While the country is basically still recovering its realty market, here in Texas we are experiencing a different sort of home property problem. With so many businesses and families moving to our region, the north-of-Houston towns of Spring, The Woodlands, and the Conroe/Lake Conroe areas, our property troubles are about a scarcity of houses. For my clients who are not finding a good selection of homes available, many are considering the obvious choice of building. A family willing to build has lots more freedom with where they want to have their house. It's a good chance to design your dream house...in an ideal location. Want a home built by Lake Conroe? Want to consider living on acreage that allows for some horses? These options are really available to a family if building is a consideration.
Finding a trusty builder will then become the issue. But this, also, is a problem that melts away if certain smart steps are taken. Here are the top 5 home building tips that I suggest:
1. Find Your Lot or Acreage
With your real estate agent, look at available home sites. One of the advantages to building is that you have so much more freedom in choosing your general location. With a property agent you can easily whittle down to a handful of home sites that fit your needs: work commute distance, area nicities, neighborhood features, deed limitations.
2. Start Off With an Approved List of Credible Builders
You can definitely investigate the best home builders through researching the Attorney General's web site, or check the BBB and Angie's List for reviews. But there is a fast way to detour that headache. When you build or buy a house, it's a mortgage bank that actually owns the house until it is paid off, so you can be absolutely certain the mortgage bank can offer you a great list of reliable home builders. Talk with a loan officer who does new construction loans. Attempt to get at least five builders to interview. Stick to that list.
3. Interview
Take a little bit of time to fairly interview your list of builders. Remember, you will be interfacing with these people consistently throughout the time it takes to build your home. Find the builder with whom you find you have a good rapport, with whom you are feeling comfortable asking the tough questions, and with whom you feel you can successfully communicate thoughts and concepts, and that each accurately, and solidly, understands the other. Also be certain to assess the following:
- Will this builder's approach to the home building process be a technique you suspect will help you stay on time and on budget?
- Is this home builder's base of operation a satisfactory distance to the property where you are building? The closer, the better.
- Tour other homes built by this builder.
Once you have found your favorite two or three from the list, take the time to re-interview to make sure that you agree on the best fit for you.
4. Have a Real Estate Agent Review the Contract
A great and under-utilized function of a property and real estate agent is to check home building contracts before signing. A property agent can identify or discover oversights, find further possibilities for saving money, and can be a final and sure defense to make certain that the home you are about to build is entirely the home you have in mind.
5. Get Your Own Inspector
It's an additional investment of roughly $300, nonetheless it is worth every penny to have your own independent inspector go through your home at the final stages of the building process. At worst, you have spent a couple of hundred on yet another set of eyes to ensure that everything is as it ought to be. At the best your independent inspector might expose a major issue that must be addressed to make your home defect-free.
There have been some great Hollywood flicks that have amusingly showed the personal hell that can be the home building process, and shows like "Holmes on Homes" ® are an advisory tale that the home building industry is loaded with dodgy builders. Yet with a small amount of planning, and by following these tips on home builder selection and management, by being armed with a property agent, the direction of a new construction home loan officer, and the help of an independent inspector, you'll be able to find that to design your dream house and build it is no nightmare at all, but a dream-come-true.
Finding a trusty builder will then become the issue. But this, also, is a problem that melts away if certain smart steps are taken. Here are the top 5 home building tips that I suggest:
1. Find Your Lot or Acreage
With your real estate agent, look at available home sites. One of the advantages to building is that you have so much more freedom in choosing your general location. With a property agent you can easily whittle down to a handful of home sites that fit your needs: work commute distance, area nicities, neighborhood features, deed limitations.
2. Start Off With an Approved List of Credible Builders
You can definitely investigate the best home builders through researching the Attorney General's web site, or check the BBB and Angie's List for reviews. But there is a fast way to detour that headache. When you build or buy a house, it's a mortgage bank that actually owns the house until it is paid off, so you can be absolutely certain the mortgage bank can offer you a great list of reliable home builders. Talk with a loan officer who does new construction loans. Attempt to get at least five builders to interview. Stick to that list.
3. Interview
Take a little bit of time to fairly interview your list of builders. Remember, you will be interfacing with these people consistently throughout the time it takes to build your home. Find the builder with whom you find you have a good rapport, with whom you are feeling comfortable asking the tough questions, and with whom you feel you can successfully communicate thoughts and concepts, and that each accurately, and solidly, understands the other. Also be certain to assess the following:
- Will this builder's approach to the home building process be a technique you suspect will help you stay on time and on budget?
- Is this home builder's base of operation a satisfactory distance to the property where you are building? The closer, the better.
- Tour other homes built by this builder.
Once you have found your favorite two or three from the list, take the time to re-interview to make sure that you agree on the best fit for you.
4. Have a Real Estate Agent Review the Contract
A great and under-utilized function of a property and real estate agent is to check home building contracts before signing. A property agent can identify or discover oversights, find further possibilities for saving money, and can be a final and sure defense to make certain that the home you are about to build is entirely the home you have in mind.
5. Get Your Own Inspector
It's an additional investment of roughly $300, nonetheless it is worth every penny to have your own independent inspector go through your home at the final stages of the building process. At worst, you have spent a couple of hundred on yet another set of eyes to ensure that everything is as it ought to be. At the best your independent inspector might expose a major issue that must be addressed to make your home defect-free.
There have been some great Hollywood flicks that have amusingly showed the personal hell that can be the home building process, and shows like "Holmes on Homes" ® are an advisory tale that the home building industry is loaded with dodgy builders. Yet with a small amount of planning, and by following these tips on home builder selection and management, by being armed with a property agent, the direction of a new construction home loan officer, and the help of an independent inspector, you'll be able to find that to design your dream house and build it is no nightmare at all, but a dream-come-true.
About the Author:
Lauri Kent is a professional real estate broker and agent with Keller Williams of Lake Conroe, Texas. Conversant with the best home builders serving Lake Conroe, Montgomery, and Magnolia, TX, she offers these five home building tips to be certain the process of building your perfect home is a success.
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