After 15+ years of building on other people's land around Clermont, our answer is consistent: bring your builder into the conversation before you close on the lot - not necessarily before you offer on it.
It's the chicken-and-egg question we hear from almost every acreage client: do you buy the land first, or pick the builder first? After 15+ years of building on other people's land around Clermont, our answer is consistent: bring your builder into the conversation before you close on the lot — not necessarily before you offer on it.
The lot decides your budget more than the house plan does. Two identical homes can differ by $80K+ in site costs depending on slope, soil, access, and utilities. If you close on land before anyone qualified has walked it, you own those costs — all of them, non-negotiable, after the fact.
1. Find a lot you love. 2. Before closing, have your builder walk it with you — site costs, buildable area, utility strategy. 3. Make your offer with those numbers in hand (an inspection contingency gives you room). 4. Close, then design the house for the land — orientation, views, drainage, and driveway all inform the plan.
Owners who design the house first and hunt for land to fit it usually pay for the mismatch twice — once in site work, once in compromises.
Then you're ahead — you know what you have. The builder-first advice still applies: get the lot walked and site-costed before finalizing a floor plan, so the design serves the dirt instead of fighting it. See our guide to the hidden costs of building on your own lot.
RRV Construction walks lots across Clermont, Minneola, Groveland, and greater Lake County at no charge, whether you're shopping or already under contract. Call (352) 744-8448 before you sign — it's the cheapest builder advice you'll ever get.
Ron Valdivia is the owner of RRV Construction, a family-owned custom home builder based in Clermont, FL. Florida General Contractor #CBC1258923, 15+ years in business, 100+ projects completed across Lake County and Central Florida.
Bring us the Pinterest board, the napkin sketch, or just the part that drives you crazy every morning. We’ll bring the plan, the crew, and a price in writing that doesn’t move.