Build the Home of Your Dreams

Now that the floorplans and front elevation are developed, it's on the the second step...deciding on the best lot...

Choosing the right lot involes several factors. Which city or town is best for you? Within that town, which is the best subdivision? Then, within that subdivision, which is the right lot? The decision is influenced significantly by the surroundings, such as commuting distance, local schools, and amenities such as shopping and entertainment. We can help you with much of the information to help make informed decisions. Obviously, if you're reading this, you also know that a wealth of information is available on the Internet.

Presently, we do most our building in McHenry County. This is more a function of where good land is available than any specific business strategy. McHenry County tends to have good lots at affordable prices, thus providing an excellent value. Statistically, McHenry County offers a couple of interesting facts...McHenry County is 4th in the entire country in percentage of owner-occupied housing at 81.8%. It also has the 16th highest median household income, at $69,299.00.

We also have an inventory of lots outside of McHenry County in areas such as Plainfield and the west side of Elgin. The west side of Elgin will be the site of our next showcase home, the 2006 Case Homes Parade Home.

We will build anywhere in Chicagoland to meet the needs of our clients and are eager to discuss what locations might be best for your lifestyle. This is particularly beneficial for out-of-town clients being relocated to the Chicago area.

Finding out about available lots for build-to-suit projects is often challenging. Most lots are not listed through Realtors and therefore not in the MLS. Inevitably, fewer lots are being made available to custom homebuilders. It's simply easier for the national production builders to acquire and develop land. But, there remains an industry of land developers dedicated to serving the custom homebuilder. This means that we are usually dialed-in to the land availabilty in the area and are a good source of this information.

Holding land inventory is capital-intensive so we tend not to hold land for long periods of time. We prefer to know where to find land than to hold a great deal. But, at any given time, we usually control lots in a few places. Here is our current inventory of lots.

Once a lot is selected, we usually require a $25,000 payment to secure the lot, along with a signed contract for the project. These two items are usually sufficient to secure the lot and the financing for the project.

While we're waiting to close on the lot acquisition, we will have the architect complete the plans and begin the municipal approval process. Once these items are complete and the lot has been acquired, we're ready to begin construction.

On to Step 3...The Building Process