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To many buyers in the housing market, the initial affordable costs of resale homes can be very attractive. However, as they move in and begin with renovations many find themselves spending more money than budgeted in unexpected repairs. Learn more about how buying a new home might be the best move in this U.S. News article. Find a newly built Lennar home in a community near you.
As the mortgage crisis continues to inundate the market with distressed properties, today’s house hunter has no shortage of cheap, foreclosed homes to pick through. But despite all those deals in the previously-owned home market, consumers shouldn’t overlook the potential benefits of buying a new home. “New homes usually sell higher per square foot than resale homes,” says Jack McCabe of McCabe Research & Consulting. “But their selling points, I think, are pretty strong.” To help consumers better understand the advantages of new home buying, U.S. News spoke with a handful of experts and compiled a list of nine reasons to choose a new home over a resale:
The more energy-efficient mechanics of the house also help reduce utility bills for new home buyers, Morrow says. Newly-constructed homes often include green systems and appliances—like high efficiency stoves, refrigerators, washing machines, water heaters, furnaces, or air conditioning units—that homes built years ago might not. “The conditioning equipment is usually considered to be one of the larger energy consumption devices, but certainly those kitchen appliances matter,” Morrow says. Existing homeowners can always retrofit their property or buy higher-efficiency appliances, but doing so requires a potentially significant expense.
The features of newly constructed homes should also hold up better than those of existing homes, which may have experienced years of wear and tear, says Evan Gilligan of Mandrin Homes. “People will buy [previously-owned] houses and then the carpet needs to be replaced or it needs to be repainted, or it needs new appliances, or the flooring is shot,” Gilligan says. “When they buy a new home in today’s market, it really is new.”
At the same time, today’s new homes are engineered specifically to minimize maintenance requirements. For example, Costello says his company uses composite products for a home’s exterior trim instead of wood, which could rot or need repainting. “You buy a used house you don’t know what you are getting, you might have to do a lot of maintenance,” Costello says. “We are trying to look down the road and make things as easy as possible for the homeowner so they can enjoy living there and not have to be saddled with maintenance.”
Read Full Article Here.
Placing your home in the market during the holidays? Learn a few tips that can help you sell your home in this Realtor.com article by Stephanie Booth. If you’re still searching for your new home, whether you’re looking into buying a bigger home or downsizing, Lennar has the home for you.
Wondering how to sell your home during the holidays? While putting your home on the market between winter celebrations, school vacations, and looming family visits might seem like miserable timing, sellers could actually benefit by using this period strategically to show and possibly even sell their place.
Here’s why: Many home sellers take a holiday hiatus until the New Year—and that could mean that your house may suddenly become a hot commodity. Plus, if buyers are truly squeezing in home showings between shopping trips and holiday recitals, you know they must be serious.
So if you’re ready to put up a “For Sale” sign under the cheery glow of your holiday lights, go right ahead! Here’s some advice on how to sell your home during the holidays.
A little mistletoe will likely help rather than hurt.
“You should be festive and decorate,” suggests Jen Teague, a Realtor® with Keller Williams in Ellis County, TX. “It’s when your home looks the best and you take the most pride in it, so it will show better and most likely net more.”
“Go easy on decorations,” cautions Samuel Pawlitzki with Beach Cities Real Estate in Malibu, CA. Christmas lights and a tree in the living room are OK, he clarifies, “but I wouldn’t suggest staging a nativity scene in the front yard. Going berserk on decorations can scare off potential buyers.” And, well, everyone else.
Yes, you have a to-do list that stretches from here until Valentine’s Day. But consider squeezing in the time to host a holiday party anyway.
“This can be a great way to showcase your house to friends, family, and neighbors,” Pawlitzki notes. “Chances are that at least one person at the party is looking for a new home, or knows someone who is.”
“It’s wonderful for potential buyers to walk into a home that smells of fresh-baked cookies, sweets, and holiday cakes,” says Joan Suzio, an interior decorator in Libertyville, IL. Sweeten them up a tad more by leaving a plate of treats out for them to enjoy.
Read the full article: How to Sell Your Home During the Holidays
We hope you enjoy visiting Lennar’s The Open Door blog to learn about the latest real estate news, home trends, and keeping up with what is going on inside Lennar. To wrap up the year, here are the Top 10 Blogs of 2017. The Lennar family wishes you a happy holiday season!
After living in one place for so long, around which you have built so many memories, the very idea of moving is daunting. However, life takes many turns and, at some point, you may find yourself spending a great deal of time and money cleaning and maintaining a large four-bedroom home that only you and your spouse live in, when the two of you would rather be spending retirement vacationing to the islands, the countryside, the big city – anywhere but the local grocery store.
(Read Full Article HERE)
Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN and LEN.B) and CalAtlantic Group, Inc. (NYSE: CAA) announced that their respective boards of directors have unanimously approved a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which each share of CalAtlantic stock will be exchanged for 0.885 shares of Lennar Class A common stock in a transaction valued at approximately $9.3 billion, including $3.6 billion of net debt assumed.
(Read Full Article HERE)
If it’s your first time buying a home, then you might be asking yourself the many questions that come along during the home buying process. Most questions may be centered around financing– including how and when to apply for a mortgage. This recent article by Eileen Oshanassy of Realty Biz News, shares three things to consider before getting your first mortgage.
(Read Full Article HERE)
Preparing to downsize and move into a new home is an ideal time to assess your belongings. To avoid packing more than you need, decide what can be tossed, donated, or sold, especially when moving to a smaller space. The team from Modernize shares tips for items to consider parting with before you move to your new home.
(Read Full Article HERE)
The 55+ housing market is expected to continue growing according to experts attending National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show in Orlando, FL. This recent article by James Limbach of Consumer Affairs shares more details on the 55+ housing market.
(Read Full Article HERE)
Summer is almost here, and now is the time to prep your outdoor space(s) for entertaining guests. With the proper materials, furnishings, recreational features, and landscaping treatments, you can achieve a seamless transition between the interior and exterior spaces of your home and effortlessly impart a sense of comfort and delight to family, friends, and neighbors, as they dine, sport, and socialize on the patio and/or in the courtyard. To help you begin planning the restoration and transformation of your modest backyard into an impressive open-air oasis of relaxation and entertainment, here are eight outdoor living trends for 2017.
(Read Full Article HERE)
As the New Year arrives, so do new trends and changes in the housing market. If you’re looking to buy a new home in 2017, stay up to date on these trends to know what to expect when you buy your home. This recent article by Rebecca Lake of Smart Asset, shares what might be in store for 2017.
(Read Full Article HERE)
Lennar (NYSE: LEN and LEN.B), one of the nation’s largest builders, today debuted the first 12 communities in its national rollout of the world’s first Wi-Fi CERTIFIED smart homes featuring integrated automation and voice control with Amazon Alexa – all a part of Lennar’s signature Everything’s Included approach to homebuilding.
(Read Full Article HERE)
Ring is proud to be a part of the revolutionary Wi-Fi CERTIFIED homes designed by Lennar, one of the nation’s largest home builders. The new Wi-Fi CERTIFIED home designs ensure Ring – and all internet-connected products – operate at peak performance from every corner of the home.
(Read Full Article HERE)
Erin Vaughan from Modernize shares her go-to apps for home design inspiration. Whether you’re just looking for ideas, or are ready to jump into a decorating project, one or more of these apps may make it on to your home screen in the near future. What are your favorite apps or websites for home inspiration? Share with us in the comments below!
(Read Full Article HERE)
Kent, Wash. – December 2017 – Lennar is excited to announce they will be bringing a new community to Kent with Ellis Estates, which plans to open in spring 2018. This community of single-family homes offers homeshoppers five distinctive floorplans to choose from available in a variety of elevation styles.
“This will be our second community in Kent and we could not be more excited to offer new homes for sale in an area with high demand,” said Bill Salvesen, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Lennar Seattle. “Our Hawkesbury community in Kent has been wildly successful and we’re down to our last final homes, so Ellis Estates is coming at the perfect time. Not to mention all Ellis Estates homes will offer Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ home designs and home automation!”
Prospective buyers are encouraged to join the VIP Program which is now accepting homesites reservations. Presales are expected to launch in early January.
Homeshoppers will be able to choose from home designs with sizes ranging between approximately 2,299 to 3,264 square feet. Among these designs, Lennar’s popular Next Gen® – The Home Within A Home® will be offered here in the Bainbridge plan, which was designed specifically with multigenerational families in mind.
Every new home at Ellis Estates will showcase Lennar’s new Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ home design and integrated home automation features that come as standard. As an extension of their signature Everything’s Included® program, homeowners get to enjoy built-in commercial strength wireless coverage that pairs with home automation features such as locks, lights, music and more. Stainless steel appliances, upgraded kitchen cabinetry, granite or quartz countertops all still come as standard.
Join the VIP list today to stay informed as more information becomes available and visit www.lennar.com/seattle to learn more about new homes for sale across the Greater Puget Sound.
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. Lennar has a longstanding history of building homes of enduring quality in only the most well planned and desirable locations throughout the country.
