So you've decided to build a custom home. Congratulations! Building a home to our exact specifications and needs is one of the great pleasures and achievements in life. However, there are several pitfalls you can fall into when creating your design, that could mean your custom home doesn't turn out exactly as you wanted or that it will not appreciate in value as much as it could after it's built.

Cutting costs by choosing subpar materials or options

It's very tempting when contemplating all the costs of a custom home to be pulled in by the compromise of the cheaper countertops, the more affordable cabinets or trim for the walls, and so on. If you are thinking about doing something like this then make very sure that the bargain doesn't turn into a bad decision in the future. It's one thing to get a good countertop at a great price, and it's quite another to get a cheap countertop at the same great price. One is a smart move that benefits you and will last for the long term, while the other is simply something that will create problems for you down the line and even possibly reduce the value of your investment.

Going for a home that is too big and too plain

A very common misconception when talking about houses is the bigger, the better. So many people when they are in the process of building a home for themselves simply want to make it as big as possible and most everything else goes down the drain in terms of attention or care. If you make a home that looks like a huge white Lego block, then don't be surprised if you get a rude awakening when you go and try to sell it in the future! You need to always keep in mind things like trims, accents, window and roof shape, and so on to give your home character and style. And never forget that it's better to make a smaller more stylish house that a large, plain one.

Not making comparisons before the design

A good way to avoid the above pitfall is simply to tour houses on sale around the same price that you are planning to build your house for, before you ever put pen to paper on the design. Think about what makes a particular home unique, what is going to make it stand out in your mind for weeks afterwards, and what particular details catch your eye as soon as you walk into it, and make note of them for the design phase. This will liven up your ideas and make your home much more attractive an therefore valuable.

Not thinking about the area around the house.

This may be counter-intuitive, but oftentimes the landscape around your house is as important as the house itself. Your house may be amazingly unique and impressive from up close and from the inside, but if it gives a bad impression when seen from far away or when driving up to it, then that is one factor that is going to have a major effect on the property value when you want to sell it. No matter how great a house is on the inside, a buyer will always care what it looks like the first time they see it from afar, and first impressions last.