Posted: October, 12, 2026    Categories: Builder's Guide

What Happens After You Sign a New Construction Contract? From Contract to Construction

What happens after you sign a new construction contract?

After you sign a new construction purchase agreement, the next steps typically include finalizing financing, making design selections, completing pre-construction planning, moving through construction milestones, attending walkthroughs, preparing for closing, and learning how warranty service works after move-in. The exact process varies by builder. At James Monroe Homes, buyers move through a guided series of weekly meetings and updates designed to keep them informed from selections through closing, to warranty and beyond.

Signing a purchase agreement on a new construction home is exciting—but it can also leave you with one very practical question:

What happens now?

Unlike buying an existing home, where much of the house is already complete, building a new home means there are still decisions to make, milestones to reach, and several important meetings ahead of you.

The good news is that you should not have to figure those steps out on your own.

At James Monroe Homes, our goal is to make the path from purchase agreement to closing clear and organized. Our Build With Confidence promise centers on quality, communication, and helping homeowners understand what is happening throughout their homebuilding journey.

Here is what you can expect after signing a new construction purchase agreement with James Monroe Homes.

You’ll Prepare for the Design Studio

After your purchase agreement is signed, your New Home Sales Consultant helps prepare you for the next phase of the process, Choosing your structural options, finishes and other selections.

Before your full Design Studio appointment, James Monroe Homes schedules a pre-design meeting that can take place in person or by Zoom. This is a chance to discuss your wants, needs, priorities, and personal selections before you begin making your final design choices. 

This early conversation helps you enter the Design Studio with a clearer idea of what matters most to you. You can also visit our online design center to help familiarize yourself with our selection and finish options, as well as upgrade options.

A helpful tip: think about how you actually live in your home—not only what 

• Where does your family spend the most time?

• Which finishes will be hardest to change later?

• What features matter most for storage, entertaining, working from home, or everyday routines?

• Which choices are priorities and which are simply nice to have?

Taking a little time to think through those questions can make the selection process much easier.

You’ll Meet With Our Interior Designer in the Design Studio

Next comes one of the most anticipated parts of building a new home: choosing the finishes.

James Monroe Homes buyers meet with our in-house Interior Designer at the Design Studio to make the color and finish selections for their home.

The appointment typically lasts about five to seven hours, giving you dedicated time to work through your selections with professional guidance. Lunch is provided on us!

Depending on your home, community, plan, and available selections, this may include decisions involving cabinetry, countertops, flooring, tile, paint colors, fixtures, and other finishes.

You are not simply handed a room full of samples and expected to figure everything out alone. The purpose of the appointment is to give you a guided process for creating a home that feels cohesive and works for the way you live.

Pre-Construction Work Happens Behind the Scenes

While you are completing your selections, another part of the process is already moving.

The James Monroe Homes production team works on the permits, plans, documentation, and preparation required before construction can begin.

Before breaking ground, you will also have a pre-construction meeting at your homesite with your Site Supervisor.

This meeting is an important checkpoint. You will review your selections, confirm important account information, discuss the job site visitor policy, and have another opportunity to ask questions before construction progresses.

Then comes one of the milestones buyers have been waiting for: construction.

Your Home Begins Taking Shape

Once construction starts, you will begin seeing your floor plan turn into an actual home.

There are many stages between an empty homesite and a finished house, including site preparation, foundation work, framing, mechanical systems, insulation, drywall, finishes, inspections, and final completion.

The amount of visible progress can vary dramatically from one stage to another. Some weeks may look like the home changed overnight. Other stages involve important work that is less obvious from the street.

That is one reason communication matters so much during a new construction build.

James Monroe Homes' Build With Confidence promise includes regularly scheduled communication so buyers can stay informed throughout the process. Our goal is to help you understand where your home is in the journey rather than leaving you guessing about what happens next.

You will receive weekly picture and/or video updates via the James Monroe Homes App, with direct communication to your home's team. 

You’ll Attend a Pre-Drywall Meeting

The pre-drywall stage is one of the most interesting points in the construction process because you can see many of the components that will eventually be hidden behind the walls.

At the James Monroe Homes pre-drywall meeting, you meet onsite with your Site Supervisor and see the home before drywall closes everything in.

It is an opportunity to learn more about what goes on behind the walls and see how many different systems come together to create the finished home.

James Monroe Homes also makes this milestone personal by giving families an opportunity to write a message on the wall studs before they are covered.

At this point, closing is also beginning to feel much more real. It is a good time to stay in close communication with your lender and make sure any requested financial documentation remains current.

You’ll Begin Receiving Closing-Date Milestones

As your home gets closer to completion, the process starts shifting from construction toward move-in preparation.

At approximately 60 days from closing, James Monroe Homes sends a 60-day letter confirming that the home is progressing toward the final stages.

At approximately 30 days from closing, you receive another communication with important dates and times for upcoming walkthroughs and closing.

These milestones give you time to prepare for items such as:

• lender requirements

• moving arrangements

• utility transfers

• mailbox information

• time away from work for closing or walkthroughs

• final questions before move-in

The exact timing of construction can be affected by a number of factors, so buyers should continue using the dates and information provided by their builder and lender rather than relying on a generic online construction timeline. Our goal is to complete each home in 5-6 months.

You’ll Attend Customer Orientation

Before closing, James Monroe Homes schedules a Customer Orientation with your Site Supervisor.

This meeting goes beyond simply looking at the finishes.

It is designed to help you understand your completed home.

Topics can include the quality of work, flooring, countertops, bathtubs, attic access, GFI outlets, mechanical systems, emergency procedures, smart-home features, and where important components are located.

You will also reconfirm important closing-related dates and prepare for items such as utilities and mailbox access.

Ask questions during this meeting—even questions that seem basic.

Knowing where your shutoffs are, how systems operate, and who to contact after closing can make the first weeks of homeownership much easier.

New Home Delivery Is Your Final Walkthrough Before Closing

New Home Delivery is the final onsite walkthrough before closing.

During this meeting, you review the Home Orientation information, BIA Warranty information, and your home's HERS information with your Site Supervisor.

You also receive house-specific documentation and information about service and warranty processes.

James Monroe Homes currently schedules post-closing warranty visits at approximately 30 days and 11 months, helping homeowners address applicable warranty items during the first year.

This is also a good time to make sure you understand where important home documents will be stored and how you will access them after closing in the James Monroe App.

Then It’s Closing Day

After months of planning, decisions, construction, and updates, closing day arrives.

James Monroe Homes buyers complete closing at the James Monroe Homes Design Studio, sign the required paperwork, receive the keys to their new home, and officially become homeowners.

Closing is a major milestone—but it is not the end of the relationship.

Once closing is complete, the one-year limited builder warranty begins.

What Happens After You Move In?

One of the most overlooked parts of the new construction process is what happens after the keys are handed over.

A new home still requires maintenance, documentation, and communication.

James Monroe Homes' Build With Confidence promise includes service after closing and a shared commitment among James Monroe Homes, our Trade Partners, and homeowners to address applicable warranty items in a timely manner.

Homeowners should keep their home documents organized, follow recommended maintenance, register manufacturer warranties when required, and document concerns through the appropriate warranty process.

The first year is also a good time to learn how your home responds to Central Kentucky's changing seasons and become familiar with routine maintenance items.

Building a Home Should Feel Like a Process You Understand

There will always be a lot happening behind the scenes during construction.

But you should not feel like you are standing on the outside trying to guess what comes next.

From your first Design Studio conversations to pre-construction, construction milestones, orientation, closing, and warranty support, James Monroe Homes has built a process designed to keep homeowners informed and supported.

That is a big part of what we mean when we say you can Build With Confidence.

Ready to learn more about building a new home in Central Kentucky?

Explore our floor plans and communities, or connect with a James Monroe Homes New Home Sales Consultant to talk about your next step.

FAQs

What happens immediately after signing a new construction contract?

With James Monroe Homes, the process moves into pre-design planning and Design Studio selections while the production team begins preparing plans, permits, and other pre-construction requirements.

How long after signing a new construction contract does construction begin?

There is not one universal timeline. Timing depends on factors such as the homesite, plan, permits, selections, production schedule, materials, and other project-specific conditions. Your builder should communicate the milestones that apply to your home.

What happens at a new construction Design Studio appointment?

Buyers work through available finish and color selections with the builder’s design team. At James Monroe Homes, buyers meet with an in-house Interior Designer for a guided appointment that typically lasts about six to seven hours. Lunch is provided on us!

What is a pre-drywall meeting?

A pre-drywall meeting takes place after major framing and behind-the-wall work has progressed but before drywall covers those systems. It gives buyers an opportunity to see parts of the home that will not be visible once construction is complete.

When will I know my closing date?

Closing timing becomes more specific as construction progresses. James Monroe Homes currently sends milestone communications at approximately 60 days and 30 days before closing, with the 30-day communication including important walkthrough and closing dates.

What happens during a new home orientation?

The orientation helps you learn how your completed home works. With James Monroe Homes, topics can include finishes, mechanical systems, electrical/GFI information, attic access, emergency procedures, smart-home features, and the location of important home components.

What happens after closing on a James Monroe home?

The applicable one-year limited builder warranty begins at closing. James Monroe Homes also provides information about service and warranty processes and currently schedules warranty visits at approximately 30 days and 11 months.

Author: Bridget Winfrey