OWNING INSTEAD OF RENTING

My last reflection was about this being the best time to purchase a new home.  When you combine that and Rent VS Owning, it even gets better.  Look at this site and it is all you need to make the best case that owning a new home is much better than renting. 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/business/buy-rent-calculator.html

I have been saying owning is better than renting my entire working career, but now the New York Times has provided one of the best examples I have ever seen.  It is eye opening to see how much savings you can keep if you own instead of rent.  My favorite saying is “Renting is helping pay for someone else to Own what you are renting!”  Your apartment will never be paid off.  Why not take advantage of that today and start accumulating some savings and equity assets? 

There are many other Rent VS Own calculators on the internet and they all show the same results.  It has never been better to own than rent today.  At Antares Homes we have the best Sales Consultants in the market that can help you make the right choice for a new home and provide a lender that can help you obtain the financing needed to start saving instead of renting.

QR Codes are Cool!

I was introduced to QR codes a couple of days ago and ever since then, my mind has been reeling!  What exactly is a QR code you ask?  Well, it’s a barcode that is paired with an application for your smartphone.  You down load the app, I have been using ScanLife, and then when you see one of the codes that look like the one above, you start the app and point your phone’s camera at it and it scans it.  The code contains a link that the application recognizes and it loads a website on your phone’s browser.  Why is this a big deal?  Well, for people looking for new homes, it makes getting the details of a home you are sitting outside of a lot easier!  Imagine, driving through a neighborhood and stopping in front of a home you think looks nice on the outside and wondering if it has the four bedrooms you need.  All you do is scan the code on the sign and bam!  Now you know that this home has the fourth bedroom PLUS the game room you were hoping for at the price you want.  For us as a builder it makes it easier for our customers to find information about a neighborhood even if the Model Home has closed for the day.

These codes may revitalize print advertising in a huge way.  A couple of weeks ago we included a QR Code in our ad in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  The link associated with the code will load Antares Home Page.  Since a lot of businesses are focusing a lot of their advertising dollars on driving traffic to their websites, this will be an excellent tool used in a print campaign.  And we may see an uptick in print advertising across the board for companies using these codes.  Currently Tag Heuer is running a very large QR campaign and it seems like a lot of other businesses are finding different uses for them as well.  Starbucks is testing the codes for use in their pay by iPhone application! 

We are using the codes in our inventory flyers and I am working on putting them on our available signs.  I keep coming up with places to put the codes and I am ordering a t-shirt that says:

Have you read my Blog?     

Staining Your Fence

Brand New Fence!

It is soooo exciting to get your new house keys and begin moving all of your things into your brand new home!  Decorating and housewarming parties are all you can think of. 

But wait!  Don’t forget about your fence.  Unless you chose to upgrade to a stained fence at the Selection Studio you will need to stain your fence right away according to Cecil Smith, one of our Certified Graduate Builders.  He advises that you buy a high quality stain that will seal and protect for at least five years.  Behr has one that will last for ten years!  There seem to be many opinions on the internet as to when and how to stain a fence, but Cecil’s advice is the sooner the better!  Get to it! 

What do you do if you have lived in your home for awhile and haven’t stained it?  Well, it’s not that hard.  Take a survey of your fence and make any repairs that are needed such as replacing damaged boards.  Then use a mold and mildew stain remover and powerwash your fence.  Then use a wood prep after it dries.  Depending on the condition of your fence, you might just need a good powerwash and then a wood prep.  It is crucial to remove the mold, mildew or fungus before staining your fence.  Let the wood dry and stain on!

Could there be a better time to buy?

1100 Junegrass

In my 37 years of selling and building new homes, the answer to the question is absolutely now is the best time to buy. 

Why?  Let’s look at the reasons:

            1.  Lowest interest rates in history.  Never have interest rates for homes ever been this low.  They may never be this low again in our life time.

            2.  Lot prices are the lowest in 5 years.  After an 18 year increase in lot and home prices, now the prices for lots have come down below the cost to produce the lot.  When the market returns to normal, the price of lots will be twice the current cost.  Also, there are no new developments for lots due to lender not loaning money for development.  When the lots we have now are gone, it will increase the price of home dramatically if there are any lots to purchase. 

            3.  Profit margins on new homes are the lowest in 20 years.  Due to lower demand for housing since the tax credit expired, builders are offering homes at the lowest profit margins in 20 years.  It is a buyers market so take advantage of it.

            4.  Energy features in new homes are the highest ever.  This makes the total payments to own your new home the lowest ever.  Adding green energy features to our homes have made it easy to guarantee heating and cooling cost.

I have never seen the new home market this great for the buyer.  My advice would be to take advantage of this time and purchase a new home.

-Ron Formby

Caring for Your Countertops

Use this gem for your Granite!

 

Our Standard counter tops are Wilsonart Laminate.  These are wonderful because they are so durable and they come in so many beautiful colors.  We have over 20 colors in our Standard Options to choose from in our Selection Studio and our buyers really love the choices that we have.  But, how do you care for them?  Well, it’s really easy!  I visited the Wilsonart website to find out more.  Make sure to use a cutting board when chopping up foodstuffs since the surface can be marred by sharp objects.  Always use a mild cleanser like Windex.  Be careful to never clean with abrasive cleaning products and limit the use of bleach on the laminate counter tops.

We often have homeowners who choose the granite countertops as well.  I found a great website that sells granite care products!  We recommend that you use Bar Keeper’s Friend to clean the granite.  It is very important to seal it once a year since granite is a naturally porous stone.  Never stand on your granite since it is possible to crack it that way.

If you have a favorite cleaning product for your countertops please let us know!

Winterizing Your Home

Weep Holes-NEVER seal these up!

It’s that time of year again!  The heat has been turned down outside and your dog’s coat starts to thicken up and all of a sudden you can sleep with your windows open.  Most people start to think about winterizing their homes as the weather stops being brutal for a minute.  Since this is Central Texas and not the Midwest or any other clime which has snow for ages, winterizing here is a little less intensive.  The main areas to worry about are the places that cold air and rain can cause problems. 

  • You want to check around your doors and replace any weather stripping that is worn or has come loose. 
  • Check around your windows and caulk in spots where your caulking is damaged.  In a newer home, you may not need to do this for several years, but it is a good idea to check this every season. 
  • If you have a fireplace and it hasn’t been used since January, it is a good idea to call a chimney sweep in to inspect your chimney and remove any bird nests or other pests such as bees or wasps that may have decided your chimney is a great place to live. 
  • Be careful not to stack firewood against your home.  This can cause a couple of problems, one of which is giving termites access to your home and the other is excessive moisture against the slab and siding.  Also, rake and clear away any debris that has accumulated against the slab and siding over the summer months. 
  • Another thing to plan for is having an HVAC professional come to your home to inspect your unit and clean the ducts if necessary.  If you burn candles often or have pets living in the home you should change the filters every month even if you buy the three month filters.
  • Buy some rock salt and keep it in the garage for those surprise ice days.
  • Cut away tree branches that have grown up against your home.
  • Make sure your rain gutters are clear and downspouts have splash blocks positioned so that water is siphoned away from your slab.
  • Disconnect water hoses and, even though we have the frost proof hose bibs, I suggest installing an inexpensive insulated cover once the weather is threatening to freeze.

 

As you are inspecting the exterior of your home for things to seal up, make sure to NEVER seal up the weep holes in your brick.  Those spaces at the bottom of your brick area on top of the slab are there on purpose for drainage and you can void your brick warranty and other warranties on your new home if you seal them.  Any moisture that gets behind the brick needs a way out and that is provided by those weep holes.  Happy Winterizing and enjoy the cooler weather!