When you moved into your current Northern Virginia home, you might have made your decision based on the large lot, great views or close proximity to outdoor recreation. As the years have gone by, you may have come to realize that while the location is perfect, you have fallen out of love with the home itself.
If you feel that renovating your home wouldn’t accomplish your goals, you might feel discouraged. Fortunately, you have another option: you can demolish your existing house and build the home of your dreams in its place. If you have the finances available or a high amount of existing equity, this could be the perfect solution to your dilemma.
Before You Demolish Your Home
Once your house is torn down, there’s no going back. To make sure this is the best option for you, take these steps before you begin the process:
- Carefully assess a renovation vs. demolition and rebuilding: Research the effort, cost and potential value that would be added to your home with a renovation. Discover whether you could truly achieve the house you want without completely tearing it down. If you discover a renovation doesn’t make economic sense or would still require you to make compromises, start considering home demolition.
- Get an appraisal: The purpose of this step is to learn the value of the land alone without a house sitting on it. It’s worthwhile to have an appraisal done before you get too deep into the demolition process.
- Pay off any existing mortgage: If you still pay a mortgage every month, it’s illegal to tear down your home without the express written permission of your mortgage lender. Of course, this is only an option if the loan balance is less than the value of the land, since that’s all that will remain once the house is torn down. The other more straightforward option is to pay off your existing mortgage so you own your house outright and can demolish it without getting into legal trouble.
- Take out a construction loan: If you don’t have the funds to both pay off your mortgage and build a new house from scratch, consider that a construction loan can often pay off your mortgage up to the value of the land. If you need to take advantage of this option, work with an experienced mortgage loan officer who can structure an extreme makeover loan on your behalf.
Demolish and Rebuild Your Home
With the preliminary work out of the way, it’s time to start the demolition and rebuilding process:
- Hire a professional to demolish your home: Tearing down a house isn’t something you can do yourself. You need a qualified company that can apply for a demolition permit and carefully plan the tearing down process, as well as haul away and dispose of debris safely and properly.
- Work with a professional homebuilder: This is your chance to build your dream home in place of the house you just tore down. It’s clear you want to select the features of your new custom home carefully so it satisfies your needs for the rest of your life. It’s an overwhelming prospect to handle alone, but with the help of Sekas Homes, you know every detail will be carefully considered. Get help with everything from designing the perfect kitchen and master bath to handling nitty-gritty electrical and plumbing details.
When you’re ready to learn more about demolishing your house and start working with an award-winning homebuilder in Northern Virginia, please contact Sekas Homes.
