Anyone build a house recently?

[Twoply 0]

I'm getting budget numbers together to build a simple ranch with an open floor plan and crawl space. But I'm not sure it's worth it with all the foreclosures out there now. It might be easier to wait a while for a fixer upper to come along.

What was your cost per sq foot to build?

[billeisele 130]

cost is all over the place, upfit: molding, fixtures, tile, fancy bathrooms can drive the price real high, an average might be $110 / sq ft but could be $80 or $200

it is a good time to be in the buying or building mode, prices of everything are down

if I were building now I'd check into preconstructed/modular homes, where you design the home with their help, they prebuild almost everything, bring it to the site and assemble

one thing for sure - make it as energy efficient as possible, rates over the next 5 years will rise 20-50%

Give one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws.

[LuckyMcSwervy 0]

Quote

one thing for sure - make it as energy efficient as possible, rates over the next 5 years will rise 20-50%

I agree. My house is now 2 1/2 years old and I didn't believe the "Energy Star" ratings the builders were making such a big deal out of.... But once the utility bills started rolling in I finally believed the hype! My 1100 square foot apartment had higher utility bills than the 2000 square foot house.

And if the projected cost of energy pans out, you'll be glad you've taken steps to keep your home's energy cost as low as you can.

Always be kinder than you feel.

[Misternatural 0]

Hehe
now this is my game

Building materials and commodities in general are still going higher, due to higher fuel prices and inflation. Existing homes are beginning to go down in price as sellers and the banks are finally realizing that this is a recession and the prices need to be adjusted. So in my view used is cheeper than new as long as you get a good home inspection, and energy audit- whittle the price down more with that info, live in the house and fix it up all nice and crisp for a few years whist the market starts going up again and you my friend will hit the cycle right when it is time to sell- and you'll be doing the cha ching moola moola $$ dance. Keep doing that over and over then
"Repeat after me-I am Elmer J Fudd millionaire, I own a mansion and a yacht- Again!"

Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires.
D S #3.1415

[squirrel 0]

i agree with this. I am a home builder, my wife is a broker/realtor. Having built homes, and invested in rentals....now is the time to buy. It was costing me about 78 per sq foot to build, not including land. i did all my trim, paint and tile though. We just picked up another one for 90 sq/ft, but it has 2/3 acre, and an in ground pool. Now is not the time to build, unless you want a very specific and personal design. Consider when you build, that the more "custom" you get, the less potential buyers you may have. If you going to go super custom, you actually make more on the bigger projects, but the risk is greater.

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Where is Darwin when you need him?