5 Tips for Your Next Model Home Visit

Last updated on August 24th, 2022

Your visit to a model home in a new community doesn’t have to be your first exposure to the options and features you’ll want to consider. Sales representatives from Toll Brothers share their expert tips on how to get the most out of your tour with a little preparation.

A tour of a model home is similar to a trip out of town: you’ll be seeing new things, and you’ll have lots of questions. Some of us like to prepare for our adventures by researching our destination of choice and knowing what we’re getting into. Others like to wing it, and be surprised. Both of these approaches offer rewards for travelers, but when it comes to visiting new homes, Toll Brothers sales representatives from across the U.S. suggest preparation.

Why? “I’ve found that as a prospective homebuyer, you’re much more comfortable when you already have a sense of your needs and the community itself, because buying a new home is one of the most significant investments you’ll ever make. If you’ve been to our website, know the price range, and are clear on what you want, your visit to the model home will enhance your homebuying experience,” explains Mary Portway, a sales representative from Regency at Trotters Pointe in Tinton Falls, NJ.

With this in mind, here are the best ways to prepare yourself for a model home visit.

1. Speak with a sales representative before your visit

“Speak to a sales specialist to get the latest and most accurate information about the community of your interest. At Toll Brothers, we offer an Online Concierge Team that provides preliminary information about all of the communities in a region. If you are considering several communities in different locations, this can help you narrow your search,” says Mariana Delsindico, a sales representative at Estates at Yorba Linda in CA. We suggest looking at multiple communities, “and then, narrow it down by location and general pricing,” says Stacey Simpson, a sales representative at Southlake Meadows in Southlake, TX.

Toll Brothers at Hidden Canyon Sales Office, CA

2. Visit the community’s website

“It is always helpful if you have played around with the Toll Brothers “Design Your Own Home” feature, have seen the base pricing for floor plans, know the various options, and know the home site layout. You might even hone in on a home site that you prefer,” says Simpson. Even if you don’t end up purchasing that particular site or plan, it helps your sales representative know why you liked it, so he or she can advise you further on what may best fit your needs. Portway says that almost all of her homebuyers have investigated the website before they arrive for their model home visit.

3. Know what you can afford

One of the primary benefits of purchasing a new home is the ability to personalize it with many choices of materials, colors, and upgrades. Delsindico advises that if you know what you can afford to spend, you can more easily emphasize upgrades that are in your price range, and shelve the upgrades that aren’t. Prepare a “must have” list and a “wish list” for consideration.

4. Dream a little

Pinterest and Houzz are full of visual inspiration, some of which will apply to your personalization choices. Once you’ve culled the internet for ideas, boil them down to your must-haves, and share them with your representative, says Simpson. “I usually begin a model home visit by asking you what your top five items are, so we can factor that in right away.”

For some inspiration, check out Toll Brothers’ Pinterest and Toll Brothers’ Houzz pages.

Toll Brothers at Adero Canyon, AZ

5. Expect a journey

When you arrive for your model home visit, it’s unlikely you’ll have a handle on the new home buying process. Simpson says that your sales representative will personally explain the timeline, procedure, and paperwork involved in the home buying journey.

Pierhouse, Brooklyn

“The reward of going through the process is a new home, built especially for you. It is a journey, and you’re not alone. Your ‘professional guides’ lead the way and make the process productive and fun,” says Delsindico.

Check out our website, and visit a Toll Brothers community near you!