Take These Steps When Planning Your Custom Home Construction
Are you planning to build a new home in 2022? Now is the time to start planning. Building a new home can be time-consuming. It's important to know your budget, have a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves and do some research.
It's also important to find the right builder and give yourself time to shop around. Getting an early start on the planning process will help make your building project a success. It also spreads out the work so that 2022 will be less stressful and busy. This is your chance to get ready! Here's what we recommend.
1. Make a Budget
What's your home building budget? If you don't know how much you can afford to spend on your building project, then you won't know how big you can build your home, what features you can include or whether you can even afford this kind of project at this time.
To make your budget, start by talking to experts like mortgage lenders and builders. Find out what you can realistically expect to spend on the construction of a new home and purchase of land for that home. Find out how much you'll be approved to borrow, what kind of monthly payment you can expect to pay, and how that will fit into your current monthly budget.
Making a budget for the purchase of a new home isn't a straightforward process. Often, people who need to make a budget for a construction project this complex must go back and forth as they refine their plans and decide what's realistic for them.
Remember that just because one lender will approve you for a certain amount, you still have to make that amount fit into your normal monthly budget. Only borrow what you can afford. Know how much you can afford to spend by making a list of expenses and income.
2. Develop a Wish List, Know Your Goals
There's an endless number of questions to answer as you start to plan the house of your dreams. Answering these questions can help you as you begin discussions with your builder.
- How many bedrooms do you want?
- How big should the yard be?
- Do you want to live in town or outside town? How close should the nearest neighbors be?
- What kind of services do you want to live near?
- What kind of layout and design would you like?
- Do you want a fireplace? Deck? Sunroom?
- What materials would you use for the floors? Counters?
Have discussions with your family members as you make decisions about your new home. Have this talk with your spouse, children, and anyone else you'll be living with. When you're deciding which features are most important for your new home, it's also helpful to firm up your future goals.
Will you be having more children? Moving in with a senior relative? Getting more pets? Do you plan to sell the home after a certain period of time, or will this be your "forever home"?
3. Find a Builder
Find a builder in your area that will meet your needs. Start your search for a builder by looking at home building companies in your area. View their websites, browse their portfolios, call their customer service representatives and learn as much as you can about each builder you're considering.
Production or Custom?
Production home builders usually build homes in communities and allow buyers to choose from a few pre-made home plans. Production builders sell homes and land as a package.
Custom builders work with buyers to create their unique home on land purchased by the buyer. Custom home builders create the home that you've been dreaming about, fully designed to your specifications.
Vet Several Builders
Vet several builders before deciding on the home building company that's right for you. Interviewing multiple builders will help you decide which builders seem like the best match for your needs.
When vetting builders, ask questions such as:
- How long have you been in business?
- How many homes do you build each year?
- Can I see your portfolio?
- Do you have references?
- How do you ensure that projects are built according to the client's budget?
- Do you have any pre-made layouts that we can view as we decide which features are most important to us?
- Will we have a dedicated point of contact with your company?
- What challenges do home buyers usually experience when building a home, and what can we do to avoid or manage those challenges?
Once you've found a builder that seems like the right fit for you, Never sign a contract before reading it thoroughly. If you're considering multiple builders, compare contracts and check references. If one builder can accomplish the same project for dramatically less than another builder, ask yourself why. Be careful of any builder that can do the work for a very low cost compared to the others.
4. Know the Trends and Styles
Knowing the home building styles and trends can help you decide what your home should look like. One way to explore the different styles and trends is to walk through homes for sale in your area.
Another way to explore trends and styles is to look through magazines with pictures of home interiors and exteriors. Visit showrooms and look at the many fixtures and materials available there. Knowing the options that are available and what home buyers are choosing now can help you decide what makes the most sense for you.
Start collecting pictures online and in catalogs of the fixtures, features and styles you like most. This will give you something to refer to when you're speaking with the home builder you choose. This will also make it easier for your builder to create a home design that works for you.
5. Include Sugar Creek Homes on Your List of Builders to Call
At Sugar Creek Homes, we build dream homes for the people of Wisconsin. Whether you're far along in the home planning process, or you're just starting, we can help. Don't have a plot of land yet? We can help you find one. Not sure whether your home should be a ranch style or a two-story? We can discuss your options and help you make the right choice for your lifestyle.
It's our job to help usher you through the home design process. We want your home to be your favorite place! To find out more about building a home in Wisconsin in 2022, contact us today. Who knows - by this time next year, you could be moving into your new home!
