The Home Buying Process

An Overview of Your New Home Experience

Purchasing a new home is an exciting experience. The process is also complex, with many details to be decided and arranged. While we are building your new home, you participate by taking care of several important aspects of your purchase.

Building a new home is an investment of your money, your emotions, and your time. Many of the tasks will require your attention during regular business hours.

The chronological list that follows outlines the events that typically occur in purchasing a new home and provides an overview of the events that will require your time and attention. Where time frames are specified, you need to observe them for us to deliver your home on schedule.

Mortgage Pre-Approval

Pre-approval means that a lender has stated in writing that you qualify for a mortgage loan based on your current income and credit history. A pre-approval usually specifies a term, interest rate, and mortgage amount. A pre-approval is typically valid for a brief period of time and usually has several conditions that must be met. This pre-approval will help set the budget for the type of home you can purchase and which options you can choose. If you require assistance, let us know, and we may direct you to a mortgage broker or bank to work with. Please note that different banks and brokers offer different solutions if you’re planning on building a custom house vs. a home that has already been built.

Purchasing Your Home

The purchase agreement and various addenda constitute a legal understanding regarding the purchase of your new home. Please read the purchase agreement and all attachments carefully. As with any legal agreement, you may wish to have your attorney review them. Once all the paperwork is signed, we suggest you insert those documents in Purchasing Your Home.

Arranging for Your Loan

Once you have signed the purchase agreement, finalizing the details for financing is next. To assist you, we may suggest lenders appropriate for your specific financial situation. Arranging for Your Loan contains hints and information on the loan process.

New Home Selections

New Home Selections of this manual will assist you in the exciting process of personalizing your new home with your selections.

Construction of Your Home

Several tasks need to be completed before the start of construction. Some of these are our job; some are yours. They are described in the Construction of Your Home. Near the beginning of construction, we will offer to meet with you at a Preconstruction Conference to review plans and specifications one final time. Next, we will invite you to tour your new home with us when your home reaches the mechanical stage, just before insulation is installed. Please bring the manual to both of these meetings.

We also expect and welcome your casual visits to the site. Please read Construction of Your Home for guidelines on safety, security, and work in progress.

Homeowner Orientation

The homeowner orientation has two purposes. The first is to demonstrate the features of your home and discuss maintenance and our limited warranty program. Equally important, we want to confirm that we have delivered your new home at the quality level described in our documents and shown in our model homes and with all your selections correctly installed. For detailed information, please review the Homeowner Orientation.

Closing on Your Home

Closing on Your Home section of this manual describes the documents you will sign and other important details about the closing process. We have included guidelines to assist you in preparing for closing and move-in.

Caring for Your Home

Many of your responsibilities as an owner and our responsibilities under the terms of our limited warranty are discussed in Caring for Your Home. Begin now to become familiar with the home maintenance you should provide and our warranty service commitment. We plan for two standard contacts with you during the warranty period. These visits and procedures for service outside these standard contacts are described in Caring for Your Home.

Your Feedback and Suggestions

Our desire to maintain open communication with you extends through the buying process and after your move-in. To improve the product and service we provide, we welcome your comments on how we’ve performed. We survey our customers after move-in. Our goal is to build the best home and the best customer relationship possible. Your feedback helps us reach that goal.

As time passes, if your housing needs change, we are ready at any time to build you another home. We also appreciate your referrals. Our office is always happy to provide you with information about where we are currently building and the products we offer.