Building your dream house can be an exercise in patience, creativity, and hope – as you watch the construction process unfold, the goal is for you to be delighted each step of the way as your fantasy is literally built before your very eyes. Each additional frame, feature, and detail that is hammered into place is another step closer toward your perfect home.
But before you can even start the process of building a custom home, there’s another question that needs to be answered: where are you going to do it? Some builders work on a development model, where they’ll purchase, prepare, and plan for dozens of residences on a sizeable area that is then subdivided into parcels for individual homes. But for the truly unique projects, there’s only one place to start – and that’s with finding and buying the perfect piece of land.
When To Buy
The question of when to buy land is a tricky one. If you’re ready to get started on your dream home, then obviously the time may be immediately. But if you’re planning a retirement home that’s five, ten, even twenty years down the line… the time to acquire your land might still be sooner than you think.
If you have the cash to plunk down for a piece of property that you think is ideal, you may not want to wait. After all, there’s nothing to say that if someone else snatches it up that they won’t build their own dream home there – meaning that when you’re ready to build, you’ll either have to buy a pricier plot and tear something down, or you’ll have to settle for a piece of land that’s only second best.
Getting first dibs on the piece of property that fits your dreams is always a smart move. The exception, of course, is if you’re using a loan to purchase the property. Most home construction loans have a set timeline – and to get approved, you’ll likely need a detailed plan for the project. So if you’ll be financing your land purchase, instead of just paying in cash, then you may have to wait until you’re a little closer to your intended timeline for building your dream home.
Plot Your Course
Whether your intended parcel is just one acre or one hundred, you still need to see all of it before you can be sure it’s what you want. Making sure that the plot of land has an area that’s suitable in both size and setting to build what you want is critical. This includes everything that you probably aren’t thinking of: clearing trees, grading hills, digging wells, installing septic, and even hooking up cable, power, and phone lines.
A survey of the property can give you a lot of detail, and should go a long way toward exploring what options are available for any given piece of land. From there, it’s just a matter of research (most likely with the help of your chosen builder) to make sure the parcel is suitable for everything you want.