New Homes are Smart Homes

Friday, November 12

As technology advances it is slowly working itself into the home building industry. Consumers are demanding smart homes which they can control from their cell phones. Things such as the temperature of the home, the security system, lighting, media and just about any other thing you can imagine is just entering into the market at record pace. With that in mind, you as a new home buyer most keep in mind that one day you will have to sell the new home you are building today. You need to make sure that when it is time to sell your new home it is not to far out dated.

So what should you do?

1. Invest into a distribution box. A distribution box is just a way to organize of all the wires needed to have a high tech home. It organizes all in the inputs and outputs.
2. Wire your home with Cat5 wire. Cat 5 wire has come down dramatically in cost over the last year and is extremely necessary for keeping your home up to date in the future.
3. Wireless access point.  Find the highest point in your home to include a 110 plug and a plug to access the internet for a wireless access point. The fact is just about every thing is become wireless and having the access point will just keep you up to date.
4. Plan an area for your all your high tech media equipment. Whether your are into high media or not, chance are the next person you sell to will be. So plan the area where all these new high tech equipment need to go.
5. Think about a home theater room.  Home theater equipment is becoming more affordable to many people. As it becomes more affordable, more people are going to demand having an area to accommodate the equipment. So keep in mind an area that possible can be converted into a home theater room.

For those really high tech people, looking into a Q 5 system could be your ultimate dream come true.

Remember, greatness in is the details. It is those small details that will make the difference.

 Good luck building your new home.  If I can help you in anyway or answer question you may have about

·         building a new home

·         buying a new house

·         Selling your new home

·         Remodeling Your new home

Feel free to contact me. Thanks for visiting.

Custom Builders Vs Production Builders Who Is Better

Wednesday, November 10

Having been both type of home builders, I feel that I have the experience to be able to give you a non biases opinion on this topic. I believe I can give you the true benefits of both sides.

 When American Heartland Homes was at its peak, we where building over 150 homes per year. Before American Heartland decision to become a production type builder, we considered ourselves a Semi Custom Home Builder and where building 40 to 60 homes per year. Now with Live Well Custom Homes, I find myself wanting to build fewer homes but the ones I do build I want them to have them have more substance.

There is no right or wrong answer here. The two types of builders are extremely different from each other. The biggest reason for the difference is because they view the industry from different starting points. Both companies have advantages and disadvantages. It all depends what you are looking for in a home and what type of home buying experience that you are looking for. It is want you are looking for that is more important than what type of builder I should you choice.

So let me share with you my 32 years of personal experience on the topic of Production Builders VS Custom Builders.  Who is better?

Before we start, I believe I need to give you the Keys for success for each builder type.

For a Production Builder to be successful he or she must

1.      Developed a home plan that is accepted by the consumer.

2.      Create a set of features that he or she believes the consumer wants.

3.      Than create a process that will produces that same product over and over again

For a Custom Builder to be successful he or she must

1. Find a customer who wants a home built
2. Find a plan or design a plan that fits his or hers life style
3. Find a Lot or Land for the home
4. Design and build the home within the customer’s budget.

So now that you know the keys to success for each type of builder, it is easy to figure out their advantages and disadvantages

The Advantage of the Production Builders is going to build you a home that is going to

1. Cost you less money per square foot
2. Take less time to build
3. Take less of your time because he or she has made most of the decision for you and all you have to do is think about a few colors and placement of a couple items and that is your home.

The Disadvantage of the Production Builder is going to be

1. You  are buying the house he or she has designed  for you with no changes
2. Build it with the feature he or she wants  you to build with
3. You pick a lot that they own, so you are limited to where you are going to live.

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The Advantage of the Custom Home Builder are

1. He can give you more personal attention.
2. Get to know YOU and your family needs better.
3. Be more flexible with what type of home best fits you and where you want it.
4. Allow you to be more creative and allows you to personalize your home more toward your personality

The Disadvantage will be that

1. It will cost you more per square foot.
2. It will take more time to build.
3. It will take more of your time to make those decision necessary to make the home YOURS.

Now that you know what the advantage and disadvantage are, you should be able to make a more informed decision.

In summary, if all you want is a cheaper per square foot home,  and you really do not care about all those details . Than a Production Builder is who you want

But if you want more personal service, more creative control, and the ability to customize your home to your family’s needs?  Than a Custom Builder is the home builder you should be looking for. 

Look, both builders can be the right builder for you. It all depends on what is the most important to YOU.  Understand they strength and weakness and make a decision on which one is best for YOU.

But please do not make the mistake of expecting a builder to give you the best of both worlds because it can not happen. The cultural and the keys to they success restrict them from being both types of builders. 

Remember, greatness in is the details. It is those small details that will make the difference.

 Good luck building your new home.  If I can help you in anyway or answer question you may have about

·         building a new home

·         buying a new house

·         Selling your new home

·         Remodeling Your new home

Feel free to contact me. Thanks for visiting.

How to Start Designing that New Custom Homes

Saturday, November 06

 How to Start Designing that New Custom Homes

By Rick Merlini

Live Well Custom Homes

Birmingham, Michigan

Certified Professional Master Builder

2 Time ABC Extreme Makeover Home Edition Home Builder

Remember, greatness in is the details. It is those small details that will make the difference when building a new custom home.

 Good luck building your new home.  If I can help you in anyway or answer question you may have about

·         building a new home

·         buying a new house

·         Selling your new home

·         Remodeling Your new home

Feel free to contact me. Thanks for visiting.

http://livewellcustomhomes.com/

http://askrick.livewellcustomhomes.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqoYmYrOX5c

Buying A New Home? Before Signing Any Contract

Wednesday, November 03

2 Time ABC Extreme Makeover Home Edition Home Builder 

The most important thing to remember here is this- “Conflict occurs when expectation are not meet.”  Expectation can not be meet unless both have agreed upon what to expect. That is way you must have everything that you have discussed with the builder in writing.  Make the builder give you a rough schedule of what you can expect. I promise you that if a builder gives you everything you expected, you will most likely be happy.

 Here are some things you need (Expectations) to consider before signing any contract.

1. Has he furnished you with a complete set of plans, specifications, and a firm price for the home?
2. What happens in case of any misunderstanding?
3. What happens if you can’t close? Are there options or penalties.
4. What happens if you do not get what you thought you were getting? How does it get resolved?
5. What are the warranties? What can I expect to be covered and what is not covered?
6. Are there any additional costs to complete? Items such as appliances, window shades, landscaping, moving cost, decorating or any other cost you can think of must be considered.
7. When comparing proposals from different home builders, it is essential that you compare apples to apples. It is easy to lower the price by using lesser quality material, not including amenities, ceiling height differences, leaving soil problems open, and much more. You should carefully compare, item by item, what is being proposed. If there is a large variance between two builder's prices for a similar home the difference will almost always be the quality!

Remember, greatness in is the details. It is those small details that will make the difference.

 Good luck building your new home.  If I can help you in anyway or answer question you may have about

·         building a new home

·         buying a new house

·         Selling your new home

·         Remodeling Your new home

Feel free to contact me. Thanks for visiting.

http://livewellcustomhomes.com/

http://askrick.livewellcustomhomes.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqoYmYrOX5c

Lower Your Utilities Bills When Build a New Construction Home

Tuesday, November 02

Live Well Custom Homes

Birmingham, Michigan

Certified Professional Master Builder

2 Time ABC Extreme Makeover Home Edition Home Builder

            With energy cost soaring and incomes decreasing, we all need to learn how to save money. So, when planning to either purchase a new home for sale or when planning to build a new construction home, look for or plan for the following 10 strategies to help you reduce you utilities bills.

1.    Orientation of the home. How the home is orientate on the lot is probable the most single important factor when it comes to saving money on energy and the cost is FREE.  If the home is properly placed on a lot , it can take advantage of daylight and solar energy. Here in Birmingham Michigan , we have 8 months of heating and maybe 4 months of cooling. So here we are more concerned about using the solar energy to helps us heat instead of cooling . With that said here are the facts

a.    Southern exposure  has the most solar energy or light

b.    Western Exposure has the second most

c.    Eastern Exposure has the third most energy

d.    Northern Exposure has the least.

2.    Place Your Windows Appropriately.  Now that you know how to place the home on the lot , the second most important thing to plan for or look for is how and where should the windows be placed on the home. The right window placement will mean the difference between unwanted heat gains and lack of cooling and flattening light coming into a home.  Again the great thing about window placement is that it is FREE. So what you need to know is this

a.    Solar home are designed to face the south to take advantage of the solar energy, But you should plan for locating your southern windows under overhangs and roofs to block maximum direct light of the summer but take advantage of the warming winter sunlight which is lower in the winter.

b.    Plan for cross ventilation in all rooms if possible.

3.    Properly air seals the structure. To prevent unwanted heat loss or unwanted air infiltration , your builder should seal all areas that you can see light through. With the use of caulk and spray foam , your builder should have all joints seal to prevent air leakage. According to DOE’S Office of Energy , random air movement through out the building can account for 30%  of heating and cooling cost.

4.    Insulations is worth its expense.  Now that you have sealed your home properly, you need to insulate to take advantage of that good tight fit by using the proper amount of insulation. What you need to know is that insulation is measured in R-values. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation. Here in Birmingham Michigan I believe that a good builder should use at least an R-15 wall component and an R-38 in the ceiling areas.   Here are some facts you need to know about insulation

a.    Insulation does not stop air leakage

b.    Fiberglass insulation should cost you between 25 cents and 80 cents a square foot. Foam is 3 to 4 times that cost.

c.    The attic is a GREAT place to invest energy dollars. Why? Heat rises and you want to try to prevent it leaving through the attic.

d.    A good thing to know when you are purchasing a home that has been built for a while is to look at the insulation. Dirty insulation is a sign of air movement and  air penetration into a home.

5.    Install a properly sized efficient Furnace, Boiler or Cooling system.  In today’s environment you need your contractor to properly size your equipment. A furnace  that is to large will cost you money as while as a furnace sized to small. There need to being sized properly is very important. Other things to know is

a.    You furnace or any of you equipment needs to be at least 90% efficient.

b.    Standard today are a 13 seer air-condition is the minimum, you should look at the cost of a 15 seer unit.

6.    All Appliance need to have the Energy Star label before purchasing.  The Energy Star label is a certification that the appliance or light fixture is of good quality and is designed to save money while it is being used. So whether it is a Refrigerator or a light fixture, look for the Energy Star label.

If you have any other questions about buying homes, selling homes, building a new home or any new construction question here in or around Birmingham Michigan, feel free email me at rick@livewellcustomhomes.com  Thanks for visiting my blog.

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5 Tips on Selling Your Home In Today’s Markets

Tuesday, June 01

5 Tips on Selling Your Home In Today’s Markets

By Rick Merlini

Live Well Custom Homes

www.livewellcustom.com

            Today’s market is extremely challenging. The prices of homes have changed. The fact is, homes prices from 2005 to 2007 were not real prices. They where prices that were inflated by the real estate bubble we were in. So, what do I have to do to sell my home today?

1. Remove the emotional tie to your home.  Much harder to do than say. You must understand that if your house was worth $300,000 in 2005, it is not worth that  today AND is not likely to be worth that amount any time soon. So, coming to grips with that truth, is the first thing you must do.
2. To get people to come view your home, you must be priced VERY competitive. Look, in today’s market, buyers have thousands of choices. If you are not a good deal, they will not even come to view your home. If your home is listed and you don’t get traffic to view it, this a sure sign that you are over priced. You must reduce it.
3. When people come to view your home, they aren’t  looking for a reason to buy your home, instead they are looking for a reason NOT to buy your home.  Find a friend or realtor who will be very candid with you. Walk your home with him/her and ask them why they wouldn’t buy your home instead of why he/she would. Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes, not the seller’s shoe.
4. Once you get an understanding of why someone may not buy your home, over come they objection before it becomes an objection.   If your home needs repairs, paint,  new carpet,  or what ever your candid friend or realtor identified, make as many  changes or repairs before putting  your home up for sale instead of after. First impression is everything, so why not make a good one right off the bat.
5. If you truly want to sell your home, you must be flexible. In today’s market, almost everything is a moving target. You must move with the market and be flexible with everything. Whether it is price, terms, or repairs the buyer may want, if you want to sell your home, you must be flexible.