Picking out the perfect lot is one of the most important aspects of the new home experience. Unlike a house, which can be changed or modified over time to suit your wants and needs, we are limited with how much we can improve our change the land from its raw form.
So before you get too deep into fixating on the perfect countertops or oversized master bathroom shower, let’s dig into the 8 most important factors to consider when picking your CreekSong lot.
1. Walkout vs Flat yard
We schedule a lot of tours for potential buyers in CreekSong. The first question I always get is “Can we do a walkout basement?”. Walkout basements and full size basement windows are extremely popular these days. Because finishing a basement can be one of the most cost effective ways to add living space to a home, buyers are prioritizing natural light in their future finished basements.
On the flip side, we do see older buyers and families with dreams of a pool targeting flat lots instead. To overcome the lack of a walk-out basement, we are able to install oversized, egress windows which will still pull in natural light. And should you need a 2nd set of steps to the basement, we are able to either design a set of stairs in the garage or install a forced walkout, which is a wide set of stairs that lead from the ground level down to a lower level entrance.
2. Sun Pattern
If you’ve ever owned a home that faced East and tried to have a summer backyard cookout in the late afternoon, you know the importance of sun patterns. Sunlight has the ability to shape the way we live our lives in a major way. Here are a few questions to ask yourself with regards to the sun.
Is morning sun important to you or do you entertain a lot in the evenings throughout the summer? If so, choose an East or West facing lot but design your entertaining areas or breakfast room to take the morning and evening sun into account.
Is home efficiency the most important thing for you? If so, choose a North or South facing home but design the home to feature more windows on the south side. The sun pattern will travel from east to west at an arc that favors the south-side of your home and allow for more light entering your home throughout the day.
3. Privacy
Although privacy can be improved on any property, it can also be very expensive. Pay close attention to the orientation of the lots around you to get an idea of how many neighbors you might see or hear on a regular basis. Cul-de-sac lots tend to offer the best opportunity for privacy when compared to straight lots. If you can find a lot with a tree-line, that’s even better.
4. Water
Water is a part of nature which we can’t always control and depending on what kind of sewer system is installed in the community, water can be a non-issue or a major pain in the butt. The higher up you can be within any community, the less risk of water issues or dealing with water runoff from neighboring homes.
5. Cost to Develop
Within CreekSong, not every .5 acre lot is created equal. If you love a lot that has a significant number of trees, a pond or has a major hill sized slope to it, there will be additional development costs to get the property to the point where it is buildable. Though these elements are part of what makes the lot unique and beautiful, just be sure to factor in some additional funds for developing the land.
6. Traffic
Whether for resale purposes or personal safety for your family, be aware of how many cars will be traveling past your home each day. Those lots on a cul-de-sac or located deeper within the neighborhood will experience much less traffic than those at the front of the community.
7. Community Amenities
As with anything in life, the more convenient it is to use something, the more it will be used. Unless you plan to put a pool and playground in your backyard, factor how your future location with affect your use of the community amenities you are paying for each year. I can guarantee that if you live across the street from the community pool, it will get used much more often than if you lived on the furthest lot away.
8. Price
I can’t talk about the different factors of picking the right lot without bringing up price. Price is derived mostly by size but also by location. It can be a balancing act to determine the right size lot with the right price, especially when you factor in the cost and time to maintain a larger lot with the benefits of more space.
One last piece of advice, most people who build a custom home will tell me that it’s their “forever” home. If you’re beyond retirement age, it might very well be your last home. But if you’re a young family, imagine life in your 40s, 50, 60, 70s 80s etc as life goes by fast.
Fortunately at CreekSong, there are no bad lots. Schedule a tour today and let’s start the discussion on finding the perfect lot for you!
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