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If you’re planning to buy a new home before the end of the year, its time to polish your credit. It does not matter whether you are a first-time homebuyer, upgrading, or downsizing; assuring that your credit is in good shape should be a top priority. Learn more in this RealEstate.com article by John Ulzheimer.
Did you set a goal to purchase a home by the end of 2019? If so, you may still be able to accomplish that goal even if your credit needs a little fine-tuning. What you’ll need to do first, however, is a mid-year credit check.
It can take months to bring about meaningful changes in your credit scores, and sometimes years if major changes are needed. It pays to start working on your credit rehabilitation as soon as possible when you’re considering a major purchase, like a home. Every basis point you can shave off your interest rate on a long-term installment loan is real money that you’re not having to pay to a lender every month.
Although every situation and every credit report is different, here are three tips that may help you prepare your credit for a mortgage by the holidays.
It’s important to understand what your credit reports look like right now if you hope to purchase a home by the end of the year. Checking your credit will let you know whether you could potentially qualify for a home loan now, or whether you might face a denial of a mortgage application. Even if you can qualify, a poor credit score could cause you to pay a higher interest rate and a larger monthly payment.
You’ll need to check your credit reports with all three of the major credit bureaus — Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. After all, that’s what a mortgage loan officer will do when you officially apply for your mortgage. Don’t worry: Checking your own credit reports will NOT damage your credit scores. That’s a myth.
Finally, if you discover errors or mistakes on any of your credit reports, you should dispute them with the credit bureaus. Errors might damage your scores or make it harder to qualify for a home loan. They should never be ignored. Plus, the investigation process can take 30 to 45 days under normal circumstances, and much longer if you have to try more than once to get a mistake corrected.
Credit scoring models, FICO and VantageScore, are designed to pay close attention to something known as your revolving utilization ratio, sometimes referred to as the credit utilization ratio. Credit utilization is the relationship between your credit card limits and your credit card balances.
If you’re preparing for a mortgage, your goal should be to keep your credit utilization ratio as low as possible.
As the card balances on your credit reports get higher, you use a larger percentage of your credit limits. This causes your credit utilization to go up, and that’s not good for your credit scores.
If you’re preparing for a mortgage, your goal should be to keep your credit utilization ratio as low as possible. That might mean paying off credit cards and shelving them for a month or two, as the balances that appear on your credit reports are the same as were on your most recent statements.
The final tip isn’t so much a credit “do” as a credit “don’t.” Anytime you’re preparing for a major purchase and you plan to take out a loan, you need to avoid late payments. In truth, you should always avoid late payments as far as your credit scores are concerned but you really need to avoid them before a loan application.
About one third of the points in your FICO and VantageScore credit scores are based on your payment history. It’s safe to say that late payments can potentially be detrimental to your credit scores.
Las Vegas, Nevada – July 2019 – Lennar is excited to invite prospective home shoppers to tour the never-before-seen model homes at Graycliff, Lennar’s newest community in Summerlin, on Saturday, August 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Situated in the Stonebridge village, this popular community offers a collection of single-family new homes for sale within close reach of beautiful Red Rock Canyon, masterplan amenities and recreation along with excellent schools.
“This gated community has received a lot of interest so far and we can’t wait to finally unveil the new model homes,” said Joy Broddle, Division President for Lennar Las Vegas. “Summerlin is such a highly sought after place to find a new home and we’ve found our Everything’s Included® approach to providing new homes has been a huge hit with homebuyers in the area.”
Graycliff offers a collection of three distinctive floorplans for homebuyers to choose from including one Next Gen® – The Home Within A Home® design available, and one floorplan with the master bedroom downstairs. Sizes range from approximately 2,634 to 3,214 square feet of living space with four bedrooms and three to three-and-a-half bathrooms on pool-sized homesites. Prices start from the low $500,000s.
Every new home for sale at Graycliff showcases Lennar’s signature Everything’s Included® program, which provides popular features and upgrades at no additional cost. At Graycliff, the homes feature items such as granite countertops, gourmet kitchen appliances, integrated home automation, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ Home Designs for whole-home connectivity and more – all at no additional cost.
Lennar introduced their line of Next Gen® – The Home Within A Home® floorplans to provide multigenerational families with a home that could function like two within one and for one payment. Every Next Gen® home features an attached private suite with its own separate entrance, bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchenette.
The 502-acre Summerlin West village of Stonebridge offers homeowners incredible views, parks, trails, and paseo corridors winding throughout. Located just minutes from Red Rock Canyon, residents will enjoy the year-round backdrop of beautiful crimson mountains.
The model home preview event will take place on Saturday, August 3 at 10 a.m. at the Graycliff Welcome Home Center, located at 12355 Grey Dunes Avenue in Las Vegas. For more information visit www.lennar.com/lasvegas or call (800) 509-9720.
About Lennar
Lennar Corporation, founded in 1954, is one of the nation’s leading builders of quality homes for all generations. Lennar builds affordable, move-up and active adult homes primarily under the Lennar brand name. Lennar’s Financial Services segment provides mortgage financing, title insurance, and closing services for both buyers of Lennar’s homes and others. Lennar’s Rialto segment is a vertically integrated asset management platform focused on investing throughout the commercial real estate capital structure. Lennar’s Multifamily segment is a nationwide developer of high-quality multifamily rental properties. Previous press releases and further information about Lennar may be obtained at the “Investor Relations” section of Lennar’s website, www.lennar.com
It’s warming up out there, and everybody is looking for a way to beat the heat. With these delicious frozen treats, it’s easy to make sure you and your loved ones stay cool. But don’t let the kids have all the fun—we’ve thrown in a recipe with a little extra something for adults too.
S’mores Popsicles
For summer nights when it’s too hot for a campfire, cool your evening off with a frozen version of everybody’s favorite toasted treat.
You’ll need:
1 sleeve of graham crackers
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 small chocolate pudding mix
2 cups of milk
¼ cup finely chopped chocolate
½ cup whipped topping
8 ounces cream cheese
7 ounces marshmallow crème
½ cup whipped topping
1 cup mini marshmallows, roughly chopped
You’ll follow these steps:
Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles
After romping around in the sun, there’s nothing more satisfying than a cool, crisp lemonade. Take the refreshing factor up a notch by adding fresh strawberries and freezing it to cool off quicker.
You’ll need:
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (around 5-6 lemons)
1½ cup of water
¼ cup of sugar
1 cup strawberries
You’ll follow these steps:
Piña Colada Ice Pops
These treats may be cold, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy something a little extra warmth. Pass on the plane ticket and fly straight to the tropics with a frozen spin on this classic cocktail.
You’ll need:
3 cups (½ inch cubes) peeled fresh pineapple
½ cup coconut rum
½ cup canned cream of coconut
You’ll follow these steps:
For a non-alcoholic version of this recipe, use pineapple juice in the place of rum.
Mix things up and try blending the popsicle for a smoothie! For ways to beat the heat indoors check out these helpful tips on keeping your house cool. You’ll be sure to run into more ways to make the most of your summer by liking us on Facebook.
Since 1954, Lennar has had the privilege of helping hundreds of thousands of families across the nation move into the next stage of life with a new home. As one of America’s leading public builders, we strive to build quality homes at a great value, with a purchase experience that is as seamless and simple as possible. Our constant efforts and ambition earned Lennar the title of Builder of the Year in 2018, and we continue to excel in our markets with other noted achievements in home design, construction, sales, customer experience, and more. The Lennar Difference – the magic that separates us from our esteemed industry competitors – can be traced to the most important individual in everything we do: You, our valued customer.
At Lennar, it is our dream to build every homeowner their dream home. Every year, we evolve and improve, we listen and learn from our families about what it is they value most and apply that knowledge to everything we build. It begins with your neighborhood. A neighborhood is more than just a location; it is a destination where folks are proud to raise their families. We build in some of the nation’s most popular cities and concentrate our presence to those areas with great school districts, employers, and entertainment. You should feel welcomed with a sense of pride when you enter your neighborhood, and that is why we put great effort and detail into the community design, from the landscaped entrance to the beautiful homes to the exciting amenities.
Your home is where it truly matters though; your home must be an accurate reflection of your personality and lifestyle. With Lennar, we design around your needs and how you want to live, offering innovative floorplans and upgraded features included standard as part of our signature Everything’s Included® solution for homebuilding. Lennar is the world’s first builder to offer new homes engineered to give you a superior Wi-Fi experience with no dead spots; future-ready, the Connected Home by Lennar keeps you connected with today and tomorrow’s technology. For every home we build, quality is as important as design, and beyond its layout and included features, your new home is built with a care and pride that stands the test of time. From our on-site construction managers to independent energy testing, we make sure your home performs according to our standards.
In everything we do, Lennar focuses on exceeding your expectations. Whether you are a first-time or move-up buyer, a multigenerational family, or active adult, we would be honored to build your forever home and welcome you to be a part of the Lennar family. We build new homes in 21 states in over 49 popular real estate markets, and we welcome you to visit one of our communities and see why more families choose Lennar than any other homebuilder.
The Trails at Beech Creek is a new home community offering several floorplans for single-family homes, townhomes, and villas.
ABERDEEN, MD.— Lennar, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, announced that the ribbon has been cut on one of their newest communities, The Trails at Beech Creek.
Harford County Councilman Andre Johnson attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 13th for the Aberdeen community along with several other members of the Harford County Council, including Director of Community & Economic Development Leonard Parrish, Economic Development Administrator Robert Andrews and Business Development Associate Jake Adler.
Councilman Johnson gave a brief proclamation and a statement of congratulations before Lennar Division President Ryan Houck cut the ribbon in front of three fully-furnished furnished model homes.
“We’re so honored that the Councilman was able to be here with us today to celebrate the ribbon cutting for this community, and we’re proud of all the hard work our team has put into making [The Trails at] Beech Creek the most sought-after community in Harford County,” Houck said. “The amenities, home designs and location make [The Trails at] Beech Creek a great place to call home.”
The community includes single-family homes, townhomes, and villas with pricing from the low $200s. In total, there are 14 floorplans residents can choose from, and it has so far proven to be Harford County’s fastest-selling new home community.
For those interested in learning more about The Trails at Beech Creek, we recommend visiting our Welcome Home Center at 804 Bentgrass Drive, Aberdeen, MD. Tours are available daily, and our new Home Consultants are always happy to answer any questions homebuyers may have. You can also call 877-205-0577 or visit Lennar.com for more information.
The charming community of Clover, SC, is home to a rich Scots-Irish history and heritage. This charming town, located in northwestern York County, offers an amazing quality of life in the picture-perfect small-town setting with just over 5,000 residents.
Lake Wylie: A 12,455-acre man-made lake just minutes from Clover, SC, Lake Wylie is known for summer water sports, fishing and great times with family and friends. With more than 325 miles of shoreline, public boat access points and camping options are plentiful.
Kings Mountain State Park: The 6,883-acre retreat is home to almost 35 miles of forested hiking and equestrian trails; the park has two lakes and multiple streams for fishing perfect for a day trip or overnight adventure. Kings Mountain State Park offers 125 campsites available for RVs or tent camping or five picnic shelters available for rent or group gatherings.
The Living History Farm is a replica of a mid-19th century Yeoman Farm. Complete with house, barn, cotton gin, animals, weave shop and blacksmith, visitors are transported to a time where families had to grow their own food, make their own medicines from herbs and grow enough cotton for their clothes, just to survive.
Clover Scottish Games: Held annually in June, the Clover Scottish Games and Scotch – Irish Festival celebrates the heritage of the original people of the Town of Clover. The festival celebrates and showcases Scottish and Scotch-Irish arts, crafts, music, athletics, and traditions. The free festival features food, merchandise, musical entertainment, vendors and amateur Scottish heavy athletic competitions.
Kings Mountain National Military Park: When searching for history and stories of the American Revolution, Kings Mountain National Military Park is a must. Site of the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7th, 1780, the battle is considered the “turning point” of the Revolutionary War in the South. Visitors can explore the battlefield, view a 26-minute film about the battle, view artifacts and hike the 1.5 miles paved battlefield trail that takes you to a monument that celebrates those who fought in this important battle.
Lutz Christmas Tree Farm: Offering customers a chance to cut their own Leyland Cypress trees, the Lutz farm, run by Brian and Jamie Lutz, planted their first tree in 2006 and opened on Thanksgiving Day 2009. The Lutz farm offers trees from $5 – $65 so you can spend a crisp fall night with the family finding the perfect tree.
With all of the great things Clover, SC, has to offer, make sure you check out Lennar’s beautiful Brookfield community. Single-family homes in a boutique community of just 80 homesites, Brookfield is just minutes away from Lake Wylie and provide small-town charm with modern home designs. Floorplans range from 2,490 – 4,041 square feet and feature four to six bedrooms. Don’t forget our Wi-Fi Certified home design and Everything’s Included package.
The Yards at Oxford Square offers residents beautiful homes, healthy living, and an environmentally responsible lifestyle.
HANOVER, MD. — Lennar, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, announced the opening of their newest phase of luxury townhomes at Oxford Square, one of their best-selling communities in Maryland. This new phase, called The Yards at Oxford Square, is comprised of three- and four-story luxury townhomes.
There are two spacious floorplans to choose from, The Arcadia and The Easton, with pricing from the upper $400s. These homes offer up to five bedrooms, four full baths, two-car garages and optional fourth-floor lofts with a rooftop terrace. The main floor also includes a show-stopping chef’s kitchen with an oversized island and a built-in breakfast bar.
All of the townhomes will come standard with Lennar’s Everything’s Included® program. This means that the design features homebuyers are looking for – such as granite countertops, wide-plank flooring, stainless steel appliances, modern cabinetry, home automation, upgraded lighting, open-concept floorplans and more – all come standard. With the Everything’s Included® program, homebuyers don’t have to worry about how much these finishes cost, as they are included in the price of the home.
The Yards at Oxford Square is also LEED Gold Certified, meaning the homes are constructed to a higher standard of energy efficiency and environmental consciousness. This translates into better indoor air quality, more comfortable living spaces and an environmentally responsible lifestyle.
The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes, and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. A home can achieve LEED certification under the LEED for Homes program after undergoing a technically rigorous process, including the incorporation of green strategies to achieve efficiency and healthy indoor environments. The sound design and operation of the home are tested and measured through onsite inspections and a home energy (HERS) rating.
The community’s amenities have also been designed with healthy living in mind, offering residents a variety of ways to keep active. There are open green spaces, walking and biking trails, tot lots, a dog park, a swimming pool, a tennis court, playfields, and an upscale fitness center. At the heart of it all is a community center, along with a highly-ranked elementary school and middle school, so children are never far from home.
But the children of this community aren’t the only ones with an easy commute. Developed in one of the most convenient locations in Howard County, The Yards at Oxford Square is just a short walk from the Dorsey MARC station, putting residents within easy reach of downtown Baltimore and Washington, D.C. And just around the corner are BWI, I-95 and the Baltimore/Washington Parkway.
For those interested in learning more about The Yards at Oxford Square, we recommend visiting our Welcome Home Center at 7551 Crowley Street, Hanover, MD. Our New Home Consultants are always happy to answer any questions homebuyers may have. You can also call 888-214-2380 for more information or visit LiveOxfordMD.com.
Merced, Calif. – July 2019 – Lennar is excited to offer three series of home designs at the popular Moraga community in Merced: The Chateau, Skye and Summer Series. Lennar’s signature Everything’s Included® program, has transformed the way families buy a new home by removing the traditional hassles and guesswork and simply including high-end features and upgrades at no additional cost.
“By eliminating a time-consuming and costly selection process for customized home features, we are able to produce high-quality homes at a significantly lower price and can pass these savings onto homebuyers,” said Susan Wilke, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Lennar Central Valley. “All of our new homes come complete with Everything’s Included® features.”
The program provides a high-level of details that are built into the home and popular among today’s modern homebuyers. Items such as granite or quartz kitchen countertops, home automation, stainless steel appliances, and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ home designs for whole-home-connectivity come built-in as standard.
Between the Skye, the Summer and the Chateau Series, home shoppers have 12 distinctive floorplans to choose from. These home designs range in size from approximately 1,787 to 3,167 square feet and include two of Lennar’s revolutionary Next Gen® – The Home Within A Home® design. The homes provide three to six bedrooms, two to four bathrooms and two to three-bay garages.
Lennar’s line of Next Gen® home designs was created specifically to accommodate multigenerational families who live together in the same household. Each Next Gen® home includes an attached private suite that features its own separate entrance, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette. Next Gen is offered in the Chateau Series, in the Camelot floorplan, and is also offered in the Skye Series in the Solstice floorplan.
Models for each series are now open seven days a week and can be toured by visiting the Moraga Welcome Home Center located off of Yosemite Avenue and Via Moraga in Merced. Follow the Lennar Central Valley Facebook page to stay connected to our communities. Call today to schedule a tour at 209-268-0020 or visit us at www.lennar.com/merced.
About Lennar
Lennar Corporation, founded in 1954, is one of the nation’s leading builders of quality homes for all generations. Lennar builds affordable, move-up and active adult homes primarily under the Lennar brand name. Lennar’s Financial Services segment provides mortgage financing, title insurance, and closing services for both buyers of Lennar’s homes and others. Lennar’s Rialto segment is a vertically integrated asset management platform focused on investing throughout the commercial real estate capital structure. Lennar’s Multifamily segment is a nationwide developer of high-quality multifamily rental properties. Previous press releases and further information about Lennar may be obtained at the “Investor Relations” section of Lennar’s website, www.lennar.com
Minutes away from the ever-growing Downtown Westfield and only 20 miles north of Indianapolis you’ll discover the newest Lennar community in Westfield! We’re excited to announce that the community of Springmill Villas is now selling! Enjoy living in your dream home in this low-maintenance, paired-villas community!
Take advantage of the Pre-Grand Opening Special Pricing! Now is the time to buy! Find your dream home with pricing from the mid $200s. Springmill Villas will be an intimate community with limited availability – there are only 62 homesites! These beautiful new homes won’t last for long, especially considering “Everything’s Included®!”
As part of Lennar’s “Everything’s Included®” program, Springmill Villas Homeowners will receive upgraded features included in the base list price of the home. Here are just a few of the upscale finishes, appliances, and fixtures that come at no additional cost to you:
Springmill Villa’s are designed to complement your lifestyle whether you’re a growing family, empty nester, or young professional. Floorplans range from approximately 1,597 square feet to over 2,300 square feet and feature beautiful brick exteriors with decorative trim, Hardie Plank siding, spacious front porches, a Covered Back Patio and Open Layouts with Large Kitchen Islands.
Don’t wait to secure your dream home – Springmill Villas in Westfield, Indiana are now selling. For more information or to schedule a tour, contact our Internet Sales Consultants:
Tam Thurman or Greg Randolph
317-659-3230
CLICK HERE to learn more on the Home Buying Process for Springmill Villas
