Get outside your comfort zone

Have you ever spent weeks or months shopping for the perfect ensemble to wear to the event of the year? And then, as if by magic, you discover that the most flattering and best-fitting option was something you’d never imagined wearing?

If so, you have yourself to thank for taking the time to explore different combinations and ultimately find the perfect fit and ideal look.

The same thinking can be applied to new-home shopping, especially given the hundreds of features builders incorporate or offer as options for their homes.

It’s long been said that “location, location, location” are the three most important factors when making real estate decisions. Before purchasing, buyers will put a good deal of thought into the lifestyle amenities they need, want and that may help increase the value of their home.

Although the physical structure, layout and design of the home itself must be as close to ideal as possible, location or place will always remain valuable. From proximity to retail, dining, health care, entertainment, recreation and schools to access to public transportation and good commute distance, location is more than a point on a map.

Bay Area and Northern California homebuilders blend the value of place into their new-home communities now more than ever. And each of them has a set of spectacular features to offer. It’s a buyer’s job to find the right fit and balance for their life.

Builders know that flexibility and comfort around both the home and the neighborhood are greater priorities for buyers than ever.

Broaden your search

There’s opportunity in expanding the new-home search. The buyer who keeps an open mind about geography will see, discover and learn more about different types of homes and communities than the buyer who zeroes in on one area.

Consider a drive up to 30 miles outside your favorite ZIP code when looking, not so much to convince yourself of a new location as to expand your knowledge. By visiting more neighborhoods and types of homes, you’ll experience and consider opportunities and potential priorities you may not have contemplated.

For example, one buyer may be set on purchasing a new home in a more remote location to escape from the hustle and bustle. Likewise, another buyer may want to be closer to the action; perhaps they’re either tired of suburban life or not yet ready for it.

By visiting more remote or literally greener pastures, the person who has been focused on more urban environments may find new appreciation for wide-open spaces, walking and cycling paths, or proximity to nature.

The same buyer, or the buyer who is focused on getting away from it all, may also realize that builders in suburban or urban communities are working to incorporate those very outdoorsy features into neighborhoods that are closer to cities.

But, beyond geography, both of these buyers only stand to gain by looking at a variety of communities.

Unexpected priorities

Seeing more types of communities (first online, then in person with an appointment) provides perspective and exposure to home features that a buyer can bring to the table when they’re narrowing down their choices of builders and communities.

Wherever they’re looking, all new-home hunters will find more convenience and more luxury in any new-home community than they’re used to in older homes or rentals. It’s all a matter of deciding which convenience and luxury factors will apply to your life for the next 10 years.

Are you interested in well-maintained pedestrian and cycling paths; public benches and tables; sporting fields and playgrounds; shared common spaces; tree-lined entryways; and parks within walking distance from home?

Orwouldyourather enjoy expansive balconies, terraces with city or hillside views, short distances to retail or public transportation and an in-community fitness center?

Both scenarios will expose you to the benefits of buying new, ranging from technology and efficiency offerings to comfort, convenience and flexibility.

Update your priorities as you go, but bear in mind the timing. The earlier you gather ideas, the more opportunities you’ll have to consider each one with your builder before vertical construction begins.

Remaining flexible can help you find hidden gems, whether those gems are ideas for floor plans, design features or entire communities you’d never considered.