Shopping for a new home is exciting. Visiting and touring a model home takes that energy to a higher level. Use this time and experience to learn what you need to know before making the buying decision.New Home Inc.can get you ready by sharing what to expect when shopping for a new home.
Step 1: Talk to the Online Consultant aka Concierge
The Online Counselor, is like your new home concierge. This professional knows all about the builder, the communities, and the homes. They are very familiar with the areas—including the schools, convenience and variety of amenities, and commuting times—a great asset when you’re looking at a location that is unfamiliar. They will also explain what to expect when shopping for a new home.
This person will ask you questions to learn about your home buying needs and preferences.
Where do you want to live and why?
What do you want in your new home?
What are your priorities?
When do you want to move?
What’s your investment for buying a new home?
- Have you been pre-approved for a mortgage?
Your answers will help them determine the locations and floor plans that present the best fit. They can talk to you about pricing and options, both for the homesite and the floor plans. They will tell you about theirmove-in ready homes, which is particularly important if you’re looking to move soon.
You can ask all your questions, and your concierge will have the answers. It’s their job, as your new home concierge, to guide you through the beginning of an enlightening, enjoyable, and positive experience! And that all begins with telling youwhat to expect when shopping for a new home.
Step 2: Schedule an appointment for the home tour.
Once you’ve decided to proceed with this builder, you’ll already know specific homes and communities that match your needs and wishes. You’re pre-approved for a mortgage so you have a clear budget for buying a new home. It’s time to start shopping in person!
The next step in the process is to schedule an appointment to the model home tour. Here, you will meet with an onsite salesperson, often called a “New Home Consultant”, or “Community Sales Manager”.
Why don’t I continue with the Online Concierge?
The Online Concierge is friendly, helpful, and responsive, so of course, you’d want to keep working together. But it’s to your benefit to move on when the time is right.
The role of this person is to navigate you through the initial process of identifying what you want and guiding you to good destinations—the neighborhood, home designs, and homesites. Their expertise is the knowledge of everything the builder has to offer—from the various locations to the options in the homes.
The New Home Consultant working in the model home or sales center is the next step along the path to purchase. Like the Concierge, the onsite salesperson is knowledgeable about the communities and homes and what to expect when shopping for a new home.
The difference between the Concierge and the person working IN the model home is that these onsite sales pros are also experts in their communities. They know the “vibe”, having blended into the community where, quite frequently, they’ve sold almost every homeowner their current home!
These onsite salespeople have walked every lot and every home. They’ve been involved throughout the construction process of the homes there. The onsite professional also understands what’s involved in the details of a purchase and sale contract, which is a key part of their portfolio of services, knowledge, and experience.
With the information that the Online Concierge has passed along to them from your conversations, your journey continues seamlessly. These professionals are skilled at working together for the benefit of a homebuyer.
Step 3: Prepare for your appointment and model home tour.
Before you arrive for your appointment with the onsite salesperson at the model home, take some time to prepare.
Ideally, you will have already been pre-approved for a mortgage. (If not, that's okay)
This step gives you the ability to shop for homes with the confidence you will be able to secure the mortgage. It takes only a few minutes on the phone with a professional lender to determine the amount of home loan you will likely qualify to receive. If you don’t have a lender, your Concierge can connect you with a reliable, knowledgeable person.Study thefloor planfor any home you’re considering.
You should be able to go to the builder’s website and easily find the floor plan, photos, a virtual tour, and an interactive floor plan that shows you the available options. For example, you can click and add a fireplace, change the owner’s bathroom shower to a tub (or vice versa), and switch the garage from front to side-loaded. See how the floor plan looks when you choose the option to convert one space to another function. It’s fun to see how you can change the home to suit your needs and taste!Prepare a list of questions to ask the New Home Consultant.
Even though you’ve covered a lot of territory with the Online Team, you might come up with more thoughts as you peruse the website, talk to friends and family, and think more about what you want and need.
Step 4: Visit and tour the model home.
You’re here. You take in the exterior and walk inside for the first view. All the details you’ve imagined to this point are right in front of you.
But wait! I know you’re excited and anxious to get an up-close look. Before starting your model home tour, plan to sit down with the New Home Consultant to get to know each other. Present the questions you’ve gathered. If you haven’t already advised the Online Team about your mortgage pre-approval, share your qualified amount now. Get everything out in the open before beginning the long-awaited tour. Being open with each other is essential to making an informed decision about this huge investment in your future!
Now, you’re ready for the model home tour. Imagine yourself living here. How would it feel? Does the floor plan flow the way you’d like? For example, is the laundry room where you want? When you’re working in the kitchen, does the placement of the workspace, storage, and appliances feel right to you? Is there enough natural light coming filling the interior? Are the secondary bedrooms where you want them for the right balance of privacy and safety?
From one room to the next, picture you and your family here. Envision your furnishings. Think about your day-to-day activities, like preparing and eating meals, doing homework, relaxing—alone and with others—entertaining, playing in the yard, working in the garden, and walking the dog. Picture how the drop zone will be used to keep clutter under control. Is there enough space in the garage for the uses you plan?
Most of all, take your time. This is a big decision!
Step 5: Discuss next steps with the New Home Consultant.
After your model home tour, you have some decisions to make:
You’re ready to discuss purchasing a new home with this builder.Don’t feel pushed to buy a home, but also don’t feel like you’re rushing when you’ve found the right one. It’s not at all unusual for people to buy a home after the tour. People who look at resale homes do it all the time!
You want to look at other homes and/or communities.Maybe this particular home didn’t tick enough boxes on your wishlist, but you still like a lot of its details. Recall outfits that looked so enticing on the rack, but when you tried it on, you weren’t thrilled. A home can look fantastic in photos and videos, but you need to try it on to be sure. Tell the New Home Sales Professional what you like and don’t like, and what more you want. Then, review other floor plans to find something more your style.
You may need more time to think about it.Again, it’s a big decision to buy a new home. But before you leave with your uncertainty, discuss your concerns with the New Home Professional. Maybe something hasn’t been sufficiently communicated. When you DO walk away, be sure you leave with all of the information you need to decide on your next step.
Before Step #1: Plan to visit New Home Inc.
If you’re looking for new homes for sale near Raleigh, direct the very first step in the process to New Home Inc. We’re building townhomes and single-family homes in communities and locations that present benefits to today’s homebuyers.
For one thing, you’ll find that you can live close to Raleigh but take advantage of more affordability in certain Raleigh suburbs. Get more home for your money, a larger yard, and more privacy than urban dwelling. Take a look at ourcommunitiesinApex,Smithfield,Fuquay-Varina, andLillington.
More than location, you’ll be buying a home that reflects design and features beyond today’s “normal”. The way we live today is different than even a few years ago. What’s going to change in the future?
Will you have aging parents or grown kids moving in with you? Other adults living with you will appreciate more than a bedroom. Consider a home with an additional suite or that has been designed for aging in place, like wider doorways and showers with a built-in seat.
Are you planning to expand your family and need to be sure you’re living the right school district?Talk to the Online Concierge about the school districts and specific schools near the location you’re considering.
Are you planning to work from home, either part- or full-time?Choose a home with a flex space to accommodate a home office. You need privacy from the rest of the household activity, not just a corner of the bedroom or living room that you can claim.
Do you plan to add more smart home technology as it continues to evolve?The more devices and users in your home, the more demand for bandwidth. We build all of our homes with CAT6 cabling—a step up from the standard CAT5—to eliminate dead zones in your home and provide a consistent, robust signal wherever you are.
Are you considering an electric vehicle in the future?New Home Inc. includes an electric vehicle charging station rough-in with every home. The basics are there. When you’re ready to bring home that electric vehicle, it’s simple to complete the charging station.
Every one of New Home Inc.’snew homes for salein Raleigh and the surrounding area adheres to our “Future-Proof” approach: supporting the way we live now—which is different than even a few years ago—looking at how we can plan ahead for future comforts and conveniences.
At New Home Inc., we don’t just build homes. We create the place where you will experience your future. We take our job seriously. We invite you to start shopping for a new home bycontacting Monica, our very nice, very friendly, and very helpful Online Sales Counselor.
