Financing Options
How will you finance your log or timber frame home?
Financing the construction loan and permanent mortgage for your Honest Abe log cabin or timber frame home is handled in much the same manner as other types of home construction. Your Honest Abe Direct Sales Representative or Independent Dealer will have experience and insight into log home financing as well as finding and working with lending institutions. We invite you to use this knowledge as a resource to help you achieve your goal. Always check with your local lenders. If we can provide any information to prepare you for meeting with lenders, let us know. There are some regional, one of which is listed below, who work specifically with clients building log or timber homes.
Our decision to secure a construction loan from Farm Credit Service of Mid-America for the purchase of our Honest Abe log home met all of our needs and expectations. The loan officer provided us with funding options to consider, ensured we had a clear understanding of the entire process, demonstrated flexibility in handling our unique issues as an out-of-state loan applicant and was responsive to our questions. Their customer service is first rate!
What will your mortgage be?
Why we don’t advertise prices at Honest Abe…
At Honest Abe we frequently receive inquiries asking why our magazine advertisements and online floor plans do not show pricing.
The answer is the that we don’t publicize the pricing for one simple reason – most people customize the plans and need us to prepare a custom quote, so we have interested people talk with one of our representatives in our home office in Tennessee or one of our reps in other states. They take the plan a customer is interested in plus the choice of roof, windows, doors, etc., (which all come in the package, but there are options) and prepare a custom quote. Honest Abe will also take any estimate from another company and match its quote apples to apples in honor of our price match guarantee.
Admittedly, we have debated publishing prices. However, customers have reported to us that many times they have expected a price as seen in ads from other companies but found that the actual quote was seldom – if ever – what was shown. We cannot, in good conscience, do that. Our 38 years of experience tells us that advertising a set price on a custom home just will not work.
It’s like the enticing new gadget priced “starting at $9.99” you see online or on TV, but when you get out that credit card to make the purchase, it’s really $29.99.
We would rather just work with each customer in getting the most accurate quote possible and skip the hype. After all, we know that customers are going to be making a plan of action based on this quote, so why not go forth armed with the best information (and the truth)?
Advice about Builder’s Risk Insurance
Builder’s Risk insurance can be purchased by and written in the homeowner’s name, the builder’s name or the builder’s DBA. The dwelling is insured for the expected value upon completion. It is very important to keep thorough records and save receipts for expenditures for materials and labor. Builder’s Risk policies are normally written for 12 months.
- Always have builders risk insurance in place prior to delivery of log home construction materials. Unlike conventional home construction, where materials are delivered in phases over the period of construction, your log home materials will be delivered all at one time.
- Always have the policy written in your name (owner of log home materials). In the event of a loss, the claim check will be made payable to the Named Insured on the policy. If you would like, or if the builder requires, you can include the builder’s name on the policy as an Additional Insured, in which case any claim check would be payable to both parties.
- Be prepared to change your Builders Risk Insurance to dwelling (homeowners) insurance once construction is complete. Normal Builders Risk Insurance does not include personal property/contents so don’t move any personal belongings to the location until the correct insurance coverage is in place.
Fred Roberts, Log Home Dweller / Insurance Agent, froberts@loghomesinsurance.com
