Building a new home is ideal for many people because it gives you the opportunity to make your own choices and plan for the way you want to live. It can be exciting to dream, and then watch those dreams be built from the ground up on the lot of your choice. Just be sure not to get so swept up in the excitement that you forget these crucial items when building a new home.

Determine Your Budget

Run the numbers and speak to a mortgage consultant to determine what you can afford. And then run the numbers again. Think about what goes into your current lifestyle and make sure you can maintain it with a new mortgage. Keep in mind you may encounter unplanned items along the way, so allow for a little cushion room to ensure you can proceed when something unexpected comes up.

Think About Your Future in the Home

Maybe you don’t have kids now, but you’ll want them in a few years. Think about the amount of bedrooms and bathrooms you’ll need for a future family. Consider the right size for a backyard, as well as space for playing indoors. Or maybe your parents are getting older, and you want to eventually offer them a space to live with you. Consider things like accessibility and personal space in the design of your house.

Perhaps you only plan to live in the home for a short time, and then move on. In this case, make choices that would appeal to a wide variety of potential future buyers.

This brings us to our next point...

Keep Resale in Mind

Nobody can predict the future. Even if you plan to live in your new home until your dying days, something in your life could change that would necessitate a move. Make sure you build your home with a resale in mind. This will help you make upgrade and style choices that won’t be too extreme.

Make choices you really like, but also ask yourself along the way if your choices will appeal to others as well.

Keep Green in Mind

Not only will green building choices help in a resale, they’ll also help you to reduce your utility expenses while you live in your home. Choose energy efficient appliances and eco-friendly building materials as much as possible.

Placement, Placement, Placement

Sometimes you have a lot of say in the placement of rooms in your house. Sometimes you’re choosing from a select few floorplans. Take a good look, and consider how the room placement will work with your life.

Is the laundry room close to bedrooms, making it easy to transport clothing? Is the kitchen far from bedrooms so people won’t be woken up by appliances? Is there a bathroom guests can easily get to?

Make a list of your ideal requirements and work to find a floorplan that best fits those needs while recognizing that comprises will sometimes need to be made.

Think About the Nooks and Crannies

It’s so easy to forget about closet space and other storage areas when you’re building a new home. Without actually living in and using the space, it can be hard to predict how much room you’ll need in your storage spaces. Keep these in mind:

• Choose a pantry that is capable of holding all the groceries you keep on hand at any given time
• Think about where you’ll store your holiday and seasonal decorations
• Keep enough space in your bedroom closets for both double-hung rods and singles for your long clothing
• Make sure you have a linen closet
• Add cupboards and shelves in your laundry room

Be Prepared to Forget Something

There’s simply no way to cross every t and dot every i when it comes to building a new home. Without living in the home, you can’t possibly think of every single thing you’ll want in the future. When you work with a new home builder other people are happy with, you can feel reassured that the majority of items that are important to you are already taken care of.

The best thing to do is to make a list of your absolute necessaries, and work to get those first. And then shift your focus on the nice to have items and features. Be sure to think through things and work with a good local home builder such as Princeton Classic Homes to help you build your perfect home!