We love watching home makeover or building shows like Fixer Upper or Extreme Home Makeover. There is just something so fascinating about seeing a home come to life! The process, the tough choices, and that crazy amazing end result. We can’t get enough! So, we decided to share our own home building story. So, from the day we chose to build to the final product we’re sharing it right here on the blog:
#4 Why We Chose New Construction
Over the past few weeks we’ve been shocked & so thankful for the outpouring of love for us as we announced we’re building our own house. We’ve gotten so many questions and had so many people share they’re excited to watch the process. From the beginning we knew we wanted to bring you along with us & we can’t wait to do so!!
One of the biggest questions we’ve received so far is why we chose to build. To be honest, it was never on our radar to build. That felt like something only very, very wealthy people did & we’re budget people! Haha!! Really though, we just never thought it was a real possibility for us. When Alec called to share he had “found our neighborhood” and that it was new construction it threw up a red flag for me. NO WAY, we just couldn’t afford it. We went out anyways and toured the space and right away knew it felt right PLUS it was in our budget!!
So, like any sane adults we started weighing our options, costs, school systems, etc. It seemed too-good to be true. Could we actually make this happen?
First, we considered that oh-so important budget. Building allows us the time to save aggressively to add more to our down-payment since we won’t close until its built. Being a planner at heart Katie LOVES this part!! We can pile away cash to make sure we’re ready. There was no rush, no stretching ourselves too thin.
Then, the biggest thing we kept coming back to was that we could not find an existing house that we liked, let alone one we loved. We were looking at a ton of renno costs, time, and unknown challenges. Plus, we’re both picky people so no matter where we ended up we’d be spending a chunk to customize it. That’s where new construction started to make more sense for us.
You don’t ever know what to expect when you’re buying an older home. Neither one of us are “handy” people. So, we didn’t want to buy a home that had issues we couldn’t anticipate either. Knowing our home will be safe is a huge priority to us so a new home also offered the peace of mind knowing everything will be up to code & under warranty. That alone makes us feel so much more at ease.
Finally, we absolutely fell in love with our neighborhood. It’s community oriented, safe, family friendly & SO cute!! The more we looked at other areas the more we fell in love with our neighborhood. That’s what sealed the deal for us on building.
Blessings,
Katie
P.S. We’ll also say we’ve had a fabulous realtor we’ve been working with who made the process so easy!! Before we started this process we researched realtors with the hopes of finding someone who genuinely cares for us. Clarence Graham of the Graham Group has made us feel incredibly comfortable making each step towards new construction. Right away he got to know what was important to us & who we are as people. Every time we go visit the property or have gone for design meetings he’s been there. We couldn’t recommend him any higher!
We found him through the Dave Ramsey ELP system so we already knew he passed a rigorous set of requirements. If you’re looking for a realtor, accountant, or other financial professional we highly recommend checking that out! From our experience you won’t be disappointed!
