Building My New Parkwood Home Part 1: It Begins!
Moving on up!
We did it. We bit the bullet. We finally made the decision to leave our downtown townhouse and build in Stapleton’s Conservatory Green. Mid-thirties professionals with a two year old in tow? Yes…it’s time. Our Stapleton dream, which happens to be a Parkwood Homes “Newbury” plan (check out the floor plan and exterior elevation here!) won’t be ready until late summer 2016 – but that doesn’t mean I’m not obsessing yet. And who wouldn’t – right? That’s the point of building (and thus creating a Pinterest board for each room in the new place – www.pinterest.com/MarielMRoss)!
Some early tidbits in case you are thinking about building a new Stapleton home…each builder has different build timelines and lot availability. For example, you will find that some builders have waitlists for certain styles (Wonderland Homes), some have spec homes that are close to being ready (generally 3-6 months out, New Town Builders and David Weekley will be in this group) and those that are building from dirt (usually 6-13 months – Parkwood Homes is almost always dirt build). Make sure availability fits your timeline!
You’ll also need to be prepared to make some early crucial decisions that relate to the structure of the home. Do you want to finish the basement? Add a bath? Add a deck? These types of options, commonly referred to as “structural options”, will need to be selected when you go under contract as they affect the permitting process. If you are purchasing a spec home (one that already has structural options chosen), these options may not be able to be changed.
So what did we do? Well, anyone who knows me will assume I created a spreadsheet listing all the builders we’re interested in – pros and cons of each – detailed pricing models – lot locations, evaluations of available natural light and details of every structural option. And…okay, they would be right. Not only am I a real estate broker but I’m a very analytical one…I can’t help myself. To top it all off, when I found the right fit, I made a presentation for my husband. I’m just a little geeky like that – but it does mean that we agreed to leave the basement unfinished but to add a bath and Western facing deck to the 3rd floor. Oh how I dream of that deck.
Of course, once we started the process, I couldn’t stop talking about it to friends and family. As it turns out, new build is a fairly scary proposition for most of us. You don’t put in an offer, hear back in a day or so, participate in a bidding war, then drop off earnest money and plug away until you close a month or two later. No, these contracts are dramatically different with a variety of deadlines you would never see in a standard contract to buy & sell – earnest money varies from builder to builder – and the lending process can feel confusing.
Signing up for a new build in Conservatory Green, and Northfield in general, can be even more daunting, given the unique timelines and builder leverage. Never fear! The Scoop has lots of resources to help walk you through all of this (check out Joe’s FAQs here) and I will post my first-hand experiences along the way. This post is just the beginning so keep an eye on the Scoop to see my future steps along this home building journey.
If you want to chat about potentially building a new home in Stapleton for your family I’m here to help!
