THE DELEON INSIGHT
SELECTING THE RIGHT ARCHITECT, BUILDER, AND BUILDING LOCATION By Matt Griffis, DeLeon Realty Construction Specialist
Whether for speculation, rental investment, or personal use, building a home can be one of the most significant endeavors any of us will ever take on. Identifying the right property to remodel or build new, and assembling the right team with which to do so, is critical to success. These challenges are further exacerbated in our current market where competition for prime properties is strong. Plus, gaining the attention and interest of the best architects and builders is an art in itself, especially when their current and future work production pipelines are full. A hallmark of DeLeon Realty is having a truly clientcentric model in which teamwork is paramount to ensuring clients have the guidance they deserve in making these critical decisions, as well as the interest and attention of the best architects, builders, and consultants that might otherwise be unavailable if it were not for deep longstanding relationships with our company; in fact, I joined DeLeon Realty for this very reason. Here, I am able to lend my over eight years of executive experience with one of the most renowned high-end builders in Silicon Valley, the Pacific Peninsula Group (“PPG”), to our clients
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and guide them through options using personal experiences from having acquired, rebuilt, and sold several homes on my own over the past 20+ years. Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? I am often asked which one is more important: finding the right property, or having the right architect and builder team relationship ready to go. I have found that the answer is, simply, “Yes.” Both are critical to success. Selecting the right building site is vital, as location is that one thing we cannot change once it has been decided. Sure, you can add landscape screening to an unsightly lot next door, or install backyard water features to temper the sounds of a busy street running behind a lot, but the best architecture and construction cannot change the school districts, convenience and commuting logistics, solar orientation, and proximity to amenities that may be very important to an end user. Conversely, we have all been through a home that made us scratch our heads and wonder why a floorplan was laid out the way it was, or why the
