Buying a home can be an overwhelming process, and it’s easy to make certain mistakes that could land you in a less-than-ideal house. To find the right home for your lifestyle–a home that you will love for years to come–it’s important to know and avoid these five common mistakes. Fortunately, TJH provides a simple solution to improve the homebuying process.

Buying a home without your ideal location in mind

Many homebuyers look for a home with certain design features without giving as much thought to the location. However, homeowners soon realize that their neighborhood has a big impact on their quality of life. Failing to put location front-and-center could leave you with a home that doesn’t promote the lifestyle you want.

At TJH, we only build new homes in neighborhoods where the quality of life is high. This means convenient access to major employment hubs, transport links, cultural attractions, shopping, dining, and top areas for outdoor recreation. 

On the other hand, homeowners who want a more modern home often assume that they must leave the location they love to get the space and features they need. But TJH has the solution for those who already have their dream location. With BUILD by TJH, homeowners can get the liveable, open floorplan and space they need by building a new home on their existing homesite. We work with homeowners to select a plan from our library and optional customizations so you can have the home of your dreams.

Buying a home that could need costly renovations

Too often home inspections fail to reveal major issues that will require costly repairs within the first few years. Or, homebuyers may purchase an older home with the intention of renovating it, only to discover that the renovations cost far more and take much more time than they initially anticipated. As a result, your dream home can quickly turn into a renovation nightmare.

Buying a resale home always comes with unknowns. But when you buy with TJH, you get a brand new home that is protected by our best-in-class warranty and supported by our devoted customer experience team, giving you peace of mind in your home purchase.

“We are so happy to have found Thomas James Homes in the Seattle area. After many months of searching and making offers, finding a house with a design aesthetic we love and in a location we preferred was super exciting. Their in-house pre-listing sales lead was phenomenal to work with and the contracting process was extremely efficient. Their post-close warranty and support team have been terrific as well, very responsive and helpful. Home buying is one of the biggest decisions you make in your life and it’s hard to go wrong with a Thomas James home.”

Natalia and Vinay, TJH homeowners, Seattle, WA

Buying a home with a less-than-livable layout

The floorplan of your home is not an area in which you want to compromise. What may seem like a minor inconvenience now can greatly impact your lifestyle when you’re trying to make your new house your home. If the layout doesn’t promote easy entertaining, family connection, or privacy when you need it, you may end up finding your home’s design doesn’t support your actual life.

All of our home plans feature an open layout that promotes seamless movement throughout the living room, dining room, kitchen, and foyer. Other elements of our home plans designed to make your house more livable include secondary flex spaces that can be used as a media room or teen lounge; offices for working from home; indoor living spaces that flow seamlessly into outdoor entertaining areas; large and well-placed laundry rooms inside the home; and first-floor guest suites and/or attached ADUs to better host long-term guests or for multi-generational living.

Buying a dated home

Even if it has a layout or location you like, buying a dated home is a mistake because you will inevitably be stuck with old features you do not like and expensive updates that need to be made.

Odds are, a dated home will not have the appliances, finishes, landscaping, smart home features, and sustainability measures you want. Smart home technology and sustainability features in particular change so quickly that buying a home that is even a decade old means it isn’t as convenient or efficient as it could be, which could make your home more expensive to run. In addition, the plumbing or electrical system may not be up-to-code and you could be saddled with costly updates to modernize your “new” home. 

This is another reason why a new construction TJH home makes sense. Whether you buy it or build it, our homes feature the latest smart home technology, energy efficient features, premium appliances, designer finishes, and beautiful landscaping, for a truly move-in-ready experience.

Buying a home without knowing the builder

Buying a home from an unknown, or unestablished, builder can lead to obstacles and complications should you have any problems after move-in. 

When buying an older resale home, homebuyers generally do not know the builder, which means you can’t be assured of the quality of your home. Plus, the home is likely not covered by a warranty should things go wrong. Similarly, smaller builders may be here today, but gone tomorrow, which could leave you unprotected even if you were promised a warranty. 

The better option is to buy from a builder you know, who will stand behind your new home. TJH is a well-known builder with a solid track record, having built more than 800 homes. Our homeowners are happy to share their stories of buying a home with TJH, so that you know what to expect. Because we’re an established builder, you can trust that our customer experience team will be there to make things right should you have any concerns or issues while living in your new TJH home.