FAQ

Buying – Selling

Absolutely! A common misconception about building a new home is that you will have to sell your current home before you can start the process. If you will be financing your new home, there are several options for how you can structure your mortgage approval. Some of these include a condition to the sale of your current home or utilizing your current home as a rental offset to be able to carry both mortgages for rental purposes. We get it, this jargon can be confusing, so we recommend talking to one of our recommended lenders as one of your first steps so you can understand your options.

Still not convinced? Check out our ‘Without the Wait’ homes that offer guaranteed possession timing and deposit structure – just like resale homes!

Currently, our anticipated build time is 10-12 months. We know timing is important, and we do our best to help you prepare for your move/new home. You will be given a 3-month date range for the possession timing of your new home and will have an updated week-of completion date just over halfway through the process.

No sweat! This is exactly why we created our Quick Possession and ‘Without the Wait’ programs – so we can provide the home you need, when you need it. We thoughtfully curate these homes with our customers’ values in mind, so that we can provide you a home that meets you where you are. Or, if you know building isn’t for you and you don’t want to make all the decisions, leave it to us and choose from one of our curated quick possession homes.

At Sterling Homes, we are happy to work with realtors, however you are not required to have a realtor to purchase a new home. Our experienced team can educate you on everything you need to know about new homes, as well as the buying process, and assist you in finding the home that is the best fit for you. If you prefer to work with a realtor, we simply ask that they accompany you on your first visit to the showhome to register you as their client.

Building With Sterling 

We offer Single Family Front-Attached Garage homes, Single Family Rear-Detached Garage homes, Attached Garage Duplexes, Laned Duplexes, and Estate/Semi-Estate homes throughout our various communities. Not all home styles are offered in every community, so browse our community directory for more information, or look for the list of communities’ models are available in on the right-hand side of their feature page.

Pricing information can vary from community to community based on land cost, and the exterior requirements in each area. For this reason, we don’t have pricing available on our website. For pricing information on models and/or specific communities, feel free to email us, use our online chat, or visit one of our showhomes.

Besides living in a new home, living in a new community has several other benefits! Some of these      include:

  • Greater affordability
  • New and conveniently located amenities
  • New and easily accessible schools
  • Quieter communities, and separation from busy urban areas
  • Green spaces, parks, ponds, environmental reserves, recreation sites…the list goes on!
  • More open space than inner city or older communities making driving, parking, and general time spent in your community that much simpler
  • Updated homes built to the most current trends and building standards.

Sterling Homes is a builder registered under the governing body in the province – Alberta New Home Warranty (ANHW), and adheres to their warranty guidelines, however we also offer an extended 7-year building envelope warranty, going above and beyond the ANHW standards. We operate our own in-house warranty department and program based on these guidelines to make warranty a breeze for our homeowners. All warranty-related inquiries and concerns are handled through our warranty team so you can focus on what’s most important, enjoying your new home!

Where to Buy

We may be biased, but we think Calgary (and surrounding areas) is pretty great! A big city with a small town feel, Calgary will easily start to feel like home, and keep you busy with all it has to offer. Read more about Calgary and why it’s considered one of the top cities to live in here.

This is a great question, and exactly why we created our ‘Find Your Match Survey’. Click here to take the survey and our Online Sales Specialist can assist you with where to start on finding the perfect home for you and your family.

Sterling is proud to build homes in over 15 communities in Calgary and surrounding areas, and we continue to expand our opportunities to build homes for our customers every year. Browse our communities page to see where we currently build, as well as ‘coming soon’ areas.

Mortgage – Payments

The short answer – both? Having a pre-approval is a great step to being proactive in your home search, and highly encouraged. This will allow you to have a good idea of your budget, affordability, and help educate you on the financing process prior to buying your home. Once you take the next step in your new home journey and write a purchase agreement, you will need to obtain a firm mortgage approval to move forward with buying your home. To learn more, reach out to one of our experienced lenders here.

In the mortgage world, there something called a new construction or builder rate-hold, that can range anywhere from 6-18 months, dependent on the anticipated time it will take to build your home, and what timeline you feel comfortable locking in your interest rate at. Our experienced Area Managers & Associates are happy to give you guidance on this, as well as your mortgage rep can help you make the best decision based on your circumstances.

While you are welcome to use any mortgage rep/broker that you are comfortable with, we highly recommend checking out one of our experienced mortgage reps. One great benefit to this is that they can offer special rates only available to Sterling customers! They’ve also worked with us for several years and know the new build process well – making it seamless for everyone (especially you!). We partner with reps from all the major banks, as well as several brokers, because we know options are important. Find all our lender partners here.

A down payment will be required to start the process of building/buying your new home. The amount of deposit required can vary depending on the value of your home, and it may be optional to split this deposit into several step payments. For more information on deposit structure, feel free to connect with one of our showhome teams or our online sales specialist here, or check out our blog about ways to save for a down payment.

We know that no one wants to buy a home and right before moving in, be stuck with extra costs. That’s why we cover our clients legal fees to make this exciting time as stress-free as possible. We only ask that you utilize our lawyer and one of our several lender partners to ensure the process is seamless and efficient leading up to possession of your new home.

Budget and affordability vary greatly from one person to the next and can fluctuate at different stages of people’s lives. This is why we highly recommend obtaining a pre-approval prior to starting your home search. This way you will be educated and prepared to decide on a home that fits your requirements, but more importantly your budget. A mortgage specialist/broker will be able to crunch some numbers for you based on your income, down payment, current home, interest rates etc. and provide you with a pre-approved mortgage amount, knowing that when you apply for a full approval that you are highly likely to get approved at this amount.

We know attaining home ownership can feel out of reach for many, based on a variety of different circumstances. This is why it is so important to educate yourself and be aware of all your options. One size does not fit all, and the same applies with the path to home ownership. One great option can be to add a legal income suite to your home. Legal Suites can be added to any style of home (single family, attached garage, detached garage, duplexes, etc.), and are a great way to up your affordability by using the rental offset from the suite. Sound like a lot of jargon? Click here to learn more.

In addition to leveraging income suites, mortgage reps and brokers have various tools at their disposal that help them work with customers of all circumstances to achieve home financing. We suggest reaching out to one of our recommended lenders for more information on how to start your homebuying journey.

Home Design

We pride ourselves on building you a home that is personalized to you and your family’s needs. For that reason, we include the features we know are most important to you, as well as different layout options within each of our models. If you still feel there is something missing from your dream floorplan, we will work with you to make minor customizations that suit your requirements.

Instead of a design centre, you will visit several of our trade and supplier partners to make the interior selections for your home. We want to leave it to the experts, and allow you to have the most selections possible, rather than being limited to preselected palettes. If interior design isn’t your forte, ask our trade partners for suggestions. They can provide guidance to help you choose a palette for your home that you will love for years to come!

Yes! We have several bungalow models, including a Duplex option. You can view all bungalow plans here.

This is very dependent on what you value in a home. Do you like a sunny backyard? Do you want a walkout basement? Would you rather an inexpensive lot to allow more budget for your home? These are just a few things to consider when choosing a lot. For more information, check out our blog on lot types.

Zero-lot-line lots are lots that have the home built directly against the property line on one side, as opposed to in the centre like a conventional lot. This allows for there to be only one 5ft (minimum) side yard for access, therefore requiring less width/size for a lot to fit a home. With a decreased lot size, this decreases the cost of the land, allowing for greater affordability and more opportunity for people to attain homeownership. Conventional lots instead have two sideyards, ranging from a minimum of 4-5 ft wide or greater on either side. Both have different benefits and ultimately it comes down to your individual preferences/requirements for which lot will be the best fit for you. Read more about zero-lot-line lots here.

As a builder we do not provide landscaping or fencing. These items are very dependent on personal preference, and each homeowner’s plan for their yard. Therefore, this is something we allow you to decide on and complete later. Specific communities may require the addition of trees and/or landscaping gift certificates based on community requirements. For more information, please reach out to our Online Sales Specialist or one of our showhomes here.

Smart Homes – Energy Efficiency

Homes builds to a high standard offering our Smart Energy standards featuring a collection of energy efficient and smart home components to save you money, save the environment and provide the ideal lifestyle in a new home.

Net Zero and Net Zero Ready homes are certifications that are quickly becoming more common in the building world with the push towards sustainability and environmental responsibility. Net Zero means that your home would be producing as much clean energy as it is using to operate. Net Zero Ready homes are built with all requirements necessary to convert to fully Net Zero at a later time, including:

  • rough-ins for solar panels
  • triple pane windows
  • heat pump water heater
  • 98% efficient furnace and upgraded heat recovery system
  • upgraded framing and continuous air barrier
  • upgraded insulation and basement slab Styrofoam for comfort
  • enhanced HVAC and ventilation

To move to fully Net Zero, the additional items added to your home over and above this package are:

  • full solar array ($40,000 allowance for panels)
  • Daikin smart thermostat and Daikin Skyair Heat Pump with upgrades heat recovery system (in lieu of furnace)
  • gas lines not permitted in home

To learn more, visit our Smart Energy guide or visit our first Net Zero showhome, located in Vermilion Hill, SW Calgary.

Built Green Canada is a non-profit company that provides certification for residential builders that wish to use more sustainable and environmentally responsible building practices. Within this certification are different levels of commitment to these practices – certified, silver, gold, and platinum. At Sterling, we are proud to share that as of 2023, all our homes are Built Green Gold certified. So, what does Built Green mean to you? This certification will allow you to receive rebates on your mortgage, as well as provide you with a home that is built with safer and more sustainable materials.

Didn’t see your question?  Looking for more information? Reach out to us below.