10 Expert Tips For Buying A New Custom Home

Phillippe Builders Home Consultants walk every customer step-by-step through the process of building a custom home and have many years experience helping people discover how to plan a home that will be a unique, personal, and perfect space. Below are 10 Tips they advise new home buyers to consider.

Building a custom home is your opportunity to envision and create the absolutely ideal living environment for you and your family. Though the idea of building a home may seem daunting to some, with the right guidance you’ll find that planning your dream home can be an easy, affordable, and incredibly rewarding experience that you’ll enjoy for many years to come!

Whether you’ve made up your mind or are just considering the options, whether you’ve picked a neighborhood or are still searching, or whether buying your first home or your fifth, our Home Consultants would love to help you discover the possibilities that designing your own custom home presents.

1) Create a list of home requirements.

When choosing the type of house you want to build, have these in mind when selecting your house plan. When deciding on the general floor plan consider more than just how many bedrooms and baths you want. Do you want a specific space for your pets to eat and sleep? A drop zone for kids things? You might have something special that you want to highlight such as a special heirloom piece, artwork or family photos. Review electrical placement and unique niches that can be built into wall space to highlight your favorite things.

Prioritize your list into Must Have’s, To Be Considered, and Dream List. This will help when balancing your budget.

2) How do you know if a home is big enough?

Start by considering where you might require extra space; for example, oversized vehicles such as pick-up trucks or trailers and other items that can’t be left out on the driveway will necessitate a larger 2-car garage. Existing furniture should be measured to determine where it will fit within the floor plan.

Think about how and where you and your family actually enjoy spending your time at home and the tasks you undertake on a regular basis. By prioritizing the spaces of your home that most contribute to your lifestyle you can plan your new custom home to be a perfect model of self expression.

3) Remember that price increases occur.

This is especially true with construction material costs rising to an all-time high. Understand that prices quoted today will be given an expiration date and may go up quickly.

4) There are many things to consider when picking your mortgage lender.

Some can offer a locked-in interest rate on new construction homes anywhere from 180 to 360 days with a Preferred Builder Program. It’s important to know your financing options when deciding on your builder. Some builders only offer construction loans, which you pay in installments throughout the building process. Builders such as Phillippe, offer a one-time end loan where only a deposit is required at contract and the balance is due at the closing of the home. Paying cash? Ask if discounts apply.

Hidden closing costs should be addressed; check to be sure if your builder is financing the construction cost with a one-time close and ask if there will be a finance charge of interest at closing. It can be quite a surprise to see additional money due that you weren’t anticipating at closing. Phillippe Builders covers the interest during the building process to help put buyers at ease.

5) Know your budget in advance.

Meet with a lender in advance to pre-qualify and determine your exact budget.

6) Timing is Everything

Now that you have met with your lender and have selected to lock in the mortgage rate during the build process, it’s time to get started.  At Phillippe, we understand you will be eager to get into your new home, and will build anytime of the year regardless of the weather.  Winters shouldn’t deter any builder. Phillippe’s sub-contractors are prepared to work all year, and know how to work around weather constraints to deliver the new home as quickly as possible.

7) Don’t let plumbing come between you and your dream home.

Found an existing new construction home but chose against it due to the basement being unfinished and not roughed-in for plumbing? If you want to finish a basement on a new construction home to include a wet bar, laundry tub or bathroom, plumbing can be added by roughing in a line after the build is completed. Most home buyers are surprised that a completed, new construction home can add roughed-in plumbing after the build is finished.

8) Don’t assume that a builder can only build in specific communities.

Phillippe builds on scattered sites including improved property – where land may already contain utilities and is ready to build on immediately – or unimproved property, where utilities will have to be brought to the land. They can counsel you on the quality of the land even before you consider purchasing it and will let you know what additional costs to consider to be able to build a home on the property.

9) Interview multiple builders before deciding!

Ask how much flexibility is allowed in the home plan of your choice. Who will be your guide during the building of your new home? It’s important to have a representative that is available to assist you throughout the process.

At Phillippe, we offer flexibility in all our home plans for home buyers. Experienced Home Consultants are there to help guide you through every step of the home design process, providing professional guidance to ensure your home is built to your taste and on budget. We’ll walk you through each option, showing examples along the way, to make designing your dream home easy.

10) The location of a home is an important decision.

A great community is an intrinsic part of the purchase value. A house is a building, but a home is where you live, and the community is a major part of that. Phillippe understands the importance of choosing a community that fits your needs and offers a selection of lifestyle living, from family-centric neighborhoods to nature-lover and lake-front maintenance-free living.

Phillippe Builders offers this advice to help you navigate the home buying journey. Being an informed consumer can make all the difference in your purchasing experience; the more preparation you do and the greater the knowledge you have, the smoother the process and the happier you will be with your decisions in the long run!