Crystal Valley Blog

For the serious home buyer who wants or needs to make a move within a year and is primarily interested in new construction, there are several dos and don’ts that will make maximize a model home tour. We consulted local brokers for a few insider recommendations – things they advise their own clients to do – to give you the top takeaways here!

Do Your Homework

Before you step foot across your first threshold, drive the neighborhoods you’re considering at different times of the day and tour the nearby shopping, dining and recreational options. Then as you narrow your locations, ask yourself a few questions about your needs and wants and isolate the things that really matter to you. 

• How much space do you need? 
• What style and layout works best with your lifestyle? 
• Which builders have the right floor plans for you? 
• What are the base prices of the homes and how much does that leave you to pick options that the model homes will have? 
• What’s the school district’s reputation for quality education? 
• How long will your commute be to and from work? 
• Which amenities do you value the most? Pools, parks, trails?

Knowing the answers to these questions beforehand will help you quickly identify the model homes you’ll want to tour.

Don’t Tour Too Many

Maybe this goes without saying, but unless you’re relocating and have to cram multiple communities and model home tours into a three-day weekend, don’t overload your tour schedule as your impressions can get jumbled and overlap. 

Steve Thayer, Broker/Owner of The Thayer Group, Keller Williams Action Realty, LLC, offers a few tips to keep multiple model homes from blending together in your mind.

“We encourage folks to take pictures and good notes after each one,” he says. “A good trick is to pick up a flyer and any other marketing materials that the (builder) is supplying, then when the buyer gets in the car after touring the home, write down thoughts and a pro and con list.” Thayer says it also helps to give the house a nickname about the most impactful feature of the home to help differentiate one from another.

Do Ask Key Questions 

Thayer says when looking at new builds and comparing home builders, it’s important to ask the sales associates the following questions:

• Are there any builder incentives?
• How much money does the average person spend in the design center?
• What kind of warranty comes with the house?
• What options are available?
• What are the key differences between the models they offer?
• What are the lot premiums?

“Those answers,” says Thayer, “will give the buyer a good guideline to compare one builder to another.”

Don’t Focus on Furnishings

Finally, (and you know this intellectually) don’t be subliminally swayed by the enviable interior design treatments. Zero in on the items that will affect the way you live in the house. By all means be inspired by what you’re seeing and pay attention to your gut reactions to a model home once you check off your wants/needs list. After all, you want to love where you live for a long, long time!

Living in Crystal Valley

One of the best things about moving into a brand new home in the master-planned community of Crystal Valley, is being surrounded by nature, inviting a bit of it into your own front and backyards! Explore all the beautiful models and move-in ready homes from Richmond American Homes, Kauffman Homes and D.R. Horton – ranch and two-story designs, priced from the $300s. You’ll find the nearby amenities plus nearby shopping, entertainment and recreation, just about everything you need.