As you’re making your final home site and floor plan selections, it’s important to consider how the two fit together. Ask yourself these questions as you narrow down your options: 

Where’s the light? 
If you’re looking forward to breakfast in a nook that’s filled with morning sunlight, you might want to choose a home site that gives that room southern or southeastern exposure. The same goes for your backyard patio; southern exposure will make it sunnier, northern exposure will keep it shadier. Live in a cold climate? Unless you have a snow blower, you might not want to tackle a long, north-facing driveway if you don’t have to.

How’s the view?
In most residential communities, you won’t be guaranteed a view of anything beyond your front and back yards. Sometimes, however, you’ll find a home site that backs to open space or greenbelt, or has upper-story views. If that’s the case, take a look at your window placement and make sure you’ll be able to take advantage of your vantage.

Even without a spectacular view, window placement can play an important role in establishing a room’s atmosphere. Will it be distracting to have a large picture window in your study if it looks out onto the street? Do you like to look out over the backyard as you prepare dinner? Will the great room window cast a glare where you’d like to place your TV? The view is something to think about if you’re trying to decide whether it would be better to put a bay window in the dining room at the front of the house, or in the master bedroom at the back.

Want more tips like these?  Get our free guide, New Home Buying Basics Guide.