Building a custom home is an exciting journey, but it can also be overwhelming. There are hundreds of steps and decisions to make, from setting a budget to finding the right loan program. Financing a custom home is different from financing a ready-to-move-in home, and you'll need to get a mortgage, construction loan, and loan to buy the property. You'll want to look for personalized homebuilding loans, such as those offered by Wells-Fargo, which gives you up to 12 months of construction financing and can be converted into a permanent mortgage. For those in Ponte Vedra, Florida looking for interior design services for their custom home, Ponte Vedra Interior Design offers a wide range of services to make your dream home come true.
When considering your mortgage options, you'll want to find the best program that fits your needs, while the bank wants to protect your investment and the builder wants to ensure that the funds are there when needed during construction. Not only will your financial partner review your credit information, but also your builder's reputation, including license and references. This safeguards your investment by guaranteeing that the contractor is legally authorized to build and has the lowest risk of budget mismanagement or leaving the project incomplete. You should also consider changes in interest rates during construction; some loans have varying interest rates, which can significantly affect the amount of your regular payment.
You'll also want to understand the down payment requirements for your custom home; when buying land, most loans require a 20% down payment. When funding the construction process, some lenders claim that you can enroll in programs with just a 3 to 5% down payment, but a common rule of thumb is to expect to pay around 20%. When financing a custom home, you must also understand how payments are authorized during construction. Construction loans are never paid in a lump sum; as the stages of the construction process are completed, you or your builder will request “withdrawals” from the loan to pay for these expenses.
Banks must approve these draws, a process that is normally done by sending an authorized representative of the bank to review and approve the work. With careful project management, you and your builder can ensure that the work is completed on time and that the bank approves it in a timely manner so that you can raise funds to continue construction. Be sure to collect receipts for drawings and payments made to ensure that your construction loan funds are properly managed. When it comes to buying land, you should also understand zoning; although it's not very exciting, spending a day in the planning and zoning department will help you understand what properties are available to build a custom home and what restrictions may affect the house you want to build.
During this process, you can understand the boundaries of the property and what you will be responsible for after construction, such as plowing and maintaining roads. You'll also want to understand the accessibility of the property: will you have to build a road? Will utility companies be able to access your site to install services? Getting an approved building permit can take several days, so don't wait until the last minute to apply. During the approval process, the construction department will review plans and specifications of homes and design of systems (electrical, plumbing and similar) to ensure overall quality of plans is adequate. The people responsible for building permits don't approve overall design; architects are still responsible for that process.
Building permit rates may vary from city to city. When obtaining a building permit, keep in mind that most are only valid for a specific period of time so you and your builder should ensure that home is complete within that time period. It may also be necessary to modify building permits during construction if significant changes have been made to design and construction works. Local inspectors will perform intermittent inspections of work site to ensure construction process follows design plans; they are not responsible for inspecting quality of work being done; builder is still responsible for approving construction works.
To help better understand these questions, we've put together this detailed guide outlining every step of custom home building, from preliminary research stage all the way through finishing touches. As you move forward with this project, you'll get much clearer idea not only of what each step entails but also what you can do from customer's perspective in order to make most out of their new trip home. The first step in any custom home construction project should involve learning as much as possible about topic beforehand. The cost of building new home will vary depending on number of factors so it's important to do research before beginning project.
Leave a Comment