You’ve begun to do your research. You know that there’s never been a better time to buy a new home. The interest rates are low, builders are offering lots of great option packed homes, but where do you begin to find the right builder for you?

Take a look at the following 5 areas to help you do a little research into selecting a homebuilder to suit your needs.

Location – With so many builders to choose from, it’s best to start looking in the area where you want to move. Begin first by checking online and see who builds in your target area. Look for easy to use websites with information, floor plans and other important features to help begin your search. Most likely, if they have an informative professional website, this will give you an indicator on how they will be in person. While you can drive through your target area and see if you can find neighborhoods that appeal to you, starting online will help you save time.

Communication – Try giving the builder a call or send an email, see how well they communicate and answer questions for you. Are they friendly? Do they return your communications both via email and by phone quickly? Do they offer you reference links and information above and beyond what you’ve asked for? It’s important that you can get the answers you need throughout the process in a timely manner. By making initial contact with a builder this will give you a great indication on how they will be throughout the process.

Knowledge and Quality – Does all the information they are providing over the phone and on their website create a confident picture of a knowledgeable builder? Do they know the area? Are they competitively priced? Have they built numerous communities in the area already? Have they fully answered your questions? Have you asked them about their quality of construction? Make sure you feel comfortable with the level of knowledge they are imparting in their communications, as well as the quality of construction.

Proven Track Record – Find out how long they’ve been in the business. If possible visit other completed communities that they’ve built. If you know anyone who lives in one of their homes, ask what they think of the construction and the long-term service. See if the builder will supply a list of references of other homebuyers who live in their homes, or walk through the neighborhood and talk with the residents. Check their ratings and make sure no complaints have been filed at the Better Business Bureau. View their models and talk with their onsite agents to find out more about the history of the company.

Press – Do a little research and see how the builder is perceived by the local community. Do they have a good reputation? Do they contribute back to the greater area? Sometimes you can find press clippings right on their websites, and this is a great place to start, but don’t stop there. Do a few Google searches and see what you turn up.

By checking the block on each of these 5 research topics you will narrow the field and find the perfect builder to create your dream home. By the time you make it through this process you will be able to buy with confidence from your chosen builder.

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In Value Versus Price Part 1 – The Neighborhood Beyond the Bling we discussed outside attributes that contribute to the value of a home. But besides these intangible points, there is also hidden value inside your home, not easily apparent to the naked eye.

Yes you can see the beautiful granite, hardwood or stainless steel appliances – The bling, but so much more goes unseen yet adds far more value to the home.

Most of the unseen value is located in the bones of your home.

Green materials – These more modern materials, while not always the cheapest, add to the life of your home and the energy efficiency. In the long run you are contributing to leaving a lighter footprint, as well as reaping the benefits of long term energy savings, and in many cases these materials have a longer life.

Modern floor plans – Current homes are designed with modern needs in mind including better closet space and storage, larger pantries, workspaces, better flow to kitchens for ease of use and entertaining, as well as overall flow for activities and family interactions. Older floor plans can feel choppy, have lower ceilings, less light and space.

Meeting the most current codes – New homes adhere to the most current standards for electrical, plumbing, and safety. In the long run you will have better insulation, wiring that fits with the needs of your electronic life style, and you will have all the modern comforts that keep you safe and up to date.

Warranties – Each new home comes with a value added warranty on structural and mechanical elements of your home, and because everything is new there are a variety of warranties with your appliances and equipment as well that come directly from the manufacturer.

Home Owners Associations – This is a guarantee that your home and your neighbors’ homes will be kept to a level of standard that will not deteriorate over time. You will not see unkempt lawns, rust encrusted vehicles, or overflowing garbage cans that sit for days. There are many benefits to the requirements of upkeep a home owners association provides for a neighborhood for long term enjoyment and value of your property.

As you can see there is much value that can be found both inside the home, and outside the home that contribute to the making of the price. When comparing homes only by their price make sure you are comparing apples to apples, not apples to lemons.

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Would-be Home shoppers can often turn the home shopping experience into a simple price comparison. We definitely hear it in our models, “We just saw a newly remodeled home on the market for less than this new home and it has a lot of the same features.”

Many people do not stop to consider the value of all the elements that make up the price of a home. Value is often more intangible than the hard dollar amount that you see on the bottom line of a sales agreement. This is because value can vary from person to person and circumstance to circumstance.

Here are several neighborhood attributes that go beyond the house itself and add value to a home above and beyond the bling – hardwood floors, granite counter tops, and stainless steel appliances found in both new homes and in newly remodeled homes.

Close proximity to shopping – Make quick runs to the grocery store when you are in the middle of preparing a meal, when you’ve forgotten something essential or just to save time during your daily chores and errands.

Good school districts – Whether you have kids or not, it may be important either for your future family plans or for the resale value of the home later to live in the most desirable school districts you can reasonably afford.

Easy Commutes to key areas of business and industry – There’s nothing more valuable and irreplaceable then time. Time spent with family, friends or engaged in leisure activities is time much better spent then enmeshed in traffic.

Neighborhood amenities – When you have playgrounds, walking trails, clubhouses, and other accoutrements found in many new home communities you have a greater connection to neighborhood and to family. This creates natural spaces to meet your neighbors and make ties that you may not naturally make in an older neighborhood that lacks central gathering spots.

All of these points are sometimes overlooked when calculating the value of the home and how that figures into the price. Stay tuned for more value added features in Value Versus Price Part 2 – Beware of Lemons Disguised as Apples.

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Often times an older home seems like a great deal. You walk in look around and see just a few “little” things you think you want to change. Some costs are bigger than others, but they all add up. Sometimes, when we don’t do the math, we just see the deal and get blindsided by the numbers later.

It’s pretty typical in an old, out dated home to see six areas that we want to change right off the bat. Bathrooms, kitchens, light fixtures, landscaping, painting and flooring.

Bathrooms – You walk into an outdated bathroom and say, “well, we can change out the tiles.” A typical bathroom remodel for a bathroom can be anywhere from $5000 – $10,000 or more. Prices can go up from there easily if your toilets and tubs are pink, baby blue, or goldenrod.

Kitchen Cabinets and Counter Tops – You walk into an outdated kitchen and say, “The layout is okay, but I don’t like the cabinets and this counter top needs to go.” In a 10×10 kitchen the cabinets and counter tops alone can vary from $10,000 – $25,000 or more depending on style and materials.

Lighting Fixtures – You walk into every room and say, “wow I hate that outdated brass lighting, I really like the new brushed nickel look, and nicer fixtures.” If you were to pull out the main lights and fans in a home you are looking at anywhere from a $2000-$5000 or more expense in replacing all your lighting.

Landscaping – You walk up to the front of the house and you say, “This has potential, we just need to plant some grass, and some flowers and a few nice shrubs. Maybe fix the pavers.” Landscaping can add $2000 or more depending on how elaborate you get with your “freshen up” of the landscape.

Carpet – You walk into certain rooms and see old worn multicolored carpet and you say, “Yikes this carpet has got to go!” Then becomes the question, how much, and what do we replace it with. New carpet per room including pulling up old carpet can start from about $1000 per 12×12 room and go up from there. Putting down hardwood can start around $1700 or so per 12×12 room and go up from there.

Painting – You walk into a room with huge floral wallpaper and say, “Well that has to come down.” On a do it yourself budget to remove wallpaper in a 12×15 room it will cost about $100 a day of work for materials and equipment rental. If you pay a professional, an easy removal could cost about $250 – $450 per 12×15 room. And if there are complications it could cost $500-$1000. Paint – if you do it yourself, it could costs about $80- $100 per room for primer, paint, brushes, trays rollers etc., or about $200-$400 per room if you pay a professional.

As you walk through a bargain home envisioning all the possibilities, ask yourself, are you really a DIY’er or are you going to end up hiring someone to do the work for you? Some people convince themselves that if people can do it on HGTV they can too. And when faced with the reality of the skill and time it takes to complete a project they realize it’s more than they really wanted to do. After all on TV it looks like it only takes about a half hour.

Start adding up the prices to just these “small” projects and the value of a new home starts to make sense. Wouldn’t it be nice to just walk into a new home that already has all the details you want, and begin your life?

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Ideal Homes has recently piloted an education program which is an extension of the current Oklahoma Real Estate Commission regulated CEC course Tony Marbell promotes and Vernon McKown presents. The Home Ownership Forum is a panel style session tailored to fit corporate environments. Ideal Homes provides lunch and the attendees are encouraged to ask questions during the forum; questions may also be submitted in advance. Those in attendance have access to industry experts in a format that encourages interaction.

Steve Shoemaker is the Ideal Homes Marketing Director and Moderator for the Home Ownership Forum. He states, “The single largest investment people make is their home. The decision making process for a home purchase evokes positive and negative emotions. We look to educate to help reduce stress. When a buyer is able to make informed decisions, the well being of that home buyer is affected positively. A majority of our success is a healthy market; we also look to educate buyers to ensure they understand the market and how it is affected by relative choices.”

There are many questions asked of our experts and one recurring question is, “How do I know it is the right time to buy?” It is usually asked out of those concerned about the real estate market. According to Oklahoma Mortgage Bankers Association (OMBA) the following is true about Oklahoma housing:

• Oklahoma’s economy continues to show signs of strength
• State tax receipts are up 15% over the past year as of June
• Statewide unemployment dropped to 5.3%, decreasing in all 77 counties
• Unemployment  in Oklahoma City is 4.5% – lowest in the nation of major cities
• Since 4^th Quarter of 2009, Oklahoma’s personal income growth  is 2^nd highest nationally
• Oklahoma is one of a few states with significant inward migration
• Market values on most homes have remained stable
• Lenders and borrowers remember the Oil Bust and have remained conservative

The above points are an example of information shared during the Home Ownership Forum and the Real Estate CEC Classes. If you have additional questions or are interested in holding a forum or CEC Class, contact Kristy Boone – kboone@ideal-homes.com.

All you hear in the news seems to spell gloom and doom for the economy. Every time you turn around it’s debt ceiling this, and economy that. But this is global, this is national, it is not local. It is not personal.

When assessing your personal situation, only you will know whether or not to be confident in your decisions. Are you generally a confident person? Are you generally smart enough to know what is good for you and your family? Have you made smart decisions when it comes to your use of credit? Have you been generally good with your finances thus far? Are you secure in your job and your position? Is it your dream to own your own home? Only you can answer these questions. These are personal questions, not global questions.

These answers are not dictated by the global economy, they are not dictated by the nation’s economy. These answers do not have anything to do with an arbitrary debt ceiling the nation has decided it will or wont raise. It’s fully dependent on your personal finances and your personal comfort level and confidence.

Purchasing a house is an important decision yes, but it is also an emotional as well as a logical one. First it’s important to realize you are looking for a home, not a house. A home is a place where you raise your family, it’s a kitchen where you prepare meals, it’s a dining room where you discuss the day’s events…who won the little league game, how did the book club go? It is a family room where you settle in for the evening watching your favorite show with your arm around your sweetheart. It’s a bedroom where you tuck the kids in at night. It is a yard where your beloved dog romps.

For some reason we’ve been conditioned to believe a house is strictly a financial investment and it’s only about the bottom line. We’ve lost sight somehow of what a home really is. A home is not a 401K, a stock portfolio or a savings bond. Really it’s all about family, community and neighborhood. Whether you are a family of one, or ten, a home is a safe secure place to build memories.

Builders across the nation are still weathering the financial storm and creating that ability to fulfill the dream of homeownership. Becoming a homeowner is more affordable then ever before, because of the global economy. That’s the only place where you are actually affected by what is going on across the country and around the world. You are affected in your favor as a new homebuyer.

If the global economy were stronger, interest rates would be higher. The current reality is that if the economy were not doing this crazy limbo dance, you would not be able to get nearly the value for your money that is currently being offered in the new home market place. Right now homebuyers are experiencing the most value for their money then ever before.

If you can confidently answer yes to the earlier questions, you should be able to confidently purchase a new home and stop waiting on the “economy” to begin your dream of homeownership.

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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?

When searching for a new home there are several levels of research you may go through in order to find that perfect home. A good builder will have the right tools and customer service to help guide you along that path ever step of the way.

Phase 1 – Searching on line: An attentive builder knows that your search begins online. In fact since 90% of home searches start on the Internet, it is our responsibility to provide you with the information and resources you need to first identify with our community and begin to envision the possibilities. From floor plans, pictures, and virtual tours as well as an easy to navigate website, we provide the resources you need at the beginning stage of your research.

Phase 2 – Detailed Question And Answer: Once we’ve caught your attention with home styles and communities to choose from, we know the next thing you want to do is fire off questions via email, facebook or twitter. Or you may even want to pick up the phone and talk with someone. It’s important that we provide you with an individual dedicated to answering your questions in a quick and thorough manner.

Everyone is different in the level of attention and information they need before visiting a new home community. Timeframes for moving vary. Physical proximity to the area may not be optimal at the beginning of a home search especially for those moving from further distances. Financial factors play a role in move times as well.

By being aware of what each homebuyer is working toward we can gauge customer service accordingly. With a through knowledge base as well as resources to loan officers, school data, and community information you can gain a lot of insight before scheduling your trip to the area.

Phase 3 – Visiting the Community: After all the questions and details that can be answered over the phone and online have been attended to, the next step is to schedule a visit the community in person. By setting an appointment and taking a VIP tour you get to see first hand, in three dimensional real time, whether you can envision yourself living in the home, the community, and the neighborhood.

You can explore the lots, the models, and the options in a more hands on interactive way with one of our dedicated professionals who can answer all the little details that never occurred to you during your online search.

By progressing through each of these 3 phases you will gain all the knowledge, information and insight you need to make an informed decision on the path to happy home ownership. We’d love to be your guide on that journey.

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Ever go grocery shopping without making a list while hungry? You think, “I know what to buy this week, no need to write it down.”

Walking through the grocery store, stomach growling, everything starts to look good. Several yummy objects later, you roll a full basket up to checkout. Once home you realize you forgot key ingredients for meals, but gosh you really took care of the deserts and cravings.

Ahhh the joys of cooking. Note to self: Next time bring a list.

The same thing happens when you enter a new home community to build the house to fit your lifestyle. You begin to salivate. A great builder thinks of all the possibilities addressing a wide variety of tastes, needs, wants and desires. Touring a model is the opportunity to see all the ingredients unfold before you. This is part of the joy of building a new home.

Suddenly you are that starving person grocery shopping. You want stone fireplaces, decks, deluxe appliances and the kitchen sink. Just kidding, you always get a kitchen sink. But are you going with the under mount with brushed nickel fixtures?

With so many options to choose from, it’s important to separate your needs from your wants. Then you’ll know up front what the most important elements will be when you roll your cart through those model doors. You don’t want to walk out hours later and think, “oh but we really need this, that, and the sunroom.”

Before you go new home shopping, sit down and make a grocery list of important ingredients. A wants and needs list is the menu for your plan. Once you have the structure of your meal down, you can go hunting for that rich chocolate cake to finishing everything perfectly.

Ask yourself a series of questions:
• Do I need 4 bedrooms, or 3 and a flex space?
• What school district does my home need to be in?
• Is a gourmet kitchen important?
• Open floor plan, or traditional formal rooms?
• Luxury bathroom?
• Where do I spend the most time?
• What kind of rooms do I need for hobbies?
• What are my structural needs?
• How efficient is the home?  What will be the total cost of ownership?
• Do I need to think about resale?

Then make a list of things you’d love to have to design the house just for you. By making two lists side by side, you’ll start to see what the most important features are in your new home.

Now when you walk the model, you’re armed with a shopping list. First find the structure that fits your lifestyle. Do you have the spatial plan, the right kitchen, and so on? Then you can start dressing spaces with the proper appliances, counter top materials, and flooring choices to fit your tastes.

Forget major ingredients like the finished room over the garage for scrap booking, or the 2-foot bump out with the optional gas fireplace, and those things are a lot harder to add later. Tick off the needs on the list, then look around at shinny objects and see which will be perfect side dishes to satisfy those wants.

If you leave out the needs it’s like leaving the yeast out of your cake. It may still taste sweet but it really falls flat and in the end something is missing. By making your lists upfront, when you are ready to go shopping you’ll be sure to have everything that makes your house a home.

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When you get ready to jump into the new home buying pool, sometimes you may feel like you’re treading in deep water. There are qualified professionals available to coach you every stroke of the way. The following insights will have you floating through the new home purchase process, and basking in the sun, happy that you did.

First: New Verses Used - It may be tempting to investigate foreclosures and short sales because you’ll “Really get a good deal.” But in reality, what may seem like a dream can quickly become a nightmare. Short sales and foreclosures can be lengthy. Often prices advertised are not what you will pay. Even if they are, there can be a minefield of problems that you can’t see on the surface.

It’s amazing what spiteful homeowners can do to a house. From the obviously holes in walls and removal of appliances to the not so obvious, cement in the pipes or damaging key components of mechanical equipment, you never know what was done prior to your move in.

Second: Peace of Mind – In a new home you have walk-throughs before your closing, warranties, and the knowledge that the builder wants to deliver you the best, most beautiful new home available, with all of your specific desires in mind.  At Ideal Homes, we perform a pre-closing new home orientation – then return after 60 days and again at 11 months to walk through your home with you.

Third: New Home Sales Consultants - Friendly people are at your fingertips, which have sold countless new homes. Each builder employs a professional staff of people who work hard to help you. From choosing a homesite or completed home that meets your needs, choosing floor plans,  and helping you step by step through building a new home, they take the worry away by letting you know when and where you need to make decisions. They help you create a home tailored to your needs.

Fourth: The New Home Sales Contracts – These purchase agreements can be more complex than a resale contract. Don’t let this be daunting. This simply reflects that a new home sales purchase can more detailed because you are choosing specific elements. These contracts are as much for your protection as for anything else. All the details are spelled out so there will be no confusion about the final delivery of your home.

You have the new home consultants who are familiar with all the procedures and paperwork there to explain the details. When it doubt, they spell it out in the contract so you will know exactly where to set your expectations.

Fifth: New Home Financing – Each builder works with lenders familiar with the homes they sell. They know the in’s and out’s of specific communities, and are used to closing homes for that builder. By taking advantage of their universal knowledge about home financing, as well as their topical knowledge of the particular builder, there will be far less surprises as you step though the financing and closing processes.

By understand these five elements of new home ownership your new home purchase will be something you swim through with ease.

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