If you’re in the market for a new home, it’s important to find one that fits both your style and budget. While it’s easy to change the interior colors and design style, it’s a much more difficult process to completely renovate the look and style of the home itself. When home shopping, make sure you pay attention to the architectural style and footprint of the home to make sure it’s something you like and can live with.
Not sure what your style is and looking for a little inspiration? We’ve rounded up the most popular home styles across the U.S. with some NEPA homes for sale that might just make you fall in love.
Ranch
These low-slung and open homes are uniquely an American style. Ranch-style architecture dates back to the 1930s and reflects the more relaxed lifestyle of the West. This style of home became popular post-WWII and they remain incredibly popular today.
Characteristically, ranches can be low-profile and earth-hugging or more modern with wrapped corner windows. They can be simple or incorporate various stylistic and architectural elements to make them unique. These homes are typically a single story with hipped or gabled roofs. Beginning in the 1950s, ranch homes also typically have attached garages, sliding glass doors, and huge picture windows.
Ranch homes are ideal for anyone who prefers single-story living and wide-open floorplans.
Looking for ranch homes for sale? View our complete inventory here. And check out this gorgeously renovated ranch home in Dalton, PA!
227 Old Trail Road
Dalton, PA 18414
Listing Agent: Tina Aquilina
(570) 760-6539
Colonial
Colonial homes are a classic style and one of the most popular architectural styles in the U.S. Generally, these homes are well-known for old world charm, ornamental doorways, and symmetrical windows. Traditional colonial homes have two-to-three floors with the living areas and kitchen on the first floor and bedrooms on the second, and sometimes third. Colonials are easy to spot with their rectangular façade, steep, pointed roof, and central doorway.
Colonials get their name from the 17th-century European colonists who came to North America. They built homes that reminded them of their homeland, but adapted them to the regions in which they lives. Many revivals have left us with this symmetrical style long after the original “Colonial” homes disappeared.
If you’re a fan of stately entranceways, architectural symmetry, and multiple stories, you might want to consider a colonial-style home. These homes can keep their stately, classic appearance outside, but be completely modernized on the inside.
This colonial-style home for sale in Bear Creek Village is a nature lover's dream!
1275 Beaupland Road
Bear Creek Village, PA 18602
Listing Agent: Ann Lewis
(570) 574-6465
Contemporary
Like modern architecture, contemporary home styles prioritize spaciousness and connecting the indoors with the outdoors. While modern houses tend to prioritize clean lines, contemporary homes often show signs of regional character and maybe even whimsy.
When looking at homes in this contemporary style, you will often find a lot of natural components such as wood and granite countertops. Some other defining characteristics include an irregular, asymmetrical façade, large windows, mixed materials on the exterior, one to two stories, and an open floorplan with flexible layout.
If you’re not a fan of more classic styles such as colonial, try a contemporary style home! These homes tend to be really unique and stand out from the crowd.
This spacious home in Kingston’s Green Acres offers contemporary design with some classic touches:
799 Milford Drive
Kingston, PA 18704
Listing agents:
Debra Rosenberg, (570) 714-9251
Margaret Simms, (570) 696-0891
Cape Cod
Like colonial homes, cape cods originated in New England and have become extremely popular since the early days of English settlers. New England colonists adapted the style of English thatched cottages to fit the climate and weather in New England and picked local materials that would best shield them from the region’s stormy weather.
In cape cod homes, the primary focus is on the first floor, as traditionally the second floor was left unfinished. In modern cape cods, the second floor is finished and utilized as additional bedrooms. These ceilings will be sloped due to the pitch of the roof. You will often see cape cods listed as a 1.5 story home because the upper level does not have full ceiling height perimeter.
Cape cods can have a very quaint, cozy look to them and they can also be modernized to look more contemporary, although traditional capes have a lot of symmetry on the exterior. If you like the idea of a first-floor master bedroom but would like a second story that ranches lack, try a cape cod! These homes are perfect for young couples, small families, and anyone looking to downsize.
Want some acreage to go with your classic cape? This Scott Township listing has all that and more!
205 Chapman Lake Road
Scott Township, PA 18433
Listing Agent: Beverly Flanagan
(570) 212-0613
Victorian
If you’re looking for a larger home with breathtaking curb appeal, a stunning Victorian will certainly stand out. These classic homes are rife with character and usually feature decorative trim, an asymmetrical shape, and vibrant colors. Victorian homes are large and at least two or three stories tall. They often feature a large wraparound porch which is ideal for entertaining.
Bay windows, grand staircases, and towers and turrets are also all common among Victorian homes. Of course, there are different types of Victorians, which leads to different characteristics among individual homes. Despite their differences, Victorian homes are all similar enough that you know it when you see it!
If character and grandeur are at the forefront of your home-buying needs, you should consider a Victorian home. Northeastern Pennsylvania is full of beautiful old homes like Victorians, and you can find this style everywhere from Berwick and Tunkhannock to Kingston, Wilkes-Barre, West Pittston, and Scranton!
This one-of-a-kind Victorian in Scranton is a must-see home bursting with character!
1527 N Washington Ave
Scranton, PA 18509
Listing Agent: Darlene Dalessandro
(570) 499-0021
