Real Estate Information Center

For many, the kitchen is a social place – the spot where kids and spouse come to visit with the cook, away from the distractions of TV, games, etc. In fact, in many homes, the kitchen is the social center, where even visits with friends occur around the kitchen table.

If that describes your family, then plan a space for “non-cooks” to sit, out of the way, so visiting can take place with out disrupting the cooking. A breakfast bar, or a table tucked into a corner can become a place of comfort, where some of the most important events of life are discussed. It’s also a great place for kids to sit when they need a bit of parental help with homework.

In addition, if someone in your family is a serious cook, the design and placement of counter tops, refrigerator, range, and sink become paramount. Many of the new house plans I’ve seen ignore the old “triangle” rule and stick the refrigerator out of the way, around behind the breakfast bar or a center island. It might look nice, but it will become a serious annoyance very quickly.

Continue reading ‘Building a Home – Plan Your Kitchen to Reflect Your Lifestyle’ »

Before you choose a house plan, take some time to sit down with the people you live with, and consider the space you occupy right now. When you find out how each of you feels about your present home, you’ll make better choices when planning your new home.

What you learn may be things you’ve heard many times before, but haven’t thought about. And, because it has an impact on planning your next home, you may learn something new. So ask these questions of each person who will occupy your new home:

* What do you love and appreciate most about our current home?
* What is the most convenient feature of your current home?
* Is there something you wish this home had that it doesn’t have?
* Is there some feature that really annoys you?
* Is there some feature that’s a small but constant irritation?

You may learn that your daughter loves and appreciates her south-facing window or that your son loves the little nook under the stairway. And you may learn that the cook absolutely hates those can lights in the kitchen ceiling that shine in the wrong spot.

Continue reading ‘Building a Home – What to Do Before Choosing a House Plan’ »

Where will you build? If a rural area has your heart, and if you’re at all addicted to television or the internet, you need to plan ahead.

Here in the woods, where I live, there is no such thing as cable. There is also no such thing as fiber optic cable for the telephone.

The location is perfect – we have privacy, mountain and water views, and plenty of wildlife to observe. I love it and wouldn’t consider living anywhere else.

But… the phone lines are 30+ years old. Well, most of them are that old. There is that 1,200 foot section of new line that’s currently hanging on a fence, except for where it’s laying on top of the ground.

When I asked the repairman about the possibility of getting fiber optic he laughed out loud. He told me I’d be darned lucky to get a new copper line. With a low population density, the phone company isn’t at all concerned about upgrading service to our neighborhood.

Continue reading ‘Building a Home in a Rural Area – Add This to Your Planning’ »

Dreams inspire us. But dreams can also depress us. Many today are abandoning their dreams because the economy is just too depressing when measure against our dreams. Have you abandoned your home building dreams?

Over the years of counseling with hundreds of individuals and families, I’ve run across scores of emotions. Building a home or doing a major remodel is a very personal and often emotional time. It’s a time when people are finally giving expression to long held dreams and visions. It’s a time to fight for what they want and not back down. It can be intense at times. Many decide it’s too tough and let the dream remain just a dream.

Has Your HomeBuilding Dream Been Falsely Crushed?

At the time of this writing, the economy is the number one reason people cite for losing the passion behind their desire to build or remodel. And for some, it could be a good reason. But many others are just reacting to the news of the day and letting that throw them off the path.

Continue reading ‘Home Building Dream – Who Stole the Power Behind Your Dream?’ »

Thirty cents on the dollar? Yes, maybe. A couple of months back a former client of mine called. He wanted to know if I had a suggestion for a lender to finance a piece of land because he wants to build again.

Alex is a fireman and just three years ago he completed his two and a half story home overlooking the city. Although not planning to build right away, Alex was quite interested in what appears to be good deals on land. I was able to find him a lender and within a couple more weeks he had made a deal on a nice view lot in another part of town. He was very happy about purchasing a lot in an upscale neighborhood for about one third of the price it sold for just a couple years back.

Buying Your Dream Home-Building Parcel

If you’re thinking about building, would now be the time to buy that lot? Picking a market bottom is tricky business. One third the price? Well, first off, that opportunity isn’t going to be there for everyone. But, would half the price be good? Would a fifty percent reduction be good? Perhaps these would be good deals but only time will tell. And it pays to remember that the prices of two and three years ago were often inflated prices, not real values.

Continue reading ‘Home Building Tips – Land – Is It Time To Bargain Hunt?’ »

If you’re a do it yourself or or a homeowner who every once in a while, once to tackle a small or large project but doesn’t know where to begin, can gather useful information from home building books. I have been using these books for years and may have been worth their weight in gold.

I started my career working for my father and my father worked for his father as a Carpenter. Our job was to frame the house and we built a Lotta homes. I learned how to frame and developed some great carpentry skills from my father and working with other skilled carpenters. Over the years, if you’re paying attention, even a monkey can figure out, how to assemble almost anything.

Continue reading ‘Books on Home Building – Professional Advice’ »

New homebuyers are often faced with the choice of purchasing a new home or an existing home. There are many factors that potential homebuyer should consider before making a decision. The following list compares owning new homes to owning existing homes:

Design and Layout: New homes tend to have extras such as larger rooms, more bathrooms, and bigger closets. There are usually additional options such as paint color, type of cabinets, flooring, custom wiring for TV’s, computers, phones, and more. Modern features like walk in closets and extra bathrooms are available when building a new home. In existing homes, you get the previous owners design and layout. Renovations and upgrades tend to be quite expensive. For those who enjoy heritage homes such as Victorian homes with their hardwood floors and high ceilings will prefer existing homes.

Continue reading ‘Choosing a New Home Or Existing Home’ »

So you’re thinking about building your own home…

It’s a great idea, because you can get a lot closer to what you really want when you build rather than buy. But there are some critical things to be aware of, in order to keep risks and surprises to a minimum, and end up getting the home you want. We’ve compiled this helpful guide from a number of industry sources and our own experience. We hope it gives you a good introduction.

1. How important is it to choose the right builder?

Your new home is going to be one of the most important investments you will ever make both financially and emotionally. You want to get the design and construction right so that it suits both your present and future needs and lifestyle. There are a lot of builders out there prepared to build you a house but which one is the right one? Which one will turn your dream into reality? Follow the steps in this information pack and you will be several steps closer to fulfilling your dream.

Continue reading ‘What You Need to Know When Building a New Home’ »

For many the idea of a dream house is by the ocean. There are those who love the mountains as well. Both of these are so majestic and stunning in their beauty and mystic. It is so very easy to see why people dream of building a dream house in either location. If you’ve ever been to the heartland, you’ll know it can be just as majestic. The idea of building a dream house from prairie style home plans with the waves of wheat over the rolling hills of the heartland also is an easy one to latch onto.

Sometimes the dream has to do with what a person is used to. If you grew up in the heartland in a house built from prairie house plans and you loved everything about your childhood and your neighborhood, then you might be one to dream of a prairie style house. If you have always had an itch to move on to other locations then moving a prairie house may be hard to fathom.

Continue reading ‘Dream House Plans in the Heartland’ »

As the United States and the rest of the world dig out of the current recession the savvy person looking to build a new home can take advantage of building supply cost remaining steady, good deals on land, and excellent interest rates. But, make sure you do not waste time hoping interest rates will fall even more, because the federal government will most likely not be looking at reducing the rate for quite some time, and straight forwardly, the next time interest rates move, they will probably move up.

Due to the sharp increase in the price of lumber, building a house became much more expensive the last five years. The sharp increase seems to be over, and prices for all building supplies are leveling off. This means the person looking to use one of the many luxury dream home plans should be able to afford all of the necessary supplies to make his or her dream a reality.

Continue reading ‘Interest Rates Not Going to Go Lower – Build Your House Plans Now’ »