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We’re still in the dog days of summer, but the sound of classroom bells and the lines of school buses are just a couple weeks away. Before long, the annual rites of autumn will begin. Trips to the store to pick out new clothes and school supplies. Weekly meal plotting and planning. Add to that the time and effort of trying to find a new home for you and your family and you have the recipe for a day in the life of parents all over the country right now.
When you’re juggling so many responsibilities and the mid-summer heat is bearing down on you, it can be easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment and find yourself in a tough spot when it comes to making life-changing decisions. Take a deep breath then assess your priorities, make a list of what needs to get done, and begin checking items off.
One of the ways you can make the experience of moving into a new home and a new school less daunting for your children (and yourself) is to make them a part of the whole experience. Talk to your children about the move, and about the new school that they will be attending. Keeping your kids involved in the moving process while also communicating and sharing thoughts and/or concerns about it all can help alleviate the stress and struggle of adapting to a different neighborhood and making new friends.
Securing a home and a school in a great location and an excellent school district is every parent’s dream when it comes to moving into a new home. In northeast Florida, the title of most-coveted school district goes to the St Johns county school district. Lennar has hundreds of new, move-in ready homes all throughout the St Johns county school district! Beautiful new homes in Windward Ranch, Palencia, Arbor Mill at Mill Creek, Shearwater….the list goes on and on.
Find your family’s future right in the heart of St Johns county with Lennar today!
To find out more about our St. Johns communities, visit us online at www.Lennar.com/saint-johns.
Some people have the intent to purchase their home and stay there forever, while others have shorter-term plans . Both are great options to have, but in order to work out smoothly, need to be approached differently. This U.S. News & World Report article by Ray Boss Jr.provides simple guidelines to better position yourself if you’re buying a home that isn’t going to be your “forever” home.
Choosing the Right Home
No matter how long you plan on staying in your house, you always want to make sure you make a strong investment. This not only applies to your monthly mortgage payments and other out-of-pocket expenses, but also to its future resale ability when it’s time to sell.
Location, location, location. To focus on investing in your resale ability, begin by concentrating on the one thing you can’t change – the location of the property. Gather as much information as possible by looking to a number of different sources.
Investigate the neighborhood. If you’re out viewing the home in the day and feel comfortable enough, talk to a couple of the neighbors or go to the closest park and ask people how they like the neighborhood. Try to gauge whether it is on the up or downswing, and ask if there are any major upcoming changes.
Know Your Limits. As for the house itself, you will need to ask yourself just how comfortable you are taking on projects. Keep this in mind: Smaller projects generally elicit a higher return on investment. They are less likely to lead to cost overruns and delays. You will have to evaluate both your willingness to put in sweat equity and hire a contractor, versus wanting a move-in ready house that you may have to pay more for.
Return on Investment
No matter how much you have, throwing money away is never a good idea. But why should a stronger focus be placed on return of investment with a five- to seven-year home versus a forever home? For the simple reason that most projects will be one-and-done and should a project go south and need to be either fixed or completely redone, you have less time to recoup the cost.
Make wise choices. When you buy a house, you’ll undoubtedly have a long list of items to fix and personalize it so it truly feels like your home.
It’s all about the return. According to Remodeling Magazine’s 2015 Cost vs. Value Report, the highest return on investment is likely to be yielded through smaller projects which will enhance the curb appeal of the home, including replacing the front door (101.8 percent), the garage door (88.4 percent), and siding (80.7 percent).
Exterior projects have a great ROI, but simple projects such as painting, decorating, changing handles and fixtures can give the house a personalized facelift without labor costs if you choose to undertake the task yourself.
Find the sweet spot. While you want your house to be aesthetically pleasing inside and out to create both a homey environment while you’re living there and an easier house to sell when the time comes, you also don’t want to overimprove. Take time on the weekends to visit open houses in your neighborhood to see what improvements are generally being made, and then follow the sales online to better judge what is creating the best resale value.
[Read the full article: Your Next Home Doesn’t Have to be Forever]
Looking for a way to spice up the style of a room in your home, but don’t feel like spending a fortune? There are a few easy ways to give any room an instant upgrade. Following one or more of the steps below to dress up a room you’ve gotten too used to in no time.
1. Add one or several potted plants: Not only do plants instantly liven a room up; they also help to clean and purify the air indoors! Buy a potted tree or fern and stick it in one or several of the loneliest corners for immediate results. Not sure you’ll be able to keep it alive? Just be sure to water it 1-2 times a week or try faux plants, a great alternative that still gives a room a dramatic effect!
2. Change your color scheme with some bold colored throw blankets and pillows: This is one trick that will keep your interior design current through the trends, holidays and seasons! Whether you’re going for a dramatic royal purple accent or a bright, burnt orange compliment, these colors will lift your spirits every time you walk into the room.
3. Change your curtains, change your perspective: Give any room an instant face lift by simply changing out the curtains. Whether you’re going from bold to neutral or understated to sassy, this is one trick that will deliver instant results every time.
4. Add chair covers to spice up your dining room: There’s so much to love about this idea. Maybe you want to give the room a more elegant feel for a special dinner; these are so easy you can throw them on just for the night if you wish. Worried about your friend’s kid’s making a mess? Most chair covers come made in washing machine-friendly material.
5. Add a statement rug: This simple idea is so easy that you can use it whenever it suits your mood! Whether it’s in the bedroom, study or maybe even a walk-in closet, it’s sure to deliver a stylish impression.
Thornton, Colo. – July 2016 – Lennar Colorado’s premier age-qualified golf community, Heritage Todd Creek, is now offering great savings on new homes for sale! Prospective buyers are encouraged to take advantage of reduced prices and a limited number of complimentary golf carts included with a new home purchase. This community offers an amenity-rich lifestyle for active adults aged 55 and better.
“If you’re looking for a home in the area and are an avid golfer, this is the community for you,” said Carrie Castilian, Marketing Manager for Lennar Colorado. “We are offering some great deals, so I highly encourage anyone in the market for a new home to come by Heritage Todd Creek and see these gorgeous homes firsthand!”
This premier aged-qualified community offers plenty of ways to stay busy with an active lifestyle. Heritage Todd Creek an award-winning 33,000 square foot clubhouse that was designed specifically with active adults in mind! It features meeting spaces for clubs organized by the community’s own on-site lifestyle director, indoor and outdoor salt water swimming pools, tennis courts, a fitness center, billiards room, craft room, a grand ballroom for events, a library and so much more!
Prices were reduced on four distinct single story floorplans at Heritage Todd Creek, which now offers homes priced starting from the low $400,000’s. These homes range in size from approximately 1,634 to 2749 square feet, up to three bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Thanks to Lennar’s Everything’s Included® program, homebuyers no longer have to compromise on the features they love because they come included at no additional cost! At Heritage Todd Creek Briarwood Collection, residents enjoy granite slab kitchen countertops, front and rear yard landscaping, stainless steel GE® appliances, hardwood floors throughout the main living areas, kitchen islands, coffered ceilings in the master bedroom and so much more!
For more information on this community or to schedule a tour, visit http://www.lennar.com/new-homes/colorado/denver/thornton/heritage-todd-creek.
For more information on new homes for sale across the Greater Denver area, visit: www.lennar.com/denver.
With hundreds of communities nationwide and homes designed for first-time, move-up and luxury homebuyers, Lennar has grown to become one of the nation’s leading and most respected homebuilders and proudly remains steadfast in their commitment toward quality, value and integrity. Lennar has a longstanding history of building exceptional homes in only the most well planned and desirable locations throughout the country.
Summer may be our time to relax, but telling that to the kids once they start to get bored is just asking for trouble. Instead of reminding kids to relax and enjoy time off, why not try taking the proactive approach by keeping them busy with fun and productive activities throughout the summer break. Newer Lennar homeowners who aren’t yet accustomed to the area yet may wonder, “How are parents and nannies supposed to keep the kids out of trouble and active for the entire summer in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area?”
To put it simply, make a plan ahead of time! Brainstorm, so that you don’t end up spending the whole summer trying to ignore the fact that the TV is on again! If you aren’t sure where to start, talk with a few of the neighbors in your Lennar community. They may have great experience to share. If not, sit down with them and bounce ideas off each other so you both have an arsenal full of fun and educational options ready to go for when the kids start to get bored. To get you started, we’ve compiled some suggestions below.
What To Do in St. Paul/Minneapolis: Summer 2016
Of course, you might have noticed there are a couple major activities missing from this summer to do list. It’s not because there are hardly any more options. It’s because there are far too many to list! Just a few of the events in the area during Summer 2016 include: Twins Games, Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America, Minnehaha Falls, Valley Fair and Big Stone Mini Golf. If museums are more your style, there are just as many options waiting for you: Walker Art Center, The Science Museum of Minnesota, etc. There’s far too much to do in the Twin Cities for anyone to be bored over the summer break!
For more ideas on keeping busy this summer, your Lennar community, or other events happening in your area, check back regularly at www.Lennar.com.
Lennar San Antonio has added the Brookstone II Collection to its incredibly popular Johnson Ranch community located off Highway 281 north in Bulverde.
The Brookstone II Collection, featuring eight one- and two-story floor plans, including Lennar’s revolutionary The Home Within a Home, currently starts from the $240’s with square footages ranging from 1,846-3,156.
“The Brookstone II Collection offers a variety of open floor plans to fit individuals’ and families’ needs with architectural details that are second to none,” Tony Cerna, III, Director of Sales and Marketing for Lennar San Antonio, said.
The Brookstone II Collection at Johnson Ranch includes the Giallo II, part of Lennar San Antonio’s The Home Within a Home series. This innovative home concept includes a private suite with its own living area, kitchenette, bedroom, full bath and its own entrance, as well as an entry into the main home. This floor plan is perfect for an aging parent or another family member to share the home with your family, a hobby area, an expanded guest suite—the possibilities are endless!
Johnson Ranch gives residents a true taste of the Hill Country with sweeping vistas of rolling hills and many native trees, while being just minutes away from north San Antonio. Nearby conveniences are only a couple of miles away at Highway 46. Families also have easy access to Guadalupe River State Park and Canyon Lake.
“This community is truly a beautiful, tranquil place to raise a family,” Cerna said. “Johnson Ranch offers the quiet pace of country living, while being only minutes away from shops, restaurants and activities for the whole family.”
Johnson Ranch is located in the highly sought-after north San Antonio area and has its own convenient entrance off Highway 281. Children in the community attend well-regarded Comal ISD schools.
“Homeowners will be tucked away off of 281 down a long, meandering entry boulevard amid rolling hills, but they will have easy access to the highway, area schools and anywhere in north San Antonio,” Cerna said.
Lennar has many luxurious touches as standard in this Everything’s Included community, including GE Energy Star stainless steel appliance packages, granite kitchen countertops, 9-foot or higher first floor ceilings, 2” faux-wood blinds on all operable windows, several energy efficiency features and much more. All Lennar San Antonio homes are ENERGY STAR™ certified and go through a rigorous third-party inspection process throughout the building of the home.
Lennar has inventory homes available for move-in beginning this month, so homebuyers can get settled in before school starts. For more information on available homes, visit the Lennar website at http://www.lennar.com/new-homes/texas/san-antonio/bulverde/johnson-ranch.
To visit Johnson Ranch, from Loop 1604 and Highway 281 in north San Antonio, take Highway 281 north past FM 1863 in Bulverde. Continue for two miles past FM 1863, and turn right into Johnson Ranch on Mustang Vista. Continue to the second left, and turn left. The Lennar Welcome Home Center will be on your right at 32108 Tamarind Bend, Bulverde, TX 78163. Call 830-632-2039 for more information.
Lennar is one of the nation’s leading homebuilders with over 60 years of experience building homes and communities all across the country. Founded on the continuing principles of quality, value and integrity, Lennar builds homes for first-time and move-up buyers, as well as retirees. Lennar San Antonio offers energy-efficient new homes currently starting from the $160’s to the $370’s and ranging from 1,308 sq. ft. to more than 3,300 sq. ft. in communities across the greater San Antonio area. Discover the revolutionary The Home Within A Home® at communities across San Antonio. For more information on Lennar, visit Lennar.com.
If you’re new to the home buying process or have never lived in a neighborhood with a homeowners association, you may not be aware of what an HOA fee consist of and why there is a fee to pay. For the most part, if your future neighborhood has a shared common area, it is most likely maintained by a homeowners association resulting in an HOA fee. This Realtor.com article by Lisa Johnson Mandell, explains what an HOA fee is and how it will affect you.
So what is an HOA, and how will it affect your life?
HOAs help ensure that your community looks its best and functions smoothly, says David Reiss, research director at the Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship at Brooklyn Law School. For instance, if the pump in the community swimming pool stops working, someone has to take care of it before the water turns green and toxic, right? Rather than expect any one individual in the neighborhood to volunteer their time and money to fix the problem, HOAs are responsible for getting the job done. And the number of Americans living in HOAs is on the rise, growing from a mere 1% in 1970 to 1 in 4 today, according to the Foundation for Community Association Research. So, it’s wise to know exactly how they work.
How much are HOA fees?
To cover these maintenance expenses, HOAs collect fees (monthly or yearly) from all community members. For a typical single-family home, HOA fees will cost homeowners around the $200 to $300 per month, although they can be lower or much higher depending on the size of your unit and the services provided. The larger the home, the higher the HOA fee—which makes sense, because the family of four in a three-bedroom condo is probably going to be using the common facilities more than a single woman living in a studio.
HOA rules: What to expect
All HOAs have boards, made up of homeowners in the complex who are typically elected by all homeowners. These board members will set up regular meetings where owners can gather and discuss major decisions and issues with their community. For major expenditures, all members of the HOA usually vote.
[Read the full article here.]
Make home searching easier on yourself by using the power of the internet to help you narrow down what you’re looking for in a new home. Andrew Fortune of U.S. News & World Report shares five simple ways to utilize the internet when buying a home in this recent article.
Local Neighborhood Info
One of the most important aspects of buying a home is understanding the neighborhoods and areas in which you are interested. Using the internet to learn more about the areas you’re considering can help narrow down the neighborhoods that work best for your needs.
Many neighborhoods with homeowners associations now post their bylaws, covenants and restrictions online. You can find all kinds of valuable info in these documents, and even the fiscal health of the association. Simply do a quick Google search of the neighborhoods in which you are interested to find out more about them.
Step-By-Step Guides
For many first-time homebuyers, the process of buying a home can seem daunting. Fortunately for us, the internet has an endless supply of information on each step of the buying process. Real estate professionals and brokerages are constantly posting new articles, videos, and infographics to help online consumers understand the steps involved.
How-tos on getting a mortgage, finding a real estate agent and making an offer are all right at a homebuyer’s fingertips online. Even if you have previously bought and sold a few homes, it’s still nice to know that this information is online, in case you need a quick refresher course.
But note that the process of buying a home can vary slightly based on different regions of the country. Be sure to find resources that are specific to the area in which you are looking for a home.
Finding Professional Services
Most homebuyers will need the services of real estate professionals to get the job done. Realtors, mortgage lenders, title companies, home inspectors and appraisers are all a part of the process. The internet is a great resource to research and find the right professional that fits your needs.
There are many websites that offer paid ad placement for real estate professionals. Be wary of using these sites to find professionals as any real estate professional can pay to show up there. Just because a real estate professional has a presence on the internet does not necessarily mean that they are a good fit for you.
Property Tax Records
Tax records can show when a property was last sold, how much it sold for, how much the buyer financed and details about the previous owners. This information can be valuable for many different reasons.
Property tax record websites differ by area – many times they are maintained by the county. If your county has a property tax website, this can be a great resource to find data about certain homes online.
[Read the full article here.]
