Kroll Residential Blog

Although houses bear many commonalities, they also can be different in subtle ways that significantly impact their function and appearance. Because you need to live in and enjoy your house – not merely sleep there – it’s important to consider which floor plan and layout will best contribute to enhancing the lifestyle of your choice.

One of the primary benefits of developing or building your own home is obtaining flexibility when it comes to how the structure will be designed and the features it will include.

When you purchase a resale home, you have to find the one with features most aligned with your needs and desires, but when you build, you get to customize the space with your new home wishes. Often, home builders have standard floor plans that serve as the starting point for building your home in a designated community or specified site. You can then choose various features and amenities to include before the construction process starts.

Large-scale construction projects, like building a house, are often accompanied with similarly substantial pitfalls and challenges. Thinking ahead through potential problems and home-building mistakes that could arise throughout the process puts you in an advantageous position to either prevent them or confront them head-on.

If you are preparing to build a new home in the Chesapeake or Virginia Beach area, here are a few potential problems to keep on your radar:

When it comes to building or buying a new home in Virginia, one of the most important decisions you must make is how you will finance the project. Prospective homebuyers have various mortgage options on the market and the far-reaching impact of borrowing such a large sum of money to consider.

Home loans available for Virginia residents fall into two main categories: government loans and conventional home loans. Within these categories, the various types of home loans are accessible to prospective home buyers based on certain qualifications and criteria. Here is a brief look at the most common loans included in each category and how they can affect your budget for buying a new home.

As exhilarating as it is to undergo the construction of a new semi-custom house and see the structure start to take tangible form, the process does not begin with breaking ground.

Before construction can start, prospective new home buyers first face a series of pre-build financial steps and decisions to make that will lay the foundation for a smooth and satisfying process. When followed methodically, these steps set up the project for success and for you to acquire your new home in a timely and efficient manner. Here is a brief run-down of the process for buying a new construction home and what steps to expect along the way.

As the age-old idiom goes, “Haste makes waste.” That proverb applies in numerous situations, not least of which is the process of building a sturdy and high-quality house.

Becoming more environmentally conscious starts at home—beyond even your daily habits and decisions, but with your home itself. Innovations in technology, materials and design collectively make energy efficiency an easy target in the current market, which coincides with the rising popularity of green homes.

Virginia is a diverse state, with regions varying in several aspects: economic drivers, political ideology, cultural and historical attractions, and natural environments which are some of the reasons to love living in Virginia. When considering a move to Virginia—which has something to offer residents of all affinities—you may factor in the state’s breathtaking scenery, balance of urban and rural areas, and other attractive features. Another important factor you should consider, though, is the cost of living in Virginia.

As with any state, the cost of living in Virginia can differ greatly depending on the city, town or county, although some economic aspects remain consistent, such as the $7.25 minimum wage in Virginia.

The cost of living in the Hampton Roads area — which incorporates the cities on the Southeast Virginia coast—tends to be at or above the national average, when you take into account a number of factors, such as housing, utilities, groceries, and transportation, along with relevant Virginia taxes.

One of the most common conundrums experienced by those in the market for a new place of residence is whether to buy or build a home.

The decision is not one to be taken lightly, as building or buying a house is likely to be one of the biggest investments you make in your life. Both options require a substantial amount of time, energy, and money, but each has certain benefits that may appeal to different people depending on their financial standing, family size, needs, and overall lifestyle. A few other factors you should weigh during the decision-making process is location, market trends, property taxes, and homeowner association fees, among others.

The quaint city of Chesapeake is a peaceful sanctuary near the Virginia coast and many residents find the comfortable pace and low-key atmosphere of this robust community to be right up their alley.

With close proximity to the coast, a bounty of surrounding scenic attractions, and all the amenities that support a high quality of life, this city of nearly 238,000 residents creates the ideal setting for settling down into a semi-custom home or other residence. Here is a quick look at six reasons you will love living in Chesapeake, VA:

Setting a budget to build a house requires a lot more than considering how much you can afford to spend. The cost of construction involves many factors, including the cost of living in Chesapeake VA. Understanding what affects the cost of building a house and how to determine what you can really afford will help you make the right decisions.

Wexford Square is one of the premier developments for new homes in Chesapeake, VA, but your decision to move into the neighborhood is just the beginning. Picking a floor plan for your home in the Wexford Square neighborhood starts by addressing the following:

Building a new house allows you to control every aspect of the process, but it also comes with plenty of important considerations. If you’ve never gone through the process, you may be left wondering about basic questions like “How much does it cost to build a house in Virginia?” Prepare yourself for the excitement of building the home of your dreams by considering these three important factors first.