Custom or pre-designed? That is the question!

You’ve decided to begin the search for a new (to you) home. With the limited number of used homes on the market in Oklahoma right now, you’ve probably discovered very few meet your criteria. That’s where new homes play an important role in your new home search in Oklahoma right now. 

One of the best parts about buying a new home with Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods is that once you sign a contract for the home or homesite you’d like to purchase, the home’s or floor plan’s pricing will not fluctuate even if supply costs increase throughout the building process. 

Now the only question is whether you want to buy a pre-designed home that’s nearly ready move-in ready or build a custom home.

So what’s the difference, and why does it matter? Let’s take a look at those differences and see how choosing fits into your plans.

Pre-designed homes 

Pre-designed homes are houses our team of professionals expertly design while envisioning the future, unknown homeowner. You’re not involved in the selection process for flooring, paint, or any other finishing work. An Ideal Design Center coordinator will have already selected the options and finishes for the floor plan that’s being built.

According to Victoria Marzette, New Home Consultant at Ideal’s Somers Pointe neighborhood in the Yukon/Mustang area, “The major advantage of a pre-designed home is that the buyer can move into the home in a shorter time, making it perfect for someone who needs a new home quickly.” Marzette currently has multiple pre-designed homes available soon in her neighborhood. One is 45 days away from completion; the other will be finished within 30 days.

Pre-designed homes may be at any stage of construction. Some may be totally finished and ready to purchase and move in. If you need a home quickly, this may be your best choice. Depending on financing, you may be able to close in 30-45 days.

Pre-designed homes are a great option because they’ve been professionally designed, they offer potential homeowners many of the floor plan’s most popular elevations and interior options, and typically feature the latest colors and finishes. “When purchasing a pre-designed home, it’s important to remember that what has been chosen is what you get,” said Marzette. “The homeowner cannot make any changes while the home is being built. If you absolutely cannot live with your bedroom color, you will have to wait until after you close to repaint,” she concluded.

Custom homes

If you didn’t find a pre-designed home that meets your needs, and if you’re not in a hurry, another choice is to go custom! 

When you build a custom home with Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods in Oklahoma, you select everything – literally from the ground up. Before you sign your contract, you will select your homesite, floor plan, and several options offered for that specific floor plan. “While you won’t be able to re-design the floor plan itself, there are several options available to help you customize your space and make your home really work for you,” said Marzette.

Each floorplan comes with several options. Usually, the larger the plan, the more options you have. You can add a side door to your garage and enlarge the garage space. Outside, you will choose your elevation (or the exterior style of the home), add exterior concrete or a covered patio if you want. Inside, you might add a powder bath and a fireplace. Some of the most popular options are room conversions. For example, you could choose to make a fourth bedroom a bonus room or study, turn a dining room into a study, or change a study into a fourth bedroom. 

After the contract is signed and financing approved, you will be booked for your Design Center meetings. There will be a virtual meeting and two meetings at the Design Center where you’ll choose everything from brick, to the color of the roof, and the front door; kitchen cabinets style and paint, countertops, backsplash, flooring, light fixtures, and doorknobs.

Custom homes take longer to build than pre-designed homes where designers make all the selections in a short time. In a custom home, customers may spend up to three weeks in Design Center meetings going over options to make their new home everything they want it to be. In general, a pre-designed home will take six-to-nine months to build, while a custom house usually takes between nine months and a year.

Supply chain issues are currently making time schedules difficult to predict.

Pre-designed home advantages

• Less time to build
• The latest design options
• Professionally designed

Custom build advantages

• You get to pick everything to make it look exactly the way you want. You decide which options are most important to you.

Regardless of which route you decide to go, your Ideal New Home Consultant (NHC) will be with you through the entire process, with weekly updates and pictures. The NHC will be your main point of contact throughout the building phase until you meet with Customer Care and have a rep to work with after closing on your home.

Marzette says that after you pay your earnest money when you sign on the dotted line, you won’t owe any more money until closing. That’s when you’ll pay closing costs, prepaid taxes and insurance, and your down payment. You’ll be the proud owner of a new Ideal home with a one-year builder warranty and a 10-year structural warranty – the best in the business! “And our Customer Care team will visit you 60 days after you move in,” concludes Marzette, “and again 11 months later to be sure everything is going well!”