8 Ideas for a New Home Gift
The Michalovich family has been in their M/I Home in Central Ohio for about 10 years, and they have really enjoyed staying active in their community, growing their family, and making their home their own over this decade of homeownership!
Read how this family’s home has served as a sanctuary through different chapters of their lives.
1. When did you purchase your M/I Home, and what is the name of your community?
We closed in September of 2012, and we live in Millstone Creek.
2. How did you find your home at the time?
Back then, there was no digital component to our search for a home! We had married the year before, interest rates were low at the time, and we looked all over Central Ohio with our real estate agent.
My wife loved the neighborhood we ended up choosing; I was from Westerville and my wife was from Cincinnati, so we were familiar with different areas of Ohio.
The neighborhood we chose is walkable and bikeable, we wanted to start a family and live somewhere big enough to grow into, and we really just loved the layout of the neighborhood and the streetscapes. Our New Home Consultant was also really helpful.
3. Was it your first time buying a home?
Yes! We went straight from renting in an urban, downtown area to owning—it was a daunting financial investment, but my wife wanted to move to suburbs. So there was definitely a bit of a transition!
4. How has your home’s floorplan flexed to accommodate your growing family over the years?
We bought a 4-bedroom home, and for the 2 years we lived in it without kids there were unused spaces, but now with our kids we use every square inch! The front room was a play room for a while, and now it’s my wife’s home office; we didn’t really use our loft before, but now it’s my home office.
5. What is your absolute favorite feature of your home?
We added an east-facing deck that we use for outdoor entertaining a lot. We also love our home’s location that allows us to stay active in our area.
6. Your wife’s passion is interior design. How has she personalized your home’s décor?
She just had our first-floor flooring changed from carpet to wood floors, we’ve painted and swapped our cabinet hardware, and we’re getting ready to remodel the kids’ bathroom! It’s been fun to watch her vision come to life in these projects.
7. Have you completed any home projects over the years, and if so, what?
We finished our basement, and we use it for a few things: play room, pseudo-spare room, home gym. 2/3 of it is finished and the other 1/3 is for storage. We are thinking through more fun ways to use this space once the kids are older, too.
Building our deck was also a great choice so we can enjoy our backyard more.
8. What advice would you share with future homebuyers in the Central Ohio area?
Ask lots of questions as you search, and look for communities with things to do around you like trails and paths. In Westerville you’re just about a mile away from any path in the area, so it’s nice and easy to get around by bike.
9. What are your family’s favorite activities to get involved in within the Westerville area?
Our daughter takes lessons at Generations Performing Arts Center in Uptown, we’re involved with baseball/tee ball, we always go swimming at Highlands Park Aquatic Center, we’re Medallion Club members so we can go golfing any time, and we love the Fourth of July and Memorial Day festivities!
10. If you could build a new home again tomorrow, what features would you love to have this time around?
We’d love even more of an open-concept floorplan, as well as multiple places for home offices—that is really important to both my wife and myself.
11. Was there any special memory that stood out during your home building process?
My wife, our sets of parents, and myself signed 2x4s that are in our home somewhere, so it’s kind of fun to know that our names are hidden away in our home. We’re also appreciative of the M/I Homes staff—both our New Home Consultant as well as our Customer Care rep have been so helpful for everything.
Want to learn more about what it’s like to buy a home in the Central Ohio area? Read from these millennial homebuyers about their first new construction home!
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