Figuring out where to live is often the toughest part of buying a new custom Florida home. You may have chosen the area, but choosing the perfect neighborhood for you and your household might feel like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Fear not! We at ICI Homes have built new custom Florida homes for more than four decades. Our pros have helped many customers with those decision-making processes and we’ve learned along the way too. We’re happy to share some practical guidance and notes on today’s residential real estate trends.

Here are tips on what homebuyers should look for when buying a new home.

Neighborhood location

It’s probably the first consideration given our job, family, and recreational priorities.

If you’re moving for career reasons, you may have a commute to consider. If you’re moving nearer aging parents or a great school system, you’ll want to minimize the distance to Grandma or youth-league basketball games.

If you’re moving to enjoy Florida’s year-round temperate climate and its endless beaches, you’ll want quick access to parks, outfitters and facilities.

Floor plans and elevations

What style and size do you envision for your new custom Florida home? Even if you’re not sure, you’ll want to do some homework about how you and/or your household use your current home and what features and designs you’d like to have in a new home.

ICI Homes’ master-planned communities feature plenty of our most popular floor plans, so there’s never a shortage of choices. Many are designed to fit seamlessly into their surroundings or echo a particular style, such as the Mediterranean, Spanish, and Tuscan design of Tamaya in Jacksonville or the versatile one and two-level rear-load homes in Persimmon Park at Wiregrass Ranch in the Tampa area.

Resident Amenities

Today’s master-planned communities not only offer the latest in smart residential technology, but they usually include all the fun facilities that make a neighborhood a true home.

Are you seeking a quieter vibe with plenty of walking paths, green spaces and a neighborhood swimming pool? Or do you want three golf courses, a Residents Club, resort-style swimming pools, sports courts, an activities calendar and dining and social scenes?

Which brings us to…

HOA Costs

Master-planned communities tend to have homeowner associations, and those usually mean monthly, quarterly or annual dues to pay for the upkeep of all those wonderful amenities.

Consider those expenses in addition to your mortgage, utilities and typical expenditures. Then there’s the HOA itself. Most neighborhood associations have covenants and rules to ensure the community is well-kept and cohesive, but you might not want those additional fees and oversight — especially if you decide to paint your front door purple.

If the latter is you, contact our ICI Custom Homes division. We’ll help you build a custom home on property you own, or help you find a lot that’s perfect for you.

Ready for your new custom Florida home? Talk to ICI Homes here.