Relocating to San Antonio | Relocation Resources for Moving to San Antonio

Now that you’re relocating to the San Antonio area, it might be time to consider building a custom home. One good reason is that you can build a larger house with many extras at an affordable cost, particularly compared to building costs on either coast. A regional advantage is that due to our temperate weather, building takes place year around. Once you meet with a few builders and review ideas, plans and budgets, you’ll get a timeframe of how long the process will take and can better determine if a custom home suits your lifestyle. Keep in mind, that master-planned communities in the area also offer custom home building options, which will provide you with built-in community amenities and features.

First, you’ll need to do some research. If you already have a Realtor, he or she can help by recommending a custom builder. You can also visit the Greater San Antonio Builders Association (www.sabuilders.com), click on Find a Builder and select the county and community where you’ll find lists of custom home builders. To get ideas on what style of home you’d like to build, look at magazines that include custom home designs. Also start thinking about materials you’d like to use for the exterior – brick, Texas limestone or other materials.

Another great way for San Antonio residents to begin the custom-home building process is to visit the Greater San Antonio Builders Association New Home Information Center. Located at 3625 Paesanos Parkway, it’s a one-stop shop for consumers to pick up a variety of brochures and information on San Antonio’s area builders, communities and developments. It can also serve as a centralized meeting location for the builder and consumer to meet and discuss their future home plans. The New Home Information Center is open to the public from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday - Friday. For more information, visit the association’s website or call (210) 696-3800.

Getting Started
When you hear the word “custom” associated with the home building industry, you probably think of a one-of-a kind home with everything you ever dreamed, right down to the door knobs, at a price reserved for people with large, six-figure incomes. At one time, that was probably correct. But things are changing.

Today, there are myriad custom home options and a variety of different levels of custom home builders in the San Antonio area. There’s still the full-time, custom home builder who builds a few homes each year. There are higher-volume builders, who will customize a home by moving walls or adding square footage. There are even higher-volume builders who offer custom options in just a few areas of the home, such as kitchens with sunrooms or kitchens as part of the family room.

Keep in mind that a custom feature is not the same as an optional feature. Options are usually standard features that are perceived as adding value, such as built-in cabinetry, granite countertops, crown molding or finished basements. Custom features, however, are very personal. What one homeowner likes, another may abhor. So the added value literally is in the eye of the beholder. This is one reason why most builders will ask for you to pay for custom features up front.

By expanding the definitions and boundaries of custom home building, builders have given home buyers more opportunities to build their dream homes without starting from scratch. To customize or not to customize hinges on two things – what you want and how much you are willing to spend.

If you know what you want, have a budget in mind and do decide to proceed, consider these four important steps at the beginning of the process.

How to Select the Right Custom Home Builder
As part of your search to find a quality home builder, consider some basic requirements.

Be sure the builder has an established track record and a good reputation in the community. Ask for names and numbers of other clients and call them to ask about their experience with the builder. Is the builder a member of the Greater San Antonio Builders Association? Call the Better Business Bureau to determine if there are any complaints against a builder. Usually, a clean record is a very good sign.

Does the prospective builder offer a variety of floor plans and do they match your expectations? That is important as choice is one of the main reasons why you’re building a custom home and not a tract house. The builder should also be able to adapt the floor plan to the topography of your lot.

Is the builder active with multiple projects? This is a good sign and indicates he has buying power, which can result in the best prices for high quality goods. You could save money on the purchase price of appliances, light fixtures, flooring and more. Find out if the builder maintains a design center where you could coordinate your cabinetry and other options. He shouldn’t be too busy, however, that he’s spread too thin.