Loan process/pre-construction meeting

Our loan officer has been more proactive lately. We did have a hiccup though, when he initially emailed me on the 12th, he stated all of the items he would need to process the loan--including a $550 check for the appraisal and credit report. When we spoke on the phone that day I told him that the check would come directly from the bank and that I would do so that immediately, and he even sent me the address to where the check would be mailed to. Well, since he decided to wait to send me the link to access my loan documents, he received the check before I could sign them. He emails me on the 21st stating that I would have to cancel the check and issue another one--and issue for me since the check was an official one and if its cancelled I would incur the fee. If he would have just sent me the link to the documents the day he created them (April 2nd), it wouldn't have been a problem when he got the check on the 17th! He decided that he could cash the check and give me back the money, and I produce another check--fine by me. We will clear all of this up when I come up to meet the SR in May.

I submitted my loan application; so many documents needed--tax statements, W-2s, bank statements, copy of my ID card--I killed a few trees for sure! I'm hoping that all goes well and we are able to proceed; he currently has the settlement date as 24 August so maybe that's a good sign :). Our credit is really good, so we really shouldn't have any issues.
Steve was notified that the project manager would like to speak with the both of us during the pre-con meeting, so they pushed it back to May 14th when I am back in the States. At first I was upset that I wouldn't see any progress when I came home on leave from Korea, but now I have come to terms with it. At least now I will feel more involved in the process and the PM will go line by line on what will happen. I'm hoping they will at least break ground before I fly back to Korea on the 25th.

Guardian/CTI Meeting

Steve met with Guardian and CTI on Monday for the wiring and flooring options. We had a list beforehand of what we would like to get, but depending on the prices it would dictate what we actually ended up with.

In the end with Guardian, we got the following:

Surround sound in the family room
High speed flat panel pre-wiring and cable in the family room above the fireplace
Data jacks in the study and loft
Cable in all four bedrooms, loft and basement (two came with the home)
Phone jacks in study and kitchen
Base package security system

In the beginning I was debating on whether I would pay for everything at closing and not have in included in the loan, but since we didn't go with everything on our wish list the payment wouldn't go up significantly with including it in the loan.

The meeting with CTI went well also. Since we picked out the hardwood floors and bathroom tile for both full baths with our sales rep, Steve only had to pick out the carpet. We logged on to Ryan Homes' website that lists the colors of flooring, but the color swatches did not provide a true picture of the actual carpet color. We initially decided on White Fox, but discovered that the color had been discontinued. We went with Dove Shell; I was afraid I wouldn't like it but once I saw a true picture of the color I was excited that Steve picked it out on his own :). Surprisingly, the color was level 1 in their package so no upgades. The carpet padding we went with is 6 lb. The initial flooring for the laundry room was vinyl, but we went back and decided on tile. We are waiting on the color swatches to decide on which one we will get.

Red Oak Cherry beside the Cherry Bordeaux cabinet

Bathroom tile, Dove Shell carpet

Making some progress!

Although they haven't broke ground in regards to the home, at least we are getting somewhere with the appointments. Guardian called early in the week to schedule a meeting with me to discuss the wiring options, but I guess the SR failed to tell them that I am still overseas. I had to direct them to talk with Steve since he will have to make the decisions, and since he's only off on Sundays and Mondays we have to wait until the 16th. Thursday CTI called wanting the schedule an appointment for flooring, and when I told the consultant she would have to discuss with someone else she was hesitant. I asked if it was possible for her to send color swatches of the carpet via email, and was told that they didn't have any. I found that odd considering I know a couple over here going through the same process, and they decided on their flooring and wiring through email photos and telephone conversations. Since she didn't have any other way to give me the colors, she had no choice but to deal with Steve. We were able to have that appointment set for the 16th as well, that way he only has to make one trip from Richmond.

On another note, Steve was offered an internal position with his company that has an office in DC--and they want him to start at the end of the month! I am excited that things are falling in to place, but the next obstacle is for him to find a place to live until the home is complete in August.

Frustration!

I may not have mentioned this before, but I am attempting to build a house all the way in Korea while my boyfriend is in Richmond, VA. The home will be built in Waldorf MD, so he will have to make the commute to attend the meetings. What's frustrating me at this point is the lack of communication I am receiving from my sales consultant, loan officer and anyone else I should be in contact with. I made some of the initial choices over telephone and Skype to get the legal documents and contracts sent to me, and that took a week to receive. It then took another week for the documents to reach the consultant (being overseas sucks right now), and I mailed the initial deposit directly from the bank. Other than the email of "we have received your check and the legal docs", I have heard very little unless I initiate the conversation. The worksheet she gave me stated that the loan officer will call me--nothing. It also says that I should have contacted CTI and Guardian within 14 days of the grace period--I now know they will also call me AFTER I asked the question of when did the grace period began. I asked what type of power of attorney should I get for Steve since he will make the decisions, and after two weeks of "let me check on it" I did one on my own to ensure he would be good to go. She now tells me that the amount that I put on the POA will not allow him to make upgrades to the flooring or security wiring. I'm even more confused now because the purchase agreement lists one price, so I was under the assumption I could pay for all of the upgrades to the company directly or at closing and not have it wrapped into the loan. She replied with "anything at closing but it still has to be reflected in the sales price until closing". Again, why am I having to ask all of the questions??


I guess I had high expectations during this process. I thought I would have someone be proactive and tell me what the next step is, and not wait until I ask a question after there have been days or weeks of silence. It's hard enough that I am thousands of miles away attempting to build a home that will be ready while I arrive, but to have a consultant that barely makes any initiative to ensure her customer is well informed is disappointing.  I am reading some of the blogs and some had docs signed, loan approved and home built within four months. I am five months away and I feel I am going nowhere.

                                           Another home across the street almost complete

Decisions, decisions...

When we signed our purchase agreement, there were a lot of options available to us. To ensure we got what we wanted without going over our budget, we went with the following options:

Elevation C with partial stone, winestone shutters and island pearl siding
Cherry hardwood in foyer, hall, dining room kitchen, powder room and morning room
Finished basement with 3 piece rough-in for bath, welled exit
Ceiling fan rough-ins for bedrooms, morning room and family room
Fireplace in family room
Recessed lighting in kitchen
Gourmet island in kitchen, stainless appliances, cherry bordeaux cabinets with butterum granite countertops
Upgraded owner's bath #2, double vanity, ceramic tile

We were surprised to find out that in our particular community the Rome model comes with a porch. Since I haven't seen photos of one with it, it will be interesting to see what comes from it. I orginally had another color on the countertops, but was able to change them since Ryan Homes allows you to make changes within the first two weeks.

A lot of the appointments should begin soon, I will post additional pictures when they break ground.

In the beginning...

Recently we found out that we would be moving to the Washington, DC metro area, and decided to purchase a home. After researching home listings old and new, we became frustrated when the homes did not come with the amenities that we desired. After careful consideration, we decided it would be best to build a home where we could customize it to our liking.

We researched various builders throughout the area, and decided on Ryan Homes. The builder offered great incentives and they have an impeccable reputation; recently they were named Energy Star partner of the year. I inquired about a home in the Piney Grove community, and the builder immediately put us in touch with our sales consultant Nikki. After speaking with Nikki on the home, we picked out the model of the home we wanted to build, and the options we wanted to include. Within a week, the purchase agreement and other legal documents were signed. We are currently in the loan process, beginning to work with the loan officer to obtain a mortgage through NVR.

We have our lot picked out, flooring, cabinets and tile chosen; the carpet has yet to be decided on. I will use this site to share with family and friends the progess on having our home built.

And the journey begins...

Our lot!

Our neighbor's house who just closed...