We asked each of our "owner
builders" the following questions and have listed the most common responses. |
| Q. |
|
How long did it take to build your home? |
| A. |
|
6 to 9 months on average, depending upon how much of the work they did themselves. You can save money by doing some of the work yourself, but it takes longer. |
| |
| Q. |
|
Had you ever built a home prior to this one. |
| A. |
|
Other than the rare exception, most of the people who attend classes and build their own homes have no prior experience. Yes you can learn to build a home by attending our classes. |
| |
| Q. |
|
Did you like or dislike your spouse more or less after finishing the building project? How about during the project? |
| A. |
|
We asked this question partly in jest and partly because people are always joking around about how building a home causes divorces. The answers, in every case, were that our owner builders are still in love. Some did report stress during the project, but after the home was completed they still loved each other. |
| |
| Q. |
|
What did it cost you per square foot for the construction? And did you save money? |
| A. |
|
Every single owner builder
reported that they saved money.
Because we are providing the
financing on may of these homes
we know that a typical owner
built home appraises for a
minimum of 20% more than the
cost. Think of that, 20% equity
when you move in. It takes years
of making payments to acquire
20% equity. |
| |
| Q. |
|
What was the best part of building your own home? |
| A. |
|
"Pride of accomplishment", "Getting it just the way we wanted it", and "Seeing your dream come true" are the most common remarks. Interesting that saving money was not the number one best experience. |
| |
| Q. |
|
What was the worst part. |
| A. |
|
"Dealing with the subs", and "managing the money" were the most common responses. |
| |
| Q. |
|
How difficult was it to obtain financing as an owner builder? |
| A. |
|
This was some what a loaded question as we had provided the financing for most of these people. They all felt it was an easy process. (I could have told you that) Actually it is easy if you can show that you are prepared to manage your project. Attending our classes and obtaining a certificate of completion is evidence to many construction lenders of your qualification to act as an owner contractor. |
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