Finding Your First Home

Posted on: 23 November 2016

Making the decision to build your dream home can be one of the best investments that you can make. However, any construction project can be a major investment, and it can be easy to make cost-increasing mistakes. For individuals that are undertaking their first home-construction project, a  few basic tips can help you get the most house for your budget.

Hire Your Builder Before Buying Property

It can be easy to want to choose the location for your home as the first step in this process, but this can prove to be a terrible mistake. There are many factors that will determine the suitability of a particular piece of land. If you purchase land that requires significant modifications, such as improving drainage or leveling the terrain, this can drastically increase the construction costs for your home. By hiring your contractor before you start to evaluate pieces of land, you can have them tour any potential sites so that potential problems can be identified before you decide to make a bid.

Incorporate Repurposed and Recycled Materials

Some of the most important decisions that you will make during the design process for your new home will be the various materials that are used in it. When it comes to finishing touches for the property, you may be able to save substantial amounts of money by incorporating repurposed and recycled building materials. In addition to this being a lower cost option, there are some communities that can provide tax incentives for construction projects that use these materials, and this can further help to extend your budget.

Invest in Renewable Energy Systems

Energy expenses can be one of the largest recurring costs that your home will have. Unfortunately, you may not seriously consider adding renewable energy systems to your home due to concerns about the additional expenses that this will add. Yet these systems can drastically reduce or even eliminate your home's need to draw power from the local electrical grid. This coupled with rebates and tax deductions can help to make this additional expense a worthwhile investment when you are building a dream home.

Getting the most from your home-building budget does not have to be a stressful or overwhelming process, but you will need to avoid making simple errors that can prove to be costly. Hiring your contractor before buying property, using recycled and repurposed materials, and including renewable power systems can help you when you are making this investment.