Your local Builder Trade In Agent has a powerful new tool to help you design and visualize your new construction home!
See a kitchen you like in a model? You can now go online and design that kitchen with your preferences and see how it would look once it was built - cabinets, countertops, flooring, paint, trim, backsplash......There are thouands and thousands of potential combinations!
...Written by Blanche Evans
The Mortgage Bankers Association announced in late February that housing is poised for stronger growth in 2015. Yet mortgage interest rates remain low. Should you lock in a rate now or see what happens?
The New Home for 2015
Design trends in the new construction home market have been evolving over the last few years but some trends remain steadfast such as the demand for open living spaces which is expected to grow into the foreseeable future. But one of the most significant changes in new home design is that homes are actually getting smaller according to a survey by the NAHB. New single family homes are expected to be about 10 percent smaller in size with the average size to be approximately 2,152 square feet. The reasons for this dramatic change is that new home buyers are focusing on their finances and want lower heating and cooling costs. The baby boomer generation no longer requires huge amounts of space.
...If there was ever a time to applaud the government and FHA (Federal Housing Administration) it is now. After making record profits from the MIP insurance increases which nearly doubled, FHA decided to cut those fees by 50%. The change has not only increased the number of FHA originations but also increased the number of refinances, which increases bottom line profit.
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Evidence of an improving housing market continues to emerge. The number of applications for U.S. home mortgages is on the rise and data from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicates U.S. single-family home starts increased impressively in December 2014.
“The markets are improving at a consistent pace,” said NAHB Chairman Tom Woods, a home builder from Blue Springs, Mo. “A growing economy and rising consumer confidence should help drive the release of pent-up demand in 2015.” “The encouraging news is employment, where the number of metros that reached or surpassed their norms rose by 23 in a year,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.
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