Are you dreaming about building a custom home in the near future, but you have no clue if you should buy your land OR create your floor plan first?
You aren’t alone … this is a common question!
My short answer … choose your land BEFORE creating your floor plan. Keep reading to find out WHY I recommend this.
BUY LAND OR CREATE FLOOR PLAN FIRST?
If you are building a custom home, your land options are endless. You are free to build wherever you can find a plot of land (and you can even tear down an existing home to create land).
I recommend that you find a piece of land in your desired location with your desired views BEFORE you start creating (or choose) your floor plan.
This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it’s much easier to design a floor plan around a piece of land as opposed to designing your land around your floor plan (that’s impossible!).
LAND IS A FIXED VARIABLE
The land is a fixed variable; you can’t modify your lot location, size, or views. You CAN, however, design your floor plan to fit your lot.
Additionally, you can design your floor plan to maximize views and take full advantage of sun exposure (i.e. orient your floor plan to allow ample sun to flow into your home).
THE COST OF LAND AFFECTS YOUR BUDGET
Another reason I recommend purchasing your land first is that your land cost will (of course) affect your budget.
The price of your land will be one of the largest single items in your home building budget.
Once you purchase land, you will know how much of your budget is left to construct your home.
Keep in mind that land costs will include any tree clearing/excavating/special requirement costs as well … and all of these costs will affect your budget.
Other unexpected costs when building a house.
I hope you now feel like you have a plan to move forward! I recommend that you choose your land BEFORE you create (or choose) your floor plan. Don’t feel discouraged if you did this the opposite way … your home will still turn out GREAT!
If you’re looking for more in-depth advice on how to prepare for a successful home build, grab my FREE ‘Custom Home Build Prep Guide’ that will give you the 5 crucial preparation steps to build your home with less stress, more confidence, and without going over budget.
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