Building Your Dream Home

Assembling the right team is essential to your project.

When shopping for the right property on which to build your dream home, there are a number of things to consider and a few steps you should take before getting started.

First, the assistance of a realtor will make this task much easier. Currently in Austin, property is often sold before it ever really hits the market. Someone who is in the “know,” such as a realtor, has a much better chance of submitting an offer first, to obtain the property.

A realtor can also filter through choices much more quickly as he or she has often already seen the property or can go preview the property for you. You will have enough on your mind building your dream home, and anything you can do to make the process easier, is recommended.

You’ll also want to set a realistic budget and start to arrange some sort of finance or funding for your project. Your realtor can assist you with this if you have a number in mind already.

Then the next step is to select an architect or architectural designer.  One of the primary benefits of involving your architectural designer in the process early is that they can help you assess a number of things before closing on your land. The first being the design elements on your lot, what kind of views, sun angles, and solar benefits of trees or any other natural features can be obtained.

The second involves more of the construction cost should you choose to purchase that lot. There are potential elements of the terrain or topography and the location that could cause the cost of your construction to decrease or increase. For example, the availability and access for utilities as they pertain to the structure. The soil condition and grade could also contribute to the cost of the foundation. An architectural designer can also help ensure that what you would like to build will fit on the property without violating city codes or zoning restrictions.

Once an initial assessment of your property has been done with your architectural designer and realtor, it is a good time to start talking about the contractor you would like to use. If you do not have a contractor already lined up, usually your design professional will have a number of contractors that they have worked closely with that they can refer to you.  While it is not mandatory that you pull in the contractor at this point, if you have given your dream home some thought, as to the size, and perhaps the general materials or style, between the designer and contractor, they can do the first check to see if it will work within your budget range.

The earlier in the process you can involve all of the key people, the less likely to overlook any elements that you might regret later. Having all professionals working together as a team also allows for more ideas to accomplish your goals.