Custom New Homes vs. Personalized New Homes

Updated April 25, 2023

If you’re looking for a new construction home, you may be wondering whether to go with the custom new home or a personalized new home - or wondering just what the difference is!

With a custom home, you’re able to design every nook and cranny of your new home, starting with the floor plan and room layout that you draw up and continuing with selecting every single detail. For some people this is the right option, but for others, it's just too much -  too overwhelming, too much time, and especially too much money.

A personalized home may also be referred to as a semi-custom home. You select a pre-designed home plan and may be able to select structural plan options such as alternate kitchen and bath layouts, optional bedrooms, garage extensions, or to add a lanai (aka covered patio, for those of you not familiar with Florida building terminology). You also choose finishes such as paint, cabinets flooring, countertops, and more. This presents a more affordable opportunity, while still allowing you to personalize your home to suit your needs and lifestyle, without consuming every bit of your time and energy.

Design Process

Custom homes: At the beginning of the process, it may seem fun to completely design a new home to your exact specifications. This fun often turns to frustration and exhaustion when buyers realize that custom homebuilding means exactly that - choosing every single detail that will go into your new home or hiring someone to help. From the height of the ceiling to where to place doors, light switches to appliances, siding or stucco or stone or brick - the choices threaten to overwhelm even the most stalwart home stylist.

Personalized homes: When you personalize a new home, rather than deciding every aspect of the structure, you can focus on what matters to you most. At Highland Homes, we build personalized new homes in Florida communities from Ocala in North Central Florida to the Bradenton area on Florida's Gulf Coast. First, you select your ideal community, home site, and home plan - We offer more than 30 unique plan layouts and our New Home Specialists can help you narrow down your options after learning more about your needs and budget. Next, you'll choose any structural plan options your desire. After that our complimentary professional designers at the Highland Homes Personal Selection Studio will assist you with features and finishes to personalize your dream home, suggesting design options that coordinate with each other as well as suit your style, and taking the stress off you!

Expenses

Custom homes: Customization adds up. Building a custom home often means buying the land, hiring an architect or purchasing a pre-drawn plan, and then hiring a designer to pull it all together. Additionally, custom homes often have higher-end features at higher-end prices. Many people don’t realize that custom homes often fail to appraise for the total cost of the build, so banks and lenders can’t loan enough to cover the entire amount, meaning you will have to come up with more money upfront and out of pocket to cover the difference.

Personalized homes: Personalized homes by Highland Homes include a standard home site (the land your home will be built on) as well as a wide selection of quality features and a complimentary designer, with pricing from the mid $200's to $500's. A premium home site, such as one that is oversized or sits on the water, will add to the price as will design upgrades, but that decision is yours! To help make your personalized dream home even more attainable, if you choose to finance with a Highland Homes lender partner, you will receive benefits such as a low down payment or down payment assistance, discounted interest rates, and part of your closing costs paid. All said and done, this means you can own a personalized new home for far less than you may think possible.

Build Time

Custom homes: Perhaps the most daunting aspect of building a custom home is the amount of time they take to build. Scouting land, finding an architect, amending the plans, hiring a designer, and then finally building a home takes much longer than people realize. It can take a year or more for a home to be built from scratch and ready to live in.

Personalized homes: Personalized houses by Highland Homes are constructed much quicker because we take care of the land, the plans are already designed and certified, and we have contractors ready to build! Depending on the city or county, our build time averages about 4 to 5 months once the building permit has been obtained.

Choose a Personalized New Home

Choosing a personalized home will save you time, money, and headaches! Learn more about the experience of personalizing your new home at our one-of-a-kind Personal Selection Studio, browse Highland Homes' Florida communities, then connect with our New Home Specialists by calling or emailing us and start designing your dream home today!