Thinking about Building versus Buying a Home?

Home inventories are tight. Many times you just can’t find the perfect house. Set your goals and decide if building a home is right for you. It is definitely more work to build than it is to buy an existing home. For many, the advantages of building a new home prevail. It’s your design, it’s your color selections, and it’s in a location you chose. In addition, new modular homes are safer, more energy efficient, and just more comfortable to live in. If you have decided to start the new home building process, here are 7 tips to get you started!

7 Great Tips for Building a New Home

Tip 1 – Get a Budget

Budgeting for a new home is different for many people. If you are going to have a mortgage, the very first step in the process is to contact a construction loan lender, not a mortgage lender. Building a new home means you pay for it as it is built. You need a construction loan. Call the lender first and get a pre-approval. Find out the most money you can borrow and be honest about your financial situation with the lender. Once you know the most you can spend now you can determine what you want to spend.

Many home buyers get excited and start getting quotes and estimates before they take the critical first step of talking with a lender. Once they do talk with a lender they either find out they don’t qualify for what they thought they would or, they may even qualify for more than they imagined. In either case, they did themselves a disservice by getting this key part of the process backwards.

Tip 2 – Choose a Builder You Like

It’s all about relationship. Sure you want to check out your builder. Make sure they are qualified, have good references, and do great work. However, do you like them? Do you feel comfortable talking and sharing with them? This is a person/company that you are committing to be in a relationship with for two years, minimum. You are going to take 3-6 months doing design work and going through the lending process. With modular construction, you will be working with them for another 3-4 plus months during the construction process (site built construction could spend a year at this step alone). After your home is completed you are going to have at least a 1 year warranty.

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This relationship is going to have to endure questions, hardships, the unknown, and all of this is with the single biggest investment that most people will make in their life. It is with something you have been dreaming about for years possibly and have a strong emotional attachment. Make sure you feel like your builder is someone that you can like and trust for the duration.

Tip 3 – Take the Design Process Seriously

Especially with modular construction, design is important from the very beginning. A home is built quickly, sometimes within days. It’s not like on-site construction where you can visit the job site many times over the course of your homes gradual construction and change your mind as you see it being built. A modular home shows up 75-85% complete. The structural aspects are almost always completely finished. Change orders are expensive!

Take the time now to make sure you understand everything about your floor plan. Understand what the different abbreviations and codes mean. Be sure to ask questions about dimensions and finishes. Don’t rush the design process. Changes now are cheap and only cost a little time. Changes later cost both time and money and they usually reveal themselves at the most inopportune time.

Tip 4 – Be Flexible

Building can be stressful. Actually, building a new home is stressful. You are emotionally invested in the process. However, if you have chosen your builder wisely you have someone that you trust is working in your best interest. Things happen. It rains, subcontractors don’t show up, a lender draw is late, an inspector doesn’t show up, etcetera, etcetera. Breathe…

Building a home is the process of assembling 10,000 parts with dozens of people involved. Things will go wrong. You are trusting the team that you have assembled to build your home to be adaptive and creative. They will solve problems and make it right. With a good attitude and a good team your home building process will be much easier for everyone.

Tip 5 – Stay Organized

Building a new home creates a lot of paperwork. There are multiple revisions to a design, a contract, a loan closing with a stack of documents, change orders, sign offs, warranties, etc. Be sure to create a notebook and be organized. You control this part of the process and by getting organized now, you can reduce stress later in the process when you need a document.

Tip 6 – Expect To Spend More

With traditional on-site construction it is common for change orders to add 10-30% to the original price of the home. With modular construction that number is much less. Because modular homes are built in a factory and delivered 75-85% complete, it is critical (Tip 3) to devote the time to design early on.

However, with any type of construction, things happen. You can hit rock when digging your foundation. If you have a well, you may hit water that is much deeper than expected. There are any number of reasons that a small contingency fee may be needed. This is where (Tip 2) the honesty of your builder is imperative to help you understand where issues can come up that need to be addressed with a financial reserve.

Tip 7 – Relax!

At the end of the process you will be living in your new home. You will be enjoying the view, the location, or the amenities you selected. Any bumps in the road will be behind you. Keep your eye on the goal. By taking advantage of the tips offered here you will be better prepared for the home building process. Relax and enjoy the journey when building your new home!