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When you build a new home, you want to see the house as clearly as possible even before it’s finished. Visualizing your new home throughout the building process isn’t only exciting, but it also helps ensure everything is constructed to your liking. Here are four concrete ways to visualize your new home prior to its completion.

1. Walk Through Model Homes

Taking a walkthrough of a model home is a standard way to begin the home-building process, and it’s one of the best ways to visualize what your new home might look like. While you’ll likely choose different options that make your home unique from any of the model homes, checking out features in a model home shows you what those options are like in the completed structure.

Don’t just walk through one model home. Go through as many as the builder has, even if some of them have different layouts than the home you intend to build. You never know what optional features you’ll discover and want to include in your new house.

2. Check Out Completed Homes

If you’re able to, check out other homes that a home builder has completed. While you won’t always be able to do this, there are a few ways you might be able to see a completed home:

• Ask the builder for referrals of customers who may let you see their house
• Check for open houses of homes that are for sale and were constructed by the builder
• Ask family and friends who might’ve used the builder if you can tour their house

Any home that the builder has completed and is actually being used will help you see what your home will look like once it’s lived in.

3. Explore Digital Tours

Software makes it possible to explore many floor plans and features without actually building those designs out. Have fun using a home builder’s software to try different combinations and see what you like and don’t like. Look at what your home’s standard design is, but don’t be afraid to get silly with designs. You might discover something unconventional that you like when experimenting.

4. Watch Your Home During Construction

You don’t want to constantly be on the worksite and acting as the foreperson while your home is being built. You should, however, stop by the site occasionally to see how construction is coming along. With the crew’s permission, walk around wherever it’s safe to do so.

Walking around your home will give you a sense of what it’ll be like once construction is complete. You can pretend to go about regular activities (e.g. making a meal) and measure out where furniture will go. As the home’s construction moves along, you’ll gain a clearer and clearer picture of the house.

Visualizing what your new home will look like is both a lot of fun and highly useful. As you go through the stage of having a new home built, use these tips and you should have a good idea of what the home will look like when it’s finished.

The homebuying journey should be fast and seamless, but problems may arise that prevent you from accomplishing your desired goals. For example, if a buyer with a poor credit score fails to get financing before submitting an offer to purchase a house, this individual may struggle to acquire his or her dream residence. Or, if a buyer fails to evaluate various housing market data, he or she may miss out on opportunities to purchase the right house at an affordable price.

There is no need to worry about homebuying crises. Lucky for you, we're here to guide you along the homebuying journey and ensure you can mitigate problems that otherwise may make it difficult for you to buy your dream house.

Avoid homebuying crises – here are three tips to help you minimize the risk of encountering problems during the homebuying journey.

1. Learn About the Local Housing Market

The housing market is complex, regardless of whether you are pursuing residences in small towns or big cities. Fortunately, plenty of housing market data is available to help you understand real estate patterns and trends. This information can help you map out your homebuying journey based on the current housing market's conditions.

Typically, it helps to look at the prices of recently sold houses in your preferred cities and towns. This information highlights whether house sellers are receiving offers at or above their initial asking prices and may help you differentiate a buyer's market from a seller's one.

You also should examine the prices of available houses that match your homebuying criteria. That way, you can hone your home search and accelerate the homebuying journey.

2. Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage

Believe it or not, it usually does not take long for a homebuyer to get pre-approved for a mortgage. In fact, banks and credit unions can quickly teach you about different home financing options and ensure you can make an informed mortgage decision.

If you receive pre-approval for a mortgage, you can enter the housing market with a budget. Then, when you discover your dream house, you can submit an offer to purchase with home financing in hand.

3. Work with a Real Estate Agent

A real estate agent is a must-hire, especially if you want to limit the risk of potential crises during the homebuying journey. With a real estate agent at your side, you can identify homebuying problems and resolve these issues before they escalate.

Generally, a real estate agent will support you at each stage of the homebuying journey. He or she first will learn about you and your homebuying goals. Then, a real estate agent will create a personalized homebuying strategy to help you accomplish the optimal results. And if you have concerns or questions during the homebuying journey, a real estate agent is happy to respond to them.

Prevent homebuying crises – use the aforementioned tips, and you can increase the likelihood of a successful homebuying experience.