WHAT NEW HOME PURCHASER’S WANT

One of the perks of the digital age is the number of newsletters and magazines that are delivered to your email every month.  This month we found an article on popular features in new homes that we would like to share.  In reading the article, we found that Rieger Homes has been ahead of the curve all along, as most of these items are featured in many of our homes and communities.  Enjoy!

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NAHB Reveals Most Popular Features Found in New Homes

March 27, 2014 – During New Homes Month in April, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is sharing with home buyers the most popular features in new single-family homes in 2014. Builders from across the country were surveyed on what features they were most likely to include in a typical single-family home this year, revealing that convenience, livability and energy efficiency are top priorities.

“Newly constructed homes can suit the specific requirements of today’s home buyers,” said NAHB Chairman Kevin Kelly, a home builder and developer from Wilmington, Del. “And now is a great time to consider buying a new home, as consumers can take advantage of competitive home prices and low interest rates to find the perfect new home for their families.”

Home builders are including features that are practical and functional for the daily lives of today’s home buyers. The features that are most likely to be included in a typical single-family home this year are:

• a walk-in closet in the master bedroom
• low-E windows
• a laundry room and
• a great room

Energy efficiency is a key theme with Energy-Star rated appliances, programmable thermostats and Energy-Star rated windows at the top of the list. These features help make the home more comfortable and can save the home owner significant money over the long term. On a median per square-foot basis, home owners spent 78 cents per square foot per year on electricity, while owners of new homes spent 65 cents per square foot per year, according to data from the 2009 American Housing Survey (AHS).

Builders also list features such as granite countertops, a double sink and a central island as winning elements in new-home kitchens, and a linen closet and a private toilet in the bathroom. Additional features likely to be included throughout the home include first-floor ceilings at least nine-feet high, a front porch, outdoor lighting and a patio.

Home buyers can access home buying and home building information and resources at nahb.org/forconsumers.

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Rieger Homes is your Orange County new home builder and Dutchess County new home builder of choice.  We have been a leading home builder in the Mid-Hudson Valley for over 50 years.  A family owned company under its second generation of leadership, we are committed to building a successful relationship between our family of professionals and your family.  Rieger Homes has developed its Energy Efficient, High Performance Home Program that utilizes energy efficient products and building practices in our homes and to make them as cost effective to maintain as possible.  Our goal is to assist you and your family in building a new home of your dreams.  We are proud of our superb reputation throughout New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley.  We hope that your home purchase is an exciting and memorable event. We would love to be your builder!  Please check out our beautiful neighborhoods and exciting homes and floor plans and contact us to plan your new home.  Happy home shopping!