Frequently Asked Questions About Mitchell Homes

Mitchell Homes is a family-owned custom home builder that has built stick-built homes on customers' own land since 1992 and today builds across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Southern Maryland. The 33 questions below came directly from buyers, and CEO Scott Sleeme and EVP Deven Sellers answered each one on the Behind the Build podcast. The written answers are here for quick reading, and the full episode is embedded below for anyone who would rather listen. Each question is a chapter in the player, so you can jump straight to the one you care about.

Land and Where Mitchell Homes Builds

If I don't own land yet, why should I build with Mitchell Homes?

Because Mitchell Homes helps you find buildable land before you commit to it, and everything after the purchase runs through a builder that does nothing but build on customers' land. You will need land to build with Mitchell Homes, but you do not need to own it before you call. New Home Consultants at Mitchell Homes talk with land shoppers regularly about what to look for and what to write into a land contract, including a feasibility period, which gives you time to test the soil and check utilities before the sale is final. That way, you don't end up with a lot that cannot be built on or costs far more to prepare than you expected.

Buyers without land can also bundle the land and the home into one loan through Mitchell's exclusive lending partner. The Purchasing Land 101 episode of Behind the Build covers the land search in detail.

What areas does Mitchell Homes build in?

Mitchell Homes builds on your land in more than 150 counties, cities, and towns across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Southern Maryland. The full list, with a clickable county map, is on the Where We Build page, and one of Mitchell's design studios serves every locality in Richmond, Fredericksburg, Newport News, and Raleigh, with a Wilmington studio opening soon.

If your property sits just outside the current map, contact Mitchell Homes anyway. The service area grows with demand, and the most recent addition was Southwest Virginia, around Roanoke. Scott and Deven personally review every out-of-area request.

Does Mitchell Homes sell land?

No. Mitchell Homes does not buy or sell land, and it does not build subdivisions. The reason is SimplyMitchell, the Mitchell Homes financing program. Mitchell Homes pays for every build with its own cash instead of a construction loan, and that only works because none of that cash is tied up in land. Because the company stays 100 percent focused on building on the customer's land, it can offer zero down, zero closing costs, and no construction loan.

Mitchell Homes also builds in neighborhoods on lots the customer buys from a developer or private seller.

Does Mitchell Homes help with deed transfer?

Yes. Mitchell Homes offers deed services and can help with anything related to obtaining or transferring a deed, so a family parcel or newly purchased lot is ready to build on.

Can Mitchell Homes build in a neighborhood with an HOA, and does HOA compliance cost more?

Yes, Mitchell Homes builds in HOA neighborhoods regularly and works through the architectural review process with you, but expect the requirements to add some cost. Almost every HOA, architectural review board, or set of restrictive covenants asks for something that is not standard: a minimum square footage, fiber cement siding on every wall instead of vinyl, brick on the front or a brick wainscot around the house, a side-load garage, or particular roofing, foundation, or window materials.

Read the HOA disclosure packet before you buy the lot, since it also spells out bonds and monthly or quarterly dues, and drive the neighborhood to note what every house has in common. Mitchell's team reviews the requirements with you early, adjusts the plan or the selections to meet them, and gives the HOA what it needs to approve your home.

What It Costs and What Is Included

What is the average all-in cost of a Mitchell home?

There is no single average all-in cost, because the site work varies far more from lot to lot than the house does. On the Behind the Build FAQ episode, Scott Sleeme put Mitchell Homes' average sales price at about $442,000, with homes ranging from roughly $220,000 to $850,000 depending on size, roof complexity, options, and location.

The site work is what makes an average misleading: how much clearing the lot needs, how long the driveway runs, how far the power line travels, how deep the well goes, what kind of septic system the soil allows, and how much the lot slopes, since a sloped lot needs a taller foundation and that costs more. Start with the base price shown for your county on any Mitchell Homes floor plan page, which is the price for the Classic elevation (the standard exterior style). Then call Mitchell Homes with your lot details, and a New Home Consultant will give you realistic ranges for the items outside the base price.

What is included in the price? What does the base price cover?

The Mitchell Homes base price covers building the home itself, from the footing up, on land you own: a standard foundation of four courses of block (about 32 inches), everything above it, the foundation drain, the building permit, and the complete list of included features, with power, water, and sewer or septic lines run to connection points at the house (the stub-outs). The online price shown for each floor plan is for the Classic elevation; Craftsman, Farmhouse, and other elevations cost more.

The base price does not include anything that depends on your particular lot: the well or septic system, public water and sewer tap and connection fees, gas service, lot clearing, grading, the driveway, seed and straw, or an engineered drainage plan if the locality requires one. Mitchell Homes offers all of those as services, for an administration fee, and adds them to your contract by addendum. They are priced separately because no two lots need the same work.

Are wells and septic included? Who is responsible for connecting to public water and sewer?

No. Wells and septic systems are not included in the Mitchell Homes base price, and connecting to public water and sewer is the customer's financial responsibility. The base price includes the stub-outs at the house. The customer pays for the well and septic installation, or for the utility tap fees plus the line from the tap to the stub-out. Tap fees vary by county and town: some cover the physical tap into the main, and some only buy the right to use the system, so ask your locality exactly what its fee includes.

Customer responsibility means you pay for these items outside the base price. It does not mean you have to arrange them yourself. Mitchell Homes will contract the well, septic, and connections for you and add them to your agreement, and Scott and Deven encourage that, because the build moves faster when one team coordinates it. Well and septic costs vary widely from lot to lot, because well depth, soil conditions, and the septic system design your lot needs all change the number, so Mitchell Homes prices them for your specific site rather than from a flat figure.

Scott and Deven walk through what drives those costs in the Well and Septic episode of Behind the Build.

What additional fees can pop up during the build?

Most costs are settled at the pre-construction meeting, but a few items can change because they cannot be seen until digging starts, or because a utility or inspector sets the price. The ones Mitchell Homes sees most often:

• A well that has to go deeper than estimated, such as 400 feet instead of 300.
• An existing well or septic system that fails inspection and needs a pump, repair, or replacement. Every existing septic system must pass a "safe, adequate, and proper" inspection before it can be used.
• Extra surveys, including the three surveys (pre-construction, mid-construction, and final) a flood zone requires.
• Power company engineering costs that come back higher than the utility's initial quote.
• Rock, buried stumps, or old concrete discovered when the footings are dug.
• A survey fee if you decide to move or rotate the house on the lot late in the process.
• Repairs when a construction entrance or driveway was not built to Mitchell's specification and gives way under a concrete truck.

When any of these comes up, Mitchell Homes issues a change order that spells out the item and the updated price before the work proceeds.

When will I get final numbers on the cost of everything?

You get complete numbers from Mitchell Homes at your pre-construction meeting, on a document called the Cost Breakdown Worksheet, which lists every item in the build. If anything changes after that, such as a well that needs another 50 feet of depth, you receive a change order with the updated price, so the total only moves when you have signed for the change.

Your lender provides the final figure at least three days before closing, in your loan documents. That figure adds your prepaids (property taxes and homeowner's insurance), which Mitchell Homes is not allowed to pay on your behalf even though SimplyMitchell covers your closing costs.

Why is Mitchell's quote to add a basement higher than another builder's?

Because the Mitchell Homes basement price includes the whole finished shell, and most lower quotes do not. A Mitchell basement quote covers excavation, waterproofing, drains, nine-foot walls, the slab or structural floor, plumbing under the slab, the interior stairs, framing on the exposed wall, electrical, windows, doors, siding, and the beam and posts that carry the house above.

A much lower price from a concrete contractor usually covers the walls and slab alone, and a much lower price from another builder may carry part of the cost elsewhere in the house price. Deven Sellers, who costs out Mitchell's basements himself, said on the podcast that Mitchell Homes prices basements close to its own cost, so a quote far below Mitchell's usually doesn't cover the same work. Compare the quotes line by line, because a basement has to be done right the first time.

Customizing Your Home

Are Mitchell homes customizable? Can I bring my own plans?

Yes to both. Mitchell Homes customizes its 40+ floor plans to the full extent the structure allows, with structural options, alternate layouts, added rooms, and more than 40,000 interior and exterior selections at the design studio. Mitchell Homes also builds fully custom homes from a buyer's own plans, roughly a dozen a year.

Scott and Deven's advice is to start with a Mitchell plan and personalize it if you can, because Mitchell has built each plan many times and prices it with confidence, so you get your home faster and for less. If you want a true custom design, hire an architect or an independent drafter and arrive with finished plans. Mitchell Homes can refer you to designers it has worked with. One caution: plans bought online are usually drawings rather than engineered plans, so they have to be redrawn to current code before permitting.

How much can we customize our floor plan, and what changes with a fully custom plan?

Structural options, alternate kitchen and bath layouts, added bedrooms, in-law suites, porches, garages, and different exterior elevations are all available on Mitchell Homes plans, and Mitchell keeps adding new elevations and optional layouts. Three things change when you move to a fully custom design.

The timeline stretches: a custom plan typically takes three to four months to design before pricing starts, and Scott and Deven said on the podcast that a large custom home can run 18 to 24 months from first call to closing. On a Mitchell plan, the design phase is far shorter, and construction itself is targeted at 150 days or less.

The budget gets harder to predict, because complex roof lines, ornate front elevations, and premium window packages can add $100,000 or more.

The financing has a ceiling: full SimplyMitchell benefits apply up to about $850,000 in home price, and above that, Mitchell Homes will walk you through how the difference is handled.

Can we add an in-law suite?

Yes. Mitchell Homes adds in-law suites regularly, and several plans offer them as a standard option. The one detail to plan around is the kitchen: some counties treat a second full cooking surface, such as a second range, as a second dwelling, which can mean two addresses and two utility meters, so most in-law suites use a microwave or another alternate cooking setup. Mitchell's team contacts your locality before finalizing the plan and tells you what it will and will not allow.

Does Mitchell Homes build duplexes or barndominiums?

Yes, for duplexes; barndominiums are handled case by case. Mitchell Homes has four duplex plans in its library: Bella, Geoffrey, Oliver, and Parkwood. A duplex is two townhome-style units joined by a shared wall, and Mitchell Homes can add units to make a triplex or quadplex. Before any of that, confirm that your property's zoning allows a multi-unit building.

Barndominiums aren't in the standard plan library, so if you have a barndominium plan you like, send it to Mitchell Homes and the team will review it.

What options does Mitchell Homes offer for aging in place or disability accommodations?

Any you need, from a fully ADA-compliant home to a hybrid with a few accessible features. Mitchell Homes' drafting and sales teams are well-versed in aging-in-place design and will include as much or as little as you want or need. Tell your New Home Consultant what you need at the start so they can build it into the plan from the first version.

Can Mitchell Homes build a pool?

Yes, through a pool contractor that Mitchell Homes sources and adds to your contract, though Mitchell Homes doesn't build pools itself. Mitchell Homes pays for construction with its own cash, so advancing the cost of a pool carries an administration fee. If you can pay for the pool separately after closing, you save that fee.

Either way, plan for the locality's requirements: pool decking, a fence that isolates the pool or an approved automatic cover, and any HOA rules.

Does Mitchell Homes do sidewalks and paved driveways?

Yes. Mitchell Homes installs sidewalks, patios, and driveways in concrete, asphalt, gravel, or crushed shell. These are site items outside the base price, so we add them to your contract as separate lines.

Which appliances are included, and can I buy my refrigerator, washer, and dryer along with them?

The Mitchell Homes base price includes a microwave, a dishwasher, and a range. The refrigerator, washer, and dryer are not included, and yes, you can buy them through Mitchell Homes, which offers refrigerators from Whirlpool and KitchenAid up to Sub-Zero, or purchase them on your own after closing. Every Mitchell home is built with standard-size openings and power connections for the refrigerator, washer, and dryer, so either path works.

Can we supply our own appliances, light fixtures, or plumbing fixtures, and will Mitchell Homes install them?

No for light and plumbing fixtures, and Mitchell Homes strongly recommends against it in general. Appliances are the exception: you can opt out of the included microwave, dishwasher, and range for a small credit, but you must supply and install them in time for the final inspection, or closing will be delayed.

In Deven's experience, customer-supplied fixtures are the most common cause of delays and frustration on a build. The wrong valve arrives with the shower trim, specs come late, and items show up damaged or get stolen from the job site. None of that is covered by Mitchell's insurance, so you would sign a third-party addendum taking on the risk.

The comparison Scott and Deven used on the podcast: you buy the whole car from the dealer, then change the wheels afterward. Buy the home complete, and swap in the fixtures you love after closing.

The Build Process

What is the build process, and how long does it take?

Mitchell Homes targets 150 days or less to build your home once the footing is dug. The process runs in two phases.

Pre-construction covers pre-approval, land review, choosing and personalizing your floor plan, the selections meeting, contract, permitting (which Mitchell Homes handles), and a pre-construction meeting where you receive your Cost Breakdown Worksheet.

Construction runs from the footing through framing, mechanicals, finishes, third-party inspections, final inspection, pre-closing cleaning, and a pre-settlement orientation before you close. The Homebuyer Roadmap to Success lists every step and every task that is yours, and the Behind the Build episode of the same name walks through it in detail.

Where do buyers usually get surprised, and what do people underestimate most?

Buyers are usually surprised by site costs outside the base price, and the most underestimated of those is extra foundation work. Well, septic, clearing, and driveway costs come into focus early, because a perc test (a soil test that shows what kind of septic system the lot can support) and a utility check tell you a lot before construction starts.

Extra foundation is different. The standard Mitchell Homes foundation is four courses of block, about 32 inches, and each additional course adds cost. A three-foot drop in ground level across a house's footprint is enough to add courses, and a lot that looks flat can still need an extra course so water drains away from the home.

Walk your lot with your New Home Consultant, check any survey you have for elevation changes, and ask about the topography and geotechnical report before you go to contract so you know the number early. Mitchell Homes settled on four courses as its standard, based on its experience building since 1992, because it keeps the base price accurate for most buyers without making flat-lot buyers pay for a foundation they don't need.

What am I responsible for in the process? Can Mitchell Homes handle everything?

Almost. Mitchell Homes can handle nearly everything, and would prefer to, because fewer hands on the schedule means fewer delays. Your financial responsibilities are the site items outside the base price (well or septic, utility connections, clearing, grading, extra foundation, driveway, seed and straw), and you can contract Mitchell Homes to do them all or handle any of them yourself.

The one task no builder can do for you is apply for electric service. Mitchell Homes pulls your permits under a limited power of attorney you sign, but that still doesn't cover the electric account, so your power company requires you to open the account and obtain the job number. Beyond that, your job is to keep up with financing steps and selection deadlines, all of which are listed in the Homebuyer Roadmap to Success.

Can I, or a friend or family member, do some of the work, such as finishing, cabinets, or flooring?

No, unless that person is a licensed, insured contractor approved through Mitchell Homes' trade partner process. Mitchell Homes funds each build with its own cash and stands behind the finished home, so every trade on site has to carry the required license and insurance limits and work on Mitchell's schedule.

A qualified contractor who wants to work on their own home can apply to become a Mitchell trade partner, and once approved, is paid the same as any other trade for that scope. Mitchell Homes can't allow you to do the finishes yourself to save money, because the schedule and the finished home depend on licensed, insured trades.

Can we make changes after the plans and colors meeting, and what is the late change process?

Yes, with a fee. Up to and including your plans and selections meeting (some buyers call it the plans and colors meeting), you can change anything at no charge, because Mitchell Homes has not yet applied for your permit. After that meeting, your plans go out for permitting, engineered trusses, and floor systems.

Any change after that point goes through the late change process. You tell your sales team what you want, they submit it, and you receive the change price plus a late change fee that covers the redrafting. Simple color changes are usually free if nothing has been ordered, but a change after materials are on site or installed can carry restocking or rework costs. Mitchell Homes looks at every late change case by case, and sometimes a change is worth the fee.

Does Mitchell Homes have model homes to tour?

Yes, one: the Mathews 2 model at the Fredericksburg design studio. Mitchell Homes used to rely on model homes and now uses design studios instead, in Richmond, Fredericksburg, Newport News, and Raleigh, with Wilmington opening soon. A studio shows more than a single model can, with more than 40,000 selections that are updated as products change.

If you want to walk through a specific floor plan, tell your New Home Consultant, and Mitchell Homes will arrange a visit to a home under construction or recently completed, accompanied by a Mitchell representative, with the homeowner's permission and a signed waiver. Booking a Discovery Tour at the studio nearest you is the easiest place to start.

Financing

Does Mitchell Homes offer financing options?

Yes. SimplyMitchell is the Mitchell Homes financing program: zero down payment, zero closing costs, and no construction loan for qualified buyers building on land they own. Mitchell Homes funds construction itself, so there is no construction loan interest during the build, and pricing is protected for 150 days.

The permanent mortgage comes through Mitchell's exclusive lending partner, CrossCountry Mortgage, which handles pre-approval with a dedicated mortgage consultant. Mitchell Homes is a builder, not a lender, and the Mortgage 101 episode of Behind the Build covers loan types, appraisals, and credit in detail.

What does my credit score have to be?

No specific score is required, because the lender looks at your whole financial picture rather than one number. A higher score usually means better loan terms, but Scott said on the podcast that financing through Mitchell's lending partner is flexible enough to work with a wide range of credit profiles. The fastest way to find out where you stand is to contact Mitchell Homes and start a pre-approval with its lending partner.

Does Mitchell Homes have a discount for veterans?

Yes. Mitchell Homes thanks active-duty and retired military buyers with a complimentary refrigerator for their new home. Ask your New Home Consultant for the current details when you visit a design studio.

If I am buying land, do I still get SimplyMitchell benefits?

Yes, on the home. If you are buying land and building at the same time, Mitchell Homes and its lending partner set up a land-and-home package. You pay the land up front, as with a land loan, and you pay the land closing costs. On the home, there is no down payment unless an appraisal shortage requires one, and Mitchell Homes pays the closing costs.

You also pay no interest on the home during construction: a land and home package sometimes includes a construction loan on paper, but Mitchell Homes does not draw on it to build, so no interest accrues on the home. Talk with Mitchell Homes about your situation, since the right structure depends on the land and the loan.

What are my options if my appraisal comes back short?

First, Mitchell Homes and your lender review the appraisal, check the comparable sales for errors, and ask the appraisal company for corrections if anything is off. If the value still comes back short, you have two ways to close the gap: cover the difference with a down payment, or remove items from the home that don't affect appraised value, such as flooring upgrades or finish selections, while keeping the square footage and bathroom count appraisers measure.

Scott and Deven said on the podcast that Mitchell Homes typically works through these with the buyer, so a short appraisal is a process issue.

Choosing a Builder

Is Mitchell Homes a modular builder or a stick-built builder?

Mitchell Homes is a stick-built builder. Every home is framed on site, board by board, on your land, and the only factory-built component is the engineered roof truss system that nearly every builder now uses. Mitchell Homes does not build modular homes. In Scott and Deven's experience, a stick-built home appraises higher and holds up longer. Mitchell Homes has built stick-built homes on customers' land since 1992.

What should buyers pay attention to when comparing on-your-lot builders?

Compare what is included, how the build is financed, and whether the price is protected, and set the price per square foot aside. A square-foot price hides too much, because every builder's floor plans, included features, permitting, and foundation drainage differ, so line the quotes up item by item.

On financing, ask each builder what you put down, what your closing costs are, what a construction loan will cost you in interest, and whether the contract has an escalation clause that lets the price rise during the build. Ask how any large incentive is funded and whether it comes off the price or gets added into your loan. Confirm whether the home is stick-built or modular.

Then ask each builder where their buyers get surprised, because a builder who will tell you that is giving you what you need to budget accurately. Mitchell Homes' answers to those questions are on the SimplyMitchell page and throughout this FAQ.

Have a question we did not cover?

Call Mitchell Homes at (804) 538-3912, email info@mitchellhomesinc.com, or contact us to book a Discovery Tour at the design studio nearest you. Scott and Deven also take listener questions for future Behind the Build episodes.