Emily Denver
925.575.1602
Emily Denver

Main Content

New Homes in San Ramon: What to Check Before You Sign

Home > Blog > New Homes in San Ramon: What to Check Before You Sign

New Homes in San Ramon: What to Check Before You Sign

New homes are going up in San Ramon, and buying one isn’t like buying a resale. State law puts builder paperwork in front of you: a Notice of Special Tax if the lot is in a Mello-Roos district, a copy of California’s construction-defect law and, in an HOA community, the state’s public report. Supplemental tax bills can follow, too. Here’s what to check before you sign.

Key Takeaways: check these before you sign
– The Notice of Special Tax, if the lot is in a Mello-Roos district. You get three or five days to cancel after it’s delivered.
– Money set aside for a supplemental tax bill, which comes to you, not your lender.
– The public report, CC&Rs and HOA budget.
– The deposit clause, measured against California’s 3% rule.
– The school address, confirmed with the district.

New homes and townhomes coming to San Ramon

Several for-sale projects are on San Ramon’s Current Project List. Its newest posted version, dated January 28, 2026, shows:

  • 2400-2440 Camino Ramon (SummerHill Homes): a 404-unit for-sale project on a 31-acre site, status “Building Permit Issued.”
  • 2481 Deerwood Drive (Trumark Homes): a 61-unit townhome development on a 4.4-acre parcel, status “Approved.”
  • 3401 Crow Canyon Road (Lennar): the “previously approved Iron Horse Village development (117 residential units).”

Another, the Toll Brothers Townhome Project at 500 Bollinger Canyon Lane, is on the city’s Pending Housing Projects page, which lists residential projects submitted for review.

Builders sell under their own community names, so match the address before assuming which city project you’re touring. The city’s Planning Commission listed City Village (BR 6) among its approved projects under construction in June 2025, which ties SummerHill’s City Village to the Camino Ramon project. Three builders list these details today:

Community Builder What the builder lists
City Village SummerHill Homes Prices starting in the low $1,000,000s; 225 homes sold (over 55%); the final 15 Towns now selling
Deerwood Heights Trumark Homes 61 three-story, townhome-style condominiums, starting at $995,000
Iron Horse Village Lennar All-electric single-family homes and townhomes, coming soon, $773,880 to $1,688,880

Sources: SummerHill Homes, Trumark Homes and Lennar, retrieved September 30, 2026. Lennar’s page notes that prices and features may vary.

For resale context, the California Association of REALTORS® put the Contra Costa County median at $875,000 for August 2026, a figure for existing single-family detached homes only, not new construction (monthly sales release). For more on the city, see our San Ramon neighborhood guide and San Ramon community page.

Mello-Roos special taxes on a new San Ramon home

If the lot is in a Mello-Roos district, the builder can’t let you sign a purchase contract until you’ve received and signed a written Notice of Special Tax (Government Code section 53341.5).

That notice spells out what you’re taking on. In the statute’s words, the tax is “in addition to the regular property taxes,” it’s imposed “because it is a new development,” and if you don’t pay it, “the property may be foreclosed upon and sold.” The form also lists the maximum tax and the year it ends, and it warns that “it is possible that some may never be constructed or acquired,” meaning the facilities the tax pays for.

You also get time to reconsider: three days after the notice is delivered in person, or five days by mail, to cancel the agreement in writing.

San Ramon has its own district. In 2014 the city formed Community Facilities District No. 2014-1 “to finance public infrastructure and services to support development within the districts,” according to the City of San Ramon Finance page. It began with the Acre subdivision and has since added The Preserve (formerly Faria Preserve), Promenade, 500 Deerwood, Aspenwood and 2481 Deerwood, across three tax zones.

Per-parcel tax amounts aren’t on the city’s Finance page. Read the notice for the exact home you’re considering, and don’t assume a community is in or out of a district from its marketing name.

Your first property tax bills

Plan for more than one bill in your first year. Property is reassessed as of the first of the month after a change in ownership or completion of new construction, and in most cases that “results in one or more supplemental tax bills,” says the Contra Costa County Treasurer-Tax Collector.

  • The bill comes to you. Supplemental bills “are sent only to the property owner, even if you have an impound account with your lender” (New Property Owners).
  • A January to May closing adds one. Buy or complete construction between January 1 and May 31, and you’ll get an additional supplemental bill for the entire following fiscal year (county FAQ).
  • Special assessments are hard to predict. Looking up a nearby property’s current bill by parcel number or address can give you an idea of yours, the Auditor-Controller suggests.

Your base tax is easier to estimate. Contra Costa’s rate is the 1% general tax plus any voter-approved bond rates (Tax Rates). Your assessed value starts at the value when you took title or construction was completed, then rises by up to 2% a year (County Assessor). Our guide to how much house you can afford in the Tri-Valley covers the rest of the budget.

What warranty and defect rights does California give new-home buyers?

California sets minimums the builder can’t go below. A builder must give you at least a one-year written warranty on fit and finish: cabinets, mirrors, flooring, interior and exterior walls, countertops, paint finishes and trim (Civil Code section 900).

California’s broader construction-defect law runs longer, but it works as a deadline, not a warranty. A claim generally can’t be brought more than 10 years after the home is substantially complete (Civil Code section 941). Some standards carry shorter clocks: the one requiring plumbing and sewer systems to operate properly has a four-year deadline from close of escrow (Civil Code section 896).

Two paperwork rules help you:

  1. The builder must hand you a written copy of this law with the original sales documents, and you and the builder’s sales representative initial it (Civil Code section 912).
  2. When you sign, the builder must tell you whether it’ll use the statute’s claim procedure or its own contractual one (Civil Code section 914).

Section 914 leaves existing law on contract arbitration untouched, so read any arbitration clause on its own terms. This is general information, not legal advice; a real estate attorney can review the contract in front of you.

What should you read in the public report and HOA documents?

Read the public report before you sign anything binding. When the state requires one, the seller must give you a copy before you sign a binding contract (Business and Professions Code section 11018.1).

These reports cover the covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs), the costs of the homeowners association and common areas, and other material disclosures, according to the California Department of Real Estate. A report is required in every common interest development with HOA dues, and you can search issued ones in the DRE’s Subdivision Public Reports Lookup, though not every report is online. In a new HOA community that requires a public report, the seller must also let you examine the CC&Rs, the association’s articles and bylaws, and available financial information before you make an offer (section 11018.6).

Two things deserve a slow read. The first is who runs the HOA: the statement the seller must give you says that until enough homes sell for owners to elect a majority of the board, “it is likely that the subdivider will effectively control the affairs of the association.” Ask to see the budget. Then there are the dues. At City Village, SummerHill lists dues at buildout of $373 to $410 a month for The Towns and $121 to $140 for The Rows and The Courts (SummerHill Homes).

Your deposit and California’s 3% rule

Up to 3% of the price is generally the line. For a home of up to four units that you plan to live in, Civil Code section 1675 treats a deposit-forfeit clause of up to 3% as valid unless you show it’s unreasonable. Above 3%, it’s invalid unless the seller shows the amount is reasonable. Each party also has to sign or initial the clause separately (Civil Code section 1677).

Section 1675 has a separate accounting and refund rule for the first sale of new attached condominium units in a structure of 10 or more units. If that’s what you’re buying, have the contract reviewed first.

How do you confirm which schools serve a new home?

Use the district’s lookup, not the brochure. San Ramon Valley Unified’s Schoolsite Locator shows the schools in an address’s attendance boundary. SRVUSD also cautions that many schools are impacted by growth, students may not be able to attend their resident school, and “school assignment will be confirmed upon completion of the enrollment process.”

On a brand-new street, the district’s Find Your School page says to contact your resident attendance-area school to verify the address.

Do you need your own agent to buy new construction?

You don’t have to have one, but the builder’s sales team works for the builder. Your own agent works for you, which matters when the documents above land on the table. You’ll want someone reading those documents with you and comparing a new build against nearby resale homes.

The Mony Nop Real Estate Team is with Compass and covers Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon and Danville, with 400+ clients served. If you’re touring new construction in San Ramon, get in touch with our team before you sign the builder’s contract. Already own a home you’d sell first? Start with a free home valuation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do new homes in San Ramon have Mello-Roos taxes?

Some do. San Ramon’s Community Facilities District No. 2014-1 includes The Preserve, Promenade, 500 Deerwood, Aspenwood and 2481 Deerwood, plus the original Acre subdivision. If a home you’re buying from a builder is in a district, state law requires the builder to give you a Notice of Special Tax, which you sign, before you sign a purchase contract.

Will my lender pay the supplemental property tax bill?

Not automatically. Contra Costa County says supplemental bills are sent only to the property owner, even if you have an impound account with your lender. Each one covers the added value from your purchase or new construction, and a January to May closing brings a second for the following fiscal year. Set money aside for them.

How long is a new-home warranty in California?

California’s minimum is a one-year written warranty on fit and finish items such as cabinets, flooring, countertops, paint and trim. Separately, claims under the state’s construction-defect law generally must be brought within 10 years of substantial completion, with shorter deadlines for some items. Ask the builder for its own written warranty and maintenance recommendations too.

Can you back out of a new construction contract in California?

If the home carries a Mello-Roos special tax, you have three days after the notice is delivered in person, or five days if it’s mailed, to cancel in writing. Beyond that, your contract’s terms control. For a home you’ll live in, a deposit-forfeit clause over 3% of the price is invalid unless the seller shows it’s reasonable.

About the author

Mony Nop has been licensed in California real estate since 2007 (DRE# 01813021) and spent 17 years with the Livermore Police Department. The two careers overlapped: he started in real estate part time while still an officer, then moved to real estate full time. The Mony Nop Real Estate Team is with Compass and serves the Tri-Valley.

Sources

Share

Let's Talk About Your Next Chapter

    Skip to content