Study Guide

The high-yield checklist. Every fact below shows up somewhere in the exam. Open book is allowed; this is meant to be your study reference.

Why Metal America

Phases: site prep, foundation, steel erection, exterior envelope, interior framing, drywall/paint, finish-out, final
Steel shell goes up in 3-7 days. Steel supplier crews (Eagle, Star) erect, NOT the GC.
Total turnkey timeline: 9 months max from signed contract for any deal.
Concrete must cure before steel arrives
Slab-on-grade per engineered plans. Monolithic slab is standard. No basements.
Foundation can include a notched / brick ledge edge when the build calls for it.

Egress windows in every bedroom + habitable rooms without exterior door
5.7 sq ft minimum clear opening, 20" min wide, 24" min tall, 44" max sill height
Window catalog: only 36x36 and 36x60, in single hung or fixed (no casement, no other styles)
Bedroom egress = 36x60 single hung. The 36x36 (any style) and 36x60 fixed do NOT qualify.
HOA prohibits metal siding = deal is DEAD. Politely decline and move on. No workaround, no off-spec build.

Texas + Oklahoma: TURNKEY only (Metal America delivers a finished home)
Everywhere else: SHELL + CONCRETE only (customer finds GC for finish-out)
For out-of-area deals, point customer to our DIY guide and GC guide so they can manage finish-out themselves.

Project setup fee = 10% of total project cost, charged upfront at start
Cash deal: 50% upfront / 40% on shell delivery / 10% on final walkthrough
Financed (Guild): customer experiences a single Guild closing. The 33%/67% split is internal to how MA gets paid and is not customer-facing.
All money flows through Metal America. Customer NEVER pays the GC directly.
Sales rep commission: paid when the customer's first payment hits Metal America (that's when the deal is marked sold).
Realtor commission: 3% of the deal, paid the same way (when first payment hits MA).

Guild Mortgage = our ONLY financing partner. One-Time Close construction-to-permanent loan.
Single closing. No separate refinance after construction.
Guild requires GC with 3+ years residential experience, GC of record. Metal America provides the qualified GC.
We do NOT coordinate with USDA, FHA, conventional, RTO, Hearth, HFS, or any other lender.
Outside lender = cash deal from our perspective. Customer pays us directly.
Appraisal comp problem is the #1 deal killer. Build comp database long term.

MA handles: engineering, drawings, materials, shell erection, concrete, in-area finish-out, payments, GC of record on financed deals.
Customer handles: site prep access, utilities to lot, HOA approvals, any custom upgrades outside the 9 SKUs (we won't do them).
Out-of-area customer also handles: their own GC for interior finish-out.

1. Rep generates draft (PandaDoc) and gathers customer info.
2. Operations reviews the draft and sends the contract for signature. (Reps and realtors never send the contract themselves.)
3. Customer signs.
4. First payment hits Metal America = deal marked sold = commissions paid.

Every Metal America build comes with a curated, pre-selected Foundation finish package — flooring, cabinets, countertops, fixtures, paint, appliances, HVAC, all of it.
Why pre-selected? It eliminates decision paralysis, keeps the price predictable, and gets the customer into a finished home faster.
Customers can swap to the Upgrade tier on a few line items if they want more (e.g. premium appliance package, alternate flooring lines, fancier shower tile).
The exam does NOT test brand-by-brand recall. For full SKUs, brand names, and pricing reference the separate Finish Guide (link below).

HOA prohibits metal siding — deal is dead, no workaround.
Customer wants a basement or fireplace — not offered, redirect to a standard build.
Customer wants a custom design — not offered, pitch one of the 9 SKUs.
Outside lender (USDA / FHA / conventional / RTO / Hearth / HFS) — treat as cash deal, MA does not coordinate.
Appraisal comp problem on financed deals — biggest single risk to closing.

Every scenario rewards: honesty about scope, sticking to standard builds, routing financing through Guild only, and naming the right next step.
If the customer's request is outside our 9 SKUs, custom design, basement, fireplace, off-spec siding — say no clearly and pitch a standard build that fits.
If they're outside Texas/Oklahoma, lead with the shell + concrete model and point them to the GC / DIY guides for finish-out.
If they ask about lenders other than Guild, treat it as a cash deal and explain MA only coordinates with Guild.
If a realtor scenario, mention the 3% commission paid when first payment hits MA.
Use the right roles: Operations sends contracts (not reps), Architecture handles design tweaks within the 9 SKUs.