Summer may be thought of as the peak season for new-construction home sales, but according to Northbrook-based Red Seal Homes, winter is also an ideal time for buyers to start the process of building their dream home.

“Buyers who begin their home search in the winter sometimes overlook new-construction communities because they assume work won’t start on a home until spring,” said Brian Hoffman, an executive with Red Seal Homes. “What these buyers don’t realize is that, regardless of season, we need a certain amount of lead time before construction can begin. As a result, winter can be the ideal time to start the planning, permitting and selection process so that we are ready to break ground as soon as weather permits.”

To help buyers understand the advance work and planning time that goes into building a new-construction home – and the upside of starting this process in the winter – Hoffman outlined the main pre-construction milestones and general corresponding schedule his firm follows at Willow Lake, a new-construction community of 52 semi-attached luxury residences located east of the Interstate 94/Route 60 interchange in Lake Forest, Ill., and Provenance, a master-planned community of single-family homes, duplexes and townhomes at Techny Road and Pensive Lane in unincorporated Northbrook, Ill.

Following are the key steps buyers should expect in the process:

1. Choosing the home site and floor plan: According to Hoffman, these are the two things a buyer needs to choose before a contract can be written for their new home at Willow Lake or Provenance. “Usually it takes somewhere from two to four weeks for buyers to lock in these decisions, as they typically make multiple visits to the community and meet with the sales team several times to discuss their options,” said Hoffman.

Hoffman added that with a wide variety of floor plans available at both communities, choosing the right one is made easier by the fact that Red Seal includes consultation with an in-house architect as part of the design and selection process, after a contract is signed. “At this early stage, buyers just need to pick the plan that is closest to what they want, knowing they will have an opportunity to work with our design team on modifications as other necessary steps progress,” Hoffman said.

2. Contract and attorney approval: Once the home site and floor plan are chosen, Red Seal can then write the contract and send it for attorney review. Attorney approval is typically received about two weeks after the contract is written.

3. Permitting and selections: With the contract finalized, the next step is for the home to be submitted for permitting. Permitting takes around three months, so Red Seal Homes uses that time to concurrently take the buyer through the feature and finish selection process. “We go through every detail, from asking the architect to make customizations like switching a loft to a bedroom or designing a finished basement, to helping buyers make finish choices for features like cabinetry, flooring, tile, and lighting and plumbing fixtures,” said Hoffman. “If buyers have never purchased a new-construction home before, they may not truly understand the number of decisions that are involved, but in our experience, the three-month permitting window is just about right for doing all that planning without feeling rushed.”

4. Breaking ground: Once permitting is finalized, Red Seal can commence construction work. According to Hoffman, this usually takes around six months, meaning the total time from home site and floor plan selection to move-in is approximately one year. “While that one-year time frame holds true in most cases, the initial planning and permitting stages are sometimes expedited during the winter season, when there’s less construction activity,” said Hoffman. “The takeaway for buyers is that building a new-construction home is a year-round proposition, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t start planning during the cold weather months.”

Hoffman added that for buyers who want to sidestep the typical new-construction timeframe, another option is to talk with builders about inventory homes, which are often available at various stages of construction or even on a move-in-ready basis. “As an example, right now we have an inventory home under construction at Willow Lake that would allow buyers to skip over the usual permitting timeframe,” said Hoffman. “And while the floor plan and home site are already selected and the initial stages of construction are complete, buyers can still choose certain features and finishes to make the home their own.”

For more information on Willow Lake or to schedule a tour, call Karen Schmid, Willow Lake sales manager, at (847) 722-8016 or visit www.rswillowlake.com. The community offers seven floor plans ranging in size from 2,491 to 4,338 square feet. Homes are priced from $800,000 and have two to four bedrooms, 2½ to 3½ baths, attached two-car garages and full, unfinished basements. The sales center is located at 1771 Westbridge Circle in Lake Forest.

To learn more about Provenance, visit www.homesatprovenance.com, or call (847) 417-3056. The community includes single-family homes, called The Estates, which measure 2,948 to 4,362 square feet and are priced from $909,900; townhomes, called The Terraces, priced from $489,900 and measuring from 2,081 to 2,664 square feet; and duplex homes, called Villas, priced from $599,900 and measuring 1,807 to 3,606 square feet.

To learn more about Red Seal Homes, visit www.redsealhomes.com.

About Red Seal Homes:

Over the last 81 years, Red Seal Homes has built more than 50 residential developments and more than 6,000 residences in the Chicago area. Since its founding in 1934, Red Seal has established itself as one of Chicago’s most acclaimed builders, winning prestigious awards on an annual basis.