Congratulations! You’ve moved from dreaming about the details of your custom home to anchoring its creation to a realistic timeline. You’ve moved from “if” to “when.” Finding the perfect time to build your Lake Oconee custom home depends on the market, the season, and your personal circumstances. We’re here to help you understand the factors influencing the favorability of building a custom home.
At PAXISgroup, we’ve helped countless families find the perfect time and place to build their homes in Georgia’s lake country. We’re honored to be part of such big investments and dreams, and we’re proud to have earned our reputation by building stunning custom homes that exceed our clients’ high hopes.
Buying a house usually moves up the timeline to put you in your new place. Buying an existing home may be your best bet if you need to move quickly. It is also usually cheaper to buy a home rather than build one. However, the short-term wins of buying existing construction often come with long-term compromises. You rarely find everything you’re looking for in an existing home. You will always have to prioritize your desires and accept a few less-than-ideal elements when you buy an existing home. This signs you up for the inconvenience, annoyance, and likely renovations in the future. When you design your own home, absolutely every aspect is as you envision it, leading to a frictionless daily experience and ultimate personalized comfort.
One of the biggest chicken-or-egg debates in residential home construction concerns the plan for your new home and the lot to build it on. Many clients aren’t sure whether to first secure their lot or building plans. While either order is acceptable, designing a home with the topography of your lot in mind can help you take advantage of the natural landscape and avoid possible design elements that your lot won’t support.
If you need to find a lot to build your custom home, most established builders have relationships and partnerships with local real estate agents or are well-versed in your options in the area, making them excellent resources for locating your lot.
When evaluating a lot for a potential building site, your builder can also be an excellent resource. Elevation, access, drainage, and other essential details will determine where and if a lot is buildable.
Homes in Georgia are about on par with the national average in terms of the time it takes to build them. Depending on the size and complexity of your custom home, it could take as little as six months from the beginning of construction to the end result. If you are building a large, elaborate home, expect your construction timeline to be significantly longer, possibly longer than a year. Your builder is your best resource for your construction timeline.
The best time of year to build a house is during a period that is typically relatively dry and above freezing. Though many regions of the country experience far more pronounced seasons, Georgia doesn’t experience a cold enough prolonged winter period to make building during the winter months too tricky. Of course, this season also includes typical holiday interruptions, which slightly extend any timeline, including November, December, and January.
Because many places in the US need to slow down during the frozen winter months, construction materials often see a seasonal dip during off-season building in the north. This means that consumers in Georgia benefit from the prices without experiencing the forces that drove them down, optimizing fall and winter for building in Georgia.
With a limited supply of homes for sale, the real estate market continues to favor sellers. Homes on the Georgia market in 2022 than in 2021, with homes on the market an average of five fewer days than the previous year. With properties moving fast and prices increasing, building a house now might still be a smart idea, especially when compared to building one in the future. 2023 offers the best pricing you will see for the foreseeable future.
Paxis group builds beautiful custom homes in the heart of Georgia’s lake country. We deliver the transparency, skill, and professionalism to produce the stunning home of your dreams. Learn more about building a custom home in our complimentary Custom Home Building Guide here. If you’re ready to take the next step, we’d love to hear more about your project. Let’s connect today.