, or screening it in. You can add an outdoor fireplace, too.

And our outdoor living space is as large as 2 acres in some of our new home communities in Raleigh, NC’s suburbs. Every community presents a variety of homesite choices, so you can get the outdoor experience you want.

Making a home for our pets

PetPeey can show their love with dedicated pet spaces. With our 2-story homes, you can have a hideaway nestled under the stairs, giving your pet a private escape. We’ve also learned from research that pet owners appreciate the option to groom their furry family members at home. With our floor plans, you can add a grooming station in your laundry room or garage.

Rate buydown: More home for lower interest

Interest rates are causing some people to put their homebuying dreams on hold. Luckily, you don’t have to wait.

New Home Inc. is currently offering a rate buydown program for qualified buyers of our quick move-in homes for sale near Raleigh, NC. We pay the difference to reduce your interest rate to as low as 4.75% for the entire term of the 30-year fixed rate loan. There’s no cost to you. It’s our way of making homebuying more affordable. Talk to us to learn more.

Find your cutting edge home near Raleigh, NC

Can you appreciate the difference between cutting edge homes from New Home Inc. vs cookie cutter tract homes?

Our communities of new homes for sale near Raleigh, NC, include single-family homes and townhomes, with the smart home automation, energy efficiency, and innovative home designs described here. Take a virtual tour of any of New Home Inc.’s floor plans. Browse our growing inventory of quick move-in homes. These new construction homes are either move-in ready right now or almost complete. We’ve chosen desirable locations in the Raleigh suburbs of Angier, Clayton, Fuquay-Varina, Lillington, Smithfield, and Willow Spring—places where we can offer larger homesites near the downtown!

Let us show you how our future proof homes and rate buydown give you more home for your money! Contact the experts at New Home Inc. to get more than a cookie cutter home design.