Either way there has to be some traveling done by someone during the process. If you hire someone at your old location are you willing to pay for them to travel and meet you at the new location? If you choose/buy things at the old location, who is going to accept delivery and make sure the correct materials have been delivered? Is your builder going to take on that job? Does you builder expect you to order from local sources or is he ok with a designer ordering from her favorite tile/plumbing/appliance shop in the old location?

Things you pick out in a showroom 6 hours away, might not look good in your house and location. You really should look at samples laid out in your new house.

Current material and product backlogs complicate all of this process too. I just got some Brizo bathroom accessories in their Lux Gold color 6 months after I placed the order. Things go from being available 4-6 weeks out to not being available for 6 months, from one day to the next and the showrooms get little to no notice.

I could never build a house long distance, specially not my "last" one! We moved to the new area and rented for 16 months. I was the designer and stopped by the site every single day. Moved in about 6 weeks ago and still have workers in the house, installing stuff as soon the back ordered stuff arrives.

Good luck!

We just hung up the phone with our designer who's 2000 miles away. She's near the home. Trying to pick paint colors by computer/phone images is next to impossible. Plan on sending samples back and forth, or having duplicates of everything. She keeps sending pictures of paint selections next to our wood floors, trim and ceilings. We have the same paint samples here and we can see how horribly inaccurate the colors are on the pictures when we hold up the sample next to her pictures. If I could be close to her, and the actual samples, I would. That said, I also know the value of having the designer near the home sight. She needs to be able to check on colors are they're being applied. She was late getting to our house to approve exterior stain samples until it was too late, and now we're stuck with the wrong color siding.

I am always a fan of picking someone local - you can meet them in person and thus have more of a personal approach on both ends. You also keep the money in your community.

Chispa: thank you for all the questions I need to ask! We haven’t decided if we will move and rent while house is under construction (not many rental options). We’ll still need to start the process before then. And yes, the lead times are challenging which is why I’m being encouraged to start the process now.
LH CO/FL: you have put the reality into my concerns.
Elaine: I wholeheartedly agree with using local talent. There isn’t a local designer for the new build. My architect and builder are locals so this isn’t their first rodeo. I just learned the consulting designer isn’t even in the USA, which essentially makes it a no-go for me.
Again thanks to all. I’m now armed with more specific questions for the builder. This is going to be a challenge.

I could be wrong, but when you say the new house is in a town of 5,000 and the nearest town has a population of 65,000 (2 hrs away), I don't know if you'll be able to find anyone good in that area. You may have to work with someone who lives where you are now.

kandrewspa: Thanks for your input. Yes, that’s exactly the problem… isolated. Our property is actually 20mi outside of town. The logistics are a little different versus building in big metro area. I’m leaning toward using a designer where I currently live and will have to determine how to make to all come together in the end.
I haven’t had a focused discussion with the builder or architect on how their past projects have worked around this challenge. I wanted to have foundation questions to start the conversation.

I'd go with the firm's consultant designer who is "part of the team". (Make sure you get a $ quote... for the job). Just because designer is at a distance, does not mean the two of you can't work together. Designer recommends and you, still in the big city, go to see the products.

I am years past where you are now. I hope your remote area has access to great health care.

Judianna20: A perspective worth considering. Thank you for the concern re: health care access. We've been travelling to this region for 30 years. Although the location is isolated with a small population, it is known for outdoor recreation opportunities and is highly visited, averaging 3 million domestic and international travelers annually. It's not a hob knobbing community but one with a casual vibe. As a retired healthcare worker, I can say I'm comfortable with what's available.