Custom Home Builders? (Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond: fit in, real estate, neighborhood)

[dirac]

We are searching for lot purchase to build a new home.

So we are looking for a custom home builder who can:
- do early land feasibility and cost study before buying the land
- design, file permit and build

Or a not-too-expensive architect who can do all above except the build part.

houzz.com has lots of them but most of the reviews are for remodeling. The rest seems to be some very high-end designer homes. (We pre-approved for around $1m, but it's for both lot and building cost, so we are not in the market for very fancy ones).

and we are open to any home building suggestions.


Thanks in advance.

[homesinseattle]

dirac, I have had a number of clients over the years consider this path and then change their minds and buy a nice existing home. Problems with the buy land/build idea:

-Builders/developers snap up all of the desirable land a reasonable distance from town.
-Contractors/architects are extremely busy right now, hard to find one.
-The process takes a long time, affecting quality of life, needless stress in your life.

Why not be open to a existing home? There are some great places out there.

[Gabbythecat]

Where are you looking to build? I know of a place for 190k about 4 miles from Granite Falls. 10.5 acres, water and utilities at the street. Permitting in Snohomish County is relatively easy; this is a buildable lot.

We built our custom house in a year, from time of closing on property to actual move in. This is a nice, gated neighborhood.

I don't know how booked the builders are in this area, though.

I am not a real estate agent, just a satisfied home owner. :=)

[homesinseattle]

Yes Gabby, there are spots in Granite Falls. That's a long way from Seattle or Bellevue. $1 million buys you some pretty nice existing places a lot closer in.

[Gabbythecat]

I suppose it depends on what you are looking for and how a commute would fit into your life. In this neighborhood I know of people that commute to Sea-tac, Edmonds, Seattle, and Redmond. If you want to make something like this work, it can be possible. :-)

[homesinseattle]

I hear you, Gabby. I actually love it out that way and have sold a few homes out there. Commuting is an issue but more important to many of my clients is just being closer to the culture of town. Over the years, I have received countless calls from people to sell their homes. What they say often sounds like this: "I moved to the country years ago and always said that the distance wouldn't matter, that I could drive to things in Seattle whenever I wanted. Well, the reality is that it does matter, people tend to spend most of their time where they live".

[Gabbythecat]

(shrug) Well, so far it's working for my neighbors. Some of them have been here 10+ years. There aren't many small towns in King County any more - even Duvall has become more crowded. We really have a small town culture here, which is a plus for some people.

At any rate, "Seattle area" can mean many things to many people. And we really don't know where the OP works or what s/he would consider a reasonable commute.

The plus about building our own home, btw, was we got *exactly* what we wanted.