FWIW, I've known quite a few contractors through my family, and none of them will touch Ryan homes. Haven't heard the same about Heartland. Spend a lot of time with non-Ryan/Heartland/whomever housing plans and see what you and your husband like & don't like. Some people like Great Rooms, others like the separate living room/dining room - things like that. Styles, wood shades, wood floors vs. standard floors, kitchen styles (even what type of faucet!), window styles, number of bedrooms/bathrooms/powder rooms, even landscaping - the more you know prior to making the leap, the better.
There are a lot of online sites with this type of information are sometimes overwhelming.
Southern Living has a large number of house plans, plus how to go about planning. My brother & sil used their own plans, but Southern Living's information - it's good stuff.
ETA: Like everyone else says, you can never have too many cable connections or electricial outlets, and a sister of mine who sells real estate won't even touch a house without an upstairs or at least a kitchen area washer/dryer.
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