It’s always the question – the chicken or the egg?
When building your own home, the question is – what do you do first? Purchase the lot, or work with a builder first?
There isn’t necessarily one correct answer for everyone. If you have a good idea of what type of home you would like to have, a great home builder can be extremely helpful in the beginning stages in choosing the best lot for your home.
Buying Land First
Work with your REALTOR® to locate land in the areas that are desirable to you. Sometimes, people find the perfect lot for
their custom home before they have hired a home builder.
If you decide to purchase a lot before hiring a builder, be sure to contact a builder quickly and bring them to the site as soon as possible after going under contract purchasing your land. The builder must be able to see the lot in person to incorporate critical aspects of the land into your home design. The builder will also ensure the lot has all the right features suitable to build the home you want. Your REALTOR® will broker the land purchase, but your builder will help you navigate what type of home you can build on your land.
If you do buy a lot before talking to a builder (which is not recommended in any area with protected segments like forestation, waterfront, small lots, irregular shaped lots, septic lots, etc.), you should at the very least hire a surveyor or ensure you have a survey to see where it is acceptable to build. However, the smarter practice is to make an offer on land with a due diligence period. This due diligence time can be used for a builder review, and most builders, will do
this without a contract.
Builders opinions are important, but can vary, based on the survey, soil suitability, impervious conditions, local building codes, house size, and more. This involves researching HOA or permit restrictions on items such as height, size requirements, lot coverage restrictions, and more.
Hiring A Custom Home Builder First
The best option is to hire your custom home builder before looking for a location. Your REALTOR® can recommend builders in your area if you need guidance. Hiring a builder first has many benefits, as the home building process is often more cost-effective if you hire the builder first. Professional home builders will work with your REALTOR® and can collaborate to find the perfect lot, as they may have locations available where they have configured improvement costs so they can give you one final price.
Your REALTOR® will continue to work with the builder throughout the building process to negotiate design options, schedule home and radon inspections, and perform walk through inspections with you at various stages.
The Bottom Line
NC Pro Realty Group can send you listings of land as soon as they hit the market. Contact us at info@ncprorealty.com for more info.
