Builders today rely on an array of expected and unexpected methods to address affordability.
Consider Beazer Homes, for example.
This top 25 builder is known as the nation’s No. 1 energy-efficient home builder and top-rated for customer experience. Both are reassuring differentiators for buyers worried about monthly ownership costs. Today, a Beazer home is 44% more energy efficient than a typical HERS-rated new home, a money-saver on utility costs.
Beazer also represents advantages on the financing side, notably their Mortgage Choice program. The idea behind Mortgage Choice is simple: When lenders compete, home buyers win.
“As an organization, we believe it’s morally right to present more than one lender to a buyer, explains Beazer vice president of Mortgage Choice Mike Thimsen. “Studies show comparing your first offer with others can potentially save you thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.”
More Choice, More Value
The Mortgage Choice roster is a who’s who of about 20 mortgage lenders, each carefully vetted to ensure cultural alignment with the builder’s values and commitment to Beazer customers.
“We work with true lending partners that vie to win our customer’s mortgage business through value, service, speed and certainty,” the veteran housing leader says.
Going all-in on choice makes sense. Surveys say 56% of mortgage borrowers do not compare mortgage rates. Of the home buyers who do compare, 46% affirm their first offer was not the lowest rate. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reports home buyers on average save .5% on their mortgage rate by shopping. On a $315,000 30-year mortgage, that can mean savings of $32,000.
A Better Way to Lock-In Rates and Save
Beazer’s built-in lender competition yields other advantages as well. One Mortgage Choice partner, Wells Fargo, supports Beazer’s sale of spec homes by offering a unique builder spec lock program. This program is a cost-effective alternative to forward commitments.
“Mortgages are somewhat commoditized,” observes Thimsen. “It’s on the margins where lenders like Wells Fargo shine. I know they worked hard to get their Builder Spec Lock feature across the finish line for us.” How the Builder Spec Lock1 feature works:
- Lock-in a rate for 90 or 120 days on a home without a buyer.
- Protect your backlog and keep more capital in your business.
- Transfer locks between properties as needed (one property at a time).
- A required, non-refundable Builder Spec Lock fee lets you focus on what matters most—getting more buyers into your homes.
Additionally, Wells Fargo’s exclusive Builder Best® Extended Rate Lock program protects interest rates from market changes. Your buyers can lock down a range of interest rates for up to 360 days with a required, non-refundable extended rate lock fee. These locks can help protect you from expensive cancellations.
“Mortgage Choice lenders know the lengths all of us must go to address affordability. Wells Fargo rolled up their sleeves to offer Builder Spec Lock certainty for an uncertain market,” Thimsen reports.
Today, 77% of Beazer home buyers select a Mortgage Choice lender, which may help explain the builder’s 91% satisfaction rating.
As you weigh the effectiveness of your home financing program, keep in mind the value-added a multi-lender strategy with spec home rate lock options can have for your home buyers.
Learn more about the ways Wells Fargo can support your 2026 sales goals.
1. The Builder Spec Lock fee allows you to lock in a range of interest rates on one lock per property for 90 or 120 days.
The locked interest rate range may be used on any property you own. It cannot be transferred to a property owned by another party. You must provide Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (“Lender”) a binding real estate sales contract for a property at least 30 days prior to lock expiration. If the lock is not transferred to a homebuyer by the expiration date, it will be cancelled. Lender cannot guarantee a loan will close before the lock expires. If the buyer requires additional time to close, the buyer may request a rate lock extension, which will be subject to our rate lock extension policy.
Available only on agency, non-agency, FHA, and VA loans.
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Information is accurate as of the date provided and is subject to change without notice. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. © 2026 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. NMLSR ID 399801