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Is Now a Good Time to Build a Home?

July 8th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

You plan to build a home but aren’t sure this is the best moment? What should you take into consideration? Are there any indicators that this is an opportune moment for building a house? Larry Angell offers some helpful tips in his article, “Build A Home Now - Are You Crazy?” 

Have you considered building a home lately? Many people believe that a stagnating housing market points to rough financial times ahead so they tighten their belts and put their wallets away.

What most people don’t know is that a cooling market means cheaper building materials, cheaper labor, and faster construction times.

Housing for low-income wage earners is more affordable than it was just a few months ago. The prices for most kinds of building materials are falling which is great news for owner builders.

The housing market is taking a huge down turn. While that is bad news for the economy in general, it does create an advantage for those with low income who wish to build a home. That means that the prices for lumber, cement, and everything else is going down.

Wafer board has already dropped by about four dollars a sheet in the last few months. I predict it will reach a low of around ten dollars in the spring unless the housing market turns sharply around. It’s a fantastic time to be building your own home. The housing boom has been healthy for the economy, but not very good for those of us wanting to buy materials for a home.

Now it’s good for us and it will get even better.

As a rule of thumb, I always consider the price of wafer board to be a good indicator of the over all price of building materials. It is used for many different things in home construction.

For those people who don’t want to try to build their own home, the opportunity is still there because as the housing market slows down, there will be many contractors willing to work for less money. The availability of experienced contractors will increase in the months ahead.

So if you’ve been waiting for that perfect time to build a home and not break the bank, now is the time.

Larry Angell is the author of Sweat Equity, building a house at half cost. He is actively involved in helping people build homes that are high in equity. He teaches people with low income how to build homes without the help of contractors. Visit his site http://www.make-my-own-house.com

A DIY Guide to Home Building

July 3rd, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

So you want to build your own home. Have you considered everything you need to in order to undertake this challenge? If you feel you are ready to start home building then read the following eight tips to see if you really are or not. These tips will really help you consider everything that must be considered before you begin building your own home.

Tip #1 Organization

You must be organized in order to build your own home and you need to have everything laid out in a step by step way to help you along the way. Takeoff software will help you stay organized so this is a good investment early on.

Tip #2 Construction Crew

You won’t be hammering every single nail and installing every single faucet by yourself, or at least most won’t be. So, a construction crew is important. Know who to choose to be on your construction team in order to make your home building project a fun and enjoyable one not to mention one that is successful!

Tip #3 Finances

You need to know how much the home will cost so you know what you can afford in regards to style, framework, style, and the like. Use construction estimating software to help you in this area if you are not good at estimating.

Tip #4 Budget

If you will be applying for a mortgage or construction loan you will need to have a very detailed budget. Your construction estimating software will come into play here as well and help you create an estimate and stick to it.

Tip #5 Style

There are a lot of choices to make when it comes to the style of your home. This includes the foundation and everything else. So, be prepared to choose the styles you like best.

Tip #6 The Perfect Plan

A perfect house plan is important if you are building your own home. You will want to know where you want to go and a guide to get you there. Your house plan will work wonders.

Tip #7 Home Structure

If you have a lot of experience building homes then you are probably well aware of home structure and the internal and external elements. If you are not be sure to do your research ahead of time to avoid all potential problems. It is guaranteed you will run into problems if you are not prepared.

Tip #8 Use Quality Materials

You want to use quality building materials in your home so make sure you are aware of where you can find them. DO a little research to find the best quality materials and the best prices.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. You must be organized in order to build your own home and you need to have everything laid out in a step by step way to help you along the way. Takeoff software will help you stay organized so this is a good investment early on. You need to know how much the home will cost so you know what you can afford in regards to style, framework, style, and the like.

Three Ways to Acquire a Low Cost Home

July 2nd, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

You don’t have to spend a fortune to own and manage your own home. There are many effective ways to cut the cost of buying or building a house. Check out our growing collection of tips and advice on acquiring a low cost home. You’ll also find helpful hints for remodeling, making home improvements, decorating and buying home furnishings on a budget.

If you want to avoid paying full market value for a new or used house, one of your best options is to buy a foreclosed homes, especially if you can acquire it in the pre-foreclosure phase. The term foreclosure refers to the legal steps that a bank or other secured creditor uses to allow them to repossess a real property or a parcel of it because the owner failed to comply with contract terms, such as falling behind in payments on a mortgage. The repossessed real property can then be sold in order to satisfy the debt, usually well below the the property’s real value.

Another great opportunity for you to own a low cost home is to purchase a fixer upper. No, this doesn’t mean you have to buy a run down shack to save money. There are a lot of houses on the market that can be found at a reduced price because the owner refuses to invest in small repairs and improvements that could increase the price significantly. This works to your favor if you know what to look for. We’ll help you understand the repairs and improvements that cost little but increase the value of the home a lot. We’ll also teach you to identify bigger problems that you want to avoid in a fixer upper.

The third method you can use to acquire affordable house is to build your own home. While this method requires the most time and energy, it is where you can find the most significant savings. To get the most out of building your own home, you need to plan well and follow the plan. To save the most you will have to prepare a budget and follow it as closely as possible. Much time will be needed for surveying construction materials and workers.

 

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