Sweat Equity in On-Your-Land Homebuilding

With on-your-land homebuilding, the industry-standard encourages customers to perform “sweat equity” with a goal of saving thousands of dollars and creating an instant equity home build. The pitch is by managing site development related tasks, including excavation contractors, physically cleaning your homesite during construction, final home cleaning, and home painting, you can save what your builder would have made as profit. All this sounds simple, and who doesn’t want to save money? But is sweat equity really the cost savings you expect? Here we’ll dig further into sweat equity and what to consider when choosing this option.

Time investment for a sweat equity build

It’s not quite a full-time job for the 6 to 8 months during your home build; however, it can be a part-time gig for sure. The complexity of your homesite’s development and the skill level of your hired contractors will determine the amount of time you’ll need to allocate to your build. Consider what other opportunities or family events you’ll be skipping in order to complete your sweat equity duties. This will help determine if it’s valuable to you.

PRO TIP: Evaluate what your time is worth and how much time you estimate will be required to complete your homeowner responsibilities.

Staying on Schedule

You’ll need to assess your ability to keep up with build cycle times to ensure your home is completed in a timely manner. If you need to stick to a specific timeline or move-in date, sweat equity might not be the right choice for you.

PRO TIP:  If your hired contractors cause delays that create additional costs for your home builder, they will most likely charge you for the additional costs, eating away at your hard-earned sweat equity.

Trade partnerships & contractors

Builders work with trade partners for many years, building long-lasting relationships and providing them continuous work. Because of these partnerships, contractors are more likely to give a builder precedence over a one-time job. A builder also has insight into whether a particular contractor is reliable and the skilled laborer needed to meet the quality standards of your home.

“I did not choose Turn-Key which was a mistake. It caused delays because of my end. My people that were supposed to be contracted didn’t come through. The Turn-Key piece is a much better option.” – Jonathan H. from Sisters, OR

More work equals more cost savings, so builders receive volume discounts from their trade partners and suppliers. Prior to performing the work, obtain bids from contractors to see if you’ll be offered the same discounts.

PRO TIP: Many times our customers will compile all bids they received and realize they exceed the price of our Turn-Key Solution. This proves the Turn-Key Solution really “Takes the Sweat Out of Sweat Equity.”

Warranty

Keep in mind, the work you perform won’t be covered by a home builder warranty. During the home warranty period, any services you initially performed will be your responsibility and not the builder’s.

PRO TIP: Make sure the contractors who are performing the work are licensed, bonded, insured and are not fly-by-night contractors who will not be there if something needs to be repaired later.

Build equity without sweating a drop

As the largest privately-held home builder in the Pacific Northwest, Simplicity and Hayden Homes has tremendous purchasing power and leverage with our suppliers and trade partners. Because of this, we receive lower costs on material and labor compared to other builders. We then pass these savings along to you, giving you instant equity in your home without the sweat.

If you feel sweat equity isn’t right for you, check out our exclusive Turn-Key Solution where we assume responsibility to manage, coordinate, and schedule numerous customer site development related tasks. Our Turn-Key Solution ensures your home is built faster and more efficiently, reduces stress and responsibilities, and we navigate the complex permit process on your behalf. If you’re ready to learn more about how Simplicity takes the sweat out of sweat equity, contact us today.