Home Construction Items to Consider
Do you have your perfect piece of property in the country and thinking about building in the future?
When you’re ready to start building your dream home in the country, you’ll need someone on your side who can work with you to ensure your rural living dreams become a reality. At Farm Credit of Northwest Florida we’ve helped people just like you build their rural home.
Financing Your Rural Home
Why finance your rural home construction with Farm Credit? We offer a convenient one-time construction to permanent loan closing option. That means you pay one set of closing costs and go through the application process once.
Our construction loans give you 12 full months to complete your build and a very convenient draw schedule that will keep your contractors paid and help keep your construction on schedule.
Once your project is complete, you can convert your construction loan to a traditional mortgage without costly refinancing fees.
Give us a call at 855-GoRural or visit www.GoRural.net to get started with one of our Rural Lending Experts.
You own your piece of property in the country...Now what? Here are some tips to get you started on your home construction project.
Work with a team of experts
One of the first steps is to secure financing. Contact Farm Credit of Northwest Florida to learn more about securing financing for your home construction. Search for a builder in your area that is familiar with building rural homes similar to the one they would build for you. Speak to homeowners who have worked with the builders previously for a reference.
Zoning
Contact municipal, county and state officials regarding zoning laws that could affect your construction. Ask about future zoning of your area which could affect your property’s value.
Check the floodplain map
Properties in floodplains will cost more to insure and may require modifications in building plans and specifications. Consider the topographical features that could affect where you build on your land.
Survey
Consider getting a survey on the property to ensure you’re building on your property and not too close to the property lines. You would hate to construct a fence or building, only to discover that it’s not on your land rather on your neighbor’s. Unfortunately this happens. To avoid confusion, be sure to have a surveyor examine property lines.
Permits
In order to build, your contractors will need to obtain permits, including but not limited to a general building permit and permits for electricity and plumbing. Usually, your general contractor will take care of these and scheduling inspections. However, as the owner, you are ultimately responsible for making sure permits are opened prior to work starting and closed when work is complete.
Ask about road maintenance
Some country roads are county maintained while others may be privately owned and maintained. Understand who will pay for the repairs and maintenance when necessary.
Septic, Water and Electricity
For your rural home you may need to install a septic tank, get water access and electricity. To install a septic tank, you must arrange for a soil evaluation and percolation test to determine how much water can percolate through the soil. For water, you may need to have a well drilled to reach groundwater. Costs can be significant depending on the depth of the well so you may consider adding that to your budget. The well water will not be treated so you may need to purchase a water softener as well. Check out the electricity situation. Is there available electric service ran to your property? If not, you may have to pay an electric cooperative to run lines to your property.
Location, Location, Location
You should consider the placement of the home on the property. Your builder will need a clear and easily accessible area to get started on your construction project. The location of the property will also play into efect the resale value of the property and home if you ever plan to sell.