Working on another New Construction with clients. Many agents are not comfortable doing new construction but I find it much more exciting than just looking at resales. With a new home we can actually build what a client wants and get very creative.

Read Full Article here

What does this mean for New Construction in our area?

Answer is going to sound a little repetitive. We are not the national market here in Charlottesville.
We have our own micro economy and sales (although not great) are consistently getting better.

Many clients do not realize that there is no additional cost to you as builders see the fee paid to a buyers agent as a marketing expense. I have several builders that want towork with me because it helps with a smoother transaction and they know that I have experience in the building process.

There are many challenges with building and I have even helped clients in the design of their homes. It is an amazing process and does require personal attention.

One thing clients need to be aware of is that I represent your interests, not the builders and this is a very important point.

Below you will be able to quickly set a price point and see “Proposed” listings by setting the property type. Using this map search is quick and easy.

Many times we find the perfect home already built and this is where my negotiation skills and knowledge of market conditions saves you a great deal of time and money.

Let me know if you have any questions?

Working with new construction and builders is a big part of my business. Many of my clients choose to build their dream home in Charlottesville and there are some excellent builder to choose from in our area. As your buyers agent I will help you though the process of finding the perfect building site and working with you and the builder to completion

Many clients do not realize that there is no additional cost to you as builders see the fee paid to a buyers agent as a marketing expense. I have several builders that want towork with me because it helps with a smoother transaction and they know that I have experience in the building process.

There are many challenges with building and I have even helped clients in the design of their homes. It is an amazing process and does require personal attention.

One thing clients need to be aware of is that I represent your interests, not the builders and this is a very important point.

Below you will be able to quickly set a price point and see “Proposed” listings by setting the property type. Using this map search is quick and easy.

In reading my blog you know that we are building a custom home with my clients in the Charlottesville area with a local builder.

The process started with purchasing the lot and then designing the home. This certainly took some time, but it was not long before we broke ground:

Well, I stopped by yesterday (acrtually I stop by at least once a week) and the progress is going very well. We are under roof, have windows in and also electrical.

This will be one of the largest homes built in Old Trail and it is hard to get a good feel for the size from the photo, but look at the front porch and also we have a full finished basement.

We are doing several inspections along the way and it will not be long before we have this fine home finished!

# of Views : 471]]> http://www.charlottesvillerealestatesolutions.com/2010/10/the-building-process-of-a-custom-built-homethe-building-process-of-a-custom-built-home-in-old-trail-from-charlottesville-real-estate/feed/ 0 http://www.charlottesvillerealestatesolutions.com/2010/10/building-and-charlottesville-with-charles-mcdonald/ http://www.charlottesvillerealestatesolutions.com/2010/10/building-and-charlottesville-with-charles-mcdonald/#comments Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:54:01 +0000 Charles McDonald http://www.mycharlottesvilleblog.com/2010/10/discussing-building-and-charlottesville-real-estate-with-charles-mcdonald/ New Construction

The word(s) of the day is “NEW CONSTRUCTION”!!!

(above photo is a new home for one of my clients, currently being built…the views are amazing)

Many times a client will not find the perfect home or location when looking for Charlottesville real estate. So it is not uncommon for us to talk about new construction. About 50% of my current contracts are new construction and I am talking with builders and looking at land every week.

So I may ask the question, should we consider building?

The answer is often wrapped around schedule. If a client has the time, new construction may be the best option.

Let’s talk!

It’s better to build if:

• You already own land or can buy an area at a suitable location within your budget.
• You have easy access to building materials.
• You know a good contractor who is trustworthy and capable of finishing your project on time and within your budget.
• You want a custom-designed home instead of a cookie cutter model.
• You want to save costs and are willing to take the extra effort that building a home entails in order to reduce your total expenditure.
• You’re not in a hurry for a new home.

It’s better to buy if:

• You don’t want the hassles associated with the day-to-day operations of building a house.
• You don’t own land in neighbourhoods where you would prefer to live.
• You have the money for a substantial down payment now but are unsure if your cash flow is smooth enough to support building a home in an economy of constantly rising prices.
• There is a chance that you may have to stop construction because of financial or other reasons.
• You prefer to move in immediately.
• You’ve found a home that is satisfactory and convenient.

A word of caution before you invest in a home – irrespective of whether you buy or build, you need to choose or construct a home that is easy and cost-effective when it comes to maintenance, and which is easy to sell after a few years if you ever have to move or need another home for various reasons. So while a swimming pool, fireplaces and a wet bar are great ideas for your home, they boost the price by a significant amount when you’re hoping to sell and also take out a large chunk of your income by way of maintenance. Instead of investing in a home that is largely superfluous and excessive, be practical for the most part while allowing yourself a few choice indulgences – this is how you maximize the value of a home.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Nicole Adams, she writes on the topic of construction management degree .  She welcomes your comments at her email id: nicole.adams83@gmail.com .

Note: Charles works with several local builders in the area but does not represent them. He represents only his clients interests. If you are considering building you may want to give Charles McDonald a call at 434-515-1585 or visit him on the Web at Charlottesville Real Estate Group

Posted via email from Charlottesville Real Estate

Working on another New Construction with clients. Many agents are not comfortable doing new construction but I find it much more exciting than just looking at resales. With a new home we can actually build what a client wants and get very creative.

NOTE: Brief message sent from my BlackBerry®

regards, Charles McDonald, (cell) 434-981-1585
Associate BROKER, Licensed to sell Real Estate in Virginia

Posted via email from Charlottesville’s posterous

The ceiling is in and we are still deciding if we want to paint it White or stain it cedar….

maybe a pale blue???

What is your vote?

As with any project, the devil is in the details.

Here are the posts with and without the trim that truely makes it finished:

Here is just a post:

Here is a post with trim in place (remember nothing is painted yet…)

One of my favorite things to do is build a new home in Charlottesville with my clients. There is something about new construction that brings out the engineer in me. I love the details and the design. My builders in Charlottesville are craftsmen, many of which will be on site with tools in hand! 

If you want to follow along on the progress of our new room, see the links below:

Charlottesville Construction Part 5

Charlottesville Construction Part 4

Charlottesville Construction Part 3

Charlottesville Construction Part 1 and 2

More to follow!!!

I heard a loud clank and I arose to see what was the matter…. Well it sort of happened that way. I was getting ready to go out showing Charlottesville Real Estate when I heard a large truck arrive…

Our decking and railing material was here! It feels like Christmas!  By the time I got my camera, they were already unloading!

Now I want you to take a good look at the smile on the operators face…

is he having fun or what?

My wife says that he must be good at those games where you put in 50 cents and operate a crane to grab a stuffed animal!

Watching this is fascinating!

If you want to follow along on the progress of our new room, see the links below:

Charlottesville Construction Part 4

Charlottesville Construction Part 3

Charlottesville Construction Part 1 and 2

Stay Tuned!!!

We are progressing so fast that while I am out showing Charlottesville Real Estate, I am missing a lot of the building process!

We are now installing the trim using a product called Miratec. This is a Treated Exterior Composite that is widely used in the area.

Working with a lot of my clients who build I get exposed to many different types of materials!

Now while I was out yesterday the electricians came and installed the wiring for 4 can lights and 2 fans…

Soon we will have all the trim completed and the ceiling and decking material will arrive!

Charlottesville Construction Part 3

Charlottesville Construction Part 1 and 2

Stay Tuned!!!

We are off to a great start and step 3 is Framing. I am amazed at how fast this step is going. We are using micro-lam to span the 20 foot face of the room to preserve the view. The beams will be wrapped between 10-12 inches and we are still deciding on the roof and ceiling materials.

Here is another photo of the open front where the micro-lam is spanning 20 feet!

Here is a link to Part 1 and Part 2:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/649222/Step-1-and-2

Stay tuned for more photos!!!

Part 1 is a plan. I started by looking at many of the homes in our market, taking photos, selecting materials and even drawing up the plans myself.

Well we are off to the races and the progress is going along nicely.

THE DECK PRIOR TO STARTING

Part 2 is “Demolition” you see our old deck was made of pressure treated material and stained several times. Now it looked ok, but I was tired of the work and since we decided to add an outdoor room. Now was the time for a change.

So demotition begins:

THE FIRST BOARDS ARE REMOVED…

THE BUILDER HAS THE PLAN!!! (and a watchful eye)

This step really only took a couple of hours and the deck was removed and we had a clean slate. Now the real work begins, we start to work on the structure….

Stay Tuned!!!

Everyone is saying this is a “Buyers Market” and there is no question about that!
Buyers and hesitant to just buy, but I say why not Build!!!

Why would you want to “build” right now vs buy a resale?
(((3 Reasons)))

1. Interest rates are low  

2. Builders have to sell homes and you can make incredible deals!  

3. You actually get the “Home of your DREAMS!!!”

Contact me for details about New Construction in and around Charlottesville Virginia!

Best regards from Charlottesville!

Charles McDonald
REALTOR, Licensed to sell Real Estate in the Commonwealth of Virginia