Land to Home: The Low Down on Land

Building your dream home doesn't have to be a nightmare. Here are a few things to consider when choosing land for a new construction home.

When choosing land, there are three important facets to consider:

Country vs. City

Unimproved vs. Build-Ready

Lot vs. Acreage

Location! Prices vary considerably from one place to the next.
City vs. Country

You will get a lot more bang for your buck going country. You can get significantly larger lots for the same price if not drastically less out in the country than in the city. And when I say country you can still be a short 20-30 minutes from downtown! Alana will throw on her cowgirl boots and take you out to the country and find you a great spot to build on. But if you want that city feel it's definitely doable. You won't get the space you would building in the country, but you get the convenience and buzz of city life.

Trees please! Or no trees please.

Wooded vs. Cleared

When going with a heavily wooded parcel of land, you have to keep in mind there will be extra cost for tree removal. But there are perks to choosing a wooded lot. You have mature trees you can decide which ones stay and which ones go. This adds character to your home, and can also provide whatever amount of privacy you want. Tree removal runs anywhere from 10k- 20k per acre depending on area you are in. Remember when looking for land keep in mind these extra costs and when making an offer present this to the seller and you may be able to negotiate the asking price. All of these costs will be factored into your construction loan. A cleared lot is great for those who don't want to bother with that extra work.

HOA or NO way!
Residential lot vs. Unimproved tract
When buying unimproved tracts there will be additional costs for things like electricity, telephone, street access (longer drive ways on larger land) water availablility, and septic system installation. These additional costs reflect in the price of the lot, unimproved tracts will be less because they cost more to get build ready. Residential lots generally have everything ready to go, and we are able to start building pretty quickly, once permits are pulled! Different subdivisions will have different CC&R's (covenants, conditions, and restrictions) monthly HOA fees, Sq Ft minimums and much more. With no subdivision or out in the country you don't have that to worry about, you can normally build whatever your heart desires, with no association fees!!

We are all visual people, so here come the pictures!