Unless you picked your lot for farming too, chances are good that you liked the lot because of the trees and landscaping. A grand oak tree that has been there over 100 years can be really beautiful and provide lots of shade. But if that grand oak is in the middle of the lot, near where you wanted to build your new house, you may need to talk to the city or county to find out your options. Each municipality…

The rule of thumb when you are buying anything expensive is to “get three quotes and check references.” If you are planning to build a house on your own lot, you probably want to go one step further and make a checklist: How long has the builder been in business? Is the builder financially stable? If the builder requests excessive deposits up front, that could be a red flag. Does the builder have good relationships with financial institutions? Is the…

You are pretty sure that you want to buy your own lot and build a house on it. What is the next step? We have put together a list of articles to get you started: Financing: What is a construction to permanent loan Buying Land: How to pick the right lot: How to choose the right lot to build your home on in Tampa Bay 3 tips to choose the perfect lot to build your new house Building a new…

All State Homes was one of 184 builders from across the country to win the prestigious Builder Achievement Awards in the Foundation Builders category, awarded by 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty. 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty is an industry-leading provider of new home structural warranties and systems and appliances coverage for new and existing homes. According to their website, the Builder Achievement Awards Program “is a special program designed to acknowledge outstanding performance in the home building industry. Every year, 2-10 HBW selects…

The City of Tampa has designated Hyde Park, Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights and Ybor City as historical neighborhoods and provided District Overlays with strict rules for new structures. Ybor City and Tampa Heights still have some beautiful, affordable vacant lots, as well as lots with teardowns available. So how do you navigate the requirements to build a new house on one of those lots? The first step is to understand why there are District Overlays. Take Ybor City for example. The city says:…

The National Association of Home Builders has a list of questions to ask home builders before you select the company to build your dream home. We have listed the questions to ask the builder that apply to building a home on your own lot in Florida, along with the All State Homes response to each question: Will the builder give you references of recent buyers/occupants? All State Homes has been building homes since 1955 and can provide you with a number of…

A construction to permanent loan (also called CPL loan) is one loan that allows you to finance the construction of the house and then converts to a permanent mortgage loan. It functions as a line of credit to pay for the construction costs at each stage of the building process, and you pay interest on the amount you have drawn out. When the house has been completed and you have your occupancy permit, the loan switches to a monthly mortgage…

If you have not yet bought that perfect lot to build your dream house on, you may want to give some consideration to the following items that could save you money: Building in a flood zone will cost more. When you build a new home in a flood plain, the home has to meet a particular set of building requirements to prevent damage during a hurricane. At a minimum, the building has to be elevated above the 100 year Base…

Whether you are looking for a lot to build your house on, or you already own the lot, zoning will be an important item to take into consideration. Hillsborough County describes zoning as “how land is currently being used and how it will be used in the future. The goal is to provide for public safety and protect the character of neighborhoods.”  Municipalities divide up the land into zones for residential, commercial, industrial and other uses. Each zone has a map…

If you are considering purchasing a lot in a community with an HOA (Home Owners Association) to build your new home, you may want learn as much as you can about the HOA. The HOA is usually responsible for maintaining the common areas of a community, such as the main entrance, swimming pools, club houses, etc. Each land owner pays a fee to the HOA to cover the costs. The HOA has a governing board made up of volunteers from…