Navigating the intricate world of property development and homebuilding can be daunting. Fortunately, Devmco Group’s Development Director, Schalk Theunissen, and Director of Sales and Marketing at Devmco Realty, Pamela Naidu, recently delved into an enlightening podcast episode on the topic of purchasing land and building your dream home.
Home-building isn’t a mere transaction, it’s a journey. While filled with excitement, it also comes with its fair share of complexities.
The Devmco Group podcast with Schalk and Pamela is a testament to our commitment to guiding prospective homeowners through this intricate process, from when you purchase land to when you build your home.
The increasing trend of purchasing vacant land and building homes isn’t a mere whim. Today, homeowners seek more than just a house; they desire a unique space that mirrors their identity. This trend, as Pamela aptly pointed out, is driven by several factors:
Customisation: The ability to design and tailor-make a home down to the smallest details. Technological compatibility: Modern homes cater to the evolving tech-centric world, ensuring homeowners stay connected effortlessly.
Eco-friendliness: The need for better energy efficiency, reducing environmental impact and saving overall costs.
Flexibility: From selecting the location to the size, buying and building provide a level of flexibility that pre-built homes often cannot.
While the journey of creating a bespoke home can be thrilling, it isn’t devoid of challenges. As Schalk emphasised, the process requires a well-laid plan and awareness of potential pitfalls. A few invaluable pointers include:
Selecting a stellar team: A home’s durability and aesthetics lie in the hands of professionals working on it. From architects to builders, ensuring each member of your team has a commendable track record is paramount.
Budgeting and planning: Unplanned expenses can quickly inflate a budget. Adhering to a budget and ensuring meticulous planning from the beginning can stave off unexpected costs.
“Generally, you find people have very specific needs, so they have control over the build budget. They can build a modern home that is more tech-friendly and energy-efficient. They have a choice of position, size, and location of the land.” – Pamela Naidu
Understanding the process: From getting your architectural and structural plans in order, ensuring all regulatory clearances are filed and approved, to selecting competent builders, homeowners should strive for thoroughness at every step. Knowledge is your safeguard against costly mistakes.
“A key step most people miss, is to try and learn and understand what they need to do in order to build a house. Make sure you know the cost before you start the build.” – Schalk Theunissen
Kitchen planning: A recurrent oversight many face is leaving kitchen planning until the last minute. Engaging with a kitchen designer early ensures efficient space utilisation and compatibility with plumbing and electrical installations.
Entering the world of property buying and building requires more than just an architectural plan. It’s intertwined with legal processes and paperwork. Some of these crucial stages, as highlighted by Pamela, include:
Land sales agreement: This document signifies the commencement of your journey. Signing it sets the ball rolling, leading to the engagement of attorneys who will guide you through the legal maze.
Financial aspects: From initial deposits to understanding the lending dynamics of banks, it’s vital to grasp the financial commitments. Often, banks offer loans covering a portion of the purchase price, leaving homeowners to address the deficit.
Engaging with Homeowners’ Associations: Tapping into the experience of these associations can provide insights into common challenges and best practices, especially if building within an estate.
As a leader in property development, Devmco Group serves as both developers and development managers, offering end-to-end solutions for every stage of the property development journey. Our approach is hands-on, professional, and most importantly, accountable.
Understanding our market is crucial and risk management is a responsibility we take seriously. We ensure each project is of the highest quality, remains on budget, and is delivered on time. We balance this with our role as innovative thinkers, ensuring we maintain a strong design ethos.
Most importantly, we don’t depend on external service providers. By handling the essential utilities and infrastructure early on, we maintain better control over quality and timeliness. This helps us stay true to our commitment to being eco-conscious.
Stay tuned to Devmco Group for more enriching sessions, aiming to empower listeners with the knowledge they need to transform their dream homes into reality.
Whether you’re a first-time builder or an experienced homeowner, there’s always something new to learn in the ever-evolving world of property development.