Attendees learn the ins and outs of building a home during one of the regularly hosted seminars as part of the “Home Building 101” program provided through Pacific Lifestyle Homes.
Home buying is a daunting task. Investing hundreds of thousands of dollars, or 30 years on a mortgage, isn’t simple.
What’s more, some people want to build new. Although the majority of home buyers looking to build are familiar with real estate to some extent, there’s something to be said about a recurring seminar focused on the proposition, at least according to those putting on the show.
Pacific Lifestyle Homes has been putting on a “Home Building 101” seminar since 2012 and recently broke a milestone in 750 attendees through its inception, according to a release from the business.
Steve Bradford, vice president of sales and marketing for Pacific Lifestyle Homes, explained the group tries to alternate seminars so every other one happens on a different side of the Columbia River, with the event on April 15 being in Brush Prairie.
Although Pacific Lifestyle Homes focuses more on subdivision-style developments, Garrette Custom Homes, a branch of the parent company, does work on individual lots, whether for existing homeowners or on lots scattered around the region less clustered as the subdivision developments, Bradford explained. He said that often those looking to take the plunge into buying new construction can be overwhelmed at the start.
“That kind of prospect is very daunting to the typical customer, the idea of either finding land or assessing their own property, determining what the costs are going to be to develop the site and eventually build(ing) their dream home,” Bradford explained.
He said the whole idea about the seminars were demystifying those uncertainties.
“Most people go into it with either their own personal experience, which may have not been positive, or with the experience that they heard from someone else that it was over budget, longer than was initially projected, and it was a nightmare,” Bradford said, giving an example of some of the prevailing sentiment on undertaking such a task.
One of the chief reasons residents would want to build new or add onto existing real estate was for ease of options, given that through the construction process, essentially anything’s possible.
“So many of the buyers that we have attending these seminars, they have looked at the used market and haven’t been able to find what they want,” Bradford said. In his experience, that’s usually a single-story house with more modern amenities such as a great room, large kitchen with an island and high ceilings.
“We see everything from the brand-new buyers that have never built a home to the person who has built five homes, and everything in between,” Bradford said.
In some instances, individuals could have paid to build their home decades ago and might be unfamiliar with the modern market.
The seminars are broken down into sections, beginning with discussion about the building process itself and what that entails. Bradford explained that PLH has made an effort to form a systematic process including everything from the initial consultation to the handing over of the keys, to warranties after the close and move-in.
The seminar also looks at site development and the costs associated, including the geography, existing infrastructure like septic systems, wells or city sewer hookups.
By the end of the seminar attendees would be able to arrive at some definitive points regarding “Not only from the quality of the site that they might be able to purchase, but also what the cost will be,” as Bradford explained.
End of seminar surveys have tailored the seminars over the last five years to be the most impactful, and even for those looking for something outside of what PLH and Garrette Custom Homes offers, the information can be beneficial regardless who is doing the building.
“I always say, we may not be the builder for you, but regardless, you are going to walk away from this seminar learning some new things that will allow you to be more educated in the process of either building on your lot, or building on a lot that you find,” Bradford said.
