How to Buy a New Home
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Home Buyer’s Guide
For First Timers

The Ultimate Buyers Guide for First-Timers

Where to
buy a house

You’ve made the decision to buy a new construction home. That’s great! Now you have to find that dream home. So,where do you start?

Most Ottawa new home buyers choose primarily by location, size and price, but some will choose first based on the builder. If you already have a preferred builder in mind, you’ll then need to research the communities where they are building.

If, like most, you know the general area you want to live in — likely for its proximity to work, transit or amenities — and you know how much you can afford, then the next step is to research the builders in that area, as well as their communities.

Researching new home builders in Ottawa

There are more than 50 new home builders in the Ottawa area. Choosing the right one for you is key to a positive home buying experience. That’s why researching your prospective builder is important.

Six things to consider when researching builders
  1. Visit websites: Most builders will have at least basic information about themselves, their communities, floorplans, elevations, pricing and site plans, so their website is a good place to start.
  2. Assess them: Use online searches and reputable sources for feedback such as Tarion, the Better Business Bureau and, to a degree, social media to determine a builder’s:
    • Reputation
    • Reliability
    • Ratings
    • Customer experience
    • Post-purchase experience
    • Warranties
  1. Tour the models: One of the reasons for visiting builder model homes and developments is to evaluate the quality of the construction. While the average home buyer may not have an eye for technical aspects of home building, everyone can tell when a paint job is sloppy or the trim around a door is not lined up. Simple details like these say something about a home’s quality. (More on touring models below.)
  2. Compare: It can be a bit like comparing apples to oranges, since one builder’s criteria for its homes won’t be the same as another’s, but as you’re researching, note things like:
    • Features and finishes that are included with the price
    • Price per square foot
    • How energy efficient they are
    • Construction specifications (things like how much and type of insulation used)
    • Experience (how long they have been building and how many homes they have built)
  1. Check past projects: Visit other communities the builder has done, both recent and older. Do you find them appealing? Do they still look relevant and well kept? Have they maintained a level of quality in design and materials? Do they promote a community connection? Have they matured well?
  2. Ask around: Ask family and friends if they’ve recently bought new or know anyone who has. What was their experience with that builder like?
Your builder: questions to ask when buying a house
  • What makes your homes stand out, better, different from other builders’?
  • What are your included features, finishes and specifications? (Note: This can often change with a builder’s various models.)
  • How long has your company been building homes?
  • How much personalization can I do, and how much would that add to my investment?
  • What kind of after-sales service do you provide?
  • Do you build just to the building code or beyond? If beyond, how and what?
  • What kind of communication and updates will I receive and how?

Explore communities

A key buying consideration is location. If you have not yet finalized your list of those things required to fit your lifestyle and needs, exploring communities in the area you think you want to live in will help.

If there’s nothing to see: If you’re capitalizing on a newly launched community where no construction has begun, it’s a little difficult to explore the community. That’s where site plans come in handy.

All projects have a site plan (usually available on the builder’s website) that indicates things like where streets will be, how the lots are divided, and amenities such as parks, schools and stormwater ponds. Sometimes the level of detail in the site plan may be limited — for instance, future phases may not show how the lots are allocated — but you’ll be able to get a sense of how the community will develop.

Sometimes a builder will have aerial renderings or streetscape renderings as well. And sometimes there will be a scale model of the community at the sales centre. Combining the site plan with streetscape renderings, scale models and renderings of the housing elevations will help to create a picture of the community.

It’s also a good idea to drive through other similar communities the builder has done to get a sense of things like street widths and layout, how the homes integrate or are set back from the street, how the neighbourhood amenities complement the community’s design, etc.

If construction is underway: Carefully drive through the community — remember, it is a construction site, plus there are likely already residents who have moved in — to assess how well the streetscapes are coming together, whether any of the amenities have been developed yet, the attention to detail, and whether or not the area resonates with you.

Checking floorplans

Understanding floorplans is difficult for some and especially for first-time buyers. That’s why many builders construct model homes to help buyers visualize the space. But it’s important to look through the floorplans and not just at the models. After all, models represent only a fraction of the types and layouts of homes available.

Three tips for reading floorplans
  1. Tour the model with the floorplan in hand. It will help you develop a sense of the two-dimensional vs. three-dimensional spaces.
  2. Use where you live now as a comparison, by sketching out your floorplan and listing the measurements for each room. Have this with you when you look at models and study plans.
  3. Show your friends and family the floorplans you’re considering. Others can often see things differently.
What if there are too many floorplans to look through?

Start narrowing down the choices based on what you can afford (that is, what you’re pre-approved for) and for your lifestyle. If you’re single with a hectic schedule, do you really want a three-bedroom, two-storey townhome or would a one- or two bedroom terrace home work better for you?

Look at what the standard specifications, features and finishes are. Consider what kinds of personalization and upgrades are available, keeping in mind there are costs for these additional investments.

It’s important to spend time with floorplans even if there is a model home because the plans tell you exactly what the layout will be.

Visiting model homes

It’s always a good idea to visit a builder’s models – tours are most often booked by appointment. These homes can help you:

  • Visualize the space
  • Get a sense of the builder’s workmanship
  • See many of the feature and finish options
  • Determine if a layout will work for you

A furnished model will give you a better sense of the rooms than an unfinished one, but keep in mind that you need to be able to look past the furniture and the finishes to see what the rooms themselves offer.

Also keep in mind that the furnishings chosen are meant to show off the home, not necessarily how real people with real furniture live. Don’t assume your furniture will work.

Also remember that model homes can have many upgrades that are not part of the included features and finishes. Ask what’s included in the home and what is an additional investment.

Take photos of the models you visit and find a way to organize sales brochures to help remember models and features you like.

Finally, don’t be afraid to talk to the Sales Representative. They are your best information resource, whether in person, by phone or via email.

Making your short list

After all this research and exploration, you’re ready to narrow down the choices. You should have a good idea of the community and builder you want and a handful of floorplans that will fit your budget and lifestyle.

When it comes to making your decision, also keep in mind how long the home will meet your needs and its potential resale value.

to be your forever home. Resale value can be determined as much by the neighbourhood as it is by the home itself, but the home is still an important factor. If you’re buying with resale in mind down the road, consider choices that offer the most flexibility and choose features that have broad appeal.

The five-year plan

It’s not unusual for buyers to stay in their home for five-ten years, and your lifestyle could change significantly in that time. Think ahead to where you might be in five or ten years to try to anticipate whether the homes you are considering will meet your needs that long, or be able to grow and change with you.

The resale factor

While you should choose a home for you, not for resale, it’s still good to keep resale possibilities in mind, particularly if you don’t expect this to be your forever home. Resale value can be determined as much by the neighbourhood as it is by the home itself, but the home is still an important factor. If you’re buying with resale in mind down the road, consider choices that offer the most flexibility and choose features that have broad appeal

Other considerations
  • Are there any builder incentives you can take advantage of?
  • Utility plans may not be finalized at the time of purchase on a new construction home. It’s common for a builder to be unaware of the final location of utility structures at the time of sale. Make sure you’re educated on the potential locations of things like mailboxes, streetlights, bus stops, catch basins, telecommunication structures, fire hydrants, hydro transformers as well as the direction your lot faces, which can impact where sunlight will come in at certain times of day.

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