Congratulations on deciding to build a new home this year!

New homes are built to meet current building codes, are often more energy efficient, and often incorporate up-to-date technology. Not to mention you'll be able to customize nearly every aspect of the floor plan to your liking and family needs.

Whether you're building a dome home or a conventional home, we want you to be prepared. Here are our 5 tips:

1. PLAN

Now that you’ve decided to build your own home, it’s likely that you have a lot of great ideas and plans (this is a great thing). Just be sure you’ve documented these ideas in a way that they can be put into practice effectively when it comes to getting started.

Try to come to your builder or project manager with examples of what you want you want to limit confusion. Consider creating a folder on your computer with all of the images or screenshot you find around the web of what you like. You can also (especially if you have any drafting or artistic skills) make sketches of your dream home and come with an idea of how you want the floor plan to be set out.

2. THINK BIG

No one ever regretted having bigger closets or laundry room (the latter can be used to store all of the things that you don't know what to do with to make the house look cleaner). Trust us.

3. KEEP THE COSTS COMPARABLE

Keep the price per square foot comparable to other homes in your area. Don't load so many upgrades or high-end finishes in your home that you're the highest price per square foot in the comparable area. 

Some builders intentionally try to increase the comparable sales to justify the price increases as inventory in the subdivision diminishes. One of the ways they do that is by choosing not to list cash purchased homes with low price per foot into the MLS. So even if all the numbers look high, it may still be inflated. For resale purposes, keep your home in line with the comps.

​4. VISIT THE JOB SITE

Watching your home being constructed over time is exciting, albeit a little dirty (hey, its a job site). You'll be able to fully experience how your dollars are being put to work and gain an initiate understanding of the "guts" of the build process that most homeowners won't have.

You'll also be able to ask questions and help catch any mistakes. Construction managers are typically very good at staying on top of the crews as much as possible but if you see something, say something.

5. TAKE PICTURES

While you're visiting the job site don't forget to bring your camera. Taking photos during the framing phase will allow you to see where all of the wiring, plumbing, and natural gas piping is later down the road if you are doing some work on the house.

(Also, its just cool to be able to look back on all the progress!)

According to the US Commerce Department, housing starts (a measure of new-home construction) fell 4% in July. This statistic is widely regarded as an indicator of how much construction is in the works. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Northeast saw the sharpest dip in housing starts with a decline of 13.8% from June.
 But we know the drop isn’t because of money or motivation to build.

According to Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 30-year mortgage is at a 3-year low. In addition, The National Association of Home Builders noted builder confidence is strong (especially for single-family homes). The drop is largely due to the low number of available affordable homes and rising construction costs.

While experts believe that this trend will likely continue into 2020, the US housing market continues to reveal an opportunity for prospective homeowners looking to build a dome home.

Unlike a conventional home, we're able to build with fewer resources and less manpower while passing those savings on to the homeowner.