Why Buying NEW Makes the Most Sense

Many buyers today are torn between existing homes and brand new construction.  It may seem as if a better deal is to be had a foreclosure or short-sale but that may not be the case in most situations!

Homebuyers have an advantage in the current housing market, and there are plenty of newly built homes still for sale in many parts of the country.

Buying a home is one of the largest investments most people make, so it’s important to know as much as possible on how to get the most bang for the buck. In addition to reduced home values and a large inventory of homes on the market, the current tax incentives make it very affordable to buy a new home.

Why Buy a New Home Instead of an Existing One?

When compared with existing homes, newly built homes have a lot to offer. Most of those reasons are obvious, such as the fact that it’s clean, freshly painted and without need of repairs because everything is new. According to housing experts at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), purchasing a newly constructed home offers buyers added value beyond the structure’s age.

New Homes are designed for Today’s Lifestyles

Today’s floor plans are designed to make living easier for homeowners.  Builders are designing them to fit lifestyles, and at the same time incorporating as many of the bells and whistles that homeowners want. In addition to open floor plans and more spaces designed for gathering, new homes also include areas specifically designed to meet a homeowner’s individual needs. In recent years, there has been more emphasis placed on home offices in new floor plans in order to satisfy the growing number of people who work from home.  Children’s playrooms and study nooks are also factored into many new floor plans.  Simply put, today’s new homes can be equipped with the spaces homeowners want and need.

Energy Efficient New Homes Save Homeowners Money

Homeowners are researching ways to incorporate energy efficient products and building techniques into their homes. With energy efficient building products and techniques, buyers can recoup the costs of investing in an energy efficient home through savings on their utility bills. Today’s builders are taking their cue from buyers and are incorporating those products into bids and spec houses. Homes built prior to the increased awareness and advances in energy efficient technologies don’t offer those savings.

New Homes Contribute to Sense of Community

Newly constructed homes also offer some not-so-obvious perks. In many cases, homeowners are not just looking for a new house; they’re looking for an opportunity to be part of a community.  Buying a home in a new master-planned community offers homeowners a unique chance to be on the ground floor of building a neighborhood. When you buy a newly-built home, chances are you’re not the only “new kid on the block.” When people move in at the same time, there are often lasting friendships that are formed as well.

Many new residential communities include pools, walking trails, tennis and basketball courts and additional opportunities for interaction among neighbors. Local developers have thoughtfully designed home sites that take into account popular amenities that encourage people to come together. In some cases, block parties, community socials or neighborhood associations provide opportunities to get to know neighbors.

Today’s Homes are Designed for Entertaining

Today’s newly built homes are designed for entertaining, with many layouts featuring more open spaces rooms that allow parties to flow better than in previously built homes. Entertaining is a key factor in modern home designs, including kitchens that allow hosts to interact with guests as well as additional amenities such as wine coolers, wet bars and butler’s pantries that make entertaining more convenient. Many new homes also incorporate outdoor living areas and downstairs entertainment venues. In addition, most new homes are wired for entertaining, with more outlets and electrical options. Sophisticated lighting can be positioned where it is needed most, adding to the advantages of new construction.

The advantages of buying a new home over an existing one vary from price, design, comfort to lifestyle. For many homeowners, buying a new home indicates a certain milestone in their lives. There’s nothing quite like preparing the very first meal in a new kitchen, on new countertops and in a new oven. Aside from the obvious reasons, many factors contribute to why buying new makes sense, especially in today’s housing market. Currently, there is a diverse selection of new homes on the market that have been built with the amenities and floor plans that could make daily living easier and more enjoyable. Energy-efficient products and techniques included in new homes make buying a new home a smart investment.

Wynn Construction Homes in North Carolina is known for our quality new home construction. The counties that we are currently building in are: Franklin County, Granville County, Johnston County,Harnett County, and Onslow County.

San Antonio truly offers something for everyone, from a vibrant music scene to shopping in quaint shops that you will find nowhere else. San Antonio offers fun and excitement for couples and families alike. You will find some of the best fine dining, shopping, and other forms of entertainment. The communities described below are very near military installations, employment centers an entertainment for the entire family. Lackland Air Force Base, SeaWorld, and the Toyota manufacturing plant are all nearby. If your style is active living, then look no further than the communities and custom floor plans outlined below. All new homes also come standard with all of the appliances that you require, all included in the sales price. Come find your dream home today!

Caprock: Caprock is one of the most enticing single-family housing communities in the greater San Antonio area. Here, you will find specialty, custom-built homes by KB Home. Floor plan 3417 is a great find for your family at just under $172,000. The 3417 is a green-styled home for planet-conscious buyers. There are radiant heating elements throughout the home, and there are other aspects of this home that make it green friendly. Here, you will also not have to worry about landscaping, as the community grounds are maintained for you. You can enjoy true family living here at Caprock.

Luckey Ranch: A master-planned community with homes built by LGI Homes, Luckey Ranch is one of those beautiful family-friendly communities of which you would be hard-pressed to find the equal. Their Driftwood floorplan is a testament to comfortable living, boasting a stunning five bedrooms, two full and one half baths, and a two-car garage. With over 2500 square feet of living space, your whole family will live in style and comfort as you are able to safely explore and enjoy your new home in San Antonio. Starting at just over $170,000, the Driftwood is just one of the gems in this sparkling new neighborhood.

MacArthur Park: Meritage Homes takes pride in their craftsmanship. Their floor plan, the Genova, is perfect for larger families or for those who have older family members living with them. Boasting five bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, this home is truly a must see. The nearly three thousand square feet of living space makes this home comfortable and spacious.

Come experience luxurious living at any one of these great communities. You will be glad you did.

If you are looking to move, or relocate, to San Antonio, be sure to visit LGIHomes.com, a San Antonio home builder with multiple communities located throughout Texas.

Do you see granite countertops as a luxury that would be nice to have, but one that is simply too expensive for your home?

That’s the typical response but I would strongly argue the opposite. I encourage anyone who is even remotely considering opting for granite countertops to go for it! The price difference is obvious; everyone knows granite countertops cost more, and they can cost a lot. However, if you are moving into a home you plan to be in for many years, I believe you can’t afford not to get them.

The Investment Will Pay You Back With Dividends

Granite countertops will pay for themselves over many long years of use and wear and tear. Any other type of countertop will make you pay later with damages and repairs. Granite countertops are nearly as hard as diamonds. They are non-porous and heat resistant. Think of what this will mean for your cooking experience!

The Worry Free Countertop

You will no longer have to reach for a cutting board to avoid denting or scratching your cheap countertop surface. You will no longer have to put a pot holder under every hot pan or plate to avoid scorching the counter. And red juice spills? Don’t even worry about it. While other types of counters will soak up that red dye from the juice into a stubborn stain, the granite color won’t change a bit.

Limitless Colors & Patterns

Granite countertops are available in nearly any color and pattern. They come in solid colors as well as designs, with or without speckles. The right color countertop will tie your whole kitchen together and make it look clean and smart.

A Cinch To Keep Clean

Granite is also extremely easy to clean. You can use nearly any non-abrasive cleaning product on granite without worrying about damaging the finish. Even with just a rag and warm soapy water, the smooth surface easily wipes clean of dirt and grime. Granite holds its color for the life of the countertop and won’t fade or discolor like other surfaces.

Granite Has A Smooth And Beautiful Finish

Finally, you will love the smooth surface. You can roll out a pie crust, lay out cookies to cool or scribble down a note on a piece of paper.I will never forget the countertops in my first house.

They were textured, pretty to look at, but impractical for almost any everyday use! Investing in a granite countertop is a decision you will be glad you made for years to come. They will look great and last through the life of your house.

The author, Lucas Jenkins, spends his weekends dreaming of riding in helicopters and blogging. His home improvement blog has been recently updated with two new articles about kitchen appliance set sales and inexpensive kitchen rugs. Maybe next weekend he’ll get a helicopter ride but it looks like for at least the near future he’ll be using his weekends to contribute to his blog.

The objective of 2012′s decorating style is to blend modern conveniences with a thoroughly clean sense of balance in the home. Next season’s interior design trends will focus strongly on spatial attributes and minimising clutter. If possible, remove walls to expand the area of the living room, this will accentuate the key pieces of the room and the architecture. If knocking down walls is too drastic a move, try updating your lighting in the room. In almost all cases, a brightly lit space conveys a feeling of openness, regardless of the size of the room.

Attractive design

This attractive design mode focusing on openness has also been seen in furniture designs, with a strong move towards to sleek sectional sofas which can be customised to fit in almost any room. One reason for the sectional sofa’s popularity is its modular design which features its own separate seating area. This feature makes sectional sofa or corner sofas more versatile because they can be used to fill a corner of a room, or separated into sections for a more casual setting.

Elegant designs, comfortable furnishings and luxurious materials are back in season. Over the previous year, we have seen wood finishes and trimming become lighter in colour and rougher. Many people preferred an unfinished surface over a shiny one for a natural appearance. As a result, there has been a slow trend leaning towards bright and bold patterned chairs and sofas to add contrast. Leather sofas, which grew out of fashion in the past decade, are swiftly making a comeback to complement corner sofas.

Create combinations

Many people are choosing to combine muted earth tones with unique colour combinations to create exciting interior designs. The 2012 colour palette leans heavily towards the subdued earth tones, with colours such as black, brown, green, grey and tan dominating. Walls and floorings are generally reserved with a cream, white or light beige colour. Furnishings and trim work tie the room together with varying shades of black or brown for definition. This colour palette is excellent for creating a space which conveys peacefulness and simplicity.

For those seeking to create a more lively environment, using dark and warm colours, brown and yellow tones and deep coloured shades of semi-precious and precious stones are strong colour design trends for the upcoming year. Combining traditional and exotic materials inspired by Asian, Middle Eastern and African designs, can create a warm and cheerful atmosphere. Greens, reds and other colourful accents are used to accentuate the room through plants, ceramics, and fabrics. Unique interior design ideas include combining sleek surfaces, vibrant colours, shiny fabrics with classical grey, gold, white and silver tones.

Jonathan is a keen blogger who ejnoys nothing more than writing about the latest trends from the comfort of his corner sofas

I came across an interesting flier the other day while I was shopping at a home decor store.  It was a small appliance recycling program that accepts over 120 small electrical appliances, ranging from electric toothbrushes to countertop microwave ovens.  Every year in the province of British Columbia, Canada alone there are more than 2 million small electrical appliances that end up in the landfill each year.  Unplugged is a non-profit recycling program in British Columbia, that helps minimize the waste by recycling these items and also helps save energy as it takes 95% less energy to recycle aluminum rather than to process raw materials (others include: recycled steel 74% less energy, recycled glass 30% less energy).

Amazing results
In 2007  other industry-managed recycling programs in the province reduced 121,000 tonnes of potential waste and 267,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.  That’s the same as reducing 72,950 cars off the roads each year!

What`s accepted and what`s not
Small appliances from kitchen counter tops to hair dryers and even garment steamers.  Pretty much anything that is powered by electricity or batteries that is not a large appliance like a dishwasher or bigger like commercial or industrial use.  Built-in appliances like ceiling fans and some microwaves are not accepted, as well as refrigerant like air conditioners and dehumidifiers.  And of course, if your small appliance is filled with food residue, liquid or vacuum bags just make sure they are cleared out before you drop off the appliance.

Find one in your local area
Unplugged has over 100 drop off locations, to find one in your local area you can either search on-line or contact your local city`s recycling centre to find out details.   How the programmed is funded is that there is a recycling fee that is either incorporated in the price of the small appliance or added on top after check out, similar to the purchase of televisions and computers.  So for example, a microwave would have a fee of $10.00 and a blender would be $2.25.  It may be a bit of an extra cost on top of your new purchase, but it`s well worth the cause with the results it has shown in minimizing pollution and preserving energy.

About the author:  Joanna is a freelance writer that reviews baby products for Strollerlife.com.

There were a few years where you couldn’t flip through the channels without seeing at least one show that focused on investment properties. Many of these shows were based on flipping houses for a profit, but there have been shows on renting properties as well. Is this still a viable option? Has the economy erased the earning potential of investment properties? More importantly, should you purchase an investment property?

Flipping a House

It seems like a no-brainer, right? You purchase a run down house, put some money and work into it and sell it for a profit. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it once was. The housing market is worse than it’s been in several decades, which means a house can set for years before it sells. This means you cannot flip a house and hope to sell it before the first mortgage payment is due. It’s simply not possible in today’s economy. However, what you can do is fix the house and rent it until the housing market improves.

Renting Out Investment Properties

In today’s bad economy, people are rushing to sell their homes so that they can rent. While it may seem crazy, it’s actually a very logical solution. Not only is the person free from mortgage payments, but they also don’t have to worry about maintenance. This is one reason why you should consider an investment property. With the amount of people out there looking for a rental home, it only makes sense to cash in on this need. However, there are some things you should consider.

Rental Properties Require Upkeep

You will be expected to fix any problems that occur. You should also understand that not renting to the proper people can cost you a pretty penny in repairs. Last, but not least, you should definitely consider the cost of the investment compared to what you can rent the place for. You want to be able to at least rent the property for the amount you’re paying on mortgage and any debt you accumulated while updating the place. Because you won’t see a profit for many years, you’ll also be happy to know that there are several tax breaks you can also take advantage of.

While flipping a house for immediate profit may be out of the question in a poor economy, that doesn’t mean an investment property is a bad idea. Purchasing a property that needs work, in a buyer’s market, will not only get you a great price, but is almost a guaranteed success. The key is to fix the property and then rent it out until the economy changes. You just need to remember to not get in over your head and to make sure you’ll be able to rent the property for what is owed each month to the bank and credit card companies.

About the Author: Zelda Shellhorn is a writer with a focus on real estate and finance. When she’s not writing home buying guides she can be found writing about MoneyMutual loans, investments, and credit repair.

It seems there’s a lot of talk about home ownership. After all, it has been the “American dream” for how many years? But times are changing, and all this unnecessary pressure to buy a home is just that – unnecessary . . . especially when you consider most of that pressure is coming from real estate agents and mortgage lenders. There are actually some great benefits to NOT owning a home, and renting instead. Here are five reasons to continue renting your home.

Maintenance. So, you wake up at six in the morning to get ready to work, only to find that your water heater has sprung a leak, soaking your hallway carpet down to the pad in the process. What do you do? Well, if you own a home, you find a maintenance person to fix the water heater (and, possibly, buy a new water heater), find a carpet cleaner to dry out your carpet and get rid of the stench, and find a way to pay for it all. If you rent a home . . . you call your landlord and it’s all taken care of for you, at no extra cost to you. Pretty simple.

Freedom to roam. Renting is perfect for those who haven’t yet decided they want to settle into a specific area for the long haul. The world is full of opportunities. It’s a lot easier to leave a rental than it is to leave a home you own.

Credit reporting. In life, things go wrong. Prepare as much as you like, there will be occasions when you are forced into a financial bind. When you own a home, missed mortgage payments (and even worse, foreclosures) can seriously damage your credit and make a mountain out of a molehill. When you’re late on a rental payment, you are just that – late. You may risk having to find a new place, but your credit will still be intact.

Costs. Owning a home generally costs more than renting, plain and simple. If you can rent more house for less than what you’d pay to buy it, then it just makes more sense to rent.

Freeing up cash. Your money could be better spent than on home ownership, so why not keep that cash and credit freed up for better money-making opportunities? For example, every $100 spent on a home several years ago might be worth $125 now . . . but that same amount spent on stock could be well worth over $700.

Things change as times change. Owning a home is no longer THE American dream, even if we’ve been conditioned to think it is. The reality is that renting a home is just a better choice, and for a variety of different reasons.

About the Author: Maryrose Simunovich has no children or family to leave a home to and loves the freedom of being able to move around as she pleases. She’s a freelance writer who enjoys creating content about real estate, Tenant Hunter services, and home purchasing guidelines.

You only need to mention you have “the builders in” to most people to earn a sympathetic pat on the shoulders.  When it comes to the electricians many people will gaze into the distance and shudder.  Electricity can kill, and often does, so finding a reliable firm of electricians is high on the list for anybody undertaking a renovation or even a simple re-wire.  So how to avoid costly mistakes, and where to find a reliable firm?  Electricians, like some of their prices, are a little like gold dust.  If you’re undertaking a big project with a builder in charge, they’ll normally be able to provide or offer the services of a good firm.  If you’re happy with your builder the chances are they’ll be able to offer good advice in this area.  If you are looking for a firm to do a rewire or smaller simpler jobs, then asking round amongst friends and family is the first stop; but what to ask?  Here are a few pointers to help you avoid the less reputable firms.

Speed Freaks

Not all electrical work needs to take a great deal of time.  However, some electricians seem to work faster than lightening.  Speed kills on the roads and it can do the same when it comes to electrical work.  Electricians who promise to be in and out in a flash may leave you with a few aftershocks – the first is often the bill.  While efficient is definitely good – quick work can mean that your electrician does not have all the right tools or is not using the best methods.  The speed of the initial work may mean several repeat visits to fix problems.  Speedy electricians tend to slow down considerably when it comes to the encore.

Bright sparks

While it is helpful if electricians can do what it says on the white van, there are some additional skills apart from safely wiring a plug that your average sparky needs.  If you are having additional sockets fitted there may be a need to channel out your perfectly decorated walls.  Depending on the construction of the wall this can be a little messy.  Anybody with an angle grinder who is not afraid to use it can channel out – but re-plaster?  Make sure they can before you commit.

Now you see me…

The “promising start” electrician is easily identified by the fact that they turn up on time and get the prep out of the way.  Then they disappear.  For days.  Often this is because they are “waiting for parts” – but parts really aren’t that hard to source in most cases.  You could probably even find them yourself.  Sometimes it can be a case of being called out on an emergency; ask yourself is this an emergency they have caused on an earlier job – see Speed Freaks.

Cleanliness, godliness and contractors

Cleanliness is next to godliness as we all know.  It is not known for its close relationship with contractors.  Good builders and electricians will not turn your drive into an apparent white van rally, nor leave tools, packaging and ‘bits and pieces’ lying around your home and garden.  OK, to be fair, major work does cause major disruption but keeping the mess under control makes for a safer working environment and it’s possible to be a good builder/electrician/plumber and a tidy one.

To be fair to most electrical contractors these examples are few and far between – but they are the ones that we tend to hear about on the suburban grapevine.  Asking around amongst friends, family and even the local builders’ merchants should give you a clue as to where to start and how to find that perfect, bright spark.

Connect Electrical provide reliable electricians in Bournemouth – for electrical jobs of any size.  They can provide fully qualified, competent electricians who work to current regulations and provide efficient and effective services.