[Dream Custom Homes: The Biggest Dilemmas] 60% of Experienced Owners Struggled with 'Floor Plans and Flow'

■ Custom Home Owners' 'Biggest Hesitations' and 'Satisfaction After Moving In'

A custom home, which allows you to shape your ideal living space from scratch, is a major life purchase for many people.

Because of this, it is not uncommon for those who have built one to have agonized over every single decision, such as the floor plan, land, and budget.

Even if a design looks perfect on the drawing board, once you start living there, you might feel, 'I wish I had done this differently.'

Therefore, in collaboration with 'Smiful Home', a newly built custom home builder located in Isahaya City, Nagasaki Prefecture, we conducted a questionnaire survey on 'Dream Custom Homes! The Biggest Hesitations' targeting 200 men and women nationwide who answered 'I have built a custom home' in a preliminary survey.

*When quoting the contents of this press release, please take the following actions:

- State that the source is a 'Survey by NEXER Inc. and Smiful Home'

- Provide a link to Smiful Home (https://www.smifulhome.jp/)

'Questionnaire on Dream Custom Homes! The Biggest Hesitations' Survey Overview

Survey Method: Internet questionnaire

Survey Period: April 17 - April 24, 2026

Target Audience: Men and women nationwide who answered 'I have built a custom home' in a preliminary survey

Valid Responses: 200 samples

Survey Questions:

Question 1: What did you hesitate about when building a custom home? (Multiple selections allowed)

Question 2: Among them, please select the thing you hesitated about the most when building a custom home.

Question 3: Please tell us the reason.

Question 4: How did you ultimately make your decision?

Question 5: Please tell us the reason.

Question 6: Have you had any regrets about that decision after actually living there?

Question 7: Please tell us the reason.

*As a general rule, figures are rounded to one decimal place, so the total may not add up to 100%.

■ 58.5% answered they hesitated over 'Floor Plan / Flow' in their custom home

First, we asked what people hesitated about when building a custom home.

The most common answer was 'Floor Plan / Flow' at 58.5%.

This was followed by 'Budget / Financing Plan' at 36.0%, 'Land Selection' at 31.5%, and 'Choosing a House Maker / Builder' at 30.0%.

It is clear that many people agonized over the floor plans and flows that form the foundation of their daily lives, as well as their financial planning.

■ 'Floor Plan / Flow' topped the list of most hesitated items at 28.5%

Next, we asked respondents to choose just one 'most hesitated' item among their various concerns.

The most common was 'Floor Plan / Flow' at 28.5%.

This was followed by 'Land Selection' at 20.5% and 'Budget / Financing Plan' at 20.0%.

The top three items alone account for about 70% of the total, indicating that floor plans, land, and money are the central concerns of those building custom homes.

We asked for the reasons behind each answer, and here are a few examples.

Respondents who answered 'Floor Plan / Flow'

- To push through with my exact preferences. (Male, 30s)

- Because I am greedy and wanted to do this and that. And I didn't want to have any regrets. (Female, 40s)

- It was difficult to determine the number of rooms according to the number of family members. (Male, 50s)

Respondents who answered 'Land Selection'

- I prioritized proximity to work, good public safety, and school districts. (Female, 30s)

- Because we couldn't easily find a piece of land that met our conditions. (Male, 40s)

- It took time to choose the land due to surrounding environments and transportation convenience. (Female, 50s)

Respondents who answered 'Budget / Financing Plan'

- If I planned with my own preferences in mind, it would go over budget, so I had to make adjustments. (Female, 40s)

- It was difficult because we lacked sufficient down payment. (Female, 40s)

- Because it costs surprisingly much. (Male, 50s)

Various 'non-negotiable points' emerged, such as 'I want my wishes fulfilled, but the budget is limited,' 'The location cannot be changed later,' and 'The finish greatly changes depending on the choice of company.'

Because a custom home is an accumulation of decisions, it seems that time and effort are spent on every single choice.

■ 46.0% ultimately 'Decided by discussing it with family'

Next, we asked how they ultimately reached a decision.

The most common answer was 'Decided by discussing it with family' at 46.0%.

This was followed by 'Referred to the proposals of the house maker/representative' at 19.5% and 'Decided based on the budget' at 13.0%.

Whether to discuss with family or borrow the wisdom of experts, the results showed that decision-making processes are highly individualized.

We also asked for the reasons behind how they decided, and here are a few examples.

Respondents who answered 'Decided by discussing it with family'

- Because if both of us are not convinced, we will fight later. (Female, 30s)

- The opinion of the person who spends a long time at home