OK, so you made a visit to Sedona, Arizona, you fell in love with the beauty of the land and community, and now you want to live in Sedona. You may have looked at homes for sale, but nothing was quite right, so you are hunting for the perfect lot to build the custom home you’ve always wanted. Congratulation, you’ve made a wise decision. There is nothing like the perfect custom home, designed and built around the way you live. But first things first, you will need to find a great lot. To do this right, you will need to surround yourself with a great team of professionals. Here are some important points.
Hire a seasoned Real Estate Agent: It is important to find a Realtor who has a good supply of listings for vacant land, and who enjoys new home design. Your Realtor will need to know the Sedona Neighborhoods inside and out to guide you to the best locations. Great Realtors also know the Subdivision requirements and are familiar with the CC&Rs or HOA requirements. Be prepared with a list of the things most important to you and your family, like the size of home and proximity to schools, shopping, work and recreation.
Hire an experienced Design Professional: It is equally as important to find a House Designer or Residential Architect to help you get the house in your head, detailed onto paper for a Builder to use with his team of contractors. Start by having your designer walk the lot with you and your Realtor. Your designer can help you determine if the lot is buildable, if it has a good Solar orientation, and if there are high cost centers associated with the lot. A great designer will also help you capture views, plan for privacy, and plan for out door living in Sedona. Sedona is a unique high-desert environment, so your designer should be equipped with green building credentials to guide you properly. If you are looking for an integrated design, then your designer should also have a background in interior design and landscape design, or help you build a full team of design pros. Make a list of all features that you will want in your home and share the list with your designer.
A side note about views! Not all views are worth fighting for, especially if the view is to the west into the setting sun! So bring your designer with you and make sure he understands passive solar design in the Southwest!
Plan to hire a reputable Home Builder: It you want the house that you’ve designed to be built exactly as you envisioned, you will need an experienced Builder. You will have spent countless hours your designers to get the house in your head just as you imagined. Your Builder and subcontractors will be the team that gets your house onto your Sedona lot. The builder and Designer will work together for you right to the finish line. Builders are the experts when it comes to building a realistic budget and construction schedule for your project. A good builder will have a team of subcontractors that have worked together, and who can interpret drawings and specification that have been prepared by your house designer, interior designer and so on.
Once you find the right lot, then get started with design right away. A custom home project can take up to two years on average once you start design to the time you move in. Be patient, take all the steps to do it right! Here is more on the PROCESS. Enjoy your new home in Sedona!
Paolo has an extensive career building a portfolio of nearly 600 projects. Paolo relocated to Sedona, Arizona in 2011 to celebrate the community’s emphasis on creativity, art, architecture, and, above all, imagination. By day, he is the main design professional with Sustainable Sedona, by night he is a singer in local spots found throughout the Sedona area. To contact Paolo: 928-282-0618, or email or SustainableSedona.com.
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