The Homebuilding Process

Gladstone Homes transforms the buyers' ideas and dreams into the reality of a finely-crafted and designed residence. We listen to the buyers' needs, desires, and expectations, then guide them through construction procedures, selections, and customizing options.

In homebuilding often the difference is in the details, and you'll appreciate our incredible attention to detail. With our team of professionals, you can feel confident and rest assured that we will create 'a lasting impression behind every door' of your new home. Once you've moved into your new Gladstone home, the journey from homebuyer to homeowner is an experience that you'll truly appreciate.

As you are about to embark upon one of life's most exciting adventures-building your dream home--we believe the journey should be as rewarding as the arrival. Therefore, we take great measures to include our family of homebuyers in every key milestone of the building process.



Our Commitment to Quality

We realize there are many choices in selecting a homebuilder. Thank you for choosing Gladstone Homes. Since 1989, we have been of transforming homeowner's ideas and dreams into reality. Our homes are a reflection of practiced skill and expert craftsmanship. We hold each home we build with the highest regard, and the materials we use reflect our high standards of architectural design and quality. This commitment to excellence has consistently been recognized by the homebuilding industry and, more importantly, by you.

Homebuilding Initiative

We have created a detail-oriented and innovative homebuilding program that minimizes your time and energy and offers peace of mind throughout the building process. We take great pride in the quality initiatives that we have instilled in our homebuilding program and are constantly striving to improve and enhance our homes. Whether you decide to be involved in every step of the initiative, or prefer to have all details handled for you, you'll find comfort in knowing that Gladstone Homes is building your dream.

Value Engineering

The architecture department develops pre-designed options that are value engineered to give the customer the flexibility to customize their home at a value given price. These options are detailed thru finely tuned specifications to eliminate the possibility of any mistakes made during the construction process. Value engineering is a very simple concept. It is a process, which enables us to provide you with the most desirable elements of interior design and timeless handcrafted features at the best possible price. Features that many other builders charge you thousands of dollars to build. Our goal is to give you more without charging you more. What you see is what you get with Gladstone Homes, and what you get is a great value.

Value engineering enhances the quality of your home and it's easy to understand why: it simplifies our homebuilding initiative. Our vendors, installers and subcontractors know the game plan ahead of time. We are not going to change direction before or after your home is started. By keeping it simple, we are able to nearly eliminate any problems or mistakes from occurring during the construction of your home.



Your Commitment

At the time of finalizing the purchase agreement, our sales consultants will work with you in tandem so that your decisions regarding the perfect floor plan, home site, and structural options lay the foundation for your dream home.

Purchase Agreements and Earnest Money Deposits

An initial earnest money deposit is due at this time to secure prices resulting from these choices. A second earnest money deposit is due once you finalize your options selections. (Thereafter, with each change order Gladstone reserves the right to collect additional earnest money) The balance is due at closing.

Username and Password

Stated in your purchase agreement, you will receive a unique username and password to gain secure access to the Gladstone Home's Website which will allow you to view pertinent documents regarding your new home purchase: including, the warranty manual, association forms, By Laws and Declaration of Ownership for your community.

Attorney Approval

You will be allotted 5 business days for your attorney to review and make minor modifications to the purchase agreement if necessary. Then, you will be notified if these modifications have been accepted.

Mortgage Approval

Another value-added service that we provide is the opportunity to speak with one of our preferred lenders and complete a free in-person or via telephone mortgage loan application to assist with the purchase of a new home. Our Preferred Lenders have a combination of both knowledge and experience working for them... and you. Each lender has gained invaluable experience in the field from closing hundreds of Gladstone homes each year. Gladstone Home's well-established relationship with lenders means that they're experts at locking you into a competitive rate and for longer lock-in periods than less experienced lenders.

Because we understand each customer's financial picture is unique and has specific requirements, Preferred Lenders also make available a broad range of mortgage programs to suit your exact needs. Whether you're short on cash for the initial down payment, want to lower your monthly payments or are rebounding from a past credit situation, our lenders will do everything possible to secure the financing you need. Best of all, all of our Preferred Lenders have been chosen for their high customer satisfaction rating. You can rely on them to professionally guide you through the mortgage process, help you obtain the best possible loan and close your home in a timely manner.

Preferred Lenders

What is a Preferred Lender? We've chosen a select group of lenders with a proven track record in new construction. Our Preferred Lenders are ready to assist you with everything from competitive rates to closing details.

What does that mean to you? It means a complex and important process can be extraordinarily simplified. We understand the intricacies of the home buying process, from beginning to end, and will provide you with superior service every step of the way.

What is the next step? The Preferred Lender of your choice will keep you abreast of the process of your loan application. Please provide us with a copy of the pre-approval letter and the time of purchase agreement and a mortgage commitment letter within 30 days.

Selling Your Existing Home

Another important step in the process of buying a Gladstone home is selling your existing home in a timely manner. Heidi Bolger of Coldwell Banker, Gladstone Realtors uniquely understands this and the needs of the Gladstone buyer having successfully helped many families with the sale of their existing home.

Heidi offers a full range of real estate services from start to finish and can assist you in evaluating the best list price for your home, putting your home on the market and handling the closing details so you can put your energy towards your new home. In addition, Heidi provides full service real estate marketing and products at a discount for the Gladstone homebuyer.

For more information or to make an appointment please contact Heidi at (312) 493-8280 or (630) 960-3700 or email heidi@gladstonerealtors.com.



Transforming Your Dreams into Reality

Because the Selections Center is a continuously evolving resourceful environment providing the latest in architectural features and product selections you have the freedom to create "a lasting impression behind every door" of your dream home. This one-stop shopping experience enables you to make all of your selections in one location including click-option personalization and customization. The result of this extensive personalization and customization service is that every home can be truly unique and one-of-a-kind.

From contemporary to traditional, the Selections Coordinator will guide you step-by-step through the selection process. What's more, we have thousands of finish samples at your fingertips so that you can see and touch your way to the perfect home. The goal is to enjoy the selection process and confidently choose products that will live up to your expectations. By educating yourself, evaluating your lifestyle, and creating realistic expectations, you can make choices that will give you lasting satisfaction. This is your chance to personalize your home to reflect your style through selecting materials and finishes that together create lasting impressions.

Click-Option Personalization

Pre-priced click options permit a full range of personalization to fit your particular needs. Each floor plan catalogues a comprehensive list including hundreds of available options. For example, you can add in-law arrangements, princess suites, skylights, and wet bars just to name a few. Click-option personalization takes the guess- work out selections.

Customizing Options

In addition to pre-priced click options you have the opportunity to customize your flooring, lighting, and low voltage selections. Customization allows you to choose from an extensive list of colors and design selections, such as marble inlays and exotic hardwood floors, dramatic foyer fixtures and recessed lighting, surround sound and structured wiring, and hundreds of brick and stone samples for your home's exterior.

Selections Process

Once the attorney modification process is complete, your Purchase Agreement information including home site, floor plan, and foundation choices will be forwarded to the Selections Department. Our Selections Coordinator will schedule the initial selections meeting within 10 days. Your second and final meeting will be scheduled with the Selections Coordinator at the end of your initial selections meeting. The meetings are designed to be fun and informative, but require your undivided attention.

Initial Selections Meeting
The initial selections meeting will familiarize you with the wide array of features that we have available for your home and prepare you for your final appointment. Feel free to bring in any materials that you feel will be helpful in designing your color scheme, be it throw pillows, magazine pictures, dishes from your kitchen, or anything else that you would like reflected in the colors of your new home. Please set aside a full day for this initial meeting.

Second Selections Meeting: Final Sign-Off
You will conclude the features and option selections at this time. Please set aside a minimum of 2 hours to do so. At this meeting, you will be required to make a final earnest money deposit in order to commence construction. Unlike most builders, once you have finalized your selections, we offer 3 change orders at no additional cost.



The Essence of Collaboration

Breaking ground on the construction of your home is truly exciting and the beginning of a rewarding journey. The homebuilding process with Gladstone Homes is the essence of "collaboration." Our preparation and coordination is the key to ensuring a smooth and worry-free construction of your home. Strict adherence to a precise schedule makes watching your home take shape all the more enjoyable.

There are many steps that generally take place in sequential order and our Selections Coordinator and Field Superintendent offer the assurance that your home is being built to your exact specifications and the end-result is a quality home you only dreamed of.

Furthermore, we recognize that the delivery date of your new home is very important to you, as it is to Gladstone Homes. Numerous tasks must be completed to make your new home a reality.



The Building Schedule

Here is a snapshot of milestone dates of construction including your closing date:

  1. The home site is prepared and the foundation is poured and then backfilled.
  2. Your home interior and exterior walls are constructed and the roof is framed.
  3. The windows and exterior doors are installed.
  4. The roof is shingled.
  5. Your home's HVAC, electrical and plumbing are installed and inspected by the local building officials. Your home is insulated, inspected again by the local building officials (if required) and the sheetrock is completed.
  6. The exterior you have chosen will be applied, as well as the interior wall and ceiling are primed.
  7. Your staircase and hard surface floorings are installed including the tile and hardwood.
  8. Interior doors and molding are installed.
  9. Kitchen cabinets and countertops are installed and the interior and exterior of your home is painted.
  10. Your home's electrical and plumbing fixtures are mounted and your hardwood floors are sanded, stained and the 1st coat of finish is applied. Finally, your carpet is installed.
  11. Weather permitting, you Landscaping and driveway is installed.
  12. Approximately one week before closing you will inspect your home with a Gladstone Representative to itemize issues you would like to have taken care of prior to closing.
  13. Your new Gladstone home is now complete and keys ready to be presented to you at your final walk-through and closing. At this exciting and informative meeting, you will become familiar with all of the details of your new home and learn valuable care and maintenance information. We encourage you to take your time, ask questions and, most of all enjoy yourself


New Home Orientation

We understand the finishing touches are what make a house a home. Just as you take pride in your work and family, we take pride in ours. We strive to deliver every home we build in excellent condition, with all walk-through items completed before move-in.

Approximately 4 weeks prior to closing you will receive a phone call notifying you of the tentative date of your closing. Once the closing time has been confirmed with the Title Company and our Attorney, you will receive notification of the date & location of closing.

We also take pride in our timely closings dates and want you to enjoy your new home as soon as it is completed. Therefore, once a closing date and time have been determined, we ask that you plan accordingly. Approximately one to two weeks prior to closing, you should expect to receive a preliminary closing package from your lender, detailing the arrangements for the closing and occupancy.

We ask that you limit your orientation party to the contracted homebuyers only. This will allow us the time and attention necessary to cover pertinent information and allow you to be free of distractions from children or other observers. These suggestions below will help you make the most of this opportunity:

  • Your new home orientation will take approximately 2 hours.
  • Answers to questions regarding your warranty coverage can be addressed at this time.
  • Familiarize yourself with the features of your home and a demonstration of the operation of various systems in your home (heating, air-conditioning, electrical systems, plumbing appliances, windows, doors, etc.).
  • Learn about maintenance items and tips to organize your own maintenance initiative.
  • Ensure that you understand the procedures established to best serve you in the event that additional adjustments are necessary during the curing process.
  • Provide you with an opportunity to ask questions and discuss any adjustments needed.
  • Address documentation not completed or up to your satisfaction.


From Homebuyer to Homeowner: The Closing

Procedures at the closing:

  • Have your attorney, lender, and all title holders present.
  • You will need a "cashiers check" for the balance of your down payment and closing costs.
  • You will take legal title to your home at the closing.
  • You will receive the keys for your new home from a Gladstone Homes Representative at the time of closing.
  • You will receive a closing packet from a Gladstone Homes Representative including important documents related to your new home purchase.
  • You will typically need to provide evidence of homeowner's insurance for satisfaction of contingencies, if any, noted by your mortgage lender.

The closing process, including transferring all funds, must be completed before keys are distributed.



Gladstone Home Warranty

Gladstone's One-Year Warranty is a pacesetter in the industry. We are not only committed to building homes the way quality homes should be built, but we back up that commitment with an exceptional warranty. We believe in our homes, in the people who build them, and in the quality of the materials and methods we use. That's why we back our homes with the strongest warranty in the industry. Please consult the warranty manual provided in your closing package. You may contact us for service by using the online service request form on our Website.

Please read the warranty documents so that any items needing clarification can be discussed. During the New Home Orientation, you and our representative will complete the new home orientation forms, noting any items that might need adjustment. Please take time throughout the orientation to note any items that require adjustment and to insure incomplete items are noted on the New Home Orientation forms:

  • Thirty-Day Warranty Repair
  • Eleventh-Month Warranty Repair

Upon receipt of your request (by fax, mail or e-mail), our Warranty Manager will schedule a time to review your concerns and questions. In order to serve you better, we request that you document any service request in writing. Verbal communication, at times, is subject to miscommunication. We regret that we are unable to accept verbal requests in person or by telephone.