Three Oaks Cottage
Our dream home, the building experience.
Decisions Decisions
Now that we have the land, what should we do? First things first, get a loan. That was not fun. We went to the same bank we got the land loan from who said ‘No Problem!’. That got our minds running and on the search for a builder. Come to find out the loan officer was putting through loans so that she could get paid without going through proper channels to get the loans approved. Long story short, she ended up screwing a lot of people on building loans. The bank General Manager basically said they wouldn’t do the loan and there was nothing they could do. You hope that every financial establishment will check off all your boxes when you are looking for building loan. It may take multiple banks but keep searching for the one that you like, trust and that will do right by you.
A few things to remember when looking for a building loan:
*Ask your builder what bank they have worked with in the past and was easy to work with when it came to draws.
*The best APR (clearly) but you may have to sacrifice a little here to get your boxes checked of what you need and are looking for.
*Which bank will help you through the process from beginning to end. Things like understanding draws and the bank double checking that each item has been completed before any money is transferred to the builder.
*ASK QUESTIONS!! The dumbest question is the question never asked. You have probably never done this before so ask away!
So on the search we go for another more honest bank.
In the mean time, we looked for THE builder. We talked to friends that had recently had houses built and met with their builders. Some of them could have been a possibility. And then I asked my beloved manicurist, Karen, who they used to build their home. ‘James Craig Builders’ she said and her home is gorgeous. Ok, so one more appointment. Met with Craig and we just knew he was THE ONE. He was upfront, honest and after looking at some of his model homes, impeccable workmanship and acute attention to detail. DONE! James Craig Builders it is!!!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WHILE BUILDING:
One thing that we realized was different about James Craig Builders is that they take care of all the paperwork for draws, change orders (AWA’s) and closing. After talking with other friends that have built homes with other companies, they had to take care of all of this. Run to the bank for a cashiers check so that work can continue. This is why you research your options when building. There is enough going on with selections and decisions, that it is nice to have them take that off your plate. Change orders, aka AWA’s, were put through Becky who in turn sent us the AWA to be signed and then we would send it back. She would then send a completed signed copy back for our reference. When it came to draws, they would send paperwork over to us to be signed and then James Craig would work with the bank to get that paid. Seemless!!! HUGE thing to think about when picking your builder.
GO WITH JAMES CRAIG! YOU WILL BE SO HAPPY WITH YOUR DECISION!!!
Three Oaks Cottage 