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Even if you aren’t building a luxury home with all the bells and whistles, there are still some cool necessities you shouldn’t leave out. With so many features to choose from, you might be overwhelmed, but the key is to decide what would really be beneficial for you to have and what you can really live without. These three cool features, however, just can’t be left out of your first home.

Building Your First Home? 3 Cool Necessities You Can't Leave Out

Eco-Friendly Appliances and Features

Eco-friendly features, such as plenty of natural lighting, energy-efficient lighting, quality doors and windows, reduced-flow shower heads and low-flush toilets, good insulation, energy-saving appliances, or even solar panels and geothermal power systems are all cool, highly desirable features in new home builds. These features don’t only reduce your carbon footprint and help protect the environment, but also help protect your pocketbook from high and rising energy costs.

Some of these features, particularly appliances and geothermal systems, may cost a lot more upfront, but they make up their cost very quickly in lower energy bills. Best of all, a new home with green features is going to be worth more money down the road, because these features are desirable among home buyers and will continue to be.

A Spa or Hot Tub

Spas and hot tubs give you a perfect place to relax after a long day. Soaking in hot water can reduce stress and relax muscles to prevent pain, and these tubs are more comfortable than your standard-sized bathroom tub. Be sure that any hot tub or spa you build with your new home is properly maintained with the right pool and spa chemicals. Having a spa right at home saves you the money you would have spent going to an outside spa.

Spas and hot tubs can be included on their own or with a pool, but typically they accompany a pool. They are a great addition to any pool so the adults can relax while the kids play, and socializing in a hot tub or spa can be a lot of fun. Pools themselves are a great, fun investment in and of themselves if you have children. They’re a great outlet to exercise in by swimming and to host outdoor parties during the summer. Your house will be the envy of the neighborhood.

A Smart Speaker and Smart Home Technology

Smart speakers have exploded in popularity over the last couple of years, and with good reason. The Amazon Echo was the first major smart speaker to hit the market, and what was once seen as a needless gizmo has now become a central figure of home automation. They are also great for playing music and making calls. Both Apple and Google have since announced their own versions with compatibility with their products, and the future seems bright for smart speakers in general.

Smart home technology is similarly important to install when you build a home. Many products are now coming out with automated or remote activation features. Thermostats were some of the first to make a big splash on the market, and they are simply a must for green living and ease of control.

Some thermostats can be controlled remotely via smartphone app, while others actually learn your habits and adjust the temperature accordingly based on whether or not someone is home. Home security systems have gotten to the point where they will automatically contact emergency services if alarms are tripped, can show you live video and even automatically arm or disarm the system depending on where you are.

There are a lot of considerations to make when building your first home. But the things mentioned in this article are features to seriously consider. Besides serving a practical purpose, these features are simply cool, and you can’t just leave them out. Talk to your builder about including these items or go out and buy them yourself during your next home improvement run. They will make maintaining your new home cheaper, safer and help you fetch a higher price when it comes time to sell.