Keystone Blog
Buying a new home is an exciting venture. Successful custom home planning involves essential steps such as evaluating your needs, planning your budget, choosing a location, and selecting the right builder. The following tips can help you translate your lifestyle and future plans into a concrete vision for your new home:
Consider your current and future needs, such as plans to grow a family or work from home. It's also important to consider daily lifestyle factors such as the necessary space for hobbies and how you like to entertain guests. These details can help you determine the best layout, room sizes, and features. For example, you might want extra bedrooms for out of town guests, a home office, or a large living area to accommodate more loved ones.
Distinguishing between essential features and desirable extras is vital for aligning your home plans with your budget. For example, a fourth bedroom or first-floor Owner's Suite might be a must-have, while a home theater or walk-in closets fall into the nice-to-have category.
If a feature is challenging to categorize, ask yourself if it will significantly impact your budget and potentially require you to sacrifice other elements. If the answer is yes, the feature most likely belongs in the nice-to-have category on your new home checklist.
Your long-term goals are just as important as your current needs when preparing to buy. Consider how long you envision living in the home, because this can influence your design and layout decisions. If you want to enjoy the home during retirement and age in place, safety and convenience are essential considerations. Features such as a main-story primary suite, wider doorways, and accessible bathrooms can make life easier as you enjoy your retirement years.
Use the following steps to plan your new home's financial aspects with confidence:
Determine your maximum spending budget based on your income and savings. Consider how much you can afford to spend on a down payment and monthly payments. Next, you can create an itemized list of all potential costs, such as land, site preparation, and construction labor, building materials, and fees and permits.
It's also important to include a contingency fund in your budget. Saving an extra percentage of your total budget can help cover unexpected expenses if they arise.
Navigating your financing options is the next step in the custom home buying process. A standard mortgage typically finances a home that is already built, and it involves borrowing the full amount up front and making regular principal and interest payments after closing. For a new home build, one option for financing is a construction loan. This is a short-term loan that involves releasing funds in stages as different phases of the construction process are completed.
Getting preapproved for financing before you begin will help you establish your purchasing power early on. Keystone Custom Homes can connect you with one of our preferred lenders. Our New Home Advisors address buying power and review financing options with you during an initial appointment to ensure you are well taken care of.
You will need the following financial documents to start the homebuilding process:
Choosing where to build a new custom home is a significant, exciting decision. Consider the following elements when researching locations:
You can build your new home in a community or on your own homesite. Each has different advantages, so it's important to choose the one that's best for your lifestyle.
When you build in an established community, you gain the convenience of existing infrastructure, such as established roads and utilities. Many established communities also offer modern conveniences such as recreational facilities, mature landscaping, and proximity to services. Building on your own homesite gives you more space, privacy, and layout flexibility.
Keystone Custom Homes can build your new home in a beautiful community or on your own homesite through our Build on Your Lot program.
Some factors you might prioritize when choosing the perfect location include commute time to places of employment, local school districts, property taxes, and access to health care, shopping, and entertainment.
If beautiful views are a priority, Keystone Custom Homes offers a variety of community locations with open spaces to ensure gorgeous scenery for years to come.
A trustworthy partner is essential in bringing your vision to life and navigating the steps for building a custom home. With the right professionals on your side, you will enjoy a smoother process and exceptional results.
When vetting builders, be sure to check licenses and confirm the company has insurance. Reading reviews and touring completed or model homes to evaluate the reliability and quality of work is also helpful.
The team you work with should prioritize clear communication and a transparent process. Hundreds of Google reviews and testimonials from happy homeowners reflect Keystone Custom Homes' dedication to building beautiful, long-lasting homes.
Keystone Custom Homes has decades of experience and award-winning designs to help you achieve your dream home. Our 20-year structural warranty provides peace of mind and reflects our strong commitment to quality. We also deliver a smooth building process, facilitating clear communication through the MyKCH App. This app enables you to receive direct messages and pictures from the team throughout the entire building process.
Identifying your goals, setting a budget, selecting a location, and choosing the right builder are essential steps when bringing a new custom home to life. With careful planning and expertise, building your dream home is an exciting and rewarding process with long-lasting results.
Keystone Custom Homes is dedicated to guiding you through the entire process and building your dream home. Explore our award-winning floorplans, call us at 717-368-9831, or request an appointment with a New Home Advisor to discuss your vision.
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