Most new homebuyers would agree that choosing the finishes and upgrades for their home is the fun part, despite some anxiety about making the right decisions.

Maria Bone takes away any worries for homeowners who visit the Marz Homes Design Centre. In her experience, homebuyers have an idea of what they’d like in their new home although there are a lot of choices to be made. Marz provides a lot of options and she can use her expertise to help personalize the selections.

The decorator can get an idea of décor tastes just by watching the areas of the Design Centre displays that attract the homebuyers. If they gravitate toward blues, she knows they feel comfortable with a cooler colour palette for example.

It’s best if the homeowners come prepared to their décor selection meetings, she suggests. This includes reading the section of their Marz homeowner’s guide that covers design. What they’ll learn from the guide is that they need to decide on appliances and other areas of major spending in order to come up with a budget that targets dollars to priority areas. For some that might be the kitchen, for others it might be structural upgrades.

“I can let you know some of the more important things to choose and select for your home and we’ll go through the process room by room, one thing at a time,” she explains.

She is able to break down the process so it’s not overwhelming. Decisions are made over the course of three meetings. Bone encourages homeowners to browse around the Design Centre on weekends to get an idea of what’s available. It’s open from noon to 5 p.m. and there’s a hostess available to guide visitors. Any questions about upgrades and pricing can be handled later when meeting with Bone.

“I always like to tell the homeowners, put the money into something that you can’t change later,” she advises, adding that features like a whirlpool tub or customized shower are extremely difficult to add later on.

It’s best to meet with both buyers for a more focused discussion. Leave the children at home, she suggests, so that there are no distractions while these important decisions are being made.

“It’s so much fun. People really enjoy it,” says Bone of the décor selection process.

For an idea of what’s available to Marz Home buyers, go to the website at www.marzhomes.com .