Before you can select a floor plan for your new construction home, you have to find a good lot. In many ways, selecting the right one is often the most important decision you'll make during the construction process, so it's important to consider these aspects.
Homebuyers who want to build a new construction home often consider the square footage of a lot to be the highest priority, but it's important to remember the integral role that lot shape plays in the development of your new construction house. For example, square lots are more versatile than oblong lots, particularly those that are long and narrow. With a square lot, you'll have more flexibility in designing the home of your dreams and maximizing your use of the land that surrounds the finished home.
It's difficult to find a lot that is completely flat, as land naturally slopes and slides. Rather than searching for something that may not exist, consider selecting a lot that has an advantageous slope. When the slope of the lot extends outward and away from the home, many homebuyers feel confident knowing that they'll be less likely to have drainage and foundational issues in the future. A slope that turns inward toward the area where the home will be constructed may result in standing water that can wreak havoc on the property.
If you're building a home in a residential development, it's safe to assume that many of the lots that surround yours will be developed eventually. It's important to keep this in mind as you select your lot. While you may have an uninterrupted view of the pond across the way right now, that view may be disrupted by another home in the future. Make sure that the current and future views are something that you can live with before you purchase your lot.
The location of the lot within the development impacts your daily life too. For instance, a lot that is near the entrance or exit of the development will be most convenient to access but may also be noisier. A lot that is located deeper in the development may be quieter and may offer safer spaces for children to play outside but may prove difficult to get to.
In the future, you'll be able to change most things about your home — except for the lot. The lot will determine the way that you can use your home and may even have an impact on your resale value.
I'm John Mahan, Sales Associate with William Raveis Real Estate, Harwich Port Office.
Throughout his childhood, John Mahan spent summers on Cape Cod at his parents’ home in Dennis Port. His intro to the Cape was, as he puts it, when his parents “carried me down the stairs at Sea Street Beach when I was a week old.” With a lifelong connection to Cape Cod, it seemed only natural for John and his wife, Mary, to move to Harwich – where they still reside – with their two young children in 1996.
Prior to moving to Cape Cod, John lived in the Worcester-Auburn area where he worked for Mass Electric for 10 years and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Utility Workers. When John and his family moved to the Cape, he worked at NSTAR for six years.
John began his career in real estate in 2002 when he joined Team Waystack Realty in Harwich Port. He has been a consistent top producing realtor in the Harwich area for the past 20 years. John’s approachable demeanor, combined with an integral understanding of the Cape Cod residential real estate market, have allowed him to build trusting, long-term relationships with his clients – both sellers and buyers.
