Well if you were going in for brain surgery, I dont think you would be getting any bids. Thusly on the cost to build your home, it is a mistake to put the price as the first item on your list. Certainly your house and lot has to be built for the appraised value or less, but to think you can get a quality product at a bargain price is unrealistic. Imput = Output. Also, most good builders are just as selective about their client as their client is about them.
They will only use certain plans, ones that reflect on their ability to build beautiful, sound, and quality products that will stand the test of time. If you go out and pay upwards of half million $ on a decent lot and do a poor job of selecting a building contractor and use the wrong parameters in your choosing selection, you will most likely regret it. It is wise to build in this "down time"
because the slower pace will result in more deliberate quality.