A Guide to Moving to Fort Myers
M/I Homes: How did you hear about M/I Homes?
Hannah Tadey: We were actually just passively looking at new construction, hoping to build our first home in the next year or so. We scheduled visits to other builders, but there was always something major that kept us from pursuing that community or builder further. Then in May of 2017, we were riding our bikes down a well-traveled bike trail when we literally ran into Lakewood Prairie. The exterior of the model was beautiful - it had brick accents, railings on the front porch, and an eye-catching color palette. We threw our bikes on the ground and went inside. The rest is history!
M/I: What made you decide to build with M/I Homes over the other builders you visited?
HT: Once we toured the model at that first visit, we were captivated by the builder's story, the passion our New Home Consultant had for the business, and obviously the home itself. Our New Home Consultant was amazing - she could tell we enjoyed the model, but that it was just missing the boat on our preferred square footage and included features. She instantly fit us into the Fairbanks, a floorplan with everything we wanted and more! The great thing was that this floorplan was offered at such a great price in our community, so we still had room in our budget for our preferred structural and design options.
M/I: What does the Fairbanks offer that made you select it as your floorplan?
HT: What doesn't it have?! The Fairbanks is a single family home with four bedrooms, a large loft, two-and-a-half bathrooms, and an open-concept first floor space. In our community, it also came standard with a three-car garage, which was a must-have for Marcin. I especially loved that I could add a morning room behind the breakfast area, giving us roughly 120 additional square feet of space and lots of natural sunlight thanks to all of the windows! I also enjoy having two living spaces - the family room and the loft - as we were able to decorate the rooms for two different purposes. Our first-floor family room is our "hosting people over" living space, while our upstairs loft is where we can retreat for a movie marathon.
M/I: Did you build your home or was it ready to move into? Why did you pick going the route that you did?
HT: We decided to build our home, which took about six months from contract signing to closing. We decided to go this route because we wanted to select every option ourselves (which was both exciting and nerve-wracking - I had no idea that I'd be selecting things as simple as grout color!) as well as have time to save for our down payment. Even though we had numerous options to select, our Design Coordinator was able to figure out our particular style and give suggestions… and I’m pretty sure I said “yes” to all of them!
M/I: Seeing that you dealt with M/I Homes for so long during the building process, how would you say your experience was, and has been since moving in?
HT: M/I has been nothing short of an excellent builder. I was able to go to my New Home Consultant with any question. She sent me weekly photo updates of our home building, which was pretty cool to swipe through and see the progression week after week. I was also just a text away from my Construction Manager. I can't say enough about Mike, our Construction Manager. He spent a significant amount of time with us at our Pre-Drywall Meeting and New Homeowner Orientation, offering us advice from his own personal life as a homeowner. It was a very appreciated effort, since we knew next to nothing about homes as this was our first time owning! And even Customer Care had been wonderful to work with. I put in a Customer Care request and they contacted me immediately, and then they scheduled trade work within a week (or in a timeframe that worked for us). The excellent customer service gave us reassurance that we chose the right company to build our home.
M/I: What is your advice to those who are looking for a home today?
HT: It is absolutely okay to ask questions. Whether you're speaking through an agent to an existing homeowner's agent, or if you're talking directly with a builder, ask your questions! I was worried that we annoyed our New Home Consultant with all of ours - especially those "what if" questions - but in the end, having the answers lead us down the path to building new with M/I Homes. We also created a pros and cons list, and one of the things that stood out about M/I Homes was the warranty they provide their homeowners. It gave us peace of mind to know we would be taken care of after the closing papers were signed and we were all moved in.
M/I: What's your favorite memory in your home so far?
HT: That's a hard question to answer! I think it would be that we've been able to continue personalizing our home since moving in. Date nights have turned into purchasing paint, painting walls while sipping wine, and having a classic movie playing in the background. We spent New Years Eve doing just that! It's crazy how much our house has become a home in just two short years.
Photos courtesy of Hannah Tadey and Erik Anderson
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