Building Trust: The Steps You Should Take To Build Your Dream Home.

“BUILDING TRUST WITH YOUR CLIENTS IS EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT AS BUILDING them a GREAT HOME.”

Choosing to custom build a new home, from scratch, with your own unique design plan, is an experience unlike any other. J.P. DiMisa of J.P. DiMisa Luxury Homes, Inc. and Douglas Elliman Real Estate has the track record to take the process from daunting to “totally” doable!

Q: When a prospective clients want to build new, a custom home, what are the first steps you suggest they consider?

A: When a Client wants to build a custom home, the first step I suggest is to pick out the location they want the most. There’s a lot to choose from location wise here in South Florida. So, you’ll need to discern exactly where you want to call home. Having a exclusive affiliation with Douglas Elliman, the nation’s fastest growing real estate company, we help our Clients procure the perfect home site. This is one of the ways we’re unique from most luxury home builders out there. Most of the other builders just come in on the back end, but not us. We’re there from step #1. We can find the perfect piece of property, the opportunity to build in the neighborhood our Clients want. We ensure that it has the correct exposure, the correct size, and several other factors that sometimes get overlooked. So, it’s a win-win. My team, during the lot acquisition, can ensure the parcel will meet your needs when designing your future dream home. We are full service when it comes to our “bespoke” homes. In some cases, we have the pulse on off-market opportunities that usually don’t even hit the market publicly. And, once the property is acquired by our Clients, I like to make sure my people have the best team involved; such as the Architect, Engineer, Landscape Architect, and Interior Designer. This is to provide them with the best experience, one that fits their vision.

And, we don’t require that our Clients use a specific Architect, or Interior Designer. Sure, we have firms that we enjoy working with, folks we’d recommend based on the Client’s vision, people that we have had the pleasure of doing successful projects with. But, the “synergy” and “connection” has to come from the design professionals and our Clients, first and foremost. It’s a disservice to the Client to force-feed them someone to design their dream home, just because that’s who we use. That said, it is a very common things that happens in our industry. I never understood that, nor will I subscribe to that. That’s just one more way that we’re different than our compeition. “There’s a club for every shot in the game of golf. There’s a tool for every repair when you are working on a race car.” Why wouldn’t the same apply when creating your most important asset, your home?

Q: Is location the most important part or is the home design #1?

A: YES, Location, Location, Location. It will always instill long-term value. I always advise folks not be afraid to spend a little more than budgeted on a spectacular home site. It will always pay dividends. And, if needed, from a budget standpoint, we can find efficiencies on the construction end to offset the extra land cost. Trust me, it’s worth it. Prime property always hold its value. And, in most cases, a special piece of dirt will appreciate in value, regardless of economic conditions. This is particularly true in the communities we work in most, like Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club. It’s simple, there’s just not much of it. So, when these opportunities do present themselves, it’s worth taking a strong run at it. We have connections in, and around town, that enable us to procure really special properties. These, in some some cases, are off-market deals, we do stuff for our clients that other folks can’t.

Q: Is building on a empty lot a much easier task for a client to mentally deal with or do many understand the concept of buying a knockdown?

I think that the majority of my Clients are keen enough to envision a home on an empty lot and virtually all of those are going to be tear-downs. So, it’s not so straight forward. Especially since every home we build is “bespoke” and unique, and 100% custom to the homesite and to our Client’s specifications. That said, it does help when our Architects can virtually create a heavily detailed 3-D rendering to show them exactly what it will look like. We always encourage and our Clients to get these done. While it’s an extra cost, it’s such a valuable tool and can prevent unpleasant surprises while the home is still merely “on paper” and not “in concrete.”

Q: Being an experienced Real Estate Developer, with a long track record of completed projects in your area, ranging from Multi-Family Residential, Big Box Retail, Active Adult (55+) Neighborhoods, just to name a few. It would seem that you are better equipped to help a Client through the process than a regular Luxury Builder/Realtor? If so, how?

At the start of my career, I worked as a partner in a boutique development firm, and got to learn new things on a daily basis. My company was at the top of a very short list of quality developers capable of satisfying one of America’s most demanding, and hottest markets. I feel that it helps me in the world of general real estate and also construction immensely. It’s mainly due to the fact that I have a distinctive eye on quality and product that most do not. It takes a lot more work, but feel that it helps my Clients because I can assist them in the process of buying, selling, or building, in a way different than most. The relationships I was able to develop with just about every top designer, architect, and engineer gives me the experience of knowing who the best fit is for a particular project. It’s also helped me understand the nuances of the business as a whole, from so many different perspectives…not just as a General Contractor, or a Developer, or as a Realtor. This gives people a great piece of mind, knowing they’re in good hands with someone who is knowledgeable in just about every step of the process and not just in one discipline. Basically, we provide value unlike anyone else. You’re getting a true “full-service” experience.

Does the East Boca Raton & East Delray market embrace new construction or do you find most clients want to move right in?

Our market does embrace new construction. Everyone wants the newest, latest, and greatest thing. I am always an “early adopter.” This holds true in my personal and my professional life. So, with us you are ensured to have the newest and most bleeding edge components in your home. I harp on making people’s new homes as future-proof as possible. And that’s not just on technology, but even more so on design and pattern. No one wants to invest the time, resources, and money into a home that will look and feel dated. That’s my speciality; one of them. It’s something I feel strongly about and urge my Clients to make sound decisions. Trends are just that, trends. They come and go. But “style” is forever. Our Clients are like minded, and we end up creating the perfect fit and finish together.

Are there tricks or tips to buying a “spec” or new construction home? If so, what are they? 

There are really no tricks or tips other than to make sure it is in a great location. You can’t pick up and move your “perfect” home. I would make sure that the builder is reputable. And, find out who is behind the actual construction. Who is signing for the permits, who is accountable, who actually is the license holder. Here in Florida, our licensing and qualifications set forth by the state are very, very stringent. There’s a lot of folks out there that are representing they are “Builders.” These folks are building multi-million dollars, advertising to the public that they’re the “builder” when in actuality, they’re using someone else’s license. And, in reality they’re just an investor looking for a healthy return. In that case, it’s not a career, it’s not a profession, it’s a money grab. In business, I am the sole license holder, the qualifier, and the financially responsible officer of my company. I oversee every department, I sign the permits, I am the accountable one. And furthermore, my name is on every sign. My reputation, it’s all on me. I work harder than anyone because every project we embark on it a clear cut reflection of me as an individual. I live and work full-time in the same community I build and sell homes in. I see my Clients around town, when I am with my family. I am here and I don’t “go home” after the end of the day or the weekends and leave my work behind. My work is part of who I am, where I live, where I raise my family. And, there’s nothing more important to me. My name is on the sign, I have no choice but to ensure my Client’s are happy. Also, make sure there is a real warranty on the property. Not just a warranty from some third party company, but from the Builder direct. This will help protect the purchaser or Owner, because homes need attention. There’s thousands of moving parts, things go wrong no matter how big the house is, how long it took to build, or how much it cost. Building a new home can be one of life’s most rewarding experiences, both financially and physically.

If and only if…you pick the right Builder. Are you interested in taking the first step and learning more about our #concepttocreation method of simplifying the custom building process? If so, kindly fill out the form below!