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Website features that make home buying easier

May 13, 2021

Between finding the right location and a floor plan that fits your needs, searching for a new home can be stressful. Norfolk Homes makes it easier to find these important details with a comprehensive and interactive website designed with Greater Ann Arbor Area buyers in mind.

This starts with the home page that directs visitors to the communities page to start their search. There, users can begin to filter and sort based on location, school district, or price to start narrowing down the options. An interactive map provides convenient visuals with clickable pins marking each community’s location in relation to the others in Washtenaw County, Livingston County, and Jackson County.

Choosing a community

Once a website visitor starts to narrow down the options between new home communities, each individual community page is loaded with helpful information to allow for easy comparison. These begin with a quick overview with the location, price range and links to sections further down the page like floor plans, photos, videos, and directions.

One of the most popular elements is the interactive plat map that shows availability of homesites within the community in real-time. Under the map view, users will see each lot outlined and color-coded to indicate its current sales status. Hovering over individual spaces will also bring up a preview with additional information like the address and available floor plans if applicable. Filters on the right allow users to show only available homesites or search by floor plan.

Switching to the satellite view in the plat map section allows users to view the community’s location in relation to other local landmarks through a Google Maps integration. Users can also toggle the slider at the bottom of the frame to change the opacity of the community overlay and track progress beneath it.

Community pages also include a button to download brochures that provide a printer-friendly version of the information including the overview, available homes, floor plans and elevations, as well as included features.

Finding a floor plan

Users can also navigate the website starting from the floor plan page, filtering by city and sorting by square footage, or the number of stories to identify available options. Each floor plan page is built similarly to the community pages with a quick guide at the top with basic information about bedrooms, bathrooms, and square footage, as well as links to lower sections.

The two main ways to view each design are the elevations, which show how the front of the home will look with different selections, or the floor plan itself. The latter is available in a pop-up gallery that shows the measurements of each room and options like tray ceilings or additional windows.

Designing your dream home

With the big decisions out of the way, website visitors can proceed to the Design Center page for a virtual tour and photo gallery showcasing the latest selections from Norfolk Homes. The photo and video galleries are split into categories that represent different spaces around the home like kitchens, great rooms, and owners suites.  

If you have any questions during your new home research or are ready to talk with the Norfolk Homes team, contact us through our online form. The experienced sales team can guide you through the process and help find your dream home in the Greater Ann Arbor Area.