La Jolla · Buyer & seller guides · Process

New construction in La Jolla: contracts, plans, final checks of the home (walk-throughs) and permits

New construction means a home that is newly built or not built yet. Buying one on the La Jolla or coastal San Diego coast is different from buying a used home. You deal with the builder’s contract, plan and option choices, a list of unfinished items at the walk-through, warranty papers and City or coastal permit questions. Keep them all on one checklist, and check it with your lawyer, the builder and the City.

I’m Weston Clark, Founding Member of the Dickinson-Clark Team at Compass. I help buyers and sellers understand a new home deal in plain words. That means what a builder contract usually covers, how plans and change orders work, what to look for on a walk-through and which permit questions to ask. Then you can check each step with your lawyer, the builder and City or Coastal Commission staff. You can talk about fees with Weston directly. This form does not give a commission quote.

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Related: Buying & selling · Remodel rules · Guides · La Jolla

What new construction means

On this site, new construction means a newly built or not-yet-built home in La Jolla or coastal San Diego. You might be buying from a builder, selling a home that was just finished or weighing a new build against a remodel.

This guide covers:

• Builder purchase contracts and the papers attached to them
• Plans, specs (the written list of what goes in the home), options and change orders
• The list of unfinished items at the walk-through before closing (when the sale becomes final)
• Warranty papers to read with your lawyer
• City of San Diego permits and coastal review

It is not a price list or a closing calendar. It does not decide whether a given lot needs a Coastal Development Permit (the permit for building near the coast). Remodel guide: /la-jolla-remodel-rules. Bluff homes: /la-jolla-bluff-homes.

Buying from a builder

A builder sale usually uses the builder’s own forms, or a set of terms your lawyer negotiates. It is not just a normal resale offer. Questions to ask your lawyer and the builder:

DRE (California Department of Real Estate) consumer guides are a free place to start. More on escrow, the neutral company that holds money and papers until closing: /escrow-la-jolla. Have a lawyer review the builder’s papers before you sign.

Specs, options and change orders

Plans and specs are the written picture of what you are buying. Keep a clean paper trail:

• Base specs: the finishes, fixtures, appliances and allowances (set budgets for choices) listed for that plan.
• Options and upgrades: things you add, with written prices and wait times from the builder. Get the numbers in writing from the builder; none are given here.
• Change orders: any change after you sign should be written, signed and added to the file.
• What gets built vs. sales materials: model homes and sales boards do not replace the signed plans and specs.

If the project is still in City review, ask how plan changes affect the permit that was issued. City Development Services posts permit pages and forms for San Diego projects.

The walk-through list

Before closing, the buyer and builder usually walk the home and list anything unfinished or wrong. Builders call this a punch list. It covers things like paint touch-ups, missing hardware, appliance problems and outside fixes.

• Plan the walk-through with good light and enough time to see each room, the systems and the outside.
• Write each item clearly. Take photos where they help.
• Ask who fixes each item, and whether the work happens before or after closing under your contract.
• Keep the signed list with your closing papers.

Check timing and fixes with your lawyer and the builder. No single day count fits every walk-through.

Warranties

A warranty is a written promise to fix certain problems. New homes often come with a stack of them: the builder’s promise on its work, maker warranties on products and sometimes a plan run by an outside company. Read them as contracts, not sales slogans:

• What is covered, and what is left out
• How to file a claim, and with whom
• Whether the coverage passes to the next owner if you sell
• How warranty work fits with any walk-through items still open at closing (when the sale becomes final)

Check coverage with your lawyer and the builder before you count on a claim. The CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) Owning a Home pages are a good place to learn about loans and closing in general.

City permits and coastal rules

City of San Diego Development Services says you need a permit for work such as new construction, additions, remodels and repairs to electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems. You apply online. The Forms and Publications page lists bulletins and building forms.

The California Coastal Commission says Coastal Development Permits are how building near the coast is made to follow Chapter 3 of the Coastal Act, the state law for the coast. Check which agency handles a given lot with the City and the Commission. Related: remodel rules · bluff homes · historic review.

Related guides

Use them together. None replaces your lawyer, the builder or City and Coastal Commission staff.

More on sandiego.homes

• Buying & selling: the big picture
• Remodel rules: remodels and coastal permits
• Bluff homes: homes on coastal bluffs
• Historic review: how historic review works
• Escrow: papers and closing
• Cost to sell: the kinds of costs sellers pay
• Guides · La Jolla

Talk with Weston about a new home

Tell me whether you are buying from a builder, selling a home that was just finished or weighing a new build against a remodel. Tell me what your lawyer or builder has already said. I will help you sort out the contract, plans, walk-through and permit questions. This form is not a price or fee quote.

Or call (858) 997-8998 · weston@sandiego.homes · Search on Compass

Sources

• City of San Diego — Development Services
• City — Permits and Approvals · Forms & Publications
• City — Zoning · La Jolla Community Plan
• CCC — Coastal Development Permits & Appeals
• CCC — Local Coastal Programs · Coastal Act PDF
• SDMC — Coastal Development Permit Procedures
• CA DRE — Consumers · Consumer Alerts
• CFPB — Owning a Home · HUD Fair Housing