Building your Dream Home?

A New home is as good as money in the bank! No other investment gives you the financial leverage you gain when you own a home!

If you’re a renter, the time to start building equity in a new home is now. If you’re already a homeowner, now is a good time to move up to the dream home you’ve been waiting for.

Why should you choose a member of the HBA of The Upper Peninsula to be your builder or remodeler? What does Membership in the HBA mean?

The quality of your new home will largely be determined by the abilities of your builder. An important indicator of professionalism is whether the builder belongs to an association similar to the HBA. Becoming a dues-paying ember of such an organization usually means that the builder is an established member of the community who cares about the industry as a whole, not just his or her bottom line. The HBA offers its members the latest educational programs, including those that provide information on how to serve you better.

Step-By-Step Guide to Building a New Home:

1. Establish a budget.

When making your budget, of course you’ll begin with what you can afford, and how the cost of your house fits in with your overall plans for the future. When you’re ready to get down to details, include everything that will go into the project: the cost of the land, local fees and taxes, design and engineering fees, construction of not just the home but the landscape, plus furniture and decorating. And don’t forget a healthy contingency. As with any complex project, things will happen, and the road from point A to point B will have a detour or two. Make sure that these little side trips won’t send you over the edge.

2. Meet with a Lender.

Once your budget has been established you will want to meet with your Lender to be pre-approved for a new construction loan.

3. Find some land.

Where do you want to be? How do you want to live? What are you looking for? Maybe you want that house in the mountains or with the ocean view, but it’s not in the cards right now, for economic or other reasons. No matter; you’ll likely be able to reinvent yourself later. For now, it’s the burbs with the good schools or some other place. The point is, find a spot on the globe that you can claim as your own and build what will be a home.

4. Assemble a team.

While you might think you can go it alone, assembling a team of tried and true professionals is the better approach. After all, you wouldn’t represent yourself in court. So why wouldn’t you entrust your single largest investment to an experienced team that won’t be learning on your dime?An architect and a builder (if not one and the same) are going to be your most important team members. These people will act as guide, therapist, advocate and counselor throughout the journey that creating your home is. And, as with all good professionals, the right guide can ensure that the journey is all the more enjoyable.

As you embark on this journey, you will likely want to add team members. A kitchen and bath designer, perhaps; maybe an interior designer, too. Certainly a landscape architect, who shouldn’t be the last person hired when all the money is gone; you want to create a beautiful yard that will complement the house.