Is now a good time to build a custom home? Here’s what every Central Texas landowner and family should know.

The Hill Country Lifestyle Families Are Craving

More and more families are looking beyond the crowded city limits to North Austin in search of something different. The Hill Country offers room to breathe, quieter communities, and some of the most respected school districts in Central Texas, including Leander, Lampasas, and Liberty Hill. For families tired of squeezing into massive, master-planned neighborhoods, or settling for a spec home that never quite fits, the Hill Country provides a blank canvas. Building a luxury custom home here means your design is shaped by your lifestyle and the land itself. You can create a space that flows naturally with the landscape, incorporates outdoor living, and grows with your family. Instead of adapting your life to a home that was built for someone else, you can finally enjoy a home that reflects who you are and how you want to live.

Rising Property Values and Why Waiting Could Cost More

More locally, Liberty Hill has seen robust appreciation as demand rises. It’s a community drawing families with its top-rated schools, generous lot sizes, and luxury custom homes; all factors that preserve and build equity. It’s also creating a ripple effect: buyers, facing less available land and higher prices in Liberty Hill, increasingly look to nearby Lampasas. That area offers larger acreage at lower entry prices, but with rising interest, land values there are beginning to climb fast, echoing what Liberty Hill experienced a decade ago.

Here’s what that means for discerning families: Building now in Liberty Hill, or entering the emerging market in places like Lampasas, locks in property before prices escalate further. You’re investing not just in a home, but in a long-term asset that grows in value. Custom homes in these areas maintain equity better than spec houses in cookie-cutter neighborhoods, because they reflect individuality, quality, and lifestyle; making them both emotionally and financially rewarding.

In plain terms: if your goal is to lay down roots and secure long-term wealth through real estate, there’s no better time to build than now, not later. Waiting? You risk paying more for less land and missing out on years of invisible, or compounding, equity appreciation.

Rising Construction Costs and Financing & Interest Rate Environment

One question we hear a lot is, “Should I wait for interest rates to drop?” The truth is, that’s often a dangerous game—especially when you see how quickly costs are climbing. Materials like steel, lumber, concrete, and electrical components have all been on the rise. Over the past year, the Producer Price Index for construction materials jumped nearly 20%, driven by supply chain headaches and global volatility (Built | The Bluebeam Blog.) Forecasts show that overall construction costs are expected to continue inflating by 5–7% throughout 2025 (Masttawci.org.)

Labor challenges add fuel to the fire. Even as material prices fluctuate, wages continue to creep up thanks to ongoing skilled labor shortages (Boom & Bucket Built The Bluebeam Blog.) And don’t forget things like framing and foundation work. They may not seem flashy, but rising costs in concrete and framing labor can add serious dollars to your build.

So what about custom home builder prices? Expect them to keep going north—not lower—in the near future. And while mortgage rates have dipped into the mid-6% range, thanks to better economic signals, they remain far above historical lows (The Wall Street Journal ReutersBusiness Insider.) Goldman Sachs projects that rate pressure will likely keep them elevated near 6.75% by year-end (Business Insider.) The bottom line: delaying your project doesn’t mean better pricing—it means paying more in inflation, interest, and lost opportunity.

Here’s an old saying that fits perfectly: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is today.” If planting that future-featuring custom design feels daunting, the second-best time—right now—is where real wisdom lies. Delay, and you risk paying significantly more for the same home just a year or two down the road, thanks to higher material costs and rising builder prices. Acting now locks in value, ensures your custom home builder prices are more predictable, and lets you begin building equity right away.

In short waiting isn’t saving you money, it’s costing you more.

Designing for Your Land and Customization for Family Needs

One of the most common regrets we hear from families is that they waited too long to bring in a builder. Without expert guidance early on, it’s easy to choose the wrong floor plan for your property or overlook site-specific challenges, which often leads to costly redesigns down the road. Others settle for a production home, only to realize later that it doesn’t fit their lifestyle. Spec homes rarely account for multi-generational living, hybrid work schedules, or the desire for true indoor-outdoor living. Retrofitting those spaces years later is expensive and disruptive, and by then you’ve already lost valuable equity growth.

This is where the difference of a hands-on builder matters. At Jace & Bowen, we start by evaluating your land so the design naturally complements the terrain, whether that means preserving heritage oaks, addressing a slope, or capturing the best Hill Country views. We guide you through a process that prioritizes how your family lives today while also preparing for the next 15 to 20 years. Maybe that means a dedicated home office, a guest suite for aging parents, or an outdoor retreat that becomes the heart of family gatherings. When you design with us from the start, your home becomes future-proof, not just a temporary solution.

The truth is, waiting until “it’s cheaper” often backfires. Construction and land costs continue to climb, and in the meantime you’ve missed out on both lifestyle upgrades and equity growth. Your journey to a forever home deserves a guide who can anticipate challenges before they arise and deliver a design that reflects your family’s story. Our role is to walk beside you, turning the stress of “what if” into the certainty of a home built just for you.

Ready to Build Your Forever Home?

Why wait?! Families across the Hill Country are asking is now a good time to build a custom home? And the answer is yes. Land values in Lampasas, Liberty Hill, and beyond are rising, construction costs are climbing, and waiting only means you’ll pay more for the same home later. The research proves that the right choice is to act now with a custom home builder in Central Texas who knows how to design for your land, protect your equity, and create a home that truly fits the way you live.

As the best custom home builder in Lampasas, Liberty Hill and beyond, Jace & Bowen has guided families through this process with transparency and hands-on expertise. From preserving the character of your property to creating spaces for hybrid work, multi-gen living, and outdoor retreats, we make sure your home is future-proof for the next 15 to 20 years. Retrofitting later is costly; designing it right from day one is how you save money, protect your investment, and enjoy your dream home sooner.

So ask yourself: why wait? Choosing the right custom home builder in Central Texas means locking in today’s prices, growing equity immediately, and giving your family the Hill Country lifestyle you’ve been craving.

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👉 Meet Michael and Alec, the builders who have made it their mission to help families like yours achieve the dream of owning a custom home in the Texas Hill Country.