1. Do the contract and budget agree?
Check the totals, allowances and costs outside the contract. Ask how agreed changes will be documented and approved. A signed contract should not be silently changed to match a spreadsheet.
The Local Ledger · Construction conversation worksheet
Matt Doby · NMLS #2115225 · NC & SC · 843-589-1776
Edge Home Finance, LLC · Company NMLS #891464 · Equal Housing Lender
Source and current version: thelocalledger.com/construction-before-you-sign/
A useful place to start · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Before you sign a construction contract.
You don’t have to know every mortgage term. You should understand what you’re committing to. Bring these eight questions to your builder and financing team.
This checklist is open to everyone. No form or email address required.
2. What does the lot need beyond its purchase price?
Ask about access, clearing, grading, utilities, septic or sewer, permits and site work. Leave unknown costs marked as unknown rather than treating them as zero.
3. What does builder approval cover?
Builder approval and project approval are separate. Ask what remains to be reviewed for the land, plans, contract, budget and draw schedule.
4. Have you already paid for something?
Keep the invoice, proof of payment and the account record together. Ask how the expense appears in the budget and closing figures. Payment alone does not establish an eligible credit; avoid counting the same deposit twice.
5. What happens if an allowance is too low?
Ask about change orders, contingency and costs beyond the approved budget. Find out who approves a change and when you may need additional funds.
6. How do payments during construction work?
Ask who pays interest, how any interest reserve works, and what you must pay while living elsewhere. The actual program and agreement control the answer.
7. What must happen before you move in?
Review inspections, the certificate of occupancy, lender completion requirements and permanent financing. Compare that schedule with your current housing plan.
8. Which numbers are still estimates?
Ask whether cash-to-close and finished-payment estimates include taxes, insurance, fees, reserves and verified credits. Request an explanation when figures differ.
Choose your three unanswered questions.
Start with the answers most likely to change your budget or timing. Write them down before your next builder conversation.
Download the plain-text checklist · Use your browser’s Print or Share → Print option for a paper copy. The print layout keeps the eight questions and working-budget worksheet, with Matt’s contact details.
Sharing this with a builder or agent? Send this open checklist. It does not require a name, email address or application.
Want help with the financing questions?
I’m Matt. If you’re building in NC or SC, tell me the county, whether you have land or a builder, and the question that feels least settled.
Educational information, not loan approval, legal advice or a commitment to lend. Current written lender terms and signed agreements govern your project.
Free planning worksheet · Updated October 15, 2026
Turn the lot and house into one working budget
Print this page or use the downloadable checklist. For each line, write amount / source / included in builder contract? / responsible person / answer due. Mark missing figures unknown, not zero.
Property and site
- Parcel ID, county and permitting jurisdiction
- Lot purchase price or existing ownership documentation
- Survey, legal access and driveway
- Clearing, grading, drainage and retaining work
- Water, sewer or septic, and utility connections
- Permit and inspection costs
Build and financing conversation
- Base contract, allowances and exclusions
- Changes, contingency and who funds overruns
- Paid deposits with receipts and payment records
- Cash available versus proposed usable lot equity
- Financing costs, insurance, taxes and carrying costs
- Completion requirements and move timing
Keep cash and land equity on separate lines in your worksheet. A calculator entry does not establish the equity a lender will recognize. Ask how ownership, liens, valuation and program rules affect that figure. Do not count the same paid item twice.
Berkeley County zoning, floodplain and SC septic research links · Try the construction budget calculator · Ask Matt to review the build plan
A planning aid, not a cost quote, engineering opinion, legal advice or loan approval. Your builder, local officials, insurance professional and financing team each review different parts of the project.