Navigating the Custom Home Building Market in 2023
It’s no secret that the housing market has been volatile and home building has slowed down recently. With the pandemic, the general strike, and other challenges from 2020 to the present, building materials have increased in cost and decreased in availability. Homebuilders are still busy working with clients but with these new issues that have cropped up since the pandemic, many of those looking to invest in building a custom home have been hesitant to pull the trigger and break ground.
If you are thinking of building a custom home in 2023 and are looking for our best advice, here it is.
PICK YOUR PLOT
If you’re considering building a custom home, you’ll need someplace to build it. Land is one thing they won’t be making more of, so it’s important to find a great lot while it’s still available.
Oklahoma City and Norman, Oklahoma are becoming popular with residents from other states who are migrating here due to our low cost of living and the availability of land. While Oklahoma’s population has only truly seen an increase of about 1 percent per year since 2020, I believe this number will continue to grow exponentially with other states experiencing crop failure, drought, weather-related emergencies, and skyrocketing rent prices.
Now is a great time to carefully choose and purchase your plot of land. Finding a viable plot of land will become more and more difficult while lot prices are not expected to drop anytime soon, even with a recession.
SEE ALSO: ‘5 Reasons Families Are Moving to Edmond, Oklahoma (2023)’
TEST YOUR SOIL
One overlooked part of the custom home building planning phase is performing a soil test. A soil test determines the composition of your soil so builders can tell if it will be able to support your home’s foundation. Having a soil test performed on a lot that you’re looking to buy can help prevent serious headaches down the line.
If the soil on your plot is found to be loose, heavily compacted, or full of clay, it doesn’t mean you can’t build there. It just means that extended measures might be needed to ensure that your home’s foundation can be built securely. These measures may include building a wider or deeper foundation or replacing the bad soil.
Failure to test the soil and follow the soil engineer’s advice could result in cracked and crumbling foundations, which would compromise the integrity and longevity of your custom home and your investment.
DESIGN YOUR CUSTOM HOME
While you are choosing your plot and testing the soil to make sure it’s appropriate for building your future home, you can work with a professional to design your home. The professionals at Creative Home Designs are ready to sit down with you and discuss your specific needs and wants when it comes to designing your customized home.
Let us know your lot size, your budget, and your must-haves, and we’ll get to work designing something beautiful that works perfectly for you and your family’s needs. This way, when you’re ready to pull the trigger and begin building, you’ll have plans to show the builder so they can get to work straight away. Designing your custom home before hiring a builder and breaking ground will put you at the top of the list for your home builder, plus you’ll have the exact specifications already worked out and ready to go.
I’M STILL NOT READY TO BUILD. WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO PREPARE BEFORE BUILDING MY CUSTOM HOME?
If you’ve already purchased your plot, tested your soil, and designed your custom home, here are your next steps. You can research lenders and secure the best loan for your custom home build. You can take your time working out the details of your budget and securing funding for your custom home.
You can also research and choose the perfect home builder and other custom home-building specialists. If you don’t know where to look, we can help! Due to our extensive network of Oklahoma providers, we are able to connect you with one of our trusted, local builders or providers.
READY TO START DESIGNING YOUR CUSTOMIZED HOME?
The professionals at Creative Home Designers are ready to help you bring your custom home and remodeling dreams to life. We can customize remodeling plans or home design plans to meet your unique needs.
Call us today for a consultation. We’ll begin by discussing your vision for your master bedroom, then we’ll get to work creating a design just for you. We can even offer a 3D rendering to help you envision your future custom home.
Then, due to our extensive Oklahoma network, we can connect you with trusted builders and providers who will see you through to the finish line.