Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, of course! In our more than 53 years of building family homes, we have specialized in creating exactly what our customers want. We are serious when we say that the customer is our first priority. What matters to you in your home is what matters to us and we will both advise you on your choices and create to your precise specifications.

We are delighted to offer you many different choices regarding building on the lot you are looking at purchasing or have purchased. You can build one of our elegant models, modify a model with a more semi-custom approach or have us look our many qualified architectural colleagues and design resources. If you have an architect already lined up, our highly skilled professional staff will work with him or her as well.

The amount of money needed depends on many things, such as the cost of the house, the type of mortgage you are applying for and your credit history. Funds will need to be available to cover three things:

1. Earnest Money: the deposit you submit at the time your contract is written. This money is held in an escrow account once your contract has been accepted and is credited to you at closing as part of your down payment and closing costs.
2. Down Payment: a percentage of the sales price that is paid at settlement.
3. Closing Costs: one-time fees associated with obtaining a loan and transferring title to property

Once construction on your house has begun, site visits without a builder representative are not allowed. Many dangerous conditions exist on a construction site and to comply with insurance requirements we request that you refrain from visiting the site unaccompanied. After the house is framed, under roof and the trades have roughed-in their components, a pre-drywall walk-through is scheduled. At this time, you will be able to see the status of the home and to make sure all your options have been added.

Owning a home offers more than just the satisfaction of being able to say it’s yours. The interest on your home loan can be deducted from your federal income taxes. Much of your monthly payment will be composed of interest for over half the number of years that you will be paying on your mortgage. This can add up to quite a savings at the end of each year. The property taxes you pay as a homeowner can be deducted also. With renting, you write your monthly check and never see any benefit. It is like paying interest on a debt that will never be paid off. Another bonus in owning your home is the possibility that its value will increase over the years, thereby increasing your equity.

You should contact any one of our loan officers for a no obligation consultation. At your initial consultation, they should be able to provide you with an estimated monthly payment, what your down payment may be, how much settlement charges will be, and what your approval time will be.

Sam Leach, Fitzgerald Financial Group
443-532-0478
sam.leach@fitzgeraldfinancial.net
NMLS#202539

Darren Rickwood, First Home Mortgage
443-532-5660
drickwood@firsthome.com
NMLS#170353

Mike Grigsby, Navy Federal Credit Union
443-532-5660
michael_grigsby@navyfederal.org
NMLS#888956

You should plan ahead for your selection appointment. To help with your selections you may want to bring fabric swatches, pillows and photographs of your existing furniture, samples of wallpaper you may be using, and any other items, such as magazine photos, that may help with your decisions. You should also spend a little time going through the selections that we offer before your scheduled appointment so that you are not overwhelmed with the choices.

Once you have signed all the paperwork at settlement you can start moving in.

Yes, you can make changes to your floor plan. We have always allowed our purchasers to customize our plans to meet their needs. However, all changes must be approved by us to ensure that they will meet site and structural requirements. In some communities, exterior changes are also subject to approval by an architectural review committee.

In our experience, zoning districts change somewhat frequently and thereby affect local boards of education. We encourage you to go directly to the Board of Education at www.ccboe.com. Charles County Public Schools, 5980 Radio Station Road, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646, Tel: 301-932-6610, Info Line: 301-932-6656

Renovation of a home or property means changes and updates were made to the property, but major structural changes did not take place. For example, painting the interior of a kitchen, replacing the faucet and appliances, and redoing the flooring would all fall under a renovation. However, if walls were moved and the space was expanded or changed, this would be called a remodel