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Today, a mortgage loan officer shares how he ended up building a $1 million home in one of the hottest ZIP codes of 2025.
What was your home experience when you were growing up?
My whole family is from Colombia and for us, owning a home wasn’t a big thing. My parents rented until about 10 years ago. Despite this, I always knew I wanted to own a home.
When did you get serious about buying?
When I was in my late 20s and got married. Our rent increased so much that a mortgage would cost the same as renting. We realized it was feasible to own, so we started looking.
You ended up buying a house. What led you to start looking again?
We needed more space. We had a son and were both doing well in our careers.
How long were you looking?
We looked for eight months. We probably saw 10 to 12 homes.
Did you put in any offers?
No. We’d been trying to buy at the worst time and couldn’t find anything in our price range that made sense. Everything we saw needed so much work. The homes needed a new roof or an entire renovation.
What made you think about building?
I was driving and saw signs for a new development with home prices starting at $600,000. The builder was the guy that built our first house. I trusted him because our first house was such good quality.
What was the next step?
That neighborhood had just two houses built, so we had the option to take existing plans and adjust them or get an architect to draw plans from scratch. We opted to work with the existing plans, and just change a few things to make the home more efficient for us.
What was your budget?
Initially our budget was $500,000 to $600,000, but my mother-in-law was downsizing. We decided she could live in an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) with us, so we pooled our money together. Our new budget was $1 million.
Where did the down payment come from?
My mother-in-law sold her home, and that was our down payment for the builders. Having that cash was a big help because we hadn’t yet sold our house.
How did the rest of the money work out?
We sold our first house for $400,000 right after the new house was built and put all the proceeds—about $215,000—toward the purchase of the home. That significantly lowered our monthly mortgage.
What kind of mortgage did you get?
Between the sale of my mother-in-law’s house and our house, we secured a conventional mortgage.
The closing price was higher than the asking price. How did that happen?
The list price for new construction includes the most basic stuff. We chose some upgrades and altered the floorplan, so that bumped the price up.
What is your mother’s ADU like?
Once we knew my mother-in-law was going to live with us, we converted the basement into a full walk-out basement ADU. She has a massive bedroom, bathroom, and home office.
What’s it like living with her?
I am Colombian, so we’re used to having multiple generations in one house. We had some ground rules and boundaries. Plus, she helps out. She loves landscaping, so she handles all of that, and she helps watch our son.
What’s your favorite thing about living in this home?
The master bedroom has a balcony big enough for a table and two chairs. We live in a farm area, and that balcony overlooks a wooded area. I work there a lot or just enjoy my coffee. That’s my spot.
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