Building a custom home is usually a project years in the making — you’ll spend plenty of time saving up, as financing a custom home is quite a bit different than a traditional mortgage. Even before the saving truly begins, though, you’ll scroll through nearly-perfect floor plans that just need a few changes or even draw up you dream home from scratch.

One often-overlooked aspect of planning for a custom home, however, is the actual land that your dream house will be built on.

The inside of your home is important — after all, it’s where you’ll spend each and every day. Equally important is the location, terrain, and type of land you build on. Should you speak to a custom home builder before you buy land? Is it better to wait until after you’ve purchased your ideal home site to start shopping around for local home builders in Greenville, SC?

We have the answer.

Should You Speak to a Custom Home Builder Before You Buy Land?

We believe you should speak to a custom home builder before you buy land. Here’s why:

First off, you’ll want to know that you’re buying the right kind of land to support the type of home you hope to build. Many of our clients have assumed that the land in Upstate South Carolina is all pretty much the same, but nothing could be further from the truth!

Land built near rivers, creeks, or other natural water features may be less solid in makeup than land located on a large flat plain or on an elevated hill. While both types of land are perfectly fine for homebuilding, the kind of terrain you’re searching for does affect how your home will be built. A floor plan that includes a finished basement as a good chunk of its square footage may not be the right choice if you build in an area prone to flooding, for instance.

When you’re calling to shop around with local custom home builders, ask if they’d be willing to consult with you on the type of land you’re looking for and how your floor plan would be affected by it. A good home builder will be able to help you ensure that your floor plan and home site go perfectly hand-in-hand.

Location is key to homeowner happiness, so don’t overlook it.

The old saying in real estate is that it’s all about “location, location, location”, and whoever thought that up had a pretty good point. The perfect heavily-wooded country lot with a bubbling brook and acreage for Rover to roam far and wide won’t work if your family prefers to be close to the action or call out for delivery food. On the other hand, a small home site just minutes from downtown Greenville could make you miserable in the long run if you really wanted plenty of privacy and hate the sound of traffic.

Even the most beautiful house won’t feel like a home if it’s located somewhere inconvenient or unpleasant for the family living there.

We recommend taking a look at a map of the general area you’re hoping to live in, and drawing circles around the locations that work best for the type of home site you’re searching for. Then, you’ll be better prepared to take a look at real estate listings for empty home sites or new developments, since you’ll know exactly where you’re looking to build.

Give a builder a call before you buy.

Odds are good you’re in the market for a custom home builder who can back up their promises with plenty of experience building in your chosen area. A good home builder will want to be sure you’re happy with the end result, and that includes ensuring that your chosen home site suits your lifestyle and the floor plan you have in hand… or helping you to develop a new floor plan from scratch.

Looking to Build a Custom Home in Simpsonville, SC?

Five Star Construction has nearly thirty years of custom home building experience in Upstate South Carolina, and we’re ready to go above and beyond to give our homeowners everything they’ve been searching for. We build in a radius around Simpsonville and Greenville, SC, and we’d love to speak with you about bringing your custom home dreams to life.

Give Five Star Construction a call at (864) 303-9143 or contact us online at any time.