Looking to buy a new home but not finding what you want in the available inventory? Whether you’re looking to build a home because you have specific preferences or just because it’s always been a dream of yours, new construction is a great way to check off all of the boxes that you’re looking for in a home and design a space that perfectly meets your needs. And just as you would budget for a home purchase, you’ll have to determine what you can afford—which is why it helps to figure out just how much it will cost to build a new home.

There are a lot of factors that affect the cost to build a new home. Even before you get to things like quartz counter tops and heated bathroom floors you have to consider the costs associated with things like location, lot, construction materials, labor, and closing fees. And while it’s certainly not cheap, it is possible to build a new construction home while staying in the same budget you would set for a pre-built home. You just have to make smart decisions along the way.