Absolutely. They either think you are crazy or just don't understand the magnitude of what you have taken on and completed. The ones who think you are crazy tend to "get it" and are definitely more right than the other group.
Haha, well stated. It certainly IS a bit crazy to take on this much planning, surveying, engineering, constant researching, and years of hard labor. Most folks just plunk down a check and buy a turn key house, and many more just want a zero-maintenance apartment or condo (the psychopaths...).
From my perspective, my friends who just want to buy something turn-key often end up with a pretty dumpy, conventional, and poorly-built house that ends up needing lots of repairs over time. So in the end they have to put in a lot of the same work, money and effort anyway, just to have an inferior place to live - and less satisfaction with it. When you build new yourself, it sure takes a ****-ton of effort up front, but then you usually get to live for a decade or two without making any major repairs. So you can focus on other fun projects!
Probably the smartest group of buyers though, are the ones who find light fixer-upper, ranch style properties in good locations for bargain prices. For an often minimal amount of further investment and elbow grease, you can end up with a whole lot more property for the money than you get from buying raw land and building from scratch! During various economic downturns, there can be a lot of opportunity if the timing is right for your lifestyle and finances. I was too picky for that, had to do it the hard (fun) way too.
