Home Buliding and Interior Design

Owner builder construction is growing in popularity at a tremendous pace around the country as more and more people look to save money by building their own home. If you are considering being an owner builder to build your next house, then you need to know these 8 benefits of modular construction before you begin.

1. Highly engineered.

Whether you want to be an owner builder or hire a licensed general contractor, modular construction will be a good option to ensure the home is well engineered. In the past, there was a stigma about modular construction, because the earliest versions of the homes were poorly built.

But, the modular industry has come a long way. An owner builder can rest assured that a modular home will be engineered properly. Nowadays, unlike twenty years ago, there is a big difference between modular homes and manufactured homes.

2. Generally lower cost per square foot.

If you want to be an owner builder, you will save money in most cases by building a modular home versus hiring a general contractor to build the house for you. In fact, modular construction is somewhat comparable in cost to owner builder construction on site. In general, you will pay a little more, though, for the convenience of having the modular home built for you in the factory. However, if you compare owner builder modular construction to hiring a GC to build your home on site, then you should almost always see savings by going the modular route.

3. Built in a factory environment, eliminating timber warp and resulting in improved fit.

Because a modular home is not built on site, the lumber is not left outdoors to endure the weather. Therefore, the materials are not subject to timber warp, and your framing will fit together more precisely. Once the modular home is erected on the foundation on site, it will be weather tight, and the owner builder can then take his time to do the few remaining items required to complete the home.

4. Efficient building process and material usage saves on costs and material waste.

Any owner builder who goes through the typical on site construction process will tell you that there is always a lot of waste. It can’t be avoided, as you have to estimate the amount of lumber and other materials needed to build your home. This waste translates directly to money out of your pocket. A modular home, however, is built in the factory to pre-known specs, so there is much less waste.

5. Speed of construction cuts down the time frame tremendously, yielding interest savings on your construction loan.

As an owner builder goes through construction, interest accrues against the money that he has borrowed. Every month that goes by means more money that the owner builder owes in interest. Modular construction will drastically reduce the time needed to build the home, and you will therefore have less interest payment costs.

6. Less to manage.

This seems simple and obvious, but it’s vitally important, especially with owner builder construction. If you have never built your own home before, you will quickly realize that managing the myriad of sub-contractors can become a real burden. But, if you build a modular home, you will have much less work to oversee. Depending on the specific modular package that you purchase, you may have only one or two things to do to finish the home.

7. Built to meet or exceed local standards.

Modular homes nowadays are going to be engineered specifically to meet your local building code requirements. It takes a lot of the design and management off the shoulders of the owner builder. This means no more sweating over county code inspections.

8. Makes owner builder construction possible for some people who otherwise would need to hire a GC.

Because the process is simple for the customer, modular construction lends it self perfectly to owner builder construction. You can very easily build your own home without having to hire a general contractor. This will mean large savings in time and money for the construction of your home. There are many examples where the owner builder would not have been able to manage the project without a GC unless they went with a modular home.

Purchasing a home is the largest cheque most people will ever sign, so making sure you have all the information at hand before making your purchase is important.  In addition to your down-payment there will be various closing costs that you will need to think about as well.  These costs can add up to quite a substantial amount of money.  But for many home buyers, especially first-time home buyers, these extra costs could be offset, at least in part, by available rebate programs.  Here are 4 home buyer rebate programs you need to know about.

Land Transfer Tax Refund for First-Time Home Buyers
Every buyer in Ontario must pay the government a land transfer tax which is based on a percentage of what the home sold for.  First-time home buyers however can apply for a rebate for and receive a rebate for all of a portion of the tax paid.  Other provinces may have similar programs available and in Ontario the maximum amount that would be refunded is $2,000.  Some cities, such as Toronto, have also implemented their own land transfer tax but this too can be refunded to eligible buyers.  That’s nothing to sneeze at.

GST Rebate For New Home Purchases
If you buy a resale home you generally do not have to pay GST on the purchase price.  Not so however if you buy a new home construction.  New homes are subject to GST on the purchase price but there is a rebate program for this as well.  In general eligible new home buyers can apply for a refund of all or a part of the GST.  Keep in mind though that some builders include the GST in the price of the new home and any GST refund would go to them since they are the ones who absorbed the GST in the first place.

Affordable Housing Program
Government is continually trying to make home ownership affordable and available to everyone and with any government program the rules can be complex.  In a nutshell the affordable housing program allows those people who qualify to apply for a government grant for the down-payment of their home.  Municipalities and provinces have different rules as to who qualifies so check with your real estate professional for more details.

Home Buyers’ Plan
For most people looking to buy their first home the monthly mortgage payments are not the issue.  Mortgage payments are usually close to what they are already paying in rent.  The biggest obstacle to buying a home is coming up with the down-payment.  If you have money in your RRSP however you can withdraw up to $20,000 tax free for the purpose of using it as your down-payment.  This money needs to be paid back to your RRSP within fifteen years and payments need to be made to it every year.

It is important to do your research and speak with your real estate professional to find out more on theses programs and which ones you will be eligible for.  Even qualifying for only one program can save you a substantial amount of money.

An energy credit is a tax credit – a payment made on the taxes you owe. A tax credit offers you a larger impact on your tax liability than a deduction because it is deducted from the tax money that is owed as opposed to deducting the money from the total liability. Home builders across the United States are eligible for a $2,000 tax credit per sold home. These credits will be doled out using the guidelines set up by the Department of Energy’s Energy Star standards for builders that can meet the standards.

Site Built Homes

New homes have to be energy efficient homes that exceed the Energy Star standards set by the new Department of Energy for energy efficiency. The Energy Star standards are a set of guidelines that were implemented in 2004 as part of an incentive to reduce energy consumption. Site built homes are eligible to receive the credit as are manufactured homes (see below). For homes that are site built they must be built in the United States and have energy efficiency ratings of at least 50% over the guidelines that are set forth in the 2004 Energy Star Regulations. Only homes that have been built after 2005 are eligible for the tax credit. At least one fifth of the energy savings must be derived from the area of the home that is heated/cooled. The homes must pass using Department of Energy software and also have to be inspected by an independent third party inspector certified by the DOE. The home has to be ready for occupancy by December 31 of the year construction began.

Manufactured Homes

Manufactured homes that are built have to have an energy efficiency rating of at least 30% over the 2004 Energy Star guidelines; the available tax credit for manufactured homes is $1000 per home. The Manufactured homes have to have been manufactured after 2005 and be certified using the same Department of Energy Software and third party inspection is also required by a certified DOE inspector as site built homes. The manufactured home has to be delivered and setup and ready for occupancy no later than December 31 of the year it was manufactured.

How Can a Home Qualify?

To qualify a building for the credit certain materials can be used. Energy efficient windows, well constructed foundations, heavily insulated attics, walls, ceilings. Using alternate energy sources can also qualify as long as the rating meets that 50% mark for site built and 30% mark for manufactured. With newer materials available today and newer technology used in building these marks are not that hard to reach.

Other Credits

The tax credit has been extended through 2016. Specific energy credits through the federal government are not available to builders of new homes yet but the credits are available to the home owner. Some states offer energy credits to new home builders for implementing solar and other alternate energy sources in new home construction, an interested party will have to check with the state that they do business in to check out the regulations.

If you are thinking about purchasing a home in Minnesota there are a few things you should know. Here is a list of items that will help you to have a stress free home buying experience.

Realtor

If you don’t own a home you could spend plenty of time searching online trying to find the perfect home. This is why you should enlist a buyer’s agent to help you. Most people only consider getting a real estate agent when they are selling their home, but a realtor is helpful for new purchases as well. They will have listing of houses that up for sell before they are put on the MLS-multiple listing service. So if it is a really good deal you wont even know about it. They’ll find out your price range, and the best neighborhood that fits your needs.

Mortgage Agent

Before you can buy a home, you will need to know the exact amount you qualify for. The only way to do this is by completing and submitting a loan application. This way you’ll be what is known as pre-qualified. Many times real estate agents will not take you as a serious buyer unless you’ve completed this process. Some new home builders will have their own mortgage company to represent them which they might give special incentives to get a loan with them. A mortgage agent will work with you to help you pick out the best loan for you that you can afford.

Government Programs/Tax Credits

The government at any given time may have special tax credits for home buyers. Whether it is for buying a new home as a first or second time buyer to buying a green energy home, you want to see exactly if any programs may apply to you. You don’t want to pass up any deals that could affect the price of your home.

Credit History

Your credit affects everything. If you had poor credit practices in your youth this could affect the purchase of buying a house. You need to ensure that you get a credit report and see if there are any discrepancies which need to be removed. This needs to be done a year before you start buying a house as if there are any problems it may take months to get it cleared. If you find a house that your family really likes it could be gone or worse you might not even qualify. You don’t want this to happen.

Closing Costs

You will need to know if you are buying an older home if the seller is willing to pay a portion towards your closing costs. If you can bargain with the owner, this will keep more money in your pocket. New home builders may also offer an incentive towards closing costs. You need to ask and inquire. If they have a lot of inventory they may be willing to negotiate. You will need to have funds in your accounts to cover this in case you won’t get money towards this.

Savings

You shouldn’t spend all your funds on your new house purchase! You don’t know that expenses you might incur. You might have to replace anything that might not have been covered under a home warranty it is an older home. You will also end up getting new furnishings for your new home that can add up pretty quickly.

As a Minnesota home buyer, you will need to make sure that you keep the above things in mind to have a stress-free experience.