Buy new or teardown and build?

[Joe Zekas]

What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of buying a newly-built home in Winnetka vs buying a teardown and building on my own? Is it easy to find custom builders? Will I save any money? What are some of the risks?

[Denise M Kellar]

Time! Going through the process with the Village/Architect/Builder can be extremely frustrating. There are always setbacks and more money involved.

Most people only want to customize tile in bathrooms and kitchens as well as paint colors.

Finding a good builder doesn't take long. Walk in all the new construction. Instantly, you'll know who is good and who cuts corners. Usually cutting corners yields silly design flaws..those are the most frustrating.

Builders can build, but it usually takes a woman to work out the kinks!

[Joe Zekas]

I recently interviewed developer Gary Gries on this subject. His take is similar to yours in some ways, and his perception is that buyers won't save enough to make the effort worthwhile by going on their own. Watch the video..