From contract to closing
New construction takes patience. Here's what each phase actually looks like in PG County — and what you should be doing during it.
- 1
Month 0
Contract & Design Center
You sign the contract, put down earnest money (usually 5–10%), and head to the design center to pick finishes. Most of your upgrade decisions are locked here.
What you should be doing
Bring your agent. Lock financing pre-approval. Don't overspend at the design center on items that don't return at resale.
- 2
Months 1–2
Permits & Site Prep
The builder pulls county permits and breaks ground on your lot. Visible progress is slow — invisible paperwork progress is fast.
What you should be doing
Lock your rate if you're inside 60 days. Schedule your independent inspector for the pre-drywall walk.
- 3
Months 3–4
Foundation & Framing
The skeleton goes up. Foundation pour, framing, roof decking, windows. This is when the home starts to feel real on walkthroughs.
What you should be doing
Drive by the lot weekly. Take photos. Flag anything that looks off to your agent before drywall covers it.
- 4
Months 4–5
Mechanicals & Pre-Drywall
Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC rough-in goes in, followed by insulation and drywall. The pre-drywall walkthrough is your single most important inspection moment.
What you should be doing
Independent pre-drywall inspection. This is where issues are cheapest to fix.
- 5
Months 5–7
Finishes & Cabinetry
Flooring, cabinets, paint, fixtures, appliances. The home transforms dramatically in this stretch.
What you should be doing
Start packing. Schedule movers tentatively. Confirm rate-lock extension if needed.
- 6
Months 7–9
Punch List & Closing
Final county inspections, your independent final inspection, builder walkthrough, and punch list. Then closing.
What you should be doing
Independent final inspection. Walk every room with your agent. Don't close until the punch list is signed.
Where your dollars show up
Contract day
Earnest money deposit
Typically 5–10% of purchase price, held in escrow. Larger deposits sometimes unlock better incentives — ask before you write the check.
Design center
Upgrade balance
Most builders require 30–50% of selected upgrades paid at the design center appointment. The rest rolls into closing.
Pre-drywall
Rate lock window opens
Most lenders allow 60–90 day rate locks. If your close is inside that window, lock now. Extensions cost money — and the rate market doesn't care about your schedule.
30 days out
Final loan documents
Underwriting finalizes. Don't change jobs, don't open new credit, don't make large deposits without documenting the source. Any of those can re-trigger conditions.
Closing day
Cash to close
Down payment plus closing costs minus credits and earnest money already in escrow. Wired the day before closing — never on closing day, and never trust a last-minute change to wire instructions.
Post-close
Year-one warranty
Document every issue in writing inside the first 11 months. Most builders run a formal 11-month warranty walk — that's your last shot at workmanship repairs at no cost.
The most common reasons new homes run late
County permit and inspection backlogs
Prince George's County permitting and inspection scheduling regularly add 2–4 weeks to a build. Especially common during spring construction season.
Weather (winter pours and roof decking)
Concrete pours and roof work pause in freezing weather and heavy rain. A January–February contract date typically pushes 2–3 weeks for this alone.
Supply chain on appliances, windows, and cabinets
Production builders bulk-order, but specific finish selections still occasionally back-order. Picking standard options where you don't care is the easiest defense.
Buyer-side financing conditions
Underwriting kickbacks late in the process — credit pulls, employment re-verifications, additional documentation — can push closing by a week or two. Stay clean and responsive.
Average overrun on PG County production builds in 2025–2026 has been roughly 4–8 weeks past the original target close date.
Get two independent inspections. Always.
County inspectors only check that the home meets code. They are not paid to look out for you. A licensed independent inspector at the pre-drywall stage catches framing, plumbing, and electrical issues while they're still cheap to fix. A second inspection right before closing catches finish-stage defects while the builder still has leverage to repair them.
- · Pre-drywall: $400–$650 in PG County
- · Final pre-closing: $500–$800
- · Both together typically save buyers $2K–$15K in caught issues
Have a contract date and need a roadmap?
Quan provides a personalized week-by-week timeline once you go under contract — so you always know what's next.