Homeowner Guide

Homeowner Guide

Welcome to the Destination Homes Homeowner Guide. As of April 2020, the Homeowner Guide will no longer be a printed manual, but will live entirely online. Please see applicable sections for your home below.

This manual is designed to help you with frequently asked questions concerning the purchase, construction, financing, and maintenance of your new home.

    Homeowner Guide

    Introduction

    Congratulations on your decision to purchase a new home from Destination Homes. We share your excitement about your new residence and look forward to having you work with us to build your home.

    The Destination Homes Homeowner Guide has been designed to assist you during and after the purchase of your home. The information presented here will answer many questions and prepare you for each step of the new home experience, making the home-buying process more enjoyable.

    In addition to guiding you through the process of purchasing and building, this guide provides a section called Caring for Your Home. This information covers essential maintenance guidelines and a description of the limited warranty program that comes with your new home.

    If you need clarification or additional details about any topic discussed, please give us a call. We are delighted to welcome you as part of the Destination Homes family and are always ready to serve you.

    Chapter 1Home Purchase
    • Purchase Agreement—a completed contract includes your Purchase Agreement, Exhibits, and Addenda
    • Purchase Agreement Meeting Details—for your convenience, we have summarized the practical details about each routine meeting in tables throughout this guide
    • Purchase Agreement Meeting Sample Agenda—each routine meeting also includes a written agenda to ensure that we cover all necessary details and have a place to document any action items
    Chapter 2Home Financing
    • Loan Application Checklist—the documents and information typically needed to complete the mortgage application form
    • Loan Application Paperwork—an overview of the forms involved in processing your application
    • Loan Underwriting and Final Loan Approval—key points to be aware of regarding the loan approval process; take special note of contingencies that may apply
    • Loan Lock—lock your loan only after Destination Homes has provided you with a written delivery date confirmation
    • Loan Settlement—avoid changes to your financial circumstances to protect your loan approval
    Chapter 3Design Selections
    • Included Features—you will be pleasantly surprised at the number of appealing features that come with your new home
    • Available Personal Choices—in order to personalize your home, you need a menu of items to choose from; some of these may be displayed in our models so that you can see them in a “living catalog”
    • Change Requests—Destination Homes will consider requests for changes after the selection process is complete in accordance with the community’s change request time table and fee schedule
    • Selection Guidelines—we offer a collection of preparation methods and décor tips that you may find helpful in preparing for your selections appointments and after move in
    • Natural Properties—making informed decisions requires good information early in the process; we want to call attention to the characteristics of common finish materials
    • Selection Appointment Details—practical points in the format you’ve come to recognize
    • Selection Appointment Agenda—each home buyer is unique but we have found that working from a planned list of decisions helps make a complex process a bit easier
    Chapter 4Construction of Your Home
    • Safety—please respect the potentially dangerous nature of a construction site and follow our site visit policies
    • Preconstruction Meeting—meet your construction manager and review your home’s plans and specifications
    • Preconstruction Meeting Details
    • Preconstruction Meeting Sample Agenda
    • Start of Construction—several tasks require our attention prior to construction beginning
    • Frame Tour—we invite you to see the quality inside the walls of your new home and confirm details up to this point are installed in accordance with your choices
    • Frame Tour Meeting Details
    • Frame Tour Sample Agenda
    • Plans & Specifications—each home is unique; for many reasons no two are exactly alike
    • Model Home Quality Standards—our commitment to you is to deliver your new home at the same level of quality demonstrated in our model homes.
    • Questions & Observations—questions and comments are an expected natural part of this process
    • Private Home Inspectors—if you engage a home inspector, our requirements and tips appear here
    • Single Source—only our employees and trades under contract work on the homes we build Trade Contractors—our trade partners work from detailed plans and specifications which can only be changed with written instructions from Destination Homes
    • Schedules—several factors outside of Destination Homes’ control influence the time needed to build a home
    Chapter 5Homeowner Orientation

    • Scheduling—the need for daylight and the length of this meeting require special scheduling
    considerations
    • Last Minute Details—what looks like rushing is a normal part of the delivery process, with many
    people addressing final details
    • Preparation—to enjoy the maximum benefits from this meeting, prepare for it following these
    guidelines
    • Completion of Items—most items can be addressed prior to occupancy
    • Home Owner Orientation Meetings Details
    • Home Owner Orientation Sample Agenda

    Chapter 6Closing on Your Home

    • Date of Settlement—Destination Homes will provide you with scheduling details and
    preparation reminders 30 days or more prior to possession
    • Documents—an overview of the materials that you will sign at closing
    • “The Final Number”—financial details that comprise the final payment you will make for
    settlement can be determined only after your appointment date is set
    • Preparation—reminders to assure you have addressed all necessary tasks prior to closing
    • House Keys/Garage Door Opener Operators— one to two business days after settlement keys will
    be available from your sales consultant unless other arrangements are made; openers are left in the
    home when applicable
    • First Mortgage Payment—your lender will advise you when and how to make your first mortgage
    payment
    • Storing Documents—file your documents for safe keeping; you will eventually need them again
    • Utility and Community Services—names and numbers for your convenience

    Chapter 7Caring for Your Home

    • Use and Maintenance Guidelines—introduction to the maintenance information in this guide
    • Two Year Limited Warranty Guidelines—an introduction to the criteria we use to screen two year
    limited warranty items
    • Warranty Service Requests—information about handling emergencies or appliance issues,
    standard warranty visits and interim items; inspection, repair, and access
    • Warranty Repairs—decisions and scheduling, details about working in your home, completion
    times, and missed appointments
    • Warranty Visit Details—we plan to visit your home on your behalf, to confirm that it is
    performing to the standards we promised
    • Sample Warranty Visit Agenda—although each community is slightly different, the sample
    agenda illustrates the level of detail we will check in your home
    • Air Conditioning through Wood Trim—an alphabetical list of the items in your home, including
    maintenance hints, warranty criteria, and troubleshooting tips where applicable
    • Home Care Supplies—create a shopping list of tools and supplies you will need to care for your
    home
    • Maintenance Schedule—a place to make notes about routine maintenance tasks and plan your
    schedule
    • Additional Warranty Coverage—in addition to the one year warranty, your home comes with other
    types of warranties
    • Appliance Service—a worksheet where you can record serial and model numbers along with
    manufacturer service phone numbers

    Conclusion

    Thank you for your Destination Homes purchase. We truly appreciate each opportunity we have to build
    someone a home. We look forward to working with each homebuyer during the construction process and
    also during homeownership.

    Remember that you will be receiving surveys about your home and your building experience with us. We
    greatly appreciate that feedback.

    Our greatest compliment received is being able to build for friends or family members referred to us by our
    homeowners. Contact your sales consultant to learn more about the details of our referral program.

    Thank you for taking the time to review the information and materials in this guide. We hope that you have
    found the given information useful. Our commitment to meeting the expectations that we set for our
    homeowners is of utmost importance to us, and it requires work from each party involved. We hope we’ve
    been able to meet or exceed your expectations up to this point.