Category: Building a Home
How to Reduce Stress While Building a New Home
In today’s world, we experience varying degrees of stress on a daily basis. From our work lives to our family and children and more. Throw on top of that the endeavor of building a new home. Even the thought of it may cause an elevated heart rate in some people. But it doesn’t have to!
When you make the decision to go the new construction route, you will inevitably have to make many decisions throughout the process. This home is custom and it is yours. You have the ability to make it your dream home. If you start with that positive thinking in mind, you will set yourself up to start the process on the right foot.
New Construction Homes Without The Stress
A good new home builder will lay out the process that will be followed in building your home. This will give you an idea of what to expect. There are a lot of people involved and a lot of moving parts. You will have to make quite a few decisions to reach that end goal of your dream home. If you take a deep breath and follow some of these powerful tips you can make this a fun experience you will enjoy.
Start With A Plan
The best way to approach any large project is to start with a plan. Building a new home is no different. The build process will go much smoother if you have a clear idea of what needs to be done, the timeline it should be done in, and the cost of getting it done.
One of the most important parts of your initial plan is your budget. After all, your budget will be the guide for many of your decisions.
Decorate Your New Home With These Great Air-Cleaning Plants
You don’t have to be outdoors to be exposed to harmful air pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), between the time we spend sleeping, working from home or an office setting, watching tv, etc. we actually spend 90% of our time indoors. Our indoor environments have three to five times more pollutants than the outdoors, according to the EPA.
If you are looking to improve the air quality in your new home, you don’t have to jump straight to expensive air purifiers. By utilizing some great air-cleaning houseplants, you can eliminate many of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contaminate the air. Even better, you’ll be doing it in a natural and mood-lifting way.
In 1989, NASA started the Clean Air Study to find safe and effective ways to clean the air within the space station. NASA scientists discovered that the use of certain houseplants had a significant effect on improving air-quality of indoor environments. These air-purifying plants reduce levels of CO2 and increase relative humidity. This helps get rid of musty stale air, acts as a natural humidifier, and helps to reduce the levels of VOCs in the air.
Plants have also been proven to lift a person’s mood and provide a calming effect. By utilizing air-cleaning plants (as well as other air-purifiers) you can:
- Reduce the amount of irritation to your eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- Ease coughing and congestion (especially for those suffering from Asthma)
- Increase positive emotional states and lower stress
- Help to boost your concentration
Toxins In The Air
Items and materials within your home or office from the furniture you sit on to the office supplies you use release all different kinds of VOCs.
Top Questions To Ask Your New Home Builder
You can picture your dream home, everything from the design of your kitchen to the perfect master bathroom. But how do you find the local home builder that can turn your vision into reality? With so many new home builders available, it can be tough to narrow down your choices and find the right company that will make your home-building process a smooth and enjoyable journey.
Building a house is a big undertaking and one of the biggest investments people will make in their lives. Asking your local home builder some key questions will ensure that you learn as much about them as you can and get the crucial answers that are important to you and your family. This will give you confidence in making your decision on the right fit for your project.
Get To Know Your Local Home Builder
Taking the time to dig deeper and ask the following questions will help you understand your builder, the processes and steps along the way, decisions you’ll have to make, and what you can expect when your new home is finished.
1. How many years have you been in business as a builder? How many new homes have you built?
True professionals rely on years of experience and perfect their operations with each and every new home build. Stick with a builder who has been specializing in new home construction for a long time. This will give you confidence that they know their way around regulations, inspections, and the processes that only come with the experience from building new homes.
2. Are you licensed and insured?
It is imperative to only work with a builder that is licensed and insured. This protects you as the homeowner in the event that anything should happen during the process.
Building a House vs. Buying An Existing House
Trying to decide whether building a new home or buying an existing house is a good “problem” to have, since either one is a path to the advantages of homeownership. There are pros and cons to each, of course, and your individual circumstances are factors in your decision as well. (There’s even a hybrid choice: Buying a brand-new home that’s already been built by a custom home builder!) Since buying any type of home is likely to be the single largest financial transaction you may ever make, it’s worth the time to research your options and know what to consider before putting money down on your next address.
What to know about building a new house.
Building a house is exciting, challenging, and everything in between. Here are a few things to think about if you’ve never had a brand-new home built before:
Pros:
- Your home can include all of the features you want and none that you don’t, so it can reflect your taste right down to the last detail.
- You probably won’t have to deal with any expensive repairs during the first few years. As Forbes notes in its article, Is Building A New House Realistic?, “No immediate repairs will be needed once you move into the house. It’s obvious that an older home will require more maintenance. You won’t have this type of issue with a brand new home.”
- You can choose to use the latest, most energy-efficient systems, appliances and materials, which can save you money over the life of the home.
- Your home will be built in accordance with up-to-date building codes, which can make it safer and stronger.
- You won’t have to put any sweat equity into knocking down walls or tearing out flooring that doesn’t suit your taste or needs.
Make A Home-Buying Resolution for 2019
If you’ve considered becoming a first-time homeowner or building your first home but aren’t sure it’s right for you—or don’t know where to begin—think about making 2019 the year you start on the path to homeownership. The information below can help you make a New Year’s resolution that you’ll want to stick to!
The Basic Steps to Buying a House
While your individual circumstances, financial situation and the type of property you’re buying will all factor into your personal home-buying plan and experience, these are the foundational steps toward owning your own home.
Step 1: Research homes on the market
If you’ve been dreaming of owning a home, you probably already have certain styles and neighborhoods in mind. It’s important to look beyond a home’s curb appeal or the photos on listings, though, so that you can be a smarter home shopper. Go deeper on the information provided on listings to find out how long a home has been on the market and how much the price may have dropped since it was first listed, and research what other similar homes nearby recently sold for. All of this will give you a better idea of whether asking prices are fair or realistic.
Step 2: Find out what you can afford
There are several online calculators that can help you determine a home-buying budget, but only use these for a general idea. To arrive at the most accurate number, take the time to meet with lenders who can guide you through the process to become prequalified or preapproved for a mortgage loan. You won’t need to fill out lengthy loan applications just yet, but you will need to provide enough information about your finances so that the lender can give you the numbers you need to be ready to make an offer when the right home comes along.
9 Reasons to Build A New Home in Northeast Florida
If you haven’t had a chance to see all of Florida, you might not realize just how diverse the state’s various regions are. Northeast Florida is always a great surprise for first-time visitors who discover how much the Jacksonville area has to offer. If you’re considering relocating to our part of Florida, here are nine reasons to buy or build a new home here.
1. The Mild Climate
Unlike the southern portions of the Florida peninsula, Northeast Florida actually has distinct seasons. And unlike many other parts of the U.S., those seasons are never too extreme in terms of temperature. As Visit Jacksonville puts it, “perfection” is the one word to describe the weather here.
Our temperate climate lets us get outside year-round: The average annual temperature is a comfortable 70 degrees, with the average annual high at 78 and the low at 62. Most of our rain comes in the summer, so from fall through early springs, we enjoy sunny, dry weather. You may need a heavy coat on some winter days, but you’ll never need a closet full of them!
2. Big-City Options and Small-Town Living
Do you prefer the faster pace of a city or is small-town life more your style? You can have either—or be near both—in Northeast Florida. Jacksonville, the most populous city in the southeastern U.S., has a population nearing 900,000 but all of those residents are spread across more than 870 square miles. Add in adjacent counties and cities, and it leaves a lot of room for sparsely populated rural areas, density in suburbs and downtown hubs, and everything in between. It also allows for dozens of very diverse neighborhoods and communities, many of which are almost towns in themselves.
At SEDA New Homes,