Why your lender hears from me every week

Most closing delays are not surprises. They are things somebody knew about for two weeks and nobody wrote down.

On a new build there are three parties holding three different pieces of the truth. The builder knows the flooring slipped. The lender knows the appraisal is still out. You know you gave notice on your lease. None of you are talking to each other, and the closing date on the contract sits there looking confident.

So through a build I send your lender a short written report most weeks. Here is roughly what one looks like:

CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS REPORT - Week of April 6

Current week Sod installed. Electrician on site, finishing today. Appliances delivered. Carpet and landscaping to be installed.

Looking ahead Punch list work in progress and ongoing. Front door gel stain and all pre-walkthrough paint next week. Cabinet hardware next week. April 15th, final tile to complete the shower. Week of April 20th, closets, shower door, bath accessories.

This update is provided for informational purposes only. All schedules and timelines are subject to change and do not constitute a guarantee or contractual commitment of any kind.

That last paragraph matters as much as the list. I commit to telling you what I know, on a schedule. I do not commit to a date, because the date is not mine to promise, and anyone who tells you otherwise on a house that is not finished is guessing at your expense.

Why writing it down is the whole point

A phone call is a nice gesture and it evaporates. A dated note in an inbox is something your loan officer can forward to underwriting, attach to the file, and point at six weeks later when somebody asks why the closing moved.

It also forces me to be honest on a schedule. It is easy to tell yourself a drywall delay will make itself up somewhere. It is harder to write “we are ten days behind and I no longer think the fifth is realistic” and send it to the person whose job depends on that date.

What it actually prevents

The rate lock is the usual casualty. Locks expire, extensions cost money, and the cost lands on you. A lender who has watched the build slip for a month can move before the lock does. A lender who finds out the week of closing cannot.

The other one is the moving truck. People book movers and give notice against a date on a contract, and nobody tells them the date quietly became fiction three weeks ago.

You should expect this

Not from me specifically. From whoever you hire.

Ask how they keep your lender current, and listen for whether the answer is a system or a shrug. “I call if something comes up” means nobody is watching. A build has three parties, three sets of information, and no shared calendar unless somebody decides to be it.