How do you tour a model home?
Ah, the model home tour. In many cases, the model is one of only a few finished structures in a new-home community. Builders often showcase a handful of homes that demonstrate the layout and potential for each floor plan within the new community.
With the exception of buyers who are looking to buy in a community that is selling its final inventory, most people don’t enter a model home expecting to purchase it. This doesn’t mean that they don’t finish the tour wanting to live in every house.
To make smart decisions even after love at first sight, it’s important to prepare before in-person tours.
Tour before you get there
Start by taking advantage of the Bay Area News Group’s resources for new-home hunters in our weekly printed and digital sections. Find the perfect communities using our New Home Finder guide in this section or go to bamedia.news/ NHF or to search for new-home communities throughout the Bay Area and Beyond (by city), go to https://www. mercurynews.com/ business/real-estate/
Given the need to tour by appointment
only, model home tours may feel like private gallery showings. The builder’s representative, the buyer and perhaps the buyer’s agent may be the only people in attendance.
Think of the by-appointment-only requirement as a benefit to the buyer. Having to schedule your visit, as opposed to walking in cold, gives you time to research.
Take your time watching videos and going through photo galleries on builders’ websites and social media pages before arriving for an on-site tour. Stop and restart videos as you watch. Compare what you see in them to the details in electronic brochures that most builders post for each floor plan.
By carefully studying each community and viewing videos of its models or digital renderings, you’ll approach your live tours with a more realistic mindset; braced, if you will, for the stunning designs you’re likely to encounter.
Spread out your tours
Avoid seeing three sets of three model homes in three different new-home communities on the same day or even on the same weekend. The easiest way to remember the nuances of each house and neighborhood is to give yourself time to process what you’ve seen at each and to organize your notes.
In fact, it’s wise to drive or walk through the community and the surrounding area before scheduling your tour. Give yourself a chance to discover and explore each neighborhood’s proximity to schools, shopping, dining, medical centers, freeways and your other priorities.
Look past the ‘wow’ factor
Builders mean well when preparing their model homes. They want potential buyers to see how the home’s uses of space can meet different buyers’ needs.
It’s important, however, to imagine how your own furniture, rugs and other belongings will look and feel in each space. If you must find a place in your new home for family heirlooms or large pieces of furniture, measure these items in advance. Bring the tape measure with you to the tour.
Take notes — then take more
Whether you prefer taking notes with pen and paper or on an electronic device, designate a place to document details about each property. Create a list of must-haves beforehand and bring that list to every model-home tour.
Document everything you discover in each model home as it compares to the items on your wish list. Ask if you can turn the lights on and off to view spaces from different perspectives. Take several photos and record yourself describing details or questions about each part of the home when you take videos.
Speak up
The fact that few others will be at the home with you provides opportunities for you to ask several questions. With beautiful model homes, those questions should include, “What is the total cost of the upgrades to this model?”
Ask about the availability and timing of each floor plan, the construction timelines, and which design features come standard with the home. You may even want to learn how the design consultation process works.
And remember the notso-glam but very important questions, such as which manufacturers’ or builders’ warranties are provided and what the homeowners association provides, if there is one.
Let yourself be inspired
It’s OK to be inspired by the model home, especially if you’re looking for a larger home than your current residence. Let the model homes open your mind to new uses for traditional rooms or different places to put your furnishings.
You may even decide to budget for new seating in the great room when you discover that the sectional sofa you plan to keep would look better in the new home’s loft or bonus room.
Finally, are you so intrigued by a model home that you can’t stop thinking about it? Ask to see an unfurnished, undecorated or unfinished home in the same plan. You may find that it’s easier to envision yourself in the home when looking at a blank slate. And that’s progress.