Are you looking for a new home? Have you walked into homes already built and left almost as fast, knowing something isn’t quite right?

Maybe you’ve even visited new construction developments and fallen in love with their models. But with only a handful to choose from, you’ve still put off making a decision because it didn’t tick all of the boxes on your wishlist.

What Custom Home Builders Want You to Know as You Design Your New Home

But a customizable design? That’s way out of your reach, right? There is no way you could ever work with custom home builders … or could you?

That’s what makes Madison Homebuilders different. As custom home builders, we work with all kinds of people that have specific goals in mind when they are ready to purchase their dream home. And we aren’t your typical custom home builder. All of our models can be adjusted to fit your needs and you’ll be surprised at how easy the process truly is, no matter what level of home you choose to build.

Step One: Getting Started

Before you begin the process, it’s important to keep several things in mind.

What is your home budget?

Knowing your budget and expressing it with your custom home builder can help you avoid looking at things beyond your reach. It helps you solidify what you can afford to add to your new home and what features you can include. Things to factor in include:

▪︎ The cost of the land
▪︎ Local fees and taxes
▪︎ Home construction
▪︎ Landscaping costs
▪︎ Interior decorating and furnishing

Before you start the process, you may also wish to get preapproved for a loan, so you understand exactly where your budget lies. At Madison, we work with a number of nationally known lenders who know us well. We can introduce them to you or we can work with your lender if you prefer. To get a loan, start by:

▪︎ Checking your credit report, leaving sufficient time to correct any problems you may have that will delay the process.
▪︎ Consider your mortgage options. A 15 or 30-year loan? Fixed or variable interest rate? FHA or traditional? Only you and your mortgage lender can determine the right path for you.
▪︎ Saving for your down payment. The good news of working with us is a lot of our customers build a house without making a down payment. In fact, qualified landowners who choose to work with us can save thousands because there is no down payment, no construction loan, and we pay your standard closing costs. (That leaves more money in your pocket to spend and gives you extra for the things you need most when you move into your home.)

What is your timeline?

Everyone wants their home finished as quickly as possible. Yet there are a lot of factors that go into completing your home in a timely way. Things that can delay move-in include:

▪︎ Availability of materials
▪︎ Availability of decor selections
▪︎ Seasons – rain or snow can cause delays
▪︎ Decisions – you’ll have to make many throughout the process

While every homeowner looks forward to the day they can move into their new home, you should share with your custom home builder your desired timeframe for completion.

▪︎ Are you adding a new baby to your family?
▪︎ Are you closing on a current home on a specific day?
▪︎ Are you coming close to the end of a lease?
▪︎ When do your children finish a school year and start a new one?

They may or may not be able to accommodate your request, but at least it will be on the table for discussion instead of just assuming it can be done. Good communication always makes for a more pleasant build and airing your expectations or desires should happen up front.

Keep in mind that while these dates are good to work toward, it’s important to build in contingency plans for the just in case. Regardless of the homebuilder, new construction often has issues that can cause a delay. If you are flexible, you’ll have less stress as the project moves along.

Step Two: Choose Your Floor Plan

With your budget and timeline in place, it’s time for the fun part: choosing your home.

It’s a good idea to dream big and scale back from there. This is your chance to select something that is uniquely your own. What’s always been on your wishlist? What ideas do you have to include in your final design?

Start by listing out the things you’d like in each room. Have you always wanted a gourmet kitchen? What does that mean to you? What kind of appliances would be in place? What color cabinetry? What kind of flooring?

You can use this process for every room in your new design. Then you can start to see your new home take shape.

We’ve provided you with more than 40 floor plan designs to get you started.

Of course, doing a few searches online can help you with the process even more.

If you haven’t signed up for a Pinterest account yet, do it now. Then have fun creating pinboards to help you with everything from the style of your home to the decor you’ll use in each room.

A search for “home plans” will show you designs for everything from country charm and farmhouses, to the sleekest of home designs. A search for “kitchen ideas” will give you plenty of options for cabinetry, organization hacks, and design and functionality.

What’s great is you can “pin” your ideas and use them when meeting with your custom home builder to help you all stay on the same page. The more you communicate with your team, the better and more efficient the process will be.

Step Three: Keeping Your Team On Track

The most important part of any new home process is to hire a great custom home builder. And when you hire Madison Homebuilders, you’ll work with people you can trust.

It’s not about paying the lowest price; it’s about getting value for your money. When you deal with a builder that will help you get the most for every dollar you spend, you’ll know your final home will be the best it can be.

To move from concept to completion, it takes a wide variety of people: contractors, designers, and more. Each project that goes into your home needs its own separate list of personnel: plumbers, heating and cooling experts, roofers, flooring experts. How do you keep them all on task and giving you one hundred percent from beginning to end?

That’s why you hire us.

We do this again and again for people just like you. In fact, we’re willing to bet you have a lot in common with the clients we’ve worked for in the past.

We understand the right way to approach a new build because we do it all the time.

We’ll remember the nitty gritty details that you might forget. Do you have the proper permits? Have you had the correct inspections? Is everything on schedule to avoid delays with other team members?

It takes special planning to ensure everything stays on track. As custom home builders, that’s what we do.

Are you looking to build a new home? Madison Homebuilders can help. Contact us today to get started!