Earth Smart
Each home Bella Vista Homes builds is Earth Smart. Click on the button below to learn more our Earth Smart building process.
Home Buying Tips
Purchasing a new home instills a sense of self-accomplishment and worth, thus it is important to take your time to plan and organize your finances. Below are a few steps you should take to ease the process.
1. GET YOUR FINANCES IN ORDER.
Contact a preferred lender and get a Good Faith Estimate. Put together a budget and determine how much you can afford towards a mortgage loan each month.
2. DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
Figure out where you want to live and research the area. Consider factors such as schools, churches, shopping, dining, hospitals, and proximity to work.
3. MAKE A WISH LIST.
Prioritize what features are most important to you in a new home. What are your must-haves? What can you compromise on?
4. CONSIDER A SELECT HOME.
Many things can affect the time it takes to build your new home, such as weather and availability of labor and supplies. Purchasing a select home eliminates much of the variability in the homebuilding process and allows you to lock in to the current interest rates.
5. DON'T WAIT. HOMES SELL VERY QUICKLY.
The home you love today and think about tonight may be purchased today by the family who loved it yesterday and thought about it last night. If you see a house that meets your needs, act right away.
6. WATCH YOUR SPENDING.
Don't make any large purchases or take out any additional loans during the home buying process. Doing so may change your ability to qualify for the loan reflected in the Good Faith Estimate.
7. PLAN YOUR MOVE.
Create a timeline to avoid closing too early or too late. Plan when to pack, obtain your homeowner's insurance, and set up utilities, cable, phone, etc.
8. HAVE FUN!
Purchasing a new home is an exciting experience. Have fun with it!
Purchasing Process
Find the Right Home
If you don’t know where to begin, check out our website at bellavistahomes.com and our social media channels (we’re on Facebook, Instagram, and more) to learn more about what we do and what we offer.
On our website, you’ll find more specific information about our current and soon-to-debut communities, as well as floorplan info and other key details. You’ll find that we offer dozens of floorplans to suit any need. Want a four-bedroom home with an office? Just search for it.
Also during this process, make sure to contact our dedicated team of Online Sales Professionals who are uniquely qualified to answer your questions and help you find a home in the right community. They can also provide loan officer information for financing questions and advice on new or upcoming communities.
You can get in touch with this team at any point during your shopping experience by emailing onlinesales@bellavistahomes.com or messaging them using our LiveChat feature found in the right-hand corner of your browser. If you’d like to see any of our available homes or models in person, we recommend meeting with one of our onsite team members to take a private tour.
Apply for a Home Loan
Your Contract requires you to make loan application within three (3) days from contract date. Additionally, the builder requires conditional loan approval within 14 days of the purchase agreement.
Your Sales Professional will provide you with the website information to make an online loan application. They’ll also include a list of required documents as well as the contact information for an account manager with First Choice Lending Group (FCLG), our approved lender. They can assist you with preparing all documentation required to complete the loan process.
Once you’ve completed your loan application and supplied all the necessary information, conditional loan approval will be delivered to you within five (5) business days. If you plan to pay cash for your home, we require verification that funds are available to be submitted to your Sales Professional within three (3) days of signing your contract.
New Home Orientation
A few days before closing on your home, you will meet with a construction superintendent who will show you the ins and outs of your new home. During this meeting, they’ll confirm that the process is moving along and that it will close within the expected window. This helps you stay prepared as your closing date approaches.
Sign the Contract and Close On Your New Home
We will finalize all options when you sign your contract, so that we may submit the architectural drawings necessary for engineering and permitting as quickly as possible. You will then meet with a representative of our preferred title company to transfer the home's title to your name. Remember, you must secure a homeowner's insurance policy before coming to the closing table.
Move In!
Finally the day you've been dreaming about! As soon as your mortgage loan funds, we'll hand over the keys and you are free to move in! Don't wait another minute!
Contact Bella Vista Homes today at (210) 546-1275.
Terms To Know
When you're buying a new home, sometimes it can feel like everyone is speaking a foreign language. We have provided a list of key terms you should know before moving forward with your purchase. For more information, please ask your Bella Vista Homes Sales Professional.
Closing Costs
Costs in addition to the price of the home, which are paid at closing. These include taxes, title insurance, financing costs, and items that must be prepaid or "escrowed" and other costs.
Escrow
An account held by the mortgage lender into which a homeowner pays money at the time of the periodic mortgage payments to cover annual property taxes and insurance.
Earnest Money
The deposit money given to the seller by the potential buyer when signing the sales contract.
Good Faith Estimate
An estimate of charges which a home buyer is likely to incur in connection with their home purchase, including closing costs and monthly investment.
HOA (Homeowner's Association)
The governing body of a community, which enforces the covenants, conditions, and restrictions of managing the common amenities of the development.
Homestead Exemption
A concession made by local taxing authorities to provide a reduction in property taxes by exempting a portion of the valuation of the homeowner's principal residence from taxation.
Select Home
A home on which construction has already begun or is complete before a home buyer signs a contract on that home. Also known as a inventory or spec (speculative) home.
Mortgage
A pledge of real property given by the buyer to the lender as security for the repayment of money borrowed.
MUD (Municipal Utility District) Tax
A fee homeowners pay to provide water, sewage drainage, and other services to their area. MUD rates generally decline over time as the district is built out and operating and debt service costs are shared by more homeowners.
Owner's Title Policy
Insurance policy that protects the buyer/owner of real property from successful claims of ownership to the property by others.