Ready to stop paying rent and begin paying yourself instead? It’s time to search for a starter home, a residential real estate term that’s both a wise choice and a time-honored rite of passage.
Most of us enter the homeownership arena as first-time home buyers with finite budgets. That’s absolutely okay. It’s smart to set a budget, save for a solid down payment, then pursue a new custom Florida home that fits your current financial health and earning power, not your dream home.
Making realistic choices also pays future dividends. You’ll build real equity that will be a huge boost once you’re ready to buy your next home, and all your effort and investment will benefit you and yours rather than a landlord.
Read on for suggestions on how to find your dream starter home.
Townhomes
An excellent choice if you’re not ready for yard work. By definition townhomes are, “a house that has two or three levels and that is attached to a similar house by a shared wall,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
That means no front or back yards and the necessary work accompanying them. Your exterior maintenance is done by someone else — your neighborhood’s contractor of choice — which gives townhome owners the opportunity for a lock-up-and-go lifestyle.
Because townhomes share a wall — ICI Homes townhomes are built four to a building — they’re also a great solution for first-time buyers, usually priced lower than single-family homes in the same size range.
ICI Homes townhomes range from a two-bedroom, two-bathroom and two-vehicle garage floor plan totaling 1,562 square feet, to a three-bedroom, three bathroom, two-vehicle garage floor plan totaling 2,097 square feet. All feature screened, covered lanais for extra living space.
Check out our townhomes in these master-planned communities — Woodhaven in Port Orange in the Daytona Beach area, Plantation Bay in Ormond Beach, and the West End at Town Center neighborhood in Nocatee, located between Jacksonville and historic St. Augustine.
Smaller floor plans
ICI Homes offers many versatile single-family floor plans from 1,650 to 2,500 square feet. These floor plans are wonderful options for starter homes And we build them in nearly every master-planned community we develop and in those where we’re preferred builders.
Our Fontana floor plan is an excellent example: a single-level, three-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-vehicle garage home at 1,650 square feet. Each ICI Homes plan also comes with a covered lanai, which expands outdoor living space year-round.
Master-planned communities
No matter what floor plan you choose for your starter home, your dollars can go further in a master-planned community.
These communities offer amenities such as clubhouses with social spaces, resort-style swimming pools, playgrounds, and community activities that all residents can enjoy.
Note that master-planned communities also have homeowners associations which require residents to pay monthly, quarterly or biannual HOA fees to support those amenities and maintenance costs. Be sure to factor these fees into your starter-home budget.
Ready for your new custom Florida home? Talk to ICI Homes here.
Making realistic choices also pays future dividends. You’ll build real equity that will be a huge boost once you’re ready to buy your next home, and all your effort and investment will benefit you and yours rather than a landlord.
