Building your own home
Building your own home
Your dream home, one step at a time
What should you expect when building your own home? There are many steps before the keys are in your hands. We've outlined some of the major milestones spanning from the beginning days of the home search until you're ready to pull up your moving truck and start unpacking boxes.
1. Locate your neighborhood
Finding a location to build your own home is often cited as one of the most important factors in the search. Zeroing in on the right community for your needs is as important as finding the home itself. Schools, commute and amenities can all factor into your decision. When you're searching on RichmondAmerican.com, be sure to use the search filters to narrow down communities. You can search by communities with pools, dog parks and more.
2. Select your floor plan
Once you've narrowed down your options to a couple neighborhoods, it's time to assess your lifestyle so you can start exploring floor plans. How many bedrooms are on your wish list? Do you need a study so you can work from home? A sales associate can walk you through layout options. Read more on exploring floor plans.
3. Find your homesite
This step really sets new construction homes apart from resale homes. The level of flexibility you have with choosing your actual lot/ homesite is a great advantage to buying new. Do you like a corner lot or do you prefer to be tucked into the center of the block? Whether you're set on being across from the park or steps from the school, you'll have a chance to evaluate homesite options.
4. Sign your contract
In the days before you put ink to paper, make sure you have your finances in order. Getting pre-qualified for a mortgage is a great first step because it will help you determine how much you can afford. The folks at Richmond American's affiliate mortgage company, HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation, will be happy to walk you through the process.*
What's so important about signing the contract? This is an important step because it allows us to reserve your homesite and begin the building process. Once you sign on the dotted line, snap a photo because it's official and you'll want to remember this day!
* The Richmond American Homes companies (RAH) and HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation (HMC) are owned, directly or indirectly, by M.D.C. Holdings, Inc, and, therefore, are affiliated companies. RAH and HMC offer services independently of each other, and if you obtain a product or service from one company, you are not required to utilize the services of, or obtain products from, the other company. Your decision to use a company that is not affiliated with RAH or HMC will not affect your ability to obtain products and services from these companies.5. Your home design appointment
The home design appointment is a unique experience at Richmond American's innovative Home Gallery™. Unlike many builders, we offer hundreds of design choices to make your home unique. But if you don't know quartz from granite, don't worry! Our finishes are color-matched to take out the guesswork and our designers are on hand to assist and keep you on budget. Read our brochure to learn more about your home design appointment. Or learn more about our home design process here.
The building process
Building your own home is rewarding in many ways and nothing is more exciting than being a part of the process from start to finish. If you build from the ground up, we'll schedule several walk-throughs so you can keep tabs on the progress.
Final walk-through
Your dream has come to life! When your home is complete, it's time for us to show you around, review maintenance information and answer any questions you may have. The finish line is in sight.
Get your keys!
Closing day is a moment for the memory books. Tag us on Instagram to commemorate the occasion. Once the paperwork is signed, the home you've envisioned is yours. We'll schedule several follow-up check-ins to answer questions and take care of any service requests.