One of the first questions I hear from buyers once they understand what a Next Gen home actually is: “Okay, but is it worth the extra money?”
It’s a fair question. Next Gen floor plans in Gilbert and Queen Creek typically run anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 more than a comparable standard home in the same community. For a lot of buyers, that gap is enough to make them pause.
So let’s actually work through it – because when you put the numbers next to each other, the answer usually surprises people.
What You're Paying More For
A Next Gen suite is not a large bedroom with a nice bathroom. It’s a fully self-contained living space attached to your home: its own exterior entrance, a kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator and microwave, a living area, a bedroom, a full bathroom, and typically its own laundry hookup.
In the East Valley, the most common suite sizes range from 450 to 650 square feet, depending on the builder and floor plan. Some Lennar communities in Queen Creek have rolled out suites closer to 700 square feet in their larger plans.
That’s what you’re getting for the premium. It’s not square footage added to your main living space – it’s a second, independent household unit that happens to share your address.
The Real Comparison: What Would It Cost to Build This Separately?
If you buy a standard home and later want to add an ADU – accessory dwelling unit – with a separate entrance, kitchenette, bathroom, and living area, here’s what you’re typically looking at in Maricopa County right now:
– Custom ADU construction: $120,000 to $250,000+, depending on size and finishes
– Permitting and design fees: $8,000 to $20,000
– Disruption to your home during construction: real, and often underestimated
That’s a retrofit cost starting around $130,000 on the conservative end. The $25,000 to $50,000 premium on a Next Gen floor plan doesn’t just look different – it’s a fundamentally different value proposition.
And that’s before you factor in the rollover into your mortgage. Financing $40,000 extra at today’s rates (around 6.3% conventional) adds roughly $250 to $285 per month to your payment. If your family member is contributing even a modest amount toward household expenses, or if the suite is generating rental income, you recover that difference quickly.
When the Numbers Make Sense
The extra cost works best in these situations:
You have someone moving in within the next 12 to 24 months. If a parent, adult child, or sibling is planning to live with you, a Next Gen suite pays for itself almost immediately in what you’d otherwise spend on separate housing, assisted living costs, or rent.
Your family member values – and needs – genuine independence. A private entrance changes the dynamic completely. When someone can come and go, have their own kitchen, and not move through your living room to get to their space, the living arrangement works better for everyone.
You’re thinking about this as a long-term hold. Next Gen homes in Gilbert and Queen Creek tend to hold their value well, partly because the buyer pool is growing as multi-generational living becomes more common. You’re not buying a niche property – you’re buying into an increasingly mainstream housing preference.
You’re weighing new construction alternatives. In some Queen Creek communities right now, builders are offering promotional financing, including temporary buydown rates as low as 1.99% in the first year on select inventory. If you’re already looking at new construction, comparing a base plan to a Next Gen plan within the same community is worth doing.
When It Might Not Be the Right Fit
I want to be honest about this, because I think agents do buyers a disservice when they sell the upside without acknowledging the limitations.
If no one is living in the suite right now, or in the near future: You’re paying to heat, cool, and maintain square footage you’re not using. That’s not a terrible thing – the space doesn’t disappear – but you should be honest with yourself about the timeline.
If the suite layout doesn’t actually fit your family member’s needs: Not all suites are the same. Some have very small kitchenettes. Some lack a laundry hookup. Some don’t have enough natural light. A floor plan that reads great on paper can feel cramped in person. Always tour the model before committing to a specific plan.
If you’re buying at the top of your budget: The premium, rolled into your mortgage at today’s rates, is real money every month. If the additional payment creates stress, the suite doesn’t solve that.
Questions to Ask Before You Commit
If you’re seriously considering a Next Gen home in Gilbert or Queen Creek, here’s what I’d want you to walk away from your builder tour knowing:
What is the exact square footage of the suite – not the combined home total?
Does the suite have its own laundry hookup, or shared laundry only?
Is there a full-size refrigerator in the kitchenette, or an apartment-sized unit?
What is the HOA position on using the suite as a rental if your situation changes?
Which lots have the suite entrance facing a direction that makes sense for daily life?
Can we see the resale data on Next Gen floor plans in this community over the past two years?
These aren’t trick questions – any good sales rep should answer them easily. If they can’t or won’t, that’s useful information too.
What I'm Seeing in the Market Right Now
In Gilbert and Queen Creek, Next Gen floor plans are consistently among the fastest-moving inventory in communities that offer them. They’re not sitting. Part of that is the buyer profile – people shopping for this specific feature are motivated. But part of it is that the East Valley demographic genuinely fits the product.
The area has a high concentration of multi-generational households, particularly families with roots in Arizona who want aging parents nearby but not in the same bedroom wing. It also has a growing population of buyers relocating from California and Texas – and those buyers, accustomed to smaller square footage at higher prices, find the value proposition of a Next Gen suite in Queen Creek or Gilbert to be significant.
The Short Answer
Is the extra cost worth it? Usually yes – if someone is actually going to use the suite. The premium is a fraction of what a separate ADU would cost, the financing is baked into your purchase price rather than a separate construction loan, and the resale profile is solid.
If you want to compare specific floor plans in Gilbert or Queen Creek – or if you’re trying to figure out whether a Next Gen home is the right fit for your family’s situation – I’m happy to walk through it with you. This is one of my specialties, and the conversation is usually faster and more useful than two more hours of online research.
Cheri Smith
REALTOR® | eXp Realty
480-298-5551
cherismithrealtor.com
@cherismith.azrealtor