Gone are the days of the McMansions.  At one time Americans were trending toward large homes filled with soaring ceilings, rooms for every occasion, thousands of square feet and skyscraper like windows.

As the housing industry changes, so too do the demands of buyers. In today’s market conditions, economy is the key.  Builders are building smarter, not larger.  Money is saved when clever builders take the time to analyze the space and make full use of it verses adding superfluous square footage along with higher prices.  Larger houses sit on more land, and use more materials to build. This is a double whammy on the pocketbook.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, the average home in the US measures out at about 2390 square feet. This number is expected to drop further to 2150 square feet by 2013.

With efficient space planning, multiuse rooms, the use of energy saving materials, and the downsizing of the home, builders are providing homes that are more budget friendly while still providing ease of livability. The trend toward downsizing and one-story homes can be attributed to the aging baby boomer population. Living on one level, or in easier to maintain townhomes and condos allow the older generation more freedom and escape from costly house payments, pesky stairs, high maintenance requirements, and create a more convenient over all living experience.

Even today’s designs are trending more toward smaller homes.  Furniture is starting to scale down in size, decorating shows and magazines are focusing on small spaces, and space saving ideas are popping up all over.

Stay tuned for some great multipurpose decorating tips for small spaces. Space planning doesn’t mean losing any luxury or details that makes your house a home.

Buying a new home is sometimes like one of those other resolutions on your list — losing weight, being more productive, getting more involved with friends and family…truth is old habits die hard. Ever heard the saying better the devil you know, then the devil you don’t?  How about, “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”

If you’ve been considering buying a home of your own for a while now, but continue to sit on the fence because you just aren’t sure you want to make that change you are not alone.  Just as millions make resolutions every year to lose the weight and get in shape and only a savvy few stick to it and make that change, so too does this happen to would-be new home purchasers. All too often potential new homeowners deter themselves with their own negative self -talk. Change can be scary.  Change can be difficult. Sometimes not changing is an easier decision and the path of least resistance.  But ask yourself where that decision is getting you? Ask yourself these questions and do some soul searching.

Do you want to continue to be a renter in someone else’s home? Do you constantly want to ask for permission to make changes such as wall colors, floor coverings, and bathroom tiles, and landscaping? Do you want to continue to improve another person’s property because you can’t make the leap to be doing this work on your own investment?

Are you going to continue to allow someone else to get the income your monthly rent allows verses the tax advantages you’d receive if you were paying into your own mortgage instead of rent?

Mortgage rates continue to be favorable in purchasing the most house for the least amount of money.  Builders are building in great locations, their neighborhoods are chocked full of amenities not found in older communties, and competition is fierce causing them to provide the biggest bang for your buck.

There are so many advantages to home ownership. A new home beats a used home every time!

What are you waiting for? If your resolution is to own your own home, you can do it, and it’s a lot less hard work than getting that body you want.  The devil you don’t know yet, is the peace and sense of home ownership you’ve been abdicating to your landlord.  Break out and do something new for the New Year, and get what you really want.

Constantly you hear the benefits of home ownership broken down into terms of low interest rates, great value on options loaded houses at economical pricing, tax benefits, financial leveraging and the like. But truly there is more to home ownership than monetary gain.

While home ownership can put you on the road to greater financial gain, it still comes down to some famous words spoken on the yellow brick road, “there’s no place like home.” Owning a house creates a permanent home that leads to great personal satisfaction and a sense of wellbeing. When you decorate your home, paint your walls, and make improvements, they are all yours. You are not improving the property for a landlord.

There is a subtle difference when you walk into your own home after a long day of work, cook in your own kitchen, and put your feet up in your own family room versus doing so in a rented house or apartment. It’s inexplicable and only truly experiencing it for yourself will help you feel the mental shift that takes place when you go from renter to homeowner.

And the truth of the matter is, that with current interest rates, inventory and availability, the opportunities are endless to get you into a new home right now. Why continue to stay on the fence waiting for someday? The family milestones and events that you share in your home are memories that last a lifetime.  Why not ring in the new year with a new home and begin to make those memories today.

Sometimes people let fear of the unknown win out over reason.  Owning a home is a central point in the American Dream.  As the country continues to fight it’s way out of the recession, prospective homebuyers continue to ask, is this a good time to buy a home.  The answer is a resounding “Yes!”

While the housing market is beginning to recover, it is still a buyers market. There are many factors that bring together the right elements to purchase a wonderful new home. With low mortgage rates, affordable pricing, innovative spacious floor plans, and advances in building materials, new homes have never been more affordable and economical.

Mortgage Rates – How do mortgage rates really affect your home purchase clout?  Take a look at a home priced at $150,000. About 5 years ago a mortgage rate of 6.5% was fairly normal and this was seen to be low by homebuyers at the time.  The monthly principal and interest payment on that $150,000 home at a rate of 6.5% on a 30 year fixed mortgage would be $948.10.  Compare this to the lower mortgage rates of today and look at a monthly payment at 4.5%.  At this rate you only pay $760.03, so with that reduction in rate you can purchase a whole lot more home for the money.

Affordable Pricing – During the housing boom pricing went up and up and up in some areas of the country. The silver lining in the housing down turn can be found for would-be homeowners.  With more available inventory providing better choices for homebuyers, coupled with the lower pricing, it’s a perfect storm of conditions in favor of the homebuyer.

Innovative Floor Plans –  As home building evolves and customer service continues to increase, builders who are in it for the long haul continue to innovate with their home designs. It’s not uncommon now for marketing dollars to be spent on focus groups to help create the next new trends in home designs. By focusing on the important elements to their future homeowners, builders are creating better marketing and selling climates within their market place. More elements like low maintenance materials, flex spaces, storage areas and so on are being incorporated into the home planning for better livability.

Going Green – Now more than ever advances in building materials have had a better long-term effect on the environment while creating amazing energy savings for homeowners. With energy costs at the top of the consumer concerns list, builders are constructing their homes in a more energy efficient manner with the long-term costs of operating a home in mind.

As all these factors come together and continue to persist, this continues to be a great time to buy for homebuyers who are looking to enter the American Dream of homeownership.

Do you remember your childhood Thanksgivings? What do you remember most? Can you recall the feel of that festive atmosphere around your home? The aroma of turkey, pumpkin pie, and fires in the fireplace may come to mind. Can you hear the laughter as it trickles through the house?

Holidays like Thanksgiving bring together families and create lasting memories. At the center of it all is your home. Home truly is where the heart is at family gatherings and feasts.  It’s not about the house, but the actual life that you’ve created. Your first new home is the center of things where lasting memories are built and carries through your life.

You have a real sense of peace in your first new home. This is where you experience the firsts that mark the milestones of your life. The first time you set the table for a family gathering, put out the fall decorations, plan the meal and see the kids – cousins, siblings, nieces and nephews – rolling in the leaves, laughing and arguing over who gets the wishbone, a sense of warmth and belonging comes over you. Even if you move from house to house over the years, a home is where memories begin — it is a memory of home not house that creates those “remember when’s.”

Years and years from now, when you reflect upon these milestone memories that happen in your new house — having the family for Thanksgiving, bringing babies home, and children learning to walk — you will think fondly of, not the actual house, but the home where these memories were created.

Feel free to share some of your memories with us.

At Ideal Homes we think every new home Community has a unique story to tell that goes beyond just streets and houses.

With that, welcome to our first “Feature Friday”.  Each week we plan to feature a new home Community in Oklahoma City and the surrounding metro.  Ideal Homes builds homes in Oklahoma City, but we are also a developer.  That means that we buy the land, put in the improvements, and oversee every component to take bare piece of land and make it a new home Community.

For our first Community feature, we start with New Homes in Yukon, Oklahoma and the Springs at Settlers Ridge.  Ideal Homes builds new homes in Yukon, Oklahoma, but we also build lifestyle.  There is no greater example of this than our newest community – The Springs at Settlers Ridge.

Here are just a few of the many things that set this Community apart:

 1.  Brand new floorplan designs.  Our product development team literally worked for years to develop the Reunion series of home designs.  These eight designs are specifically designed for flexibility, openness allowing an abundance of natural light, and are perfect for empty nesters who are downsizing, young professionals or families with busy lives.

2.  An unmatched Community Lifestyle:  The Springs at Settlers Ridge in Yukon is a quaint gated Community featuring a central park dotted with ponds, surrounded by a walking trail.  Not to mention – every home is on a cul-de-sac.  Residents of the Springs at Settlers Ridge will also enjoy a pool, clubhouse, and fitness center opening in 2012.  To top it all off, you can sell your lawnmower before you move!  The Springs at Settlers Ridge is a maintenance free Community – including lawn service and flowerbed maintenance.

3.  Incredible Location:   Of all our 15 Communities this might be the best location.  Here’s just a sample of what’s within two miles:  Super Target; Starbucks; Lowes; Louies; Alfredo’s; multiple fueling stations; I-40; Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital; Kohls; Jonnie Carinos Dickenson Theater; Chili’s.  If you can’t find it within two miles of the Springs at Settlers Ridge…you probably don’t need it.  The Springs at Settlers Ridge simply has the best location for New Homes in Yukon, Oklahoma.

There’s more to see and tell about the Springs at Settlers Ridge, but we hope you will come see it in person, view one of our available homes, or simply stop by to say hi.  The Community is approximately two miles South of I-40 on Garth Brooks Blvd./HWY 92 in Yukon.

Next week we’ll look at New Homes in Edmond and New Homes in Deer Creek.  We’ll feature Valencia, Ideal’s one of a kind master-planned Community in NW Oklahoma City.

As a mom, I’m always looking for new, fun places to take my son to burn off energy. Ideal Homes has developed some amazing playgrounds within our communities. Here are a few of my favorites.

1. Valencia in Edmond:

Kids love this towering pirate ship and its huge slide. This is only one of several playgrounds in Valencia’s 30 acres of parks and open spaces. Valencia is located between May and Penn, just north of 178^th.

2. Red Canyon Ranch in Norman:

There is a lot to love about this playground. It’s located on one of the highest points in Norman and has great panoramic views. Your kids will love the swings and the nearby nature trail. Red Canyon Ranch is located on E. Tecumseh, just west of 12 Ave NE (Sooner Road) in Norman.

3. Featherstone in Moore:

The playground in Featherstone is located beside the large pond in the center of the community. Featherstone is south of SW 149th Street on Western Ave.

What are your favorite parks in the OKC metro?

The Greater OKC Chamber staff spent several months coordinating the 2011 DC Fly-In agenda and speakers to address economic development, education, transportation, Tinker Air Force Base (TAFB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The staff arranged 30 minute sessions with Senators James Inhofe and Tom Coburn and Representatives Tom Cole, Frank Lucas, James Lankford, Dan Boren and John Sullivan in the Library of Congress, Members of Congress Room Wednesday June 22. Ideal Homes sent me as a representative of the company for this year’s trip. Interesting side note: It is rumored Twitter will turn over archives to the Library of Congress to help document for future generations how our current generations lived on a daily basis.

 “Doing more with less is taking its toll on our troops and their equipment.” – Senator Inhofe regarding defense budget cuts. TAFB employs more than 16,000 military, civilian and contract employees. TAFB Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC) is the largest one of only three nationwide; it supports 93 Air Force bases. Defense budget cuts directly impact the OC-ALC’s ability to support military aircraft; Oklahoma City employees could potentially lose work.

On a personal level the DC Fly-In was exciting. Upon arrival at the airport a couple of us had the privilege of riding with Representative Lankford into the Cannon House Office Building parking garage. June 21, 2011 I stepped onto DC streets for the first time exiting this building. That evening included dinner in Georgetown and time spent down by the Potomac River.

June 22 began with a personalized tour of the United States Capitol entering through the Senate Russell Office Building. That evening afforded me the opportunity to personally extend “thank you” greetings to Lieutenant General Loren M. Reno, Major General P. David Gillett Jr. and Secretary of the Air Force, Michael B. Donley,  at the Reception on the Hill.

After our morning agenda on June 23 a few of us ended our trip with a tour of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. We went straight from the museum to the airport. My heart ached from the blatant disregard for humanity and the perpetuation of that disregard by media and propaganda in Hitler’s time. Conversely I felt encouraged by having met powerful leaders and humble servants of our country knowing they choose daily to sacrifice for our greater good.

I am fascinated with clocks. This was a fascination even as a young girl. The time keeping aspect didn’t intrigue me as much as the inner workings of the clocks’ functions. From early remembrance it was imperative to know exactly what made those hands move, from where the steady “tick, tick, tick, tick” noise derived and how the numbers were prompted to change on the digital clocks. This curiosity is still prevalent as an adult. Even the clock widget on my Android myTouch 4G phone is fashioned after internal gears of a clock. Contemplation of a topic to share as a blog post for Ideal Homes brought clocks to mind for multiple reasons:                                                                                                                               

1 – Transparency: Similar to opening a grandfather clock

                How often do you encounter transparency in the inner workings of an organization? I had the privilege of attending the January 2011 kickoff staff meeting. It was my first and will happily attend many more. There is quite possibly no word that conveys my views of that meeting; “refreshing” bears the closest semblance. During the meeting Ideal Homes’ business standings were prominently displayed for the employees. Ideal Homes states one of their Core Values to be Integrity; openly revealing strengths and weaknesses is one way they exemplify this.

2 – Internal processes: Each department equals a gear

                There are many facets to both the development of an Ideal Home Community and the output of the final product, a new home. Ideal Homes has many departments internally that  operate in an autonomous manner, yet are bound together and driven by a desire to provide Ideal home buyers with an exceptional new home purchase experience. Development, Production, Accounting, Sales, Selection Center, Customer Care and Marketing produce a well designed and constructed new home; set in the best school districts; conveniently located near amenities and set apart by landscaping, parks and individuality.

 3 – Final product: Rhythmic production just like time

                Due to the teamwork encouraged and emphasized within the Ideal Homes corporate culture, the home buying process for an Ideal Homes’ new home buyer is as seamless as one could hope to have. 20 years experience would mean nothing if the owners and the Senior Management Team had not chosen to glean lessons and apply learned principles to ideal Homes’ processes. The adjustments over the years translate into a more thorough information share with individual home buyers, an advanced scheduling of necessary meetings, a more open and consistent communication with individual home buyers and a strong follow up process. As a home buyer this means one is able not only to express concerns and needs during the home building process, but also to be heard and have adjustments made as needed.

 There are other processes Ideal Homes has which can be stated as analogous of clocks. Continue visiting our blog and learn more about new home building processes, corporate culture, community involvement, employee highlights. Let us know your thoughts and share with us topics you would like to read here.

Like many of our homebuyers, I’m a mom, and my family is a top priority in my life.   When I began thinking about a new home, my family’s needs were at the forefront of my mind.   Ideal Homes focuses attention in the same areas. 

1)      Health – Nothing is more important to parents than doing everything we can to keep our kids and families safe and healthy. Ideal Homes places the same importance on health by providing features like fresh air ventilation systems that reduce allergens.

2)      Lifestyle – Ideal Homes communities are located in some of the best school districts in the Oklahoma City area including Deer Creek, Norman, Edmond, Moore, Mustang, and Choctaw / Nicoma Park. Stillwater has a community as well. We also know how important the community is. That’s why our communities are strategically designed with amenities like playgrounds, sidewalks and plenty of open green space.

3)      Your Specific needs – No family is alike. That’s why Ideal Homes gives you an opportunity to customize your home in our 6,000 square foot Design Center. Our floor plans are designed to provide open and flexible space that will accommodate your family’s individual needs. 

4)      Monthly Budget – Savvy moms know that numerous factors go into balancing monthly budgets. Ideal Homes doesn’t simply save you money on your utility bills; we actually guarantee your heating and cooling costs. In addition the warranty on your new home means you won’t get caught with unexpected repair expenses.

5)      Family Time – Between work, school, and kids’ activities, today’s families are busy. That’s why Ideal Homes strives to work with your schedule to make the home buying process as easy as possible.