by Seier+Seier

1. Check the styles of homes they build online. Every home builder will exhibit at least a few styles of homes they build, even those home builders that only make customized homes. Some of them even have pricing next to the homes. This is a quick way to know if a builder will make the type of house you’re looking to have.

2. Find out the locations your builder likes to work in. It doesn’t help if you like the style of home a builder makes but they don’t build in your area. Some home builders will cover a particular area of a state, the entire state, or even multiple states. Some builders will only build certain styles in certain areas, while others will give you whatever you want.

3. Check out reviews of home builders online but be circumspect on what you read. It’s not always easy, but you have to be able to discern legitimate gripes from those reviews from people who just like to complain. When people talk about the quality of homes that’s something to pay attention to. When they talk about someone that might have treated them in a manner they didn’t like, that still might be a red flag but it’s less important than getting a quality home.

4. Make them sign everything they promise. When you’re talking to a home builder and they start promising things to you that you want, whether you believe it or not, make them write it down and then get that person’s signature on it. The sales person you talk to isn’t always the person you’ll be dealing with later on, and if you don’t have it in writing then it wasn’t agreed upon; remember what Judge Judy says.

5. Don’t get pressured into anything you don’t want. The home builder’s job is to get your name on the contract. They can be very good at their job. Your job is to make sure you get it right the first time and that you can afford it. Don’t sign anything or agree to anything until you’re totally comfortable with the deal. You may have your home a long time, so make sure you think about it before you commit to it.

The National Association of Realtors came out with a report stating that home sales are being affected by appraisers in a negative way that’s the reverse of how appraisers analyzed the worth of homes previously. Whereas before they were accused of saying that homes were worth way more than they probably should have been, now they’re appraising many homes at lower rates than what the builders are trying to sell them for, based on neighborhoods. This is causing many deals that some home buyers have already agreed on to collapse because the deals were predicated on homes being of a higher worth than what appraisers have come back with.

What’s causing this? As home prices started to fall, especially with new homes, suddenly you had a staggered effect where some existing home owners, that didn’t have the benefit of getting their homes reappraised at lower rates, are still paying higher mortgages than what’s being offered to new home owners. Home builders are trying to say that the neighborhood has homes worth a certain amount based on what existing residents are paying, yet appraisers are taking a look at the overall area and appraising homes at drastically lower rates, sometimes as much as 50% lower than what someone else is already paying.

What this results in is either the home buyer backing out of the agreement, which is their right, and either working with a builder to renegotiate a rate or having the builders backing out entirely. Along with banks scrutinizing buyers more thoroughly, all of this is keeping home sales from a stronger recovery.

Beazer Homes, one of the top ten national home builders based in Atlanta, came out with a statement saying “appraisals continue to be negatively impacted by foreclosure comparables.” To counter that, the executive vice president of the American Bankers Association said “In a rapidly moving market, the appraisal process becomes more difficult. Home prices are still falling, and there’s a lot of people who can’t believe they’re that low.”

Either way, until all sides can get their act together, the housing industry will be held down and its affect on consumers will be negative.

Shea Homes announces that they will continue to build energy-efficient homes through a partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star® Program.

New energy-efficient homes provided by Shea are at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes currently built in accordance with the 2004 International Residential Building standards, and rumor has it that these new homes could be up to 30 percent more energy efficient.

Shea will be building Energy Star® Certified new homes in Peoria and Litchfield Park in the near future.

“Shea Homes continually strives to provide environmentally friendly options for our home buyers increasing the value of our homes, and reducing our reliance on the earth’s natural resources,” said Ken Peterson, vice president of sales and marketing for Shea.

Homebuyers can locate a Shea Home at around 30 new home communities located in and around the Metro-Phoenix area. Shea Homes in the Valley range between the $80s to the upper $500s.

See more:

Bizjournal.com – Shea Homes to roll out Energy Star brand

Shea Homes’ Communities

Defective Chinese Drywall

Lennar Corp, one of Florida’s largest single-family home builders, recently disclosed that they have been named in a class action lawsuit involving defective Chinese drywall, according to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings on Monday.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Two plaintiffs claim to have purchased new homes from Lennar with defective Chinese drywall, which apparently emits sulfur gases, fumes, and erodes air conditioning connectors.

Lennar Corp was one of the first large home builders to address the situation, and has been working with homeowners to replace the defective drywall. In Lennar’s SEC filings, the company has stated that a reserve fund account will be used to replace drywall imported from China and any additional costs will be covered by insurance.

Lennar is not the only builder to have been affected by the defective drywall. National builders and prominent Florida home builders have also constructed thousands of homes with Chinese drywall, including Meritage Homes, Standard Pacific, Ryland Homes, Transeastern, Taylor Morrison, and WCI.

Some analysts suggest that enough Chinese drywall was imported to construct over 100,000 homes. The states affected include Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia.

See more:

http://www.newhomessection.com/blog/chinese-drywall-suit-names-lennar-corp/2009/04/21/

http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2009/04/23/lawsuit-filed-south-florida-homebuilder-lennar-corporation_200904231163.html

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090423/ARTICLE/904231089/-1/NEWSSITEMAP

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo index of builder confidence stayed at 9 in December, according to the Washington-based association. A measure below 50 means most respondents accept conditions as poor.

While foreclosures continue to mount and continue to oversaturated real estate markets, builders’ are finding their profits are shrinking. Another issue is the lending standards that mortgage brokers have set, adding to the problem of getting home buyers approved, while further clogging the credit market.

Several economists and industry-experts have gone on the record with a similar message – that continued declines in prices will continue over the next 6-months. Stating that foreclosures are a main issue for preventing many builders’ ability to lower their inventories.

The median forecast of 36 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News predicted the builder confidence index would rise to 10 in December. The projections ranged between a decrease to 7 and a rise of 13. First published in January 1985, the gauge averaged 27 last year.

This survey asks that builders establish sales as “good,” “fair” or “poor” and to analyze prospective buyers’ traffic. In addition, the survey asks participating builders to approximate their position over the next six months.

Single-family home sales fell one point to 8, over November’s builders’ group index. The buyer traffic estimate remained at 7, while the evaluation of expected sales over the next two quarters has declined to 16, from 18 last month.

In December, confidence declined in two of the country’s four regions, with the major reductions occurring in the South, where the index dropped to 10 from 12 last month. In the Midwest, the measure also declined from 7 to 6 during the same period. The Northeast gauged remained steady at 11, while the West’s reading rose from 6 to 7 in November.

Sandy Dunn, chairman of the NAHB and a builder from Point Pleasant, West Virginia, said, “the crisis continues.” Dunn added that congress and the current administration should step in with with substantial incentives, aimed at bringing qualified buyers back to the table.

Victorville is in the Victor Valley of western San Bernardino County in the Mojave Desert of California. According to the 2000 census it has a population of 64,029. It has grown rapidly, however—the state of California estimates the population at 107,72 as of May 2008. Victorville is on historic Route 66 and is in fact the home of the Route 66 museum. There are many fascinating wilderness preserves in the Mojave Desert. Its dry, warm climate, natural beauty and romantic association with the historic Route 66 may make it the ideal place for you to build your dream home.

Home prices have plummeted, due to the tanking economy If you can afford to buy, however, this revaluation of property ensures that your property will almost certainly go up in value. Besides, if you need a house, and dream of building it yourself, no time is a bad time to build.

There are several advantages to buying a home now. For starters, building supplies are cheap. The cost of drywall has dropped 40 percent. Lumber has dropped too, somewhere in the range of 20 percent. With the falling land prices, its’ already looking like a bargain. The downturn in the economy has also affected labor rates, leaving many skilled tradesmen looking for an entrance into the labor market. Chances are the labor rates will be good. Before you build, you have to cost it out, and don’t forget to include the cost of the land prepping the lot (grading, utilities, etc.), the cost of a building permit, school fees and, of course, the house itself.

Seattle is the largest city, population-wise, in the state of Washington, and even the whole Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. Seattle is a port city, in the western part of the state of Washington between Puget Sound and an arm of the Pacific Ocean. It is very close to Canada,–approximately 96 miles south of the border. Seattle is a major economic, cultural and educational center for the region.

Seattle’s climate is mild; it is wet in winter and dry in summer, not unlike the Mediterranean. Temperature extremes are moderated by the adjacent Puget Sound, the Pacific Ocean, and nearby Lake Washington. The region is partially shielded from Pacific storms by the Olympic Mountains and from Arctic air by the Cascade Range. The only downside climate-wise is the city’s reputation for frequent rain.

Seattle is really a city of neighborhoods; it grew together out of a lot of smaller communities. Thus as cities go, it can provide the best of both worlds—small town living and big city living. It is a great city to build a home in. Once you’ve decided to build your home, you must find the right home site. Having done that, you have to cost it out, and don’t forget to include the cost of the land prepping the lot (grading, utilities, etc.), the cost of a building permit, school fees and, of course, the house itself.