Are you dreaming of a new home? Are you desiring to move to a lower tax, lower crime area? Are you seeking to move to a lower cost area during this time of unprecedented inflation? Maybe you are you tired of the politics of your state? If so, South Alabama or Northwest Florida might be just the place you are looking for.
Abram Homes is an award-winning, custom builder who serves South Alabama and Northwest Florida, and we are positioned to deliver on all the desired criteria mentioned above. Alabama and Northwest Florida offers low taxes and has beautiful, expansive property in abundance all across our service area. At Abram Homes, since the COVID 19 Pandemic, we have built for clients moving from Kentucky, Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Virginia, and Key West, just to name a few. Many of our out-of-state clients consider moving to escape a combination of high cost of living, high taxes, high crime, and or the politics of the state in which they live. For couples and families moving from out of state, Abram Homes is ready to assist you in making the transition a success.
Historically, the deep south has a lower cost of living when compared to the northeastern and west coasts of the United States. Depending on which state you are leaving, your dollar will often go further in our area than where you currently live. Though this is often the case, building a new custom home is not cheap, and inflation has affected the overall cost of building. Historically, when inflation is high, owning hard assets is better than keeping cash in the bank. Assets traditionally appreciate or rather hold their inflation-adjusted value during times of high inflation while your cash rapidly loses purchasing power. Consequently, building a new home can be a viable place to park your money when your purchasing power is rapidly diminishing because of inflation.
Historically, the deep south has a lower cost of living when compared to the northeastern and west coasts of the United States. Depending on which state you are leaving, your dollar will often go further in our area than where you currently live. Though this is often the case, building a new custom home is not cheap, and inflation has affected the overall cost of building. Historically, when inflation is high, owning hard assets is better than keeping cash in the bank. Assets traditionally appreciate or rather hold their inflation-adjusted value during times of high inflation while your cash rapidly loses purchasing power. Consequently, building a new home can be a viable place to park your money when your purchasing power is rapidly diminishing because of inflation.
Where do I start?
If you find yourself seriously considering moving to South Alabama or Northwest Florida, finding property is the first hurdle. Abram Homes can assist and make this an easy first step. Though searching for property online through websites like google, Zillow, trulia, realtor.com, or other similar sites is one way to find property, we recommend working directly with a local realtor instead. Realtors frequently know of properties available that may not be easily found on the web and can search for properties. If you need to find a realtor, please contact us and we have several excellent realtors we can recommend.
I’ve got the property, now what?
Once you find your desired property, the next hurdle is finding a builder you can trust to build your house while still living in another state. At Abram Homes we understand what it takes to design and build a custom home for both remote and local clients.
If you find yourself seriously considering moving to South Alabama or Northwest Florida, finding property is the first hurdle. Abram Homes can assist and make this an easy first step. Though searching for property online through websites like google, Zillow, trulia, realtor.com, or other similar sites is one way to find property, we recommend working directly with a local realtor instead. Realtors frequently know of properties available that may not be easily found on the web and can search for properties. If you need to find a realtor, please contact us and we have several excellent realtors we can recommend.
I’ve got the property, now what?
Once you find your desired property, the next hurdle is finding a builder you can trust to build your house while still living in another state. At Abram Homes we understand what it takes to design and build a custom home for both remote and local clients.
What is the Abram Process?
1) Client interview – We want to discuss what type of home you are wanting to build, what size house you require, and your budget. After this conversation, we decide together which design track is best for you (see item 2 – Design).
2) Design – you can pick or modify a plan from our portfolio, you can bring your own plan, or we can do a full, custom design. We have designed several custom houses without having an in-person meeting for those moving from out of state. We do this through zoom, phone calls, and emails if you cannot meet in person.
3) Pricing – Once design is complete, we can price the house. Up until this point, we are working off rough square foot averages. We will show you ways to lower the overall contract price by changing finishes or removing items that we have included for your house.
4) Contract Signing – Once you tell us what you want included or removed from the house price we discussed in our pricing meeting, then we create a contract based on your desired plan and required finishes. The bank normally requires a contract with a licensed contractor to secure financing.
5) Financing – If you are relying on a bank loan, we wait until financing is in place and we have received a down payment. Typically, we start a new build within 60 days of receiving down payment.
6) Finish Selection – Once financing is in place,the next biggest step is selecting all the finishes that will be included in your home. Often, this can consist of 100 or more items from paint colors to cabinet pulls, to plumbing and lighting fixtures. Because of this, we include an interior designer with every build. Her job is to make your life easier and make your home design ideas cohesive and beautiful. Our interior designer will interview you and bring you options based on what we believe matches your style. She is a helpful guide and great sounding board for clients as they decide on finishes. At this stage she will also create custom cabinet and tile drawings for client approval.
7) Construction –Now that finishes are selected, it’s time to build; our average build is between 6 months and 12 months depending on size, location, type of foundation, and level of finishes.
1) Client interview – We want to discuss what type of home you are wanting to build, what size house you require, and your budget. After this conversation, we decide together which design track is best for you (see item 2 – Design).
2) Design – you can pick or modify a plan from our portfolio, you can bring your own plan, or we can do a full, custom design. We have designed several custom houses without having an in-person meeting for those moving from out of state. We do this through zoom, phone calls, and emails if you cannot meet in person.
3) Pricing – Once design is complete, we can price the house. Up until this point, we are working off rough square foot averages. We will show you ways to lower the overall contract price by changing finishes or removing items that we have included for your house.
4) Contract Signing – Once you tell us what you want included or removed from the house price we discussed in our pricing meeting, then we create a contract based on your desired plan and required finishes. The bank normally requires a contract with a licensed contractor to secure financing.
5) Financing – If you are relying on a bank loan, we wait until financing is in place and we have received a down payment. Typically, we start a new build within 60 days of receiving down payment.
6) Finish Selection – Once financing is in place,the next biggest step is selecting all the finishes that will be included in your home. Often, this can consist of 100 or more items from paint colors to cabinet pulls, to plumbing and lighting fixtures. Because of this, we include an interior designer with every build. Her job is to make your life easier and make your home design ideas cohesive and beautiful. Our interior designer will interview you and bring you options based on what we believe matches your style. She is a helpful guide and great sounding board for clients as they decide on finishes. At this stage she will also create custom cabinet and tile drawings for client approval.
7) Construction –Now that finishes are selected, it’s time to build; our average build is between 6 months and 12 months depending on size, location, type of foundation, and level of finishes.
Building a house is one practical option if you are ready to make a move. If you find yourself desiring to live in a lower tax region, Alabama or Northwest Florida may be the place for you! At Abram Homes we specialize in designing and building custom homes. Our process makes it easy for those moving from out of state to design and build a new home while avoiding many of the hassles often associated with a distance build. Our primary service areas are South Alabama (Andalusia, Opp, Florala, Repton, Evergreen, Elba, Honoraville, and areas in between) and Northwest Florida (Defuniak Springs, Mossy Head, Freeport, 30A, and areas in between). Abram Homes is ready to partner with couples and families moving from out-of-state.
So, what are you waiting on? Call Abram Homes today and we will help you plan your transition to our area! Abram Homes is eager to work with you to find land and make the home of your dreams a reality.