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.

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Red Canyon Ranch is a beautiful and unique Ideal Homes community offering  new homes in Norman, Oklahoma.  New home pricing for Red Canyon Ranch ranges from the $175s to $260s, and new home sizes are about 1,600 to 2,500 square feet.

East of I-35, Red Canyon Ranch is situated off Tecumseh Road between Porter (Sunny Lane) and 12th Avenue NE (Sooner Road). Its location offers easy access to Tinker Air Force Base and I-240 to the north, Highway 9 and Noble to the south and Highway 77 to the west.

Red Canyon Ranch provides a scenic hilltop view looking north into Oklahoma City. Neighborhood amenities include natural common areas, walking trails, playground, attractive curb appeal and friendly neighbors. Many of the new homes available for immediate move-in have incredible views of the scenic canyon that divides the community.

Children living in Red Canyon Ranch attend Eisenhower Elementary, Longfellow Middle School and Norman North High School.

Historic downtown Norman, Sooner Theater, Norman Regional Health Complex, Griffin Park, Campus Corner, retail shopping, restaurants, churches, work-out facilities, movie theaters and the beautiful University of Oklahoma campus are just minutes away.

Buying a home has tax advantages that simply renting a home does not. You may have heard people say that when you rent, you’re just paying someone else’s mortgage and helping them earn equity.

With tax season right around the corner the following are 6 itemized deductions that, as a homeowner, you can take on your taxes. This is what you’re missing out on by not having your own mortgage.

Home mortgage interest:  When you first buy a home, the majority of your monthly payment is made up of interest. As you continue to pay your mortgage each year, slowly the balance shifts from interest, to principal payments.

The interest you pay on your mortgage up to $1 million per year is deductible.

Property tax: Did you know your property taxes can be deducted from your federal income taxes? Both state and local taxes are counted in this equation.

Home buying expenses: Certain fees and closing costs associated with a new home purchase can be deductible. Some examples are prorated interest on a new loan, prorated property taxes, and loan origination fees.

Home equity loan:  If you need money, for example, to pay off high-interest credit cards, start up a business, or any other number of reasons you can think of, you can borrow up to $100,000 against the equity in your home and deduct the interest.

Credit card interest, on the other hand, is not deductible.

Home-sale exclusion: When selling a home for profit, as long as you live in your home for two of the previous five years before selling, you only pay taxes on profits over $250,000 if you are single. You only pay taxes on profits over $500,000 if you are a married couple filing jointly.  This exclusion can be taken once every two years.

Free Rental Income: Another unusual benefit of owning a home is that you can rent your home for up to 14 days during the year and pay no tax on the rental income.  If you are a renter subletting your home you have to pay taxes on the income you earn.

If your lease is coming up for renewal and you are still trying to decide if it’s better to own verses rent in this economy here are 6 compelling reasons why you benefit as a home owner when it comes to tax time.

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For new home buyers needing quick access to Tinker Air Force Base, Boeing, I-40 or I-240, two of Oklahoma City’s major highways, Sundance, Ideal Homes’ new home community in Midwest City, may be just the perfect new home ticket.

Situated off SE 15th between Hiwassee Road and Anderson Road, Sundance features nine new designs in the $130s to $170s price range, offering 1,282 – 1,965 square feet. Rolling hills, mature trees, a walking trail, basketball court and a playground dot the neighborhood’s beautiful landscape.

New home buyers have the option of building from the ground up in Sundance or investing in a new home already under construction in this growing, friendly Midwest City new home neighborhood.

Children and young teens living in Sundance attend Nicoma Park Schools. Those in high school attend Choctaw High School.

Within a 10-minute drive from Sundance, new home owners can dine at Cheddar’s, Logan’s, Chili’s and Old Chicago, just to name a few. In addition, they can shop to their hearts’ content at Kohl’s, Target, Lowe’s and other nearby retail stores.

Homeowners frequently mention the country beauty of Sundance, its nighttime peacefulness and crisp clean air as reasons that Sundance is an ideal place to call home in Midwest City, Oklahoma.

There are many benefits to buying a new home. Your home is built to current codes and standards. Your home is constructed to the latest energy efficient guidelines.  The most up to date materials are used in building your new home. There are many other great things that make buying new verses used a real benefit to a new homebuyer. One great advantage is the peace-of-mind you gain from the myriad of warranties associated with a new home.

There are several levels of assurance you will receive from a good homebuilder which include walk-throughs, checklists, and in-house and outside warranties.

1) As your home is being built there are a number of walk-throughs that may take place with the homeowner which coincide with the inspections. Whether or not you personally walk through your new home, the builder will conduct walkthroughs with inspectors that make sure all your electrical, plumbing and construction are up to current codes.

2) Many builders will include  a one-year warranty that allows for repairs to issues discovered after the construction of the home and move in. For instance it is not uncommon to see nail pops as a home settles but many builders will give the home owner a one year checklist and will then come in and fix building related issues such as those and other construction related issues.

3) A one year mechanical warranty is not uncommon with many builders. This will cover any electrical or plumbing issues that arise with in the first year related to the installation and building of your home.

4) All your appliances, mechanical equipment, roofing, and siding come with warranties from the various companies who make the equipment or manufacture the materials. If there are defects and problems and if it is a default of the product the company will take care of the issues.

5) A ten-year structural warranty is often administered by an outside warranty company, which the builder provides with the home.   In essence this is a policy provided by a third party who is ensuring that if any structural defects within the parameters of the warranty were to happen as a result of the construction of the home by improper building practices by the builder, this warranty would cover the problems. Because it is an outside company providing this warranty builders have to prove the quality of construction and pass muster with these companies in order to be taken on as a client by the third party warranty provider. This in itself is a statement on the quality of construction and reputation of a builder.

The conditions of various warranty types, terms, and time limits differ from builder to builder. For more information on the specific warranties provided with your Ideal Homes home, contact us.

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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.

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Valencia is Ideal Homes’ master-planned Community featuring new homes in Edmond and homes in Deer Creek.

Children living in Valencia attend either Edmond or Deer Creek Schools, depending on their address. Deer Creek schools that serve Valencia are Grove Valley Elementary, Deer Creek Middle School and Deer Creek High School. Valencia children living in the Edmond school district attend Westfield Elementary, Summit Middle School and Santa Fe High School.

Located in Edmond, Oklahoma, at the cross streets of NW 178th (Edmond Road / 2nd Street), May and Pennsylvania, new home prices range from the $120s to the $320s.

Valencia is also Ideal Homes’ only community to feature four of its new home collections:

• Classic Collection: $120 to $155
• Camden Collection: $140 to $172
• Signature Collection: $167 to $219
• Infinity Collection: $215 to $320

That means there is something for everyone in Valencia, from the first-time homebuyer, to the family ready to move-up and settle down.  And at any given time there are a variety of homes ready for quick move-in and closing.

With over 30 acres of parks and open spaces, the real story in Valencia is the abundance of Community amenities that warmly welcomes residents.   

The Valencia community amenities include three playgrounds (with more to come), multiple gazebos at each, ponds, creeks, miles of walking trails, a baseball diamond and soccer field.  The parks and gazebos are frequently utilized by homeowners for birthday parties, baby showers and family get-togethers.

Valencia is the ideal place to call home for new homes in the Edmond and Deer Creek area because of the family-oriented community, winding streets which slow down traffic and convenient location.

Quail Springs Mall, Mercy Hospital, the YMCA, churches, medical offices, grocery stores, retail shops and entertainment may be found within a short distance from Valencia.

Valencia is a great place to call home.

With the reward of homeownership there also comes the responsibility to winterize.  It’s around this time of year when there is more of a nip in the air, and morning due turns into frost that it becomes time to take a little inventory and do a few things around the house to help you settle in for the winter.

Prevent Plumbing Freezes – Get your outdoor pipes ready for freezing temperatures by draining your hoses, making sure all outdoor plumbing is properly insulated, shutting off any water to outside pipes, and locate your water main so you can remember where it is in the event of a pipe burst. This way you’ll be prepared to shut your water off at it’s source if a need arises. If you go on vacation, keep your house temperatures at 55 to avoid problems with interior pipes.

Check Outdoor Equipment – Put lawnmowers away for the winter, draining any gas and cleaning it up for easy use next year. Pull out the snow blower and make sure it’s in good working order before the first snow. Check out the condition of your rakes, ice scrapers, and other fall to winter gear while cleaning and putting away the spaces, potting soil and other garden specific equipment. Check your supply of ice- melt and sand, replenish before everyone else is rushing to the stores, and if you have pets make sure you buy animal friendly ice-melt.

Check Roofs, Gutters, and Downspouts – With temperatures that regularly fall below freezing consider adding extra insulation in the attic to prevent warm air from creeping from attic to roof causing ice dams. Check flashing and siding to make sure that water cannot get.  Clean out gutters and consider installing leaf guards to help keep your gutters free of leaves and cut down on ice buildup by allowing proper flow from the gutters. Check downspouts and hose water through them to clear up any silt and debris buildup.

Inspect Your Furnace – Have an HVAC professional in to inspect your furnace, and let you know if your ducts need cleaning. Programmable thermostats are great energy saving tools to set your temperatures lower during the day while you are at work and add a little more heat during the evening as temperatures outside fall and your home is in heavier use inside.  Make sure you have enough furnace filters on hand to change them on a monthly basis. Make sure to change your ducts and vents from their summer position to account for heat rising. This will keep your home more evenly heated from bottom to top.

Wood Burning Stoves and Fireplaces – There is nothing like the smell of wood fires in the winter coupled with family gatherings and chestnuts roasting. Make sure your chimney is inspected and in good repair.  A professional chimney sweep can remove the soot and creosote buildup that can become dangerous over time.  Check out your fireplace damper to make sure you can open and close it properly and completely.  If you can get up on your roof, inspect the chimney cap and make sure it’s properly screening the opening from squirrel and other small animal entry into your home.  Lastly stock up on firewood and make sure to store it in a dry location.

Just these few tips will help you get your house in winter ready condition. The more prepared you are, the less you have to worry about expensive fixes. After a little cursory inspection and preparation you can sit back and enjoy that hot cocoa and wait for the snow to fall.

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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.

Are you searching for that perfect holiday gift for the family? Are you trying to dig up some extra money for gift giving? How about going green for the holidays! Not only do the following 4 green ideas help you save on your energy bills, but they also help you lessen your impact on the earth. Double bonus. You save household money and you tread a little lighter. The money you save can go into more presents for the holidays.

1) Are Electronics Draining your Budget? – Ever stop to look at all those appliances plugged into outlets? You can never find a spare outlet to plug in the vacuum? Even appliances that are turned off can sap electricity. Easy Green Solution: Plug your major electronics like entertainment centers into power strips and when not in use, simply turn off the power strip. This goes for computer stations, stereo systems, and the kitchen station with the coffee pot, toaster oven, blender and microwave.

2) Filter Changes – Simply changing your air filters monthly and making sure the proper vents are open while others are closed depending on the season will help keep the warm air in, and keep the energy bills down.

3) Go Light on the Lights – Do you still use incandescent lights? It’s time to switch. LED and compact florescent bulbs have a longer life as well as a lower impact on your electricity bill. If you are hesitant to make the investment, do it in stages. Change them out as your old lights burn out and slowly you will give your whole home a lighting makeover.

4) Laundry with a Lighter footprint – Washing machines are an expensive appliance to run. Between water and energy use they can account for a large chunk of change in the home energy bill. Consider investing in energy efficient appliances in your laundry room. Front loaders use less water, and have a higher capacity so that you need to do fewer loads with less water to heat. Unless you have heavily soiled items, use the warm or cold cycle and save even more since 90% of the energy is used to heat the water. Line drying when possible can add to electricity savings.

Bonus Idea: Recycle – Do you throw away plastic bottles, soda cans, and newspapers? Start recycling. While this isn’t a money saver for your budget, recycling is your chance to have a positive effect on the environment. If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we could save about 25,000,000 trees a year. An Aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now. Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator. Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour. Most of them are thrown away. Plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kills as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every years.*

With just these few green tips and adding recycling to your routine you can create some more cash for the holidays, and pat yourself on the back for having taken the steps to make a difference in how you use natural resources. Think of a new home as a new start.

*All recycling statistics come from A Recycling Revolution 

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