Steps to Build a Home | Welcome to Better

How often do you build a new home from the ground up? Probably only a few times throughout your life.

At M/I Homes, we believe this experience should be enjoyable from the beginning. We want to help you enthusiastically step into the next chapter of your life while you complete each milestone throughout the new home building process.

The best way to do that is to keep you informed on what to expect when building a new home.

It’s common to be both excited and curious on what the entire building process may look like. The more prepared you are, the more time you have for the fun and exciting part of watching your dream home come together (and the more time you can spend planning out where all your décor is going to go!).

No matter where you are in the process, we are here to empower you with a step-by-step timeline from start to finish, as well as some tips to prepare for each.

Step 1: Meet Your New Home Consultant

This is the beginning of a lasting relationship with our M/I Homes family and yours. We can complete this step either in person or virtually. You will work hand-in-hand with the New Home Consultant at your community level to achieve the following:

Review home plans and potential homesites for the best fit for you and your family.
Enter into a purchase agreement (final selection of your dream home plan, homesite, and exterior elevation)
Pay your initial deposit and apply for pre-qualification
Complete all structural option selections within 7 days of contract (these are the options you see on each home plan)

Tips for Success: Spend time reviewing your structural options. These are choices that cannot be changed later in the process and can be costly (or impossible) to change once you’ve closed.

(Bonus Tip: Check where the sun rises and sets from your potential new home—you’ll want to know where to sip your coffee in the morning and catch the dreamy sunsets!)

Step 2: Finance Your New Home

Securing financing will depend on the purchase price of your home and loan options you’re comparing based on your unique needs.

Apply for mortgage
Receive confirmation once loan approval is received

Tips for Success: Working with our in-house lender, M/I Financial, offers numerous benefits, including additional incentives for closing costs. Be sure to ask your New Home Consultant and compare rates.

Step 3: Select Your Home’s Design Options

Probably one of the most exciting steps outside of closing is meeting with your Design Specialist, either onsite at one of our Smart Series communities or within our Design Studio!

This step is where your vision for your home’s interior style comes to life. Prior to your appointment you’ll receive detailed instructions on how to best prepare. Register for our online design studio, Envision, bring your list of must-haves, and have your budget outline ready to share with your selection coordinator to ensure you stay on target.

Set up your design studio appointment with your selections coordinator within 3 days of completing your permit option
Meet with your personal selection coordinator
Schedule your follow-up appointment with your final selections (that’s right: there are TWO appointments)
Design selections are complete within 21 days of purchase date and selections are final at sign-off

Tips for Success: Each appointment is carefully mapped out to ensure the maximum productivity of your time, and we’re always here to help guide our most popular choices—trust that you are in good hands!

Step 4: Watch Your Dream Home Come to Life

This is the exciting moment when your dream starts becoming real: we call this the action step!

Nothing compares to watching the physical building process of your new home with your own eyes.

You will get to meet onsite throughout the process with your personal Construction Manager to get to know your home inside and out, creating monumental memories even before the walls are up!

Building permit received and plot plan completed
Buyer Builder Conference after Design Studio sign-off (within 4-6 weeks after purchase date)
Building Part 1 – Groundwork: Excavation, framing, mechanicals, and insulation
Building Part 2 – Walls up: Pre-Drywall meeting onsite
Building Part 3 – Interior and exterior finishes
New Home Orientation Onsite: Full walk through with Construction Manager 1 week prior to closing to review dream home.

Tips for Success: Be sure to register for 149Photos and you’ll receive weekly photo updates of your home’s progress to share with family and friends.

Move Into Your New Home!

The time is here! You have arrived at the final step. This is an exciting moment for you and your family as your dream home officially becomes yours.

But our relationship is far from over. You are officially an M/I Homeowner and we know that you’ll thrive in all seasons throughout the years in your new home. Our Customer Care team is with you, along with our industry leading Transferable Structural Warranty, to provide peace of mind for you and your family.

Close on your home at M/I Title
Move into your brand new M/I Home
Follow up with Customer Care

Tips for Success: Have fun! We hope you’ve learned that this entire process is memorable. Memories can start even before you’re all moved in and unpacked, so take your time and soak in the newness of your dream coming to life.

Which milestone step seems the most exciting? Which step surprised you? We’d love to hear from you!

If you still have questions regarding the home buying process with us, I’d love to help! Drop me a line here and let’s Welcome you to Better with M/I Homes!

What Are the Steps to Build a Home?

December 31, 2020