How To Build a House
Article by Ed M.
You're probably thinking that this is a pretty ambitious topic to broach for a short article. Yeah, maybe you're right, so let's just cover the first major step in the process: how to find land. Later we can discuss how to build house.
If you're starting your home building project by searching for the perfect property to build a house on, the first thing I suggest is to not rush into it. There are great properties available everywhere, and nowadays it's a buyer's market. If you want the perfect property, you should either be prepared to pay a premium or wait for the right thing at a bargain price. I suggest the bargain approach.
In my opinion, the first step in finding bargain land is to find a realtor that you trust. If you don't know of any, try asking some other professionals in your area for tips. People like lawyers and tax advisers that you already have a previous relationship with may be the best people to ask. They should have people that they deal with, and your lawyer or tax guy won't want to recommend someone bad because it will reflect poorly on themselves.
Discuss with the realtor your dream property and your price range. Usually, they can even set up some automated process that will email you when new properties come available. Depending on the area and the size of their business, a realtor may even be able to get you info about land before it even hits the MLS.
Of course, you can search for land on your own, and I recommend that you definitely do this. MLS listings are great, and just about every realtor website has searchable MLS listings. Check them often, because even if you're not finding exactly what you like, you will be honing your search skill and understanding what you definitely do not like.
There are some non-conventional places to find land for sale. Check CraigsList.org for the "for sale by owner" ads. Sometimes you can find a great deal there. Interestingly enough, you can find land auctions on eBay, too. Speaking of land auctions, there are websites out there that specialize in land auctions. They're often specific to a geographical region, so search for land auctions in your area. Ads for specific auctions may also show up on Craigslist.
Come up with some sort of routine for checking back with these resources (realtor, ad sites, auction sites, etc.) periodically. There are plenty of other things you will need to learn along the way, so while you're searching for your dream land to build your own home on, start learning how to build house. Once the perfect plot of land is in your possession, you can get to work on figuring out how you will build your own home.
About the Author
Ed is currently in the process of learning how to build house where "house" is the codename of his current owner builder project.
