Moving on Up

The slow construction period for homebuilding at the Lake of the Ozarks has created a unique cost-saving opportunity for those with the cash and the desire for a great deal on a new home. 

Ron Westenhaver of Summit Building Corps, a design-build firm that has been creating homes at the Lake for 28 years, says the economic downturn means that those with the means to build can get more bang for their buck.

“The people who are building and buying now have a great opportunity for cost advantage,” Ron says. “All of our supplies — anything but oil products — you can buy at an advantage. Drywall, siding, plumbing, framing — all the elements of basic construction are being sold at prices better than two years ago.”

The current economy also means land prices have been slashed, and Ron says costs that were rising until 2007 are now static or equal to what they were three years ago. While much of the Lake has already been developed, plenty of suitable lots are still available.

“We used to call properties here a ‘diamond in the rough,'” Ron says. “Now it just takes a little more research, and you want to work with knowledgeable people who understand your needs [when property hunting].”

In order to meet his clients' needs and desires, Ron likes to visit their current residence to view their lifestyle, from where they eat their meals to how they spend their leisure time. Building a home on the lake means they can make these specifications and others right down to the home's orientation and views of the water. “You can't buy that with an existing property,” Ron says.

But with the cost-effective advantages he suggests may continue at the Lake for the next two years, a dream home can be bought at a realistic price.