Building a custom home for you and your family can be one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of your adult life. But how do you know when the time is right? Building a home is one of the most significant investments you can make, so you want to be sure you’re taking the right path for yourself and your family.
Building custom versus buying a turnkey is one of your first significant decisions. Building custom grants you the freedom to be as niche as you like with your home design, but it also means that you’re on the hook for every major decision.
If you’re on the fence about your white-picket dream, here are seven signs that you’re ready to build a custom home. If you resonate with any of the signs below, it’s time to start shopping for a stock house plan from retailers like Monster House Plans and breathe life into your dream home daydreams.
You have a vision
Creating a home is all about having a robust and clear vision. Once you start the process, you’ll be inundated with constant questions, choices, and decisions. From the color of the bathroom tiling to which light fixtures you’d like to have in the spare bathroom, the world is your oyster, and you’re responsible for each grain of sand.
This freedom makes custom building as liberating as it is overwhelming. Having a solid vision before you break ground will help you stay on track through the design and construction of your new place.
You’re planning for the future
When you build your own home, you have to put your future goggles on. For example, do you plan on having a large family, or are you a bachelor(ette) for life? Do you anticipate children or parents ever living with you?
While it can seem overwhelming to think of these things now, you need to know before you start so you can plan for extra bedrooms, play spaces, and so forth.
You have enough money saved
It’s no secret that building your slice of heaven will cost you a significant chunk of change. The average cost to build a home is between $150,000 and $445,000. Even if you plan your budget down to the nuts and bolts, problems can also arise once you break ground. Ensure that you have enough to cover your building costs and then some.
You have a solid financial history
You want to save plenty of money for your home build, but you should also keep your debt-to-income ratio under control. Housing costs add up quickly. From the price of building the actual home to maintenance, interior decorations, furniture, insurance, and property taxes, your savings can evaporate in a blink of an eye.
If you want any lenders to approve your new mortgage, you’ll need to wipe out any debts and build your credit before you hit the banks.
You can’t find the right home
If you’ve scoured Zillow, hunted through the best neighborhoods, and still can’t find a house that excites you, then it might be time to build a custom home instead.
Whether you build a home or buy, it’s a massive investment, so you should be thrilled about your choice. The last thing you want is to take an L on a house you only feel lukewarm about. The best part of building a house is designing based on your personality, which might excite you more than finding a random turnkey in the local market.
You have found your ideal neighborhood
Building a house is all about finding the correct location. That’s harder than it looks. What does it even mean to find the right neighborhood for you? You should consider walkability, school districts, an area with an easy commute, and so forth.
Location scouting will likely be your next extensive decision process after deciding to build custom, so be sure to do your research.
You’re realistic about the stress
Building a house will come with pitfalls. Roadblocks will surface that make your dream home feel like a nightmare in the making. It’s important to step back and remember your vision during these stressful times.
If you’ve taken off the rose-colored glasses and are fully prepared and capable of handling the teeth-grinding that comes with building a custom home, you’re ready to break ground. These challenging emotions lay the foundation before you move on to the next steps of building your house.
Wrap up
If you flew through this checklist like a cakewalk, chances are you’re as ready as you’ll ever be to build your own home. There’s a lot of anxiety starting a project like this, but just remember that there’s no 100% right time or method to build your place. Dive straight into your plans, and you’ll be walking over the threshold in no time.
