Blog Post

In San Antonio we’re lucky. When it’s time for a new home – whether it’s moving up or downsizing – we have lots of options. There are plenty of resale homes on the market, new construction neighborhoods to choose from, and the option to buy the perfect piece of land and build a custom home.

So which one is right for you?

If you’re someone who enjoys the peace of mind that new construction brings (no roof to repair, no plumbing to fix, no old shag carpet to pull up) then you typically have two options. You can buy from a production builder (a builder who usually builds homes on spec within a specific neighborhood) or you can build a custom home.

Here are a few pros and cons of each.

The Big Trade-Off

Time is a big consideration when choosing between a production builder and a custom home. Because a production builder often builds on spec, you can often find homes that are completed or closer to completion than starting from scratch with a custom builder. Working with a custom home builder involves a longer lead time before your home construction can begin to make all the design decisions and, in some cases, find a lot to build on.

Often what you gain in time when buying from a production builder you give up on options. The closer a home is to completion, the fewer design decisions you can make to personalize your home.

Location, Location, Location

You’ve heard it a million times. When it comes to real estate location is everything. When you buy from a production builder the decision about which homes go on which lots have already been made. So if you want a smaller or mid-sized home on a large lot, for example, you may be out of luck.

When you build a custom home you can choose the perfect lot in any neighborhood – not just in the primary neighborhoods where builders build.

When It’s Time to Sell

Typically a production builder builds hundreds of homes within one neighborhood based on a limited number of floor plans. Production builders often offer fewer (if any) customization options. That means that when it’s time to sell your home there may be several other similar homes for sale in your neighborhood – maybe even the exact same floor plan.  

When you build a custom home you’re less likely to face the competition of having the exact same floor plan for sale in the exact same neighborhood when it’s time for you to sell.

At Whitestone Custom Homes, we offer something for everyone. We offer available inventory if you need a home quickly and we also offer dozens of floor plans that you can build or modify. For more information about building with Whitestone Custom Homes visit a Model Home or contact us.