Introducing the Sales Consultant in our Saginaw Springs community, Sonia Kinnard!
Author: carrie.davis
It’s safe to say, we couldn’t stop laughing once Sonia gave us the up close, and personal tour. She stepped into the shower and gave a little dance to show us how much room there was inside. Plus she shared everything she loves about this home and why she doesn’t see it staying on the market for long! Prepare to see this video on our website very soon!
Realtors to Follow on Social Media
Realtors to Follow on Social Media
Looking for realtors to follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook who bring their A game when it comes to social networking? These people and companies have lots to say with today’s audience and they all have their special way of communicating. Whether it’s by sharing helpful articles, home listings, or tips of where to go in your local area, they’re here to serve! We want to share our list of Realtors that we think you should follow (if you’re not already) on social media!
Realtor Pages to Follow on Facebook
#1 National Association of Realtors- Facebook page
I feel like it wouldn’t make sense if I didn’t mention this Facebook page; this is a public domain for all of the Realtors out there and it celebrates them simply by posting articles, funny memes, and exciting throwbacks from the home industry! This is the place to “like” and “follow” if you’re a realtor because you can to relate and gather info from the articles they post that could help you in the home buyer business. The Realtors page has something for every Realtor!
#2 Realtor.com- Facebook Page
If you liked the previous Realtor page, this is a Facebook page that all Realtors should follow. First, because it’s a domain where you can see all of the news and updates in the Realtor universe. Second, this is a great place to network with other Realtors. Lastly, you should follow this page because they post terrific articles about how to speed up home sales, how to close, DIY house decor, and economic stats in the housing market!
#3 Maria Zambrano- facebook Page
Maria’s Facebook page has distinguished itself through some very interactive features. She consistently posts new home listings, adds comments, re-tweets, shares DIY crafts for your home, and posts relevant stats in the housing market. Plus she posts articles about the local cities activities and restaurants to visit for other Realtors and customers looking at her page.
#4 bob Hardie- FACEBOOK Page
Good Ol’ Bob, his Facebook page covers every aspect of social media interaction from his helpful home repair articles, local places to travel, nearby spots to get some grub, and all around insightful posts. Bob knows what his audience wants to read, and he delivers with enthusiasm in every post! Plus he likes to travel and share his adventures with everyone, and we all know living vicariously through world travelers is always fun.
#5 danny Force- FACEBOOK Page
May I say, Danny has the coolest name, it sounds like a super hero “Danny Force” so that’s pretty awesome! In my opinion, that is reason enough to follow this guy, he’s also pretty original and up-to-date with today’s audience. He made a video of the “Appraisal Process” where he goes step-by-step and discusses the process of getting a home appraisal. This is a terrific way to communicate with your followers and the video gets the message out there in a direct way. He’s also made some other videos discussing the home buying process, here’s the link to his Youtube Channel!
Realtors to follow on Twitter
#1 Jennifer Kuhlman- @jenkuhlman
Jennifer’s twitter is a perfect example of somebody who stays in touch with her audience. She knows what homebuyers are looking for, and finds important articles to share that are helpful for mortgage owners and people looking in the market (like the ones she has already posted above)! She also posts stats every chance she gets because, as we know the home buying industry, it’s changing every day and Jennifer is helping us stay aware! Jennifer is currently a Realtor with Remax Synergy.
#2 Theo Holba– @theoholba
Where do we begin with Theo’s twitter? First of all, he posts motivational quotes quite often, which are great in the competitive world of sales. Also, has makes it fun by sharing unique vacation photos!
I believe in professionals working hard and playing hard and Theo is an excellent example of that. He knows real estate but likes to have fun and share it with his followers.
#3 Tony Deziel– @tony_deziel
Currently at 24.5k followers, Tony knows how to entertain on his online platform with lots of retweets of cooking recipes, interior design, distinguished home articles and more! Tony isn’t new to Twitter and definitely knows how to engage with his followers! To top it all off, he’s a musician as well as a successful Realtor with West View Properties! Here’s a link to his album on I-Tunes, https://itun.es/i6YH9h8 #iTunes
#4 Jean Clark- @JEClarkRealtor
Jean Clark owns her Twitter account by posting about her hardcore runs should be motivation enough to follow her. You can tell she’s goal oriented and working towards getting in shape! She’s also living a healthy lifestyle by clean eating so she posts pics of her garden and shares articles of healthy grocery stores to shop! Jean is currently a realtor at REMAX DFW Associates and is a major trend setter!
#5 Hannah Gigley- @HGigley
When I stumbled across Hannah’s twitter I was immediately drawn in by her eye catching profile cover photo, her market statistics to keep Realtors updated, and the articles she shares with terrific design tips! She also points out unique ways to decorate your bathroom, closet, and more! Hannah is a realtor but has incredible taste of how a home could look and loves to share her ideas with her followers. Hannah is currently a realtor with Luxury Homes.
Realtors to follow on Instagram
#1 Brosda and Bentley Realtors- @Brosda and Bentley
Wow! I have to say when I first looked at this account I didn’t know this was a Realty company! I was blown away by the artwork, colors and gorgeous floor plans! Many of their homes are off of the beach so you get to see beautiful landscapes outside the windows, plus they have completely luxurious and spacious kitchens! These are definitely dream homes, but it never hurts to dream!
#2 Ebby Halliday Realtors- @ebbyhalliday_realtors
I like it when you can look through a company’s social page and it tells a story. This Instagram account does just that by sharing throwback pictures of their owners. Not only does this present depth, but history is considered “vintage” by today’s market and it’s a sentimental and fun way to look at a company! I also like their “freshlistingfriday” videos, it’s a new home listing that the audience has come to expect and look forward to!
#3 Raleigh Realtors- @raleighrealtors
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again! I believe that the key to life and success is to work hard and play hard! Knowing how to lay back and have fun with your career is tough to do, and these Realtors know how to do just that. It looks like they sell their good share of homes, and they share it in a fun/creative way with the realtors holding a “SOLD” happy sign. Plus, you can tell that this group of people like to laugh by posting funny quotes and making “Anchor Man” references, which is great because Anchor Man rocks!
Chisholm Trail Ranch and a Cow Herding Palette
One of our upcoming neighborhoods is in South Fort Worth, right off the Chisholm Trail Parkway. If you are a Fort Worth native, you’ve heard of the Chisholm Trail all of your life. In elementary school, we took a field trip to the Stockyards and saw the old Swift Meat Packing plant falling into ruin. The magnificent decay continued to instill a sense of pride that our little town was once a hub for cattle on the Chisholm Trail.
From 1867 to 1884 the Chisholm Trail was the route taken by cowmen to bring their cattle north in order to supply beef to the Eastern United States. They drove cattle all the way from South Texas to Abilene, Kansas where there was a cattle shipping terminal to take the livestock East. Over five million cattle traveled this route during its use. It is considered the largest man made animal migration in history.
Since Fort Worth was the last stop for rest and supplies before moving north to Abilene, it quickly became known as Cowtown. In 1876 the railroad came to Fort Worth, making Cowtown the final destination for many cowmen on the Chisholm Trail. Their cattle and other livestock could now be shipped from Fort Worth rather than continuing to drive North risking further weight loss and, in turn, value per head. In 1900 both Armour & Co. and Swift & Co. began construction of meat packing plants adjacent to the stockyards and refrigerated cars began moving meat North and East. This had a huge impact on Cowtown economics. After opening their plants, Armour and Swift were responsible for bringing over six million dollars into the local economy. The rise and fall of this industry in Fort Worth lasted through the 1960’s. Armour closed their doors in 1962 and Swift followed suit in 1971.
In honor of this heritage, which has inspired the name of Chisholm Trail Ranch, I have created a palette based on Steve Devenyns’ beautiful painting In Good Hands. Although the cows in his paintings aren’t the archetypal longhorns associated with Cowtown, the setting and tone are what I imagine a moment in time on the trail would look like. When I was speaking with Steve about this painting he told me that he has “always portrayed the cowboy in my paintings as a good steward. This painting is a good example of that. In this painting, the horse, cattle and the land are all In Good Hands.” If you like this painting as much as I do, you can view and purchase his paintings and prints on his site.
-Carrie Davis
Sources:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ayc02
http://www.fortworthstockyards.org/history.aspx
http://texastimetravel.com/node/28751
Summer Creek South and Chisholm Trail Ranch- Coming Soon
Hi everybody, I hope your week has been as amazing as mine! I can’t believe April is over already! This may (no pun intended) just be me but it still feels like January. But since it is definitely May, I checked my calendar to make sure… I can share some of Antares fabulous news!
We have a bunch of new communities coming this summer, and we have two as of right now that have promo videos made to share!
First, without further ado… Here’s the promo for our Summer Creek South Phase 2 community coming soon!
Summer Creek South is South of of interstate 20 at the intersection of Summer Creek and Risinger Road. This community is BY APPOINTMENT ONLY, and it’s located minutes from shopping, entertainment, city parks, and the new Chisholm Trail Parkway.
Here’s the promo for our second community, Chisholm Trail Ranch!
We at Antares are very excited for this community as well, first because this is a brand new neighborhood and second, it’s near the new Chisholm Trail Parkway, on McPherson! This area is perfect because it gives you the advantage of living in a master planned community that will have it all! It has a country feel yet it has great amenities near by. There will be a neighborhood pool and cabana, parks and walking trails and a fishing pier. Right now homeowners can take advantage of the The Chisholm Trail Community Center which offers memberships. Viewing this neighborhood is BY APPOINTMENT ONLY as well.
As of right now, we plan to begin construction this summer. I’ll be sure to keep you guys updated on the progress of the neighborhoods as we go along and when we hope to have models built! But for now, enjoy these videos and be sure to talk to our sales consultants if you have any questions about our upcoming neighborhoods!
Summer Creek South: Sharon White 817-701-3010
Chisholm Trail Ranch: Monique Tinsley 817-701-3012
Until next time,
Alexa Katchinska
The Cookie Monster Bird and a Color Palette
Last week I was in a meeting in our conference room gazing out the window. (I was absolutely paying attention to the meeting, sheesh!) All of a sudden I saw a bird so distinctive that I couldn’t believe it was real.
This bird was blue. Not just any blue, Cookie Monster Blue. He had a head that looked like a cardinal. Cute and pointy. Like he’d had a really nice haricut to make himself handsome in that sloppy way that guys do which suggests that they just got out of bed looking like that. But, really, there’s lot’s of styling gel involved. Then the bird turned my way and I was further surprised to see that it looked like this bird put on fake eyelashes and a load of mascara. Those eyes popped! What in the world? Had I fallen asleep in my meeting? (still paying attention, I promise) What kind of bird could this be? A quick Google search turned up the Blue Grosbeak.
I’d never heard of this bird before, nor had I ever seen one in my life. I’m not an avid birdwatcher, but I do have a bird feeder in my front yard. My son and I do spend some time identifying the birds at the feeder whose names I can remember, but that’s not many. The Blue Grosbeak is migratory and nests in Southern States. They usually prefer to make their nests in brushy woodland edges, near streams. This is why I’ve never seen them. We don’t hang out in the same places.
I have a little bit of a color palette obsession. I’ve been collecting them on our Pinterest page recently and I can’t seem to stop. Our community Fannin Farms West has a lot of free roaming peacocks and for a quick minute I pinned all the pretty peacock inspired palettes. They are gorgeous and so rich. Well, since I’ve been introduced to the beautiful Blue Grosbeak, I decided I wanted to make a palette from his unique colors.
(Drumroll please)
By the way, Sherwin Williams has an amazing palette generator. Upload a photo and BAM! Paint!
-Carrie Davis
Antares Home Buyers Club Meeting
So, you’ve just purchased an Antares Home. You are about to build your dream. But, you’re also wondering what you just got yourself into. Well, don’t worry! We are here for you every step of the way!
We have a great program in place to help our buyer feel comfortable about the building process. Welcome to the Home Buyer’s Club! The Club has meetings twice a month to introduce our new home owners to our Warranty department and to learn about the steps of building a home. It also gives our buyers more of an inside look on “what to expect” and “what’s to come” before they design their home at the Selection Studio.
I decided to sit in on our Home Buyers Club meeting last Wednesday so I could fully understand how we help our buyers from start to finish. Here’s a behind-the-curtain-look!
Our Warranty Manager, Cecil Smith guides our customers through this meeting with his upbeat and charismatic personality (I promise you will not be bored with Cecil!) He knows everything there is to know about the home building process from beginning to end.
During this meeting Cecil will give you a brief history of Antares Homes and how we have advanced to where we are today. He will go step by step with you to share what’s to come in the following months. He discusses the stages of building the home from digging the plumbing and pouring a slab, framing the home and running the electrical lines to all of the tests and inspections your home must pass before you can move in. Since Cecil is the Warranty Manager, he also fills you in on your home warranty. He then explains how the Selection Studio process affects construction as well.
As you can see, this meeting serves so many purposes for our home buyers because this is a perfect way to meet other people just like you who have purchased a home from us. The benefit is that they may ask questions that you haven’t though of yet. Also, it’s a way to break the ice and learn how everything comes together! It’s like the first day of school, your teacher discusses everything to let you know what to expect and how to prepare!
-Alexa Katchinska
Dan Parrish, our Graduate Master Builder
Have you ever heard of a guy named, Dan Parrish? No, he’s not a celebrity or an athlete, but he is an unparalleled builder at Antares Homes, so this makes him pretty important! We used to have a saying that Antares Homes was really Dantares Homes!
Here at Antares we have a few diligent Master Builders who work around the clock to see our homes become a reality. Dan is one of two Graduate Master Builders currently building our homes and I want tell you a little bit more about him.
Dan Parrish has been a part of the Antares family for 15 years, just a few short years after Antares was founded by Ron Formby in 1998. He started his career in the warranty department and from there he moved to phase building which involved permitting, creating start memos, and pouring slabs.
After working behind the scenes, Dan became a builder for Antares. After a few years of excellent perfomance he entered his training to become a Master Builder. To receive his Graduate Master Builder certification, he had even more education from the NAHB.
Facts about Dan:
- Dan is a fantastic Karaoke singer.
- Dan loves to go on cruises.
- Dan’s dog is named Murphy and he is the cutest mutt ever.
- Dan loves to watch college baseball.
Today, Dan is currently building in our Meadow Creek Estates community in Glenn Heights, TX so feel free to stop by and say hello to him!
-Alexa Katchinska
Saginaw Springs in North Fort Worth
Picture this: You and your family driving around. You have the windows down, the wind is blowing through your hair and you’re searching for that perfect place to live.
You’re looking for that perfect neighborhood away from the hectic busyness of the city but close enough to shopping and entertainment. This place could be right under your nose and you don’t even know it. Have you heard of a neighborhood called Saginaw Springs?
Saginaw Springs is a small town northwest of Fort Worth, with an amenities center, community swimming pool, nearby parks with plenty of activities and top rated schools in the Fort Worth district. It’s also a hop skip and a jump from Lake Worth. This area is perfect for you and your family because it’s new and still growing but is only a 5 minute drive away from a Movie Theater and Retail Center at 820 and Jacksboro Highway.
Who knows? This could be the place you’ve been looking for all along!
Saginaw Springs Neighborhood Page
If you have any questions about our neighborhood or homes, feel free to contact Sonia Kinnard at 817-701-3013. She can help you and your family find the perfect place to call home.
-Alexa Katchinska
Our Energy Efficiency Promise
Have you ever thought about the cool air that runs through your home and wonder how it works? Especially in the summer when you need it most and in the winter when you need the heat? Up until a few weeks ago I hadn’t put much thought into it until I learned about our energy promise. Antares’ Energy Promise is Guaranteed Kilowatt per Hour of usage on Heating and Cooling costs for 2 years and it includes a “Quiet” Insulation Package with Cocoon Cellulose Insulation. To stand by our promise, every home is inspected twice for energy efficiency to make sure that we have the best insulation with our wall openings, joist seams or air ducts sealed tight. To be completely honest, I didn’t have the faintest idea of what air efficiency meant and why it’s so important to have it in every home. I knew that air efficiency was a hot topic and that’s it’s very important to our customers, but I wanted to know “why” and “how” it was so important. So I decided to take a look inside the process of what makes a home’s air circulate, and maybe then I would have a better understanding and appreciation for our energy efficiency promise that we’re well known for here at Antares.
First, I had to talk to an expert. Our director of purchasing Locke Lynch got me in touch with Eric Johnson who’s the managing director of Tex Energy Solutions and he explained energy efficiency in a way I could understand. He gave me an analogy that put things into perspective for me. He asked me to think of the human body and how every body part works as a machine to keep the body functioning. He compared the HVAC system to the heart because the heart is the main organ the makes your whole body function. The HVAC system works the same way in energy efficiency. A complete system can control air temperature, humidity, fresh air intake and maintain the quality of the air in your home. When you break HVAC down, the heat, ventilation, and air conditioning serve different purposes but are all operated by the system. When Eric began to break down the HVAC system for me, he described the condenser and evaporator coil, the condenser is an outdoor unit that brings in the air from the outside and moves to the evaporator coil. These two crucial pieces of the HVAC system work as the lungs in this analogy because they do the job of making sure that the heat or air conditioner are transported throughout the house just as your lungs transport air throughout your body to breathe.
Once energy was explained to me in a way I could understand, I asked Eric if he could describe our energy promise and what makes it stand out from other promises out there. Eric explained that first we use heat pumps that cool the house and secondly, we consistently have two energy inspections. The first inspection is for insulation by our third party when the house is in the framing stage and the second inspection is by the city right before the sheet rock phase.
When the house is finished and they have put in the ac units, they retest the house with a blower door test which measures how tight the house is and the ac units in conjunction with our insulation create efficiency. The polyseal (expanding foam) has to be inspected to make sure their air doesn’t exchange from in or outside the house. The cellulose we use is blown into the wall cavities, and it actually fills in the entire space. So there’s less air infiltration, which means it keeps air from going in and out of the house. In the windows, we use a double pane lowE glass which is a tinted glass that’s mounted in a vinyl frame. The vinyl doesn’t transmit heat and cold through the frame unlike aluminum which previously was an industry standard. Lastly our attic is insulated with spray applied cellulose which is used as a moisture retardant to prevent mold cultures.
It’s safe to say that we hold to our efficiency promise with every single house we build. I never realized what went into our efficiency promise and how our builders carefully construct every step to make sure the house is built tightly. I want to thank Eric Johnson for taking time out of his schedule to explain the technical aspects of our energy promise. I have seen the negative side of poor air infiltration at my mother’s old house when they had mold inside and why it’s very important to make sure the windows are framed correctly up to the attic insulation with sprayed cellulose. That’s why when I had heard of Antares energy promise I was intrigued to write about it and see how everything comes together. The sales consultants even explain the efficiency of the home with their insulation demonstration to confirm the air tightness. So if you ever want to see it, feel free to contact one of our sales offices. After all that’s said and done I can say that I’m amazed with all of the hard work and procedures that go into making sure our homes have heat and air circulating through by the switch on the thermostat!
Until next time,
Alexa Katchinska
Let’s start from the very beginning
Let’s start from the very beginning, which I’ve heard from Julie Andrews is a very good place to start.
Antares Homes will be starting a new blog told by me, Alexa Katchinska, the new Marketing Assistant at Antares Homes. My background actually began in the film industry, which eventually jump started my interest in marketing after my college internship with the Dallas Film Society. At this internship I was responsible for managing the sponsors and adding new ones for our 2014 event. I learned so much from this experience. I became very fascinated with the way people market their brands and make things happen that I became eager to learn more. After my internship I graduated from Tarrant County College and got my first entry level job at Studios 121. At Studios 121 I was the go-to girl, which meant I literally dabbled in everything, so at many points I created mass emails, designed templates, organized events, ordered supplies, printed logos, and updated the social media. I learned so much from this experience that I knew I was ready to dive into the exciting world of marketing, and that’s where I was fortunate to meet Antares Homes.
First, let me say that I am very excited to be working for this company. I had heard so many amazing things from so many people that I didn’t believe companies like this existed. Now that I’m working here, I can honestly say that this is a great place to be. Let me use the bicycle analogy for a second; every single employee plays a vital role in making sure that the wheels keep spinning and without one person the bicycle can slow to a crawl, or completely stop and tumble over. Cheesy analogy, but it’s so true here at Antares Homes. Everybody supports one another and has an important position to play in the home building business.
I have to admit that before I started with Antares Homes, I didn’t know everything that went into building houses. I thought it was as simple as picking what you want, having someone build it, paying the expense, calling a moving company to move your stuff, then getting to watch Netflix on your couch. When I began working at Antares, I realized that there is lot more that goes into finding the perfect home. My perspective is, your home is where your heart is, meaning that you would want to decide every little thing that goes into it before making it yours. This blog will be told from a person diving into the housing industry herself, so as you read every week you will be learning with me on the “do’s” and “don’ts” of home building or moving into your quick move in home.
I hope you’ll keep reading along with me on my exciting journey of learning the home building business!
Until next time,
Alexa Katchinska