You have the land. Maybe it was your grandparents’ farm, maybe you bought two acres outside Clayton last spring. What stops most people from building on it is the construction loan: the down payment, the interest during the build, the second closing.
Mitchell Homes removes that step. Its SimplyMitchell program advertises “zero down, zero closing costs, no construction loans.” The company builds stick-built homes only on land the customer owns, from a library of more than 40 floor plans, and opened a design studio for the Triangle in Garner in 2025. Wake County base prices on its plans run from $215,330 to $612,394.
The catch is in the word “base.” Here is what that price covers, what it does not, and what to check before you sign.
Who Is Mitchell Homes?
Mitchell Homes is a family-owned, Virginia-based builder that builds new homes on customers’ lots in Virginia, Southern Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
The documented history
The company’s About page lays out the timeline:
- 1992: Mitchell Homes founded by Mitchell Sleeme.
- 1993: First model home opens in Richmond, Virginia.
- 2018: Expansion into North Carolina with a Rocky Mount showroom.
- 2024: Expansion into 27 new counties in North Carolina and South Carolina; launch of the Behind the Build podcast.
- 2025: New showroom opens in Raleigh.
- 2026: Ground broken on a Wilmington showroom.
The site names Scott Sleeme, CEO and Deven Sellers, EVP, who host the Behind the Build podcast and answer the company’s published FAQ.
Mitchell Homes is listed as a builder member in the 2025 Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County directory. Its Raleigh design studio is at 505 N. Greenfield Parkway, Suite 120, in Garner, phone (984) 331-5468.
One naming note: the same HBA directory also lists Byron Mitchell Builder Inc., a separate Raleigh company. Mitchell Homes’ own legal entity name is not printed on the pages we reviewed. Confirm the exact entity and its North Carolina license on your contract.
Where Does Mitchell Homes Build?
The Raleigh design studio page lists the counties it serves, including all eight core Triangle counties: Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham, Johnston, Franklin, Harnett, and Granville. That covers Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and the rural land around them.
Beyond the Triangle, the company builds across much of eastern and central North Carolina, Virginia, Southern Maryland, and a few South Carolina counties. Mitchell does not buy land, sell land, or build subdivisions. It does build in neighborhoods on lots the customer buys from a developer or private seller, and its FAQ says it regularly works through HOA architectural review.
What Does Mitchell Homes Build?
Mitchell builds stick-built single-family homes, duplexes, and a small number of fully custom homes on the customer’s land.
| Buyer question | What the public record shows |
|---|---|
| State contractor license | L.76127 (Mitchell Homes, Inc.): Building classification, unlimited license limit, active through Dec. 31, 2026 per the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, checked Oct. 14, 2026 |
| Construction type | Stick-built on site; not modular |
| Plans | 40+ floor plans; categories include one-level, two-story, narrow lot, multigenerational, larger homes, duplexes |
| Custom plans | Builds from buyers’ own plans, “roughly a dozen a year” |
| Wake County base prices | $215,330 (James) to $612,394 (Bella), Classic elevation |
| Company-wide average | About $442,000; range about $220,000 to $850,000, per the FAQ |
| Financing | SimplyMitchell: zero down, zero closing costs, no construction loan; pre-approval through CrossCountry Mortgage |
| Build time | Targets 150 days or less once the footing is dug |
| Warranty | 1-year workmanship, 2-year systems, 10-year structural; Quality Builders Warranty backed by Liberty Mutual |
| Selections | 40,000+ at the design studio |
What the base price includes
The FAQ is specific. The base price covers the house from the footing up: a standard foundation of four courses of block (about 32 inches), the foundation drain, the building permit, the included features list, and power, water, and sewer or septic lines run to stub-outs at the house. The online price is for the Classic elevation. Craftsman, Farmhouse, and other elevations cost more.
What it does not include
The base price does not include the well, the septic system, public water and sewer tap fees, gas service, lot clearing, grading, the driveway, seed and straw, or an engineered drainage plan. Mitchell offers these as services for an administration fee, added by addendum. The FAQ also lists surprises it sees most often: a deeper well, extra block courses on a sloped lot, rock or buried stumps at the footings, higher power-company engineering costs, and flood-zone surveys.
Included features worth knowing
The included features page lists ZIP System wall sheathing, a 32-inch parged block crawl space with vapor barrier, R-49 or greater blown ceiling insulation, R-15 wall insulation, granite kitchen and bath counters, luxury vinyl tile in wet areas, vinyl siding, 8-foot smooth ceilings, a 150-day price-protection guarantee, building permit service, and a third-party inspection before closing.
How Does Building With Mitchell Homes Work?
The FAQ describes two phases:
- Pre-construction. Pre-approval, land review, choosing and personalizing a plan, the selections meeting, the contract, permitting (Mitchell handles it under a limited power of attorney), and a pre-construction meeting where you receive the Cost Breakdown Worksheet listing every item.
- Construction. Footing, framing, mechanicals, finishes, third-party inspections, final inspection, cleaning, and a pre-settlement orientation before closing.
You open the electric service account yourself. Everything else Mitchell can coordinate. After the pre-construction meeting, the price moves only through signed change orders.
What Should You Verify Before Signing With Mitchell Homes?
Before signing with Mitchell Homes, verify the site costs, the land, the financing terms, and the entity. Mitchell publishes more than most builders. Use that to ask sharper questions. Our guides to finding a Triangle builder and why the builder’s agent works for the builder explain how to keep someone on your side.
Price the site work before you compare base prices
A $350,000 base price is not a $350,000 house. Get the perc test, a well estimate, the driveway length, the power run, and the clearing and grading quote for your lot. Mitchell’s own FAQ says site work is what makes an average misleading.
Check the land before you buy it
If you do not own land yet, write a feasibility period into the land contract so you can test the soil and check utilities first. Our guide to buying land to build a house covers it.
Read the SimplyMitchell terms
Zero down and no construction loan are real advantages. Ask what the final mortgage rate and fees are, whether there is any escalation clause, and how a short appraisal is handled. The FAQ says you can cover the gap with cash or remove items that do not affect appraised value.
Confirm the entity and license
Match the contracting entity on your agreement to a North Carolina general contractor license, and do not confuse Mitchell Homes with other similarly named builders.
Read the warranty booklet
Mitchell publishes a 1/2/10 structure through Quality Builders Warranty. Ask for the booklet and compare it with our home-builder warranty guide.
How Does Mitchell Homes Compare With Other Building Options?
Mitchell is a large, process-driven build-on-your-lot company. That is a different product from a local custom builder.
| Option | Financing | Plans | Site work | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Homes | Builder-funded build; zero down | 40+ plans, customizable | Priced separately, can be contracted through Mitchell | Landowners who want a set process and no construction loan |
| Local custom builder | Construction-to-permanent loan | Custom or architect plans | Usually in the contract | Buyers who want a one-off design |
| Production builder | Standard mortgage | Builder plans | Included in lot price | Buyers who want a subdivision lot and amenities |
| Resale on acreage | Standard mortgage | Existing | Existing | Buyers who need to move now |
Who Is a Strong Fit for Mitchell Homes?
Mitchell fits a buyer who has land, wants a proven plan, and would rather not carry a construction loan.
The strongest candidates usually:
- own land in a Triangle county, or are under contract on a lot with a feasibility period;
- want a one-level, multigenerational, narrow-lot, or duplex plan from a catalog;
- want permitting, well, septic, and driveway coordinated by one company;
- will price the site work line by line before committing.
It is a weaker fit for buyers who want a builder-owned lot, an architect-driven custom design, or luxury finishes as the standard.
Final Thoughts About Mitchell Homes From Tim Clarke
Mitchell Homes publishes more of its pricing logic than almost any builder I see: base prices by county, exactly what the base excludes, the surprises that show up at the footing. That transparency is worth something. So is building without a construction loan.
The number that matters is the base price plus your well, septic, clearing, driveway, and foundation. Get that full number before you compare.
I have spent 17+ years in Triangle real estate. Our team builds as well as sells, so we know what rural site work costs, what a new home on acreage appraises for, and where a build-on-your-lot contract can surprise you. Mitchell’s New Home Consultants work for Mitchell. We work for you.
If you have land and Mitchell Homes is on your list, call us at (919) 355-8462. We’ll help you price the lot, read the contract, and check the comparable sales.
Sources
- https://mitchellhomesinc.com/
- https://mitchellhomesinc.com/about/
- https://mitchellhomesinc.com/where-we-build/
- https://mitchellhomesinc.com/design-center/raleigh-nc/
- https://mitchellhomesinc.com/new-homes/nc/raleigh/wake-county/8098/ (Wake County plan prices)
- https://mitchellhomesinc.com/faqs/
- https://mitchellhomesinc.com/included-features/
- https://mitchellhomesinc.com/financial-advantages/
- https://mitchellhomesinc.com/warranty-after-may-1-2024/
- 2025 HBA Raleigh-Wake County builder-member directory (print)
- https://portal.nclbgc.org/Public/Search (NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, license L.76127)
