Overview and Comparison of New Home Options
For most of us, homeownership remains an essential element of the American dream. For some, that dream is for a newly constructed home. It’s not difficult to see why some people aspire to live in a new home instead of a pre-owned property.
Buying a new home means not having to live with and correct other people’s choices in décor and style. It means having “smart” home features built-in and building materials that meet the safety standards of today’s regulations. It means all new and clean appliances and fixtures, HVAC systems, roofs, and siding, which keeps the cost of maintaining the home low.
There are three options for those who dream of owning a new home: tract homes, spec homes, and custom homes. They range in price from the starter home level to the “sky’s the limit” luxury housing. So even if your budget is limited, it doesn’t mean you can’t afford a new house.
Tract Homes
The largest category of new homes for sale is tract homes. They are generally built by large residential home construction companies with a regional, state, or national footprint. The contractor buys a large tract of land, makes streets, puts in utilities, separates the area into buildable house lots, and begins building homes.
Generally, a buyer of a tract home will have a few models available to choose from, each with a set floor plan. Custom choices will include paint colors, flooring, cabinets, and fixtures, but selections will often be limited to those in the builder’s design center.
Tract builders will often have a staged model home in each subdivision. They also will build homes before they have buyers and generally have houses you can see in various stages of construction.
Tract homes are available at lower pricing tiers up to the...