Interactive New Construction Buyer Checklist

• List the floor-plan and lot characteristics that actually matter to you.
• If you want your own agent involved, confirm the builder's current agent-registration and representation policy, and have representation documented as early as that builder requires.
• Talk to at least one outside lender as well as any builder-affiliated lender.
• Decide your own upper limit before you see upgrade pricing.

• Ask which features in the model are standard and which are upgrades.
• Ask for the current written price sheet, lot premium list and options pricing.
• Ask what is currently available: to-be-built, under construction or completed inventory.
• Ask what stage each available home is at and what remains to be selected.
• Photograph the model's finishes and note the exact product names you liked.

• Read the entire contract, including addenda and the warranty document, before signing.
• Have an appropriate professional review anything you do not fully understand. This checklist is not legal advice.
• Ask how change orders, substitutions and price adjustments are handled in writing.
• Ask what the contract says about delays, completion and what happens if your financing timing shifts.
• Confirm what deposits are required, when they are due and under what conditions they are refundable.
• Confirm what the contract and site rules say about buyer-arranged inspections and site access.

• Compare written loan estimates from the builder's lender and at least one outside lender.
• Ask for every incentive in writing, including what triggers it, how it can be applied and any expiry.
• Ask whether any incentive is conditioned on using a specific lender or title company.
• Compare total cost, not just the monthly figure or the headline credit.

• Look at the plat and see what is planned next to, behind and across from the lot.
• Ask about grading, drainage and where water moves on and off the lot.
• Ask about easements, utility placement and anything that limits fencing or future structures.
• Check orientation, backyard depth and privacy by walking the lot yourself.
• Ask what the lot premium is for and whether it is negotiable.

• Request the association documents, current dues amount and payment frequency in writing.
• Ask which districts the specific address sits in and request the current disclosure documents.
• Verify current amounts with the association and the district rather than relying on a verbal figure.
• Read the restrictions that affect fencing, parking, exterior changes and short-term rentals.

• Agree on how often you will get written progress updates and from whom.
• Follow the builder's rules for site visits and safety; do not enter an active site unescorted.
• Photograph each stage, especially before surfaces are covered.
• Keep a copy of every selection sheet and change order you sign.

Plan inspections where they are permitted and appropriate under your contract and the builder's access rules.

• Confirm in writing what inspections your contract permits and when.
• Choose your inspector early, since availability varies.
• Ask whether a pre-drywall inspection is available at your stage; not every builder or contract allows one.
• Send any inspection report to the builder in writing and keep the response.

• Attend whatever orientation or walkthrough the builder offers at this stage, and take notes rather than relying on memory.
• Test outlets, fixtures, faucets, appliances, doors, windows and the HVAC in both modes.
• Ask for the outstanding item list in writing, with who is responsible and the timing the builder commits to.
• Re-check anything previously reported as corrected.

• Review closing figures with the title company in advance and ask about anything unexpected.
• Collect the written warranty, manuals, serial numbers and registration instructions, and note what each warranty period covers and for how long.
• Confirm exactly how warranty requests are submitted and what the response process is.
• Store every contract, selection sheet, inspection report and warranty document together.