You’re looking for a new place to call home, and you’re considering buying a newly built house in a community. You find one with a cozy family room, an inspiring kitchen, big bedrooms for your kids, and a beautiful design. There’s also a great view out of the dining room of your neighbor’s garage.

This is the story for most homes in housing communities. The typical house built in Texas in 2019 had less than a fifth of an acre of land. On a square lot, that gives you about 45 feet between your house and your neighbor’s yard. That’s close to the length of an eighteen-wheeler, or a 12 second walk.

The US Census Bureau keeps a record of lot sizes across the country. Their data shows that houses have been sitting on smaller and smaller pieces of land for decades. This surely isn’t because there’s no space – Texas is the second largest state in the country, with over 170 million total acres of land. If you’re looking for privacy or space to enjoy outdoor activities, finding the right house in a community will be a struggle. Your best bet is to buy your own land and build your dream home with a custom builder like Tilson Homes.

When you decide to start searching for land instead, you suddenly have much more freedom. Building on your own land gives you control over just about everything, from location and lot shape to water features and tree population. You also have the freedom to find the right balance for your budget, whether you want a large home on half an acre or a small home on a huge ranch.

The hardest part of building a home is waiting. If you don’t mind that, here are a just a few of the advantages:

A home that is already built is either a tract home or a spec home. They are made with the average family in mind, to be a one-size-fits-all solution with the intention to sell as easily as possible. Buyers can sometimes request small changes to spec homes. Working with custom builders on your own land means you don’t have to settle on features you don’t want. You can create the perfect fit for your needs.

Many communities have active homeowner’s associations. HOAs have strict requirements about things like the color of your house, your pets, how you landscape your yard, and more. They also require you to pay a fee, anywhere from $100 to $700 or more per month. In some cases, you cannot opt out of the HOA once you buy the house. With your own land, you make the decisions – and save thousands of dollars a year.

Living in a community means dealing with light, noise, and air pollution. If you want to spend some time in nature or see the stars in the night sky, you’ll have to travel. This simply isn’t a problem when you buy your own land. Fresh air and the great outdoors are right in your back yard.

Expanding your home or building new structures on community lots can be tricky. In many cases, it’s simply not an option, whether it’s because of an HOA, small lot size, or local and state regulations. Maybe in the future you’ll want a shed for more outdoor storage, or a small guest house for your friends and family to stay in while visiting. On your own land, you can build just about anything you want as long as it’s code-compliant. Still on the fence? Head over to our Facebook page to learn more about building on your own land. If you have questions, give us a call, drop us a message or catch one of our livestreams.