When Carol Tamayo walked into the design center, she didn’t expect to feel overwhelmed by a single tile, but she wanted a home that felt entirely hers.
For many buyers, a major draw of purchasing a new home over an existing one is the ability to customize its design and functionality. Design studios typically offer samples from various product categories, from exterior siding to kitchen countertops.
But for buyers like Tamayo, the process can be an undertaking.
For its New Construction: What Buyers Want Survey, Homes.com partnered with YouGov in May to poll more than 1,000 people aged 25-plus who have incomes of at least $50,000 and either purchased a new home in the past two years or plan to buy a newly built property in the next two. See the full methodology.
Two-thirds of first-time buyers want full customization
When it comes to design power, 58% of new-home owners and intended buyers want full customization options over floor plans or finishes, the survey found. For first-time buyers, that percentage jumped to 67%.
Angie Roseman, leader of national accounts for Atlanta-based homebuilder Beazer Homes, said buyers want choice.
“I’d say it’s across the board,” she noted, “everybody wants to customize.”
Getting what you want, not what the builder wants
Tamayo, a homebuyer at the Lakeside Pointe community in Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, and her husband were no exception. After buying existing homes, their Lakeside property was their first new-build purchase, so the opportunity to "customize it to what we wanted, not what the builder thought we wanted, was really important."
The Tamayos bought into the Lakeside during its initial development, so the couple had a say on the model, layout and finishes. Tamayo said having that level of customization helped them design a home that fits where they are now in life and where they will be going forward. They plan to live in the Lakeside Point home when they retire.
But having to make so many choices can be overwhelming.
The Tamayos visited the design center to make in-person selections, and, although the process was essential, looking at a little piece of tile and picturing it in the home "was a challenge," she recalled.
Some homebuilders offer curated style packages tiered by price, Roseman explained, although such options can feel limiting. "They’re going in the right direction of what homeowners want, which is an expert to curate choices for them.”
Beazer aims to offer that with its in-person “design studios,” Roseman explained, where homebuyers can explore options and finishes based on three price tiers and six style preferences such as “Coastal Chic,” “Modern Organic” and “Urban Farmhouse.”
“So you can mix and match,” she detailed. “And we’ve heard from our homebuyers that by having products arranged by style, it’s a lot more approachable, less overwhelming. It’s kind of like guardrails that this stuff has been picked by someone who knows.”
When it comes to custom floor plans, things get pricier, Roseman said, noting that it’s harder to “move walls around” in production-built homes. Still, she said, “it is something that people ask for.”
Aiming to balance control with affordability, Beazer offers “Choice Plans” in which buyers can select from two layout options for the kitchen and primary bathroom. “We try to offer choices that get picked about 50% of the time, right?” Roseman explained.
Fewer buyers desire limited or no customization
Although the majority of those polled said they wanted full customization options, a smaller slice of homebuyers, 30% of new owners and 36% of intenders, said they preferred limited customization focused on specific areas or singular finishes. For first-time homebuyers, that came in at 26%.
When it comes to focus areas for customization, Roseman reported seeing high interest in particular spaces.
“Definitely always the kitchen because it’s the centerpiece of the home,” she said.
Tamayo echoed that priority, saying she wanted a "very open kitchen."
"That's where we spend a lot of time, so that was really important to us to get [the kitchen] the way we wanted it," she said.
After the kitchen, the primary bath was also key for customization.
“If someone has a limited amount of money to spend, the kitchen and primary bath are usually where they’re spending their money,” Roseman detailed. For specific elements, she pointed to flooring, countertops, and cabinets.
Some homebuyers, 8% of those polled, said they wanted no customization at all.