Welcome to New Homes, a biweekly column highlighting the new construction real estate market, written by Conor Sullivan and Dave Moya of Three Stones Residential at Keller Williams Realty. We are here to share our experience and expertise in lot acquisition, financing and construction of custom homes.
The thought of building your own new construction home can be thrilling.
It is an exciting process, but one you should approach carefully and with an experienced builder to avoid potential issues down the road. Here are a few things to consider when looking for a lot of land for your new home.
- Topography: The layout of the lot will play the biggest factor in how your home is built and what work needs to be done prior to construction. Are there hills or low spots that could potentially put your home in the way of a water runoff? Are there brooks or streams near the lot that could flood? This is what you’ll need to consider to avoid potential issues down the road, for you and your neighbors.
- Home Style Options: The lot layout will also play a determining factor in the style of home you are able to build. When choosing your builder or architect, we suggest doing your homework to find someone who is able to provide you with a variety of customizable options to best fit the lot you’ve selected. Not all are equal!
- Property Line Restrictions: Before you purchase your lot, you should have an idea of the size of the home you are looking to build. Will it fit on the lot with enough room for the local setback requirements, regulating how close to the property line you can build? If you are looking to have yard space, make sure to accommodate for this as well.
- Utilities: It is important to make sure the lot of land you are planning to build on will be able to support the utilities you’ll need for your future home. If you are buying land that had an older home on it previously, do the homework to find out what condition the utilities are in. Does plumbing need to be updated? Is there a gas line? Is there a sewer hook-up? These things can add up.
- Excavation: Does the lot require any excavation work? Are you looking to have a walk-out basement? This could potentially run upwards of thousands of dollars. Be sure to assess the land to see what needs to be removed prior to buying or building.
- Zoning and Property Condition: Be sure to review the zoning, grade, and soil quality information before purchasing land. It would be a shame to buy a beautiful lot of land to later find out you aren’t able to build on it!
If you are looking to go through the process of building a new construction home, we recommend working with an experienced builder. At Three Stones Residential, we can also offer assistance in finding the best location for your dream home. To contact us, send an email to [email protected] or call (571) 429-7670.
Below is a list of new homes currently on the market in the Arlington areas.
- 6251 N. Kensington Street, McLean — $1,995,000 -0 5,930 sq. ft.
- 822 18th Street S., Arlington — $1,999,990 — 5,675 sq. ft.
- 5612 5th Street N., Arlington — $1,499,900 — 3,919 sq. ft.
- 6716 31st Street N., Arlington — $1,899,000 — 6,005 sq. ft.
- 2304 N. Kensington Street, Arlington — $1,662,500 — 3,934 sq. ft.
Want to learn more about financing a New Home build? McLean Mortgage (NMLS ID: 99665) can handle all of your construction financing needs. You can build your new home with as little as 5% down. Contact construction loan expert Troy Toureau (NMLS ID: 5618) at 301-440-4261 or AnyHomeLoans.com to learn more.