When do you want to move in?
A little less than five weeks remain of 2020. This is cause for celebration among many, including those who are finally ready to move out of their rental homes or outdated properties and into brand- new homes designed and planned for today’s lifestyles.
It’s also good news for those who are still musing on the idea.
Although 2020 has been a year of compromises, new-home buyers don’t have to compromise. Builders want to work with their buyers to create a smooth process and deliver a perfect finished product.
From communities that have yet to break ground and quick-move-in homes from builders who are wrapping up current phases of development to model homes for sale, buyers have choices.
Let’s start with buyers who have received preapproval from a mortgage banker and want to move in as soon as possible, even before 2021.
What is a quick move in?
It’s one thing to move in soon. It’s another to feel at home from day one.
Quick-move-in or move-in-ready homes are finished. These homes, also called inventory homes by some builders, include flooring, cabinetry, countertops and perhaps even custom lighting, appliance upgrades and other options.
A year-end search for a move-in-ready property can be productive and might even earn a buyer some unexpected home upgrades. In addition, move-in-ready homes typically are the most popular floor plans in a builder’s community. Buyers get the confidence of a tried-and-true floor plan along with a professionally finished interior and a short escrow period.
For some families, prioritizing a move in before year’s end, rather than prioritizing the selection of every last detail in the home, has benefits. While finalizing your mortgage preapproval, peruse the inventory of quick-move-in or move-in-ready homes in communities across the Bay Area and Northern California.
When to consider a model home
Purchasing a model home is not for everyone, but it’s usually the perfect choice for at least one, specific buyer. That buyer is the one whose needs and design preferences line up almost exactly with the decisions the model home designers made when choosing everything from flooring and countertops to cabinetry and paint.
Factoring in that many builders’ model homes also include finished backyards and/or upgraded outdoor living spaces, relinquishing the freedom to choose every last detail might be a smart move.
The upgrades will be reflected in the price of a model home. But because model homes aren’t as close to brand-new status as what you and your builder would build and design from scratch, there’s typically a relative reduction in the overall price.
Compare all the wonderful traits of the model home to the elements you would choose on your own to determine whether your needs align with the “more for less” concept of a model-home purchase.
Why join an interest list?
In addition to the compromises of 2020, it’s also been a year of waiting.
Patience, however, can pay off for the family that has taken advantage of everything 2020 delivered by way of unplanned or even unwanted changes in home dynamics.
By joining an interest list for a new-home community, buyers put themselves in the builder’s first circle of contacts. Interest lists may begin forming before the builder breaks ground. At the very latest, they form before vertical construction begins and before models are complete.
While joining an interest list is not a commitment to purchase, the perks can be convincing.
Being on a builder’s interest list may give buyers the opportunity to choose their home’s lot, model and elevation. Or, in communities with limited inventory, joining an interest list might provide advance notice when properties are ready for commitments. And at any community, the decision to join an interest list allows buyers extra time to get to know their builder.