ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 18, 1996 TAG: 9608190117
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Antiques & Designs
SOURCE: KATHY SUE GRIGG
This is the first of three columns on building a house and making it a home.
Building a house can be exciting - and challenging. Before construction begins, decisions involving finances, land and contractors must be made.
Get organized. Go talk with your banker. He or she can tell you how big a loan you will qualify for. Your banker also will tell you how much money you'll have to come up with for the down payment and closing cost.
Once your financial arrangements have been settled, you will be ready to choose the land you want, pick a house plan and decide on a builder.
By calling the Roanoke Chapter of The National Association of Home Builders you can get a list of licensed, insured, professionals connected with all your building needs. In addition to offering you their services, these contractors. They also can answer questions about schools, growth areas, highway construction, water, etc. They can give you a membership list of professional services connected with all your building needs.
After getting a list of contractors, contact a Realtor to assist you in choosing the land for your house. Tell him or her your price range and your desires and preferences (if you want a secluded area, for instance, or perhaps a lot with a stream nearby).
Driving around and looking for good plots of land. can be exciting. If you see land advertised by another Realtor, don't despair; your Realtor can still be involved; the important issue is what you want and what you can afford.
While looking for land, also take the opportunity to look at homes that are already under construction. Seeing how other houses are designed can help you find ideas for how you want your house to look. Also look at the building permit to see who's building the house. Not only do you get to see his work, but you just might wind up finding your contractor. You can look at the building permit to see who's building the house and get a look at his work.
When looking at land or at houses, keep a notebook for jotting down names, numbers and questions You can also use the notebook to write down your observations of sites and houses, things you dislike and things you may want to use in your own house. You'll have a lot of them.
If you have done your homework correctly you should know what you can afford, have a Realtor, have a buidling site and, of course, talked with your builder.
Now you are ready for phase two: Your builder and the building of your house. We'll cover that next time.
LENGTH: Medium: 52 linesby CNB