I've been observing a lot of properties recently that were not constructed to take maximum advantage of the lot upon which they were constructed. This hurts the resale value. These said properties are most likely in tract subdivisions. One very conspicuous example is a residence built neighboring the greenbelt space on a dead-end lot. To the left of the property, and straight out the cul-de-sac as you drive into the street is natural ranchland scattered with beautiful mature oak trees, local vegetation, and a wet weather creek. This is dedicated space that will never be developed. One of those kind of panoramas one can observe in pictures, the panorama of pure Texas Hill Country that you envision admiring them while sitting on a rocking chair at the back of the veranda or on a swing. It really beats the heck out of looking at a neighbor's property. The person who made the property really did blow it.

Much to my amazement, the floorplan of this property presents no acknowledgment or compass reading toward this natural setting--not a bit at all. If I had constructed on this lot, I would have chosen a floorplan where in I could enjoy the local Texas scenery, having the windows of the kitchen or the living room point to the panorama and supplemented a largely roofed patio. This property was constructed without even a roofed patio in back, and the patio itself is a tiny 5?8 foot concrete slab. Upstairs, the master bedroom is on the other part of the home from the open space and presents no view.

If there is none to choose from, the whole floorplan could have been reversed and flipped to the other side, the kitchen and the breakfast area would have had the view of the local Texas panorama, and the master bedroom would be overlooking it, while windows could have been supplemented or shifted to more proper places.

So why in the world would someone build a home on this lot that doesn't take full advantage of this beautiful and serene view? In my point of view, people would choose first a floorplan and then choose a lot to place it on when purchasing for a new home, although they don't take time to think whether the home is a good match for the selected lot. I've also witnessed builder spec houses with floorplans with the similar lack of thinking of which floorplan will best fit to take advantage of the compass reading and/or surroundings of the lot.

On the other side, there can as well be negative distinctiveness of a lot that better thinking can mitigate. An example, would you build a home with the windows of the master bedroom in the frontage of the home at the 'T' end of the street? Of course not, for the shine of the headlights from vehicles will be seen through your windows. You will definitely notice this from you first night after moving in if you don't consider of such things ahead of time.

Concentrate on how well both the home and the lot compliment each other if you're prepared to buy or build a new home. Stay away from houses that disgustingly ignore this association. Focus on how the streets are associated and whether there may be potential light interruption into your home from night time road traffic. Focus on the compass reading of the home, the natural sunlight may either compliment or torment your living space .

Because of these sorts of issues I scratch lots of candidate properties off the list when previewing houses for buyer prospects. Many of these houses will seem perfect on paper and in Internet pictures, but they don't survive the first visit because it makes more than a good floorplan to make a good home. It has to be the right floorplan for that lot.