Choosing Your Home: How Much Square Footage Do You Really Need?

The Westchester Floor Plan

Deciding exactly how big you want your new home to be here at the Villages of Citrus Hills is one of the first steps that every new home buyer struggles with. And while it can often be hard to imagine the difference between 2,200 square feet and 2,800 square feet, the difference in size is a very real factor that must be given a serious amount of attention.

Whether you are planning to downsize from a larger home, upgrading from a smaller condo, or looking for something right in the sweet spot for a perfect retirement lifestyle, there are more than a few options to be had here in our community. In order to get to the heart of your needs, all you have to do is ask yourself the right questions.

How Much Home Can You Afford?

The first factor that comes into play when deciding how much square footage someone needs in their new home is how much they can actually afford. Understanding what your new home is going to cost is a great way to come around to a starting point on how much space you can actually afford.

Once you have a rough estimate of what your new home is going to cost, you can quickly figure out a reasonable range of home sizes you have to choose from.

Do You Plan on Staying Here Forever?

How long you plan to call this new house your home is another critical factor that you are going to want to spend some time thinking about. If you are only planning to spend a few years in this house, you have less to worry about.

However, if the goal is for this new house to be your “forever home,” then you are going to want to nail down each and every detail to make sure that you enjoy your lifestyle here for years to come.

What Does Your In-Home Lifestyle Look Like?

Another way to look at the same question is to examine what your lifestyle will look like once you are moved into your new home. Are you the type of family where everyone needs their own separate space? Or are you comfortable with everyone sharing the same open living spaces?

There are no right or wrong answers here, so the trick is to be completely honest with yourself on how you and your family will ultimately occupy the space you are building.

Do You Need Your Own Personal Space?

With so many of our floor plans offering extra bedrooms and flex rooms that can be converted into different kinds of spaces, this is also a time to be honest with yourself about how much personal space you are going to want to have in your new home.

If there is any chance that you are going to be taking up a hobby like scrapbooking or crafting that will need a dedicated space, this is the time to make sure that you are going to have the square footage to accommodate those activities.

How Often Do You Expect Visitors?

How often you plan on hosting visiting friends and family is another factor that can increase the amount of square footage you will need in your new home. Just as you are going to want to know whether you need dedicated personal space, having a spare room ready for visitors will require extra square footage that you need to account for.

Once again, there are no right or wrong answers to any of these questions. It is also important to remember that today’s open floorplan designs maximize square footage in a way that older homes simply can’t compete with, so the same amount of square footage is going to feel much bigger in a modern home.

Regardless of how much square footage you ultimately decide on, you are going to love everything about your new lifestyle here at the Villages of Citrus Hills.

Let’s get started talking about your new home in our community!

7 Benefits Of Building A New Home In Villages Of Citrus Hills

One of the biggest questions faced by many people who are relocating to Florida is whether they are better off to build a new home or buy an existing one. 

While there are advantages to both options, building a new home has certain key benefits that just can’t be matched when buying an existing one. 

Here are the seven top benefits of building a new home instead of buying a resale.

Choose the Exact Look and Floor Plan 

When you choose to build your new home from scratch, you get to build it the way you want it. You will have the option to choose the ideal floor plan you want and you will also be able to choose the materials and color schemes that fit your personality.  We have 6 brand new floor plans for Terra Vista. 

Personalize Each and Every Detail 

Another big selling point for new home construction is that you will have the ability to personalize many aspects of your home. Adding features like a pot filler above the stove or a particular type of recessed lighting in a certain spot are easy to integrate when they are added before the walls go up. 

New Homes Have Warranties 

Should anything go wrong with your new construction home in the first few years, it will almost certainly be covered under your warranty. The same cannot be said with a resale home, where what you see is often what you get and you could be opening yourself up to tremendous risk if something goes wrong down the road.  

Save Energy With New Technologies 

Whether you are selflessly concerned about protecting the environment or more interested in protecting your bank account from high energy costs, the modern green technologies that will be included in your new home will actually be able to do both!

 Your new home is sure to have energy efficient appliances, and it may also feature energy saving technologies in its roofing materials, windows, and ventilation system. 

Modern Style and Design 

Building a new home instead of buying a resale also guarantees that you are on the cutting edge of the most modern style and design in the industry.

At Villages of Citrus Hills you will have all of the design features that are popular today like granite countertops, open concept kitchens, elegant master suites, and covered lanais. 

Lower Maintenance Costs 

Simply put, new homes will require less maintenance. Your home will already have a fresh coat of paint and a brand new roof, air-conditioner and appliances, so those types of maintenance projects and replacements will not be necessary until years down the road. You will also be able to design your landscaping in a way that can help you save on maintenance there as well.   

You’re the Only One 

Another advantage of purchasing a new home is the feeling of knowing that you are the only person who has ever lived there. You won’t have to ever consider what might have happened in the home before you lived there. Everything will be brand new and built just for you. 

Building a new home from the ground up gives you the ability to create the home of your dreams where every detail matches your expectations. 

While there are pros and cons to both building a new home and buying a resale, for most people the benefits of building a new home far outweigh any potential drawbacks.

5 Decisions to Help Decide Which Floor Plan is Right for You

Deciding to retire to a new home here at the Village of Citrus Hills is one of the best decisions a person can make. But that decision is also going to lead to some additional choices. One of the most significant follow-up decisions that you are going to have to make is choosing which floor plan is the perfect fit for your family.

There are an incredible number of options, and all of them come with popular features like open floor plans, spacious lanais, and stunning master suites. However, there is a subtle difference between each selection that can really improve the quality of your life here at the Villages of Citrus Hills.

To help you find the perfect floor plan for your Florida lifestyle, we have put together five simple decisions that will help you identify exactly which option is right for you.

Do You Want to Mess with Maintenance?

One of the biggest differences between the floor plans here at the Villages of Citrus Hills is that some options include exterior maintenance and others leave that work to the new homeowners.

If you don’t enjoy yard work, you will love the freedom that comes with our Care-Free Home. Residents in these properties never have to worry about any exterior maintenance on their properties, so they can spend more of their free time enjoying our activities and events.

How Many Bedrooms Do You Really Need?

The most obvious difference between many of the floor plan options is the number of bedrooms. Having extra bedrooms can be great if you need space for hosting guests or setting up your own craft room, but too much space will end up being more hassle than it's worth in the long run, so be careful not to go overboard.

Some of our nicer floor plans include entire guest suites, which could be a great choice if you plan on having friends and family visit on a regular basis.

Do You Need a Separate Dining Space?

Another feature that often ends up as wasted space is having a separate dining room. Our floor plans have a number of different dining room layouts, and some are more isolated than others.If you expect to have formal meals, this could be a nice feature. However, if you are the type of family that prefers to eat in the kitchen or in front of the TV, a separate formal dining room probably isn't necessary.

How Will You Use Your Kitchen?

The kitchen is another area of the home that varies quite a bit between floor plans. While all of the floor plans are going to have an open kitchen, the look and feel of those kitchens are quite different.

People who spend a lot of time cooking in their kitchens are going to require a lot more than people who just use the kitchen for the refrigerator and the microwave, so make sure that the kitchen in the floor plan you choose is going to fit your lifestyle. 

How Much Outdoor Space Do You Want?

All of the floor plans here at the Villages of Citrus Hills come with a fabulous outdoor space. But the size of those spaces can vary pretty dramatically depending on the specific floor plan you are looking at. Residents who expect to spend a large portion of their time outside often gravitate towards the floor plans with larger lanais.

No matter what floor plan you choose to go with here at the Villages of Citrus Hills, you are almost certainly going to be impressed with the end result. However, finding the perfect floor plan for your family could be the difference between a good retirement and a great one. Choose wisely!

6 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Spare Bedrooms

Whether you are downsizing, upsizing, or just looking to head south and avoid the cold winters, there is a good chance that you are going to find yourself with a little bit of extra space in your new home at the Villages of Citrus Hills.  

Every floor plan we offer contains at least one spare bedroom, and with many offering more than one extra bedroom and some even adding a study, many of our residents find themselves overwhelmed with space that they aren’t quite sure what to do with! 

In order to make sure that you are getting the most out of your spare bedrooms in terms of both storage and functionality, we put together a list of six great ideas that can quickly turn any extra bedroom into your new favorite room in the entire house! 

The Ultimate Home Office

The most common use for a spare bedroom these days is for a home office space. Just about everyone today has a desk and a computer, and the spare bedroom is usually the most reasonable place to set up shop. But if you want to make your home office really special, spend some time and effort tweaking all of the details to get it to function just the way you like.

Depending on how you plan on utilizing the space, this could mean anything from a larger desk and big filing cabinets to extra shelving for all of your favorite finance books and paper clip holders.  

A Space for Hobbies and Crafts

One popular twist on the home office is to create a room that is dedicated to all of the tools and supplies you need for your favorite hobbies and crafting projects. This could be as simple as an extra table set up with a few plastic bins of supplies, or it could be as elaborate as an all-out workshop.  

Whatever hobby or craft sparks your interest, having a designated place to pursue that passion is a wonderful luxury that will help you devote even more time and effort to perfecting your craft.  

Yoga and Meditation Room

Mental activities like yoga and mediation have been rapidly growing in popularity over the past few years, and having a dedicated space to work on your practice is one of the best ways to commit to that type of inner development.

While these practices don’t require much more than a simple mat on the floor, you can certainly improve the zen aspects of your spare room with some plants or a small fountain.  

Dressing Room

If you are anything like most people today, even a large walk-in closet just isn’t enough space for all of your clothing and accessories. That’s why using one of your spare bedrooms as a dressing room makes so much sense! Even if your clothing does fit in the large walk-in closet, having a room dedicated to accessories, make-up, and full-length mirrors can be a wonderful oasis when getting ready.  

Your Own Personal Library

Every serious reader has a collection of old books that can fill a few boxes. If you happen to be one of those people that has more than a few books, get those boxes out of the garage and up onto some shelves in your spare bedroom. Add in a comfortable armchair, and you’ve just created your very own library that can double as a quiet space to think! 

A Room for Guests

With all of these exciting ideas for getting the most out of your spare bedrooms, it can be easy to overlook the most obvious options like simply making the room into a place to accommodate guests. If you are going to be hosting friends and family from time to time, you want to be able to offer them comfortable accommodations, so keep that in mind when deciding on what to do with your extra bedrooms.  

Each of these six ideas can be a wonderful way to utilize the space in a spare bedroom on their own, but you are likely going to find that you want to utilize the space for more than one function. If this is the case, keep in mind that you don’t want one function to take away from the other, and make sure everyone in the house is on the same page with respect to what the room is supposed to be.  

After that, let your imagination run wild in all of that open space!