A carriage house/starter home is a great way to allow you to purchase the larger property you want (without the pressure of having to build a “bigger” home right away). As your life and family grows, so can your future expansions of the property. When you have a dwelling on the property (e.g. a carriage house), the bank is more likely to see the property as a stronger asset, which means that (if you’re not planning to move into the carriage house right away) this starter home can then be rented out. But when you do decide to move into your carriage house, and when you go to build your forever home, you will have the awesome advantage of monitoring your new/forever house while it’s being built right in front of your eyes.

If you’re deciding to build a carriage house as your starter home on your new property (whether to move into or rent out), it’s a great idea to bring in a general contractor to make sure you have a well thought-out, long term plan. For instance, all of the underground service work (plumbing, electrical, sewer) could be planned to allow future expansion. If this is something you are interested in discussing, we at BRC can help!