Learning About Luxury Real Estate

After several years of living in that starter home, you might be thinking about building a custom home that you can be proud of. However, before you sit down with your builder and start going over the color of granite you want in the kitchen, it is important to keep a few things in mind. Here are three things to remember when you build your new home, and why they might matter later.

1: Upgrades Matter

When you were looking around for your first place, you probably decided to take whatever you could get. Instead of thinking carefully about which flooring you wanted and where your dream home should be situated, you probably just tried to get the best house for your budget. However, now that you have the time and money to actually choose what you want, you might find yourself inundated with decisions.

Unfortunately, if you get overwhelmed, you might think about what matters most to you now, and forget about what future buyers might think later. For example, if you love to watch movies but couldn't care less about cooking, you might throw a lot of money towards that theatre room and install cheap appliances in the kitchen. Unfortunately, upgrades matter, and forgetting about key rooms could cost you down the road.

For example, outdated rooms could ding the resale value of your home by as much as 10%. If you decide to install cheap white kitchen appliances instead of those shiny stainless steel versions everyone has been raving about, your custom kitchen might not give you the return on your investment you are looking for later. As you plan your space, invest your money in fine upgrades that might matter to future buyers. You never know how long you will be in your place, but a few missteps might make it harder to sell your house if you decide to move on.

2: Your New Lifestyle

Now that you are building your own place, you might have a different set of goals that you once did. Instead of raising kids and worrying about scoring that new job promotion, you and your spouse might be empty nesters and own your own company. New lifestyles bring along new goals, which could alter what you need in your custom home.

Think carefully about how you will be spending your time in the next few years. Do you plan to do more entertaining? Are you going to take the time to learn that new hobby? How often will the kids be visiting? After you have a better idea regarding what you want to do, you might feel more comfortable making home design choices.

For example, if you know that you want to host charity events and large holiday get-togethers at your new home, you might want to select a floor plan that has larger common living areas. On the other hand, if you know that you want a special room just for your guitars or painting gear, you might want to make sure that you ask your builder about a soundproof studio or a room with plenty of light. Think about how you need the space to function, and then alter your design to meet your new needs.

3: Maintenance

When you start jotting down ideas, it can be easy to forget how much maintenance some upgrades take. Unfortunately, the special rooms that sound like a lot of fun might cause you a lot of grief later if you aren't careful. Here are a few areas to be mindful of, so that you don't end up spending more time than you need to cleaning:

• Kitchen Equipment: That fume hood and brick pizza oven might be great additions to your kitchen, but do you know how to clean and maintain either piece of equipment? Fume hoods can accumulate loads of greasy debris, and pizza ovens can be difficult to clean. Only install kitchen equipment that you are familiar with, or that you are comfortable paying the professionals to maintain.  
• Swimming Pools: Unless you grew up with a pool, you might find yourself struggling to maintain water chemistry and to clean out those debris traps. Before you add a backyard pool, think about how much time you have to dedicate towards maintenance and skip the water if you know that you won't use the space.

Taking the time to make good decisions when you plan your new home might help you to end up with a place that you will love forever. Keep these tips in mind as you work with your custom home builders to create the perfect house for your future.