So You Are Dreaming of Building Your Custom Home?

No question. We have all been there. Whether we were window shopping, thinking of what the future would bring, or standing at the doorway of the most beautiful home we have ever seen, we have all hoped and dreamed that a house “like this one” could someday be ours. So, we plod on, looking at homes we know are unattainable at the time. We look in the paper, look into real estate shop windows, pining away for the custom home that is the bees’ knees. The house that would be our home. Our sights are always set too high, and we always feel let down.

What few prospective home buyers consider is the creation of a plan. No searching right now for what we can’t have, and no settling for something we don’t “really” want. Instead, what can be done is the creation of a vision. The development of what is really wanted, desired, and wished for needs to be clarified, on paper - as a platform for a dream. In stepwise fashion, a custom built home can take shape, and it can be visualized in the mind’s eye until its creation.

First and foremost the most important issue is location, location, location. Prospective homes can be built anywhere. The biggest decision is where to build. Do you want to be near water? A nearby park is always a plus for young families. Is the countryside for you, or do you need the comforts of a suburb or the easy access of the city? Of course, one must consider safety and crime data, school ratings, and whether there is any gang activity in the area. After determining the ideal setting, then the home can start to take shape.

At this point, using the internet to look at custom home builder sites can help you design the ideal home. On many of these sites, you can design your custom home, placing upgrades into your home to get a feel what a base price may be, and how much extra certain amenities will increase the cost of the home. Deciding on cabinetry may seem humdrum, but certain woods with certain countertops could increase the home cost by $ 75,000! As the design takes shape, so does the cost, and prospective builders each will have different monetary values for such upgrades.

Once you have a property location, and an idea of the size, structure and upgrades of your home, you can begin the bidding war. Of course talking to current custom home owners about the satisfaction they have from their experience, and how happy they are with their home will help point you in the right direction. Then, you can move forward knowledgably, and the dream home you want is much closer in reach.