When building a custom home for your family, the most important thing to consider is how to design and build a home that is going to be the perfect fit for your family’s needs. And part of that equation is often knowing what the value of your home is going to be relative to your neighbors.  This is a complex topic, and there are many factors that are beyond your control, but there are also several things that we can confidently say are going to be the most important factors in determining home value, and we wanted to share them with you.

  1. Location.  It may be common knowledge to most people, but it is important to begin with this one.  You need to research and understand the neighborhood where you want to build if you want to have a good idea about the future value of your new home.  Pay particular attention to the reputation of local schools that are served near your home, as this is a direct signal for home value.

  2. Structural Quality.  This is an area where custom homes can shine, because you don’t need to cut any important corners when you’re building a custom home.  You can make sure that your home is properly weather sealed, isn’t prone to leaks, and that all the “behind the scenes” areas that might be less important to developers who are building 200 homes at a time, are all wonderfully executed.

  3. Optimal Use of Space.  With a custom home, you can make sure that you have maximized the amount of livable space on your lot, and this will have a huge impact on home price in the future, because (if you ever choose to sell) the buyer’s will be much less likely to see the need to do a major renovation.

There are other factors that affect home value, of course, but these three are the primary ones for custom homes.  We would love to discuss these and the other factors in more detail with you if you are considering a project in Northern Virginia.