It’s on your bucket list of dreams, definitely Top Ten and maybe as high as No. 1: Building a brand new custom home designed just the way you’d like it.

You picture it clearly—the PERFECT place, a home that includes all the features you want , without the ones you don’t;  a home free from maintenance issues caused by time, outdated design, nature, and previous owners. You want a completely comfortable place where you are content knowing that you’re in a house built just for you and your family.

But building a new home isn’t necessarily right for everyone. It is a commitment requiring more than just a dream, and it is most successful when a person has both the right type of personality and the right lifestyle situation to deal with the exciting but sometimes stressful experience of custom home building. Today, let’s address personalities and what traits will help you succeed.

Each person is different and no one can tell you to what degree you possess certain personality traits. It’s on you to take an objective look at yourself and draw your own conclusions. Having a certain type of personality is not a requirement for building a new home, but experience tells us that having certain characteristics improves the likelihood that your experience will be a pleasant and rewarding one. These three characteristics lead the way:

• Vision. You must have a clear vision of what your dream home will look like, both aesthetically and functionally. Being able to articulate this vision to your builder and his team is crucial. If you lack clarity here, building a new home will be a challenge.
• Patience. A good builder will make your experience as smooth as possible, but things can change and flexibility is a must. Dealing with issues as they come up will be a constant occurrence, and you’ll want to feel comfortable with that. If it’s your nature to get upset every time something doesn’t go as planned, you will be in for a long, potentially frustrating experience.
• Teamwork. Building a new home is a team effort between many people—client, builder, architect, and interior designer to name a few—requiring strong collaboration and communication skills. If you don’t work well with others and prefer to be in complete control at all times, an existing home might be the better choice.

Next time we’ll look at your lifestyle and if it can support building a new home, as we continue our quest to build or buy.