With interest rates remaining at an all-time high, inventory at an all-time low, and people leaving the cold weather in droves to settle in our neck of the woods, many of those in the market to buy a home are left without many options. When it comes to home buying, the only real way to get exactly what you want is to build it yourself. But for many, the process of homebuilding is nothing short of overwhelming. Fear not – this is our attempt to demystify the homebuilding process from our home builders in Charleston, SC.
Find Land First
The phrase “location, location, location” exists for a reason. That reason is that you can’t pick up your home and move it – unless it is a mobile home. Once you build a house, it is where it is and the only way to change the scenery is to move again. The most critical part of the homebuilding process is finding suitable land, a community that you like, and something that is conveniently located to everything you need. Sounds easy, right?
Budget
Before you can even start to dream, the next part of the homebuilding process is to come up with a budget and set it in stone. Homebuilding is notorious for getting out of control quickly and before you know it, you are knee-deep in debt and nowhere near done. If you know ahead of time how much your maximum is, then you won’t be tempted to go outside of those boundaries. Once you know the cost of the land purchase, you will know how much money there is in the budget to build your dream home.
Hire an Architect
One of the most critical parts of the homebuilding process is the architect that you choose. Architects are responsible for hearing your vision and working to make it become a reality. They have to translate your desires and wants to paper and know all the information necessary about building codes, boundaries, and other rules and regulations. Try to find someone local so that they know what can and cannot work, and one with a good standing in the community. That is going to be critical to things going off without a hitch.
Choose a Builder
Architects know their stuff, but they may miss the mark when it comes to pricing and knowing what things cost. If you want to add some feature or upgrade and think to yourself, “How much can that cost?” – be forewarned: that kind of thinking can land you in a lot of trouble. You will want to interview and hire your builder pretty much in tandem with your architect. You can benefit from their joint industry knowledge and advice. And you also want to make sure that they can work well together. That is a big plus in the building process.
Building your home from scratch might seem like a wildly daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be as hard as you think. When you’re looking for homebuilders in Charleston, SC, choose O’Connor for our reputation, skill, and ability to help you through the entire process. Demystifying it becomes not only doable; it becomes a preference! Contact us today to discuss how we can help to make your dream home your new reality!