True Homes is a private, semi-custom builder based in Charlotte, NC dedicated to bringing the best new home designs, new home style and new home value to our customers. We are the largest builder in Charlotte and have expanded to the Charleston, SC market during 2012. The ownership team has over 70 years of homebuilding experience and formed a new partnership that transitioned Craft Homes (built homes in Charlotte since the 1990’s) to True Homes during the 1st quarter of 2008. True Homes has four amazing home collections ranging in price from the $80s - $700s.

Our beautiful New Home Showroom is located at our corporate office located at 2649 Brekonridge Centre Drive, Monroe, NC 28110. Phone number is 704-238-1229.

True Homes is a private, semi-custom builder dedicated to bringing the best new home designs, new home style and new home value to our customers. True Homes provides the best home value across all four of our home collections. We are a semi- custom builder with an easy three step True Customization Process that empowers our customers to build their dream home. We have innovative floorplans that match different lifestyle preferences. We offer a powerful three step True Style Process that enables our customers to express their personal design and style preferences. We build green friendly homes that are 40% more energy efficient than the typical used home. We build high quality homes with more standard features and industry leading customer satisfaction.

Each Home Collection is designed for various customer budgets, space needs and style preferences. All our Home Collections have more space, more style and design, higher energy efficiency and more high quality features than other choices in the market (all at a better price too!). The Integrity Collection features homes from the $80s - $130s and range in size from 1,200 - 2,800 square feet. The Elements Collection features homes from the $100s - $250s and range in size from 1,400 – 4,300 square feet. The Traditions Collection features homes from $220s - $500s and range in size from 2,800 – 5,600 square feet. The Designer Collection features homes from the $300s - $700s and range in size from 3,900 – 5,600 square feet.

True Homes has adopted a revolutionary homebuilding system that significantly decreases the cost of your home while giving you better quality. It is called “X homes/ day” approach to home building. We build 3 homes / day. This efficient system provides our trade partners a consistent “flow” of work. This consistent flow of work significantly decreases the cost of your home. Most buyers don’t understand that 50% of the cost of building a home is in labor. The key is to make the workers operationally efficient so they can charge you less to do their job. Think of Ford Motor Company when they were the first to introduce assembly line efficiency. It turned the automobile industry on its head. The efficiencies were light years ahead of the “old” process. At True Homes we are doing the same thing in the home building industry and you are the beneficiary of it.

Yes! Every customer who is considering building a new home should want to make sure they are working with a quality builder. However, the real question is how will you know your builder is building a quality product? At True Homes we believe a quality home is the by-product of two key ingredients – Quality Products and Quality Construction. True Homes is committed to partnering with industry leading brand name companies to provide you with products you can trust long after moving day is over. These brand names include industry quality leaders like Lennox, Whirlpool, Merillat, Anderson Windows, Moen, Honeywell, Duron, Schlage, Wayne Dalton and Mohawk. True Homes is dedicated to quality construction in all our homes consisting of structural integrity, energy efficiency, high performance mechanical systems and a dedicated personal builder. When all of these “ingredients” come together in building your new True Home you can rest assured you have a high quality home built to last.

Yes! A new True Home is 40% more efficient than a typical used home. Every True Home comes standard with several energy saving features. These features include high efficiency heating and cooling, energy efficient appliances, high performance vinyl windows, energy efficient insulation, exterior home barrier, tight air ducts and energy saving fluorescent lighting. In addition, every True Home is third party tested and certified for energy savings. Each home receives a certified Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score. This score is produced by a RESNET certified building inspector who provides a standardized evaluation for energy efficiency.

It depends. The actual building schedule is 48 work days (2 ½ months) from the start of framing to the closing of your home. However, how long it will take you to position yourself for the start of construction will have the most significant impact on the overall timeline for building your home. The items that must be completed prior to the official construction start of your home include financing approval; New Home Showroom appointment; drawing your blueprints; obtaining your building permit and building your home’s foundation. In general, your new home will be completed from the date of your purchase agreement to move-in within a total of 4-6 months.

There are a few items that impact the price of a specific floorplan from one community to another. These items include differences in land cost, local building permits and community specific requirements.

Yes! We love to work with Realtors/brokers and appreciate their recommendation of True Homes to their clients. We ask that brokers register their clients at a True Homes community no later than their clients first visit. We also allow our customers to register their broker during their first visit to any of our communities.

No. We value the on-going relationship we have with our Realtor/Broker partners and do not believe creating an incentive for our customers to exclude them in the process is a wise business decision. In addition, we do not want to discourage our customers from using a Realtor/Broker during their purchase process.

True Homes has adopted a revolutionary homebuilding system that significantly decreases the cost of your home while giving you better quality. We build 3 homes / day. This efficient system provides our trade partners a consistent “flow” of work. This consistent flow of work significantly decreases the cost of your home while increasing the quality of your home.

Yes! Please reference our Quick Move-in Homes on our website.

True Homes is dedicated to serving our customers and providing the highest level of customer experience and satisfaction in the industry. Over 95% of our customers are willing to refer us to family members and friends. How do we know? We work with the homebuilding industry’s leading customer satisfaction research firm, Woodland O’Brien & Scott to survey every one of our buyers. Based on what we learn from listening to every single one of our buyers, we use that information to continually improve the customer experience. Because at True Homes, we will never be satisfied, unless you are.

What makes a home a “custom” home? We believe the answer begins with matching a floorplan to the lifestyle of each client. Let’s face it, not all buyers are alike. In response, True Homes “Lifestyle Floorplans” portfolio has been created to maximize the “custom fit” for each buyer. Floorplans have been developed around three themes – Open, Traditional and Transitional. Open Series plans have wide open spaces, minimized walls with maximized family connection. Traditional Series homes are characterized by more formal spaces ranging from a home office, living room, formal dining and even a guest bedroom. Combining elements from both Open and Traditional floorplans, Transitional Series homes remain open for casual living but have more defined spaces. Floorplans are characterized by main living areas centered in the heart of the home, connected to the kitchen. Secondary spaces are more formal with defined spaces for dining, home offices and guest bedrooms.

Every True Home comes with a free Style Package ranging from $5,000 - $10,000. You get to select from a designated group of features that add personal style and increased value to your new home. Features range from two-toned paint to the charm of crown molding or the elegance of granite countertops, hardwood stairs, or stainless steel appliances. If you want every detail in your new True Home to be “just so” then you may want to take advantage of our Designer Packages that have been created by expert interior designers. Interior design themes include Classic, Craftsman and Transitional and empower you to enhance the personal style of your new True Home. Each Designer Package pulls together all the smallest, most beautiful details including lighting, trim, cabinets, flooring, paint colors and more.

Yes! For us, being green isn’t just the latest trend or buzz word but rather green building is at the core of our business philosophy. It is a commitment to green home design and green construction. We achieve this through Green Building, Energy Efficiency and Independent Testing. Green building reduces impact on the environment and creates healthier living environments. Energy efficiency includes high efficiency heating and cooling, energy efficient appliances, high performance vinyl windows, energy efficient insulation, exterior home barrier, tight air ducts and energy saving fluorescent lighting. In addition, every True Home is third party tested and certified for energy savings. Each home receives a certified Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score. This score is produced by a RESNET certified building inspector who provides a standardized evaluation for energy efficiency.

Each True Home comes with an industry leading set of included features. Each Home Collection has “Extras” included ranging from 15 “extras” in our Integrity Collection to 50 “extras” in our Designer Collection. Please see a True Advisor at any community to receive a copy of our included features list.

It really comes down to personal preference. Both heating/cooling systems are high performance with exceptional comfort and low projected monthly costs to operate. A gas furnace and /or water heater require additional utility lines and cost more to install. Either heating/cooling system will deliver a third party HERS score with projected savings of 40% as compared to the typical used home. Gas fireplaces and stoves are typically decisions driven by personal lifestyle choices. Integrity Collection and Elements Collection homes include a 14 SEER air conditioning unity with an electric heat pump. Traditions Collection and Designer Collection homes include a 14 SEER air conditioning unit and gas furnace.

Buying a new home can appear intimidating but with True Homes it is actually a simple process. You will need to make decisions in five critical areas – budget, location, floorplan, features and homesite. Each community True Advisor is a highly trained professional who is a finance expert, product expert and market expert so they will work with you to make the decisions necessary to design and build your perfect dream home.

You will meet with a loan officer from a lender who will review three primary areas to determine your ability to obtain a mortgage. These three areas include credit analysis, monthly income and the amount of recurring debt. The lender will utilize a credit report to establish your credit position. The loan officer will calculate your buying power (how much home you can afford) based on your income and recurring debt. Based on the results of your loan application, the lender will establish how much of a loan you can officially obtain from the bank and issue a Pre-Qualification Letter to True Homes to start the homebuilding process.

Historically it was less expensive to rent an apartment than to own a new home. However with today’s record low interest rates, many new homes cost less per month to own a new home than to rent an apartment. By renting, you lose the chance to build equity, take advantage of tax benefits, and protect yourself against rent increases. Owning a new home has many benefits. When you make a mortgage payment , you are building equity, which is an investment. You have the freedom to decorate and make the home uniquely yours. When you own a home, you have achieved the American dream.

At True Homes we say yes! A new True Home is more energy efficient and saves you up to 40% off on your monthly utility bills as compared to a typical used home. A new home comes with a warranty that provides peace of mind. A new home allows you to choose all of the items in your home just the way you want them. A new home has never been lived in – it is, well, new! And finally, a new True Home provides you the best overall value in the marketplace with more space, more style and design and a more energy efficient home.

Your new True Home comes with a 10 year structural warranty. This provides peace of mind against costly problems that could be present with a used home. You will receive documents highlighting what is covered during this 10 year period at the closing of your new home.

The lender considers our debt-to-income ratio, which is a comparison of your gross (pre-tax) income to housing and non-housing expenses. Non-housing expenses include such long-term debts aa car or student loan payments, credit card payments or child support. According to the FHA, monthly mortgage payments should be no more than 31% of your gross income, while the mortgage payment, combined with non-housing expenses should total no more than 43% of income. Conventional loans have more conservative debt-to-income ratios decreasing how much of a loan you can receive for your new home purchase.

Yes. A paid homeowner insurance policy (or paid receipt for one) is required at closing

A mortgage is a loan obtained to purchase real estate. The mortgage itself is a lien (a legal claim) on the home or property that secures the promise to pay the debt. All mortgages have tow features in common: principal and interest. Most mortgages are amortized over a 15 year or 30 year term allowing buyers to have a fixed monthly payment over the lifetime of the loan.

Yes. Lenders now offer several affordable mortgage options which can help first-time homebuyers overcome obstacles that made purchasing a home difficult in the past. Contact your lender to inquire about any special programs they have for first-time homebuyers.

There are several types of loans available that have been designed to meet various needs of home buyers. Although there are many types of loans, the most popular are fixed rate mortgages and adjustable rate mortgages. A fixed rate mortgage provides fixed payments over the life of the loan. Advantages include predictable payment and housing cost remain unaffected by interest rate changes and inflation. Adjustable rate mortgages are characterized by increasing or decreasing payments subject to pre-determined limits. Advantages include the possibility for payments to go lower in the future and generally start with lower initial interest rates than fixed rate mortgages.

An agency within HUD, the Federal Housing Administration was established in 1934 to help Americans own homes. By providing private lenders with mortgage insurance, the FHA gives them the security they need to lend to first-time buyers who might not be able to qualify for conventional loans.

It depends. If you qualify for a USDA loan, you may finance up to 100% of the purchase price. If you use a FHA loan, you must have at least 3.5% of the purchase price of the home as a down payment. A conventional loan typically requires a minimum of 5% of the purchase price of the home as a down payment.

The monthly mortgage payment mainly pays off principal and interest. But most lenders also include local real estate taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and mortgage insurance (if applicable).

A lower interest rate allows you to borrow more money than a high rate with the same monthly payment. The lender must disclose the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of a loan to you. The APR is generally higher than the note rate because it also includes the cost of points, mortgage insurance and closing costs.

There are three major credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. Obtaining your credit report is as easy as contacting True Homes Homebuyers Club (contact either Jonathan Andrews at 704-261-1700 or Jennifer Gaddy at 704-261-1701) and requesting one. Once you receive your credit report, it is important to verify its accuracy.

A credit bureau score is a number, based upon your credit history that represents the possibility that you will be unable to repay a loan. Lenders use it to determine your ability to qualify for a mortgage loan. The better the score, the better your chances are of getting a loan. Most lenders have determined a minimum credit score necessary to receive an approved mortgage.

There are no easy ways to improve your credit score, but you can work to keep it acceptable by maintaining a good credit history. This means paying your bills on time and not overextending yourself by buying more than you can afford. True Homes offers our “Game Plan” process for credit challenged buyers. Our philosophy is simple - It isn’t a matter of “if” you can buy a new True Home but “when” can you close on your new True Home. Contact a True Advisor at any True Homes community for details on this amazing program.

Discount points lower your interest rate. They are essentially prepared interest, with each point equaling 1% of the total loan amount. Generally, for each point paid on a 30-year mortgage, the interest rate is reduced by 1/8 (or.125) of a percentage point. When shopping for your loan ask the lender for an interest rate with 0 points and then see how much the rate decreases with each point paid.

A good faith estimate lists all the fees paid before closing, all closing costs, and any escrow costs you will encounter when purchasing a home. The lender must supply it within three business days of your application so that you can make accurate judgments when shopping for a loan.

There are many costs associated with the closing of your mortgage. Fees range from attorney fees, property taxes, loan origination, recording fees, survey fee, title insurance, loan discount points, appraisal fee, credit report, document preparation fees and pre-paid interest.

You must meet credit requirements determined by the lender to receive a mortgage. A FHA loan is generally more flexible than conventional lenders in its qualifying guidelines. Credit requirements include two years have passed since a bankruptcy has been discharged; all judgments have or will be paid; any existing tax liens have or will be satisfied; three years have passed since a foreclosure or a deed-in-lieu has been resolved.

Mortgage insurance is a policy that protects lenders against some or most of the losses that result from defaults on home mortgages. It’s required primarily for borrowers making a down payment of less than 20%.