Home builder chief financial officer job description
A home builder CFO tracks the cost and margin of every lot and house. They manage the loans for land and building, forecast cash from the closing schedule, and tell the CEO how many homes the company can afford to start.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, residential builders and remodelers · BLS, May 2025
Serve as a strategic financial leader for our home building division by managing budgets, forecasting future financial needs, and ensuring stable cash flow across all development projects. Collaborate with senior management to drive financial strategies that support sustainable growth and operational success.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee the budgeting process, ensuring that all financial plans align with development goals and market conditions.
Develop and implement forecasting models to predict cash flow requirements and support decision making.
Monitor and manage daily cash flow, ensuring that operational and capital expenditure needs are met.
Provide in-depth financial analysis and reporting to the executive team, highlighting variances and opportunities for cost optimization.
Establish effective internal controls and financial policies that safeguard the company’s assets and improve operational efficiency.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily financial reports and reconcile accounts to maintain accuracy and transparency.
Collaborate with project managers to ensure budgets are adhered to and adjust forecasts as needed.
Liaise with banking partners and financial institutions to secure favorable terms for financing projects.
Monitor market trends and economic indicators to provide timely insights and recommendations.
Engage with cross-functional teams to support strategic planning and risk management initiatives.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Budget variance: Maintain a variance of less than 5% between projected and actual expenditures.
Cash flow stability: Ensure a minimum operational cash reserve of 10% above short-term liabilities.
Forecast accuracy: Achieve a forecast accuracy exceeding 95% on a quarterly basis.
Cost savings: Realize an annual cost reduction of at least 5% through financial strategy improvements.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
Minimum of 8-10 years of progressive financial management experience.
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation is highly desirable.
Strong analytical, strategic planning, and problem-solving abilities.
Excellent interpersonal skills with a proven ability to communicate complex financial concepts to non-financial stakeholders.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience as a CFO or senior financial executive in the home building or real estate development industry.
Proven track record managing multi-million dollar budgets and large-scale financial forecasts.
Experience working closely with executive leadership to influence company-wide strategy.
Familiarity with industry-specific regulations, market dynamics, and construction financing.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in a standard office environment for prolonged periods.
Capability to travel to project sites and attend offsite meetings as needed.
Minimal lifting is required; occasional onsite inspections may involve moderate physical activity.
Comfortable with a work environment that may require extended periods of computer-based analysis.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours with occasional extended hours during critical financial reporting periods.
Regular collaboration with team members in a professional office environment.
Some travel may be required to meet with stakeholders, financial partners, and project teams.
Flexibility to respond to urgent financial matters during off-peak hours when necessary.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range: $150,000 - $250,000 USD, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
Performance bonuses based on achieving key financial targets.
Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions.
Additional fringe benefits such as paid time off, professional development opportunities, and wellness programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a culture of innovation, integrity, and continuous improvement.
Our team is dedicated to building quality homes and lasting communities, and we value each individual’s contribution.
We invest in our people by providing growth opportunities, mentorship, and a supportive environment where ideas thrive.
Join us to be part of an organization committed to excellence, collaborative success, and making a positive impact on the communities we serve.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
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A home builder's money sits in land and unfinished houses until closing day. The CFO has to know what each lot and house cost, and when the cash comes back.
Every lot carries a share of the land
When the company develops its own subdivision, the land, roads, sewers and fees get spread across the lots. That has to happen before a single house is priced. Pick a method with your CPA, such as an even split or a split by expected sale price, and keep to it. If the split is off, early phases look rich and the last one loses money.
In Mississippi, home contracts skip the contractor's tax
Mississippi charges a contractor's tax on non-residential work above a set price. Residential building is excluded, but apartments and condominiums don't count as residential. For a contract with an owner to build a home, the state's guide lists no contractor's tax on the price. The builder pays sales or use tax on the materials and services it buys instead. Set your estimate's tax line to match. Source: Mississippi Department of Revenue: Guide for construction contractors.
A mortgage or title affiliate has its own rules
Some builders own part of a mortgage or title company. Under federal RESPA rules, sending buyers to it is allowed only when three conditions are met. Each buyer gets the written Affiliated Business Arrangement disclosure, on its own page, no later than the referral. The buyer isn't required to use the affiliate. And the builder's return comes from its ownership, not from each referral. The CFO keeps copies of the disclosures and the books that prove it. Source: eCFR: 12 CFR 1024.15, RESPA affiliated business arrangements.
Each closing pays down the land loan
Land loans usually set a release price for each lot. The bank gets it at closing, before the builder sees profit. Check every settlement statement against the sale contract, buyer incentives, agent commission and release price. Catch mistakes before the money moves, or a lot can stay tied to the loan after the buyer owns it.
Buyer deposits need their own trail
Buyers pay earnest money at contract and often pay for upgrades up front. Track each deposit by contract and lot, and ask your attorney whether your state or your contract requires it to sit in escrow. If a buyer cancels, the contract decides what you keep, so finance and sales should read it the same way.
How much home builder chief financial officers make
The closest BLS group for home builder chief financial officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $213,510 a year ($102.65 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 520 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for residential builders and remodelers.
The template sets base pay as salary, with bonuses paid when the company's financial targets are met. The BLS figures below come from its chief executives group, which takes in CFOs too.
Residential builders and remodelers
$213,510$213,510 median Middle half $157,070–$315,530 10th–90th $91,200–$392,560
All industries
$213,990$213,990 median Middle half $129,540–$356,200 10th–90th $75,700–$507,730
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Residential builders and remodelers
$91,200
$157,070
$213,510
$315,530
$392,560
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS reports home builders and remodelers together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Builds job cost reports by house, plan and phase
Has managed land, development and construction loans
Can allocate land and development costs to lots
Prepares cash forecasts from a closing schedule
Sets controls over purchase orders and trade payments
Teach these on the job
Your lenders' draw and reporting forms
Your option and upgrade pricing
Your state's tax treatment of home contracts
Your construction software's cost codes
Your title company's closing steps
Builder CFOs work in construction accounting software that ties every purchase order to a lot. Common choices include Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate, NEWSTAR, or BuildPro alongside QuickBooks. Name your system in the ad, since builder platforms handle lots, options and closings differently.
Home builder chief financial officer interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Evaluating lot option deals
A land banker offers to buy your next phase of finished lots and sell them to you as you start homes. How do you evaluate the offer?
A strong answer: Compares the option deposit and the land banker's built-in return to the cost of carrying the lots with company debt and equity, checks takedown pace and flexibility if sales slow, and weighs the deposit at risk and lender covenants.
Behavioral · Reporting to owners and lenders
Tell me about a time you built or improved a monthly report for owners or lenders. What changed because of it?
A strong answer: Explains what was missing, what they added (backlog, homes by stage, margin by community, covenant status), and a decision it helped someone make.
Treat the template's targets as examples. Base each one on your own closings, loan terms and past forecasts, then review them with the CEO every quarter.
Budget variance
Compare each home's closed cost with its start budget, by cost code, once the last trade invoice is in. Roll it up by plan and community to find the repeat overruns.
Cash flow stability
Track cash on hand plus unused loan capacity against payroll, trade bills and loan payments coming due. Update it weekly from the closing schedule.
Forecast accuracy
Each quarter, compare forecast closings and cash with what actually closed and cleared. Note the misses caused by cancellations, low appraisals and late inspections.
Cost savings
Count savings from rebid trade contracts, better loan pricing and fewer variance purchase orders, measured against last year's cost for the same plan.
Career path
Construction loan officer at a bankUnderwrites builders' spec, presale and land loans, and learns where they go wrong.
Controller at a home builderRuns job costing, closings and the monthly close.
Chief financial officerOwns cash, lenders, tax and the company forecast.
Chief executive officerSteps up when the founder steps back, already known to the lenders and partners.
What reports should a home builder CFO send the CEO each week?
Keep it short: contracts, cancellations and closings by community; homes under construction and finished homes still unsold; cash and unused loan capacity; and any house running over budget. One page per community is enough. The CEO should be able to see in a few minutes which community needs attention.
How much does a home builder chief financial officer make?
Chief executives who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $213,510 a year ($102.65 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $157,070 and $315,530 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How should a home builder CFO plan for warranty costs?
Warranty work keeps costing money after a sale is booked. Set aside an amount at each closing, based on what your own warranty tickets have cost per home in past years, and charge repairs against it. Compare the reserve with actual spending each quarter by plan and community. A plan that keeps running over points to a build problem the COO should hear about.
What should a CFO do when an appraisal comes in below the contract price?
The buyer's lender lends on the appraised value, so someone has to cover the gap: the buyer with more cash, the builder with a price cut, or both. Set a policy for who can approve a reduction and how much. Track appraisal gaps by community, since a run of them is an early sign your prices are ahead of the market.
Why would a home builder CFO walk job sites?
The template's lines on site trips, minimal lifting and moderate activity describe a few tasks. The CFO may confirm a house's stage before signing a draw request, count finished unsold homes in a community, or walk a tract with a land seller and a lender. Most of the week is at a desk. What they carry is mostly a laptop and closing files.
