First-time buyer guide
Buying your first new CBH home, step by step
If this is your first new-construction purchase, the process can look like a maze of lots, phases, contracts, and checklists. It is a real process with real stakes, and it is very learnable. This guide walks the whole thing from the buyer's side in plain language, so you know exactly what happens, in what order, and why each step matters.
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Step one
Get pre-approved before you look at anything
Pre-approval is the number that makes the whole search real: a lender reviews your income, credit, and debts and tells you the price range you can act on, in writing. It is not the same as just asking how much you could borrow, and it is not a commitment to one lender. Shop your options, then keep the pre-approval current while you look. The mortgage partner page on this site explains how the step works and how to start.
Meet the mortgage partner - 02
Step two
Choose your community and floor plan
With a budget in hand, the fun part starts: comparing CBH communities against your commute, school priorities, timeline, and the plans you like. Some communities are selling now with lots available today, while coming-soon communities like Centerville sell through priority lists before the first phase opens. I help you line the two up so you tour only the neighborhoods that genuinely fit.
Explore CBH communities - 03
Step three
Understand the builder sales process versus your own agent
The builder's on-site sales representatives are friendly professionals, but they work for the builder. Your own buyer's agent works for you. The cleanest way to keep it that way is to register your agent before your first unaccompanied visit or online signup, because builders enforce strict registration windows. A quick call first protects your right to representation, usually at no cost to you.
How buying with a buyer's agent works - 04
Step four
Earnest money and the contract
When you pick a lot and a plan, you sign the builder's purchase agreement and put down earnest money, which is a good-faith deposit credited toward your closing. This is the paperwork where a first-time buyer most needs an experienced pair of eyes: deposits, change-order pricing, incentive credits, and contingency dates all live in the contract, and each one is worth reading carefully.
Answer common contract questions - 05
Step five
Inspections and the builder walkthrough
A new home comes with the builder's warranty, and you should still get your own independent third-party inspection at the right milestones, plus do the builder walkthrough together with a punch list in hand. Anything you catch before closing gets fixed before you accept the keys, which is exactly the leverage the walkthrough gives you.
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Step six
Walk through one more time, then close
The final walkthrough confirms every promised item is in place and the numbers match the contract before you sign. Then you close, get your keys, and move into a brand-new home that was built to your choices. The whole process is more straightforward with someone on your side, which is the point of this site.
A fair reminder as you plan the budget
Everyone has equal access to the homes on this site and to the teams that help sell and finance them: housing opportunity is open to all without regard to race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. The independent agents behind this guide are committed to that standard in every community they work.
On the money side, remember the monthly estimate covers more than the mortgage: HOA dues, utilities, maintenance, and one-time closing costs are all part of the real picture, and the design center's upgrade list can move your final price beyond the base sheet. The mortgage calculator on this site shows what a price range means per month before you fall in love with a floor plan.
Questions first-time buyers ask
Your side of the build
First home, or first new build, or both?
One free, no-pressure conversation is all it takes to get oriented: which communities fit your budget and commute, how the registration step works, and what the process will look like from here. You keep the advice either way.
Paul Knighton is an independent real estate agent. He is not employed by or affiliated with CBH Homes; he represents buyers. Equal Housing Opportunity.