New House Builder | How to Make Your Home a Smart Home

New House Builder | Everywhere you turn these days, you hear just how “smart” your home can be. In fact, 2016 is being hailed as the year that our homes truly enter the high-tech future, and all that talk about the “Internet of things” becomes more than just blather. Only what exactly does this all mean?

What are the new smart objects available for your home, and how will they all work together? For a glimpse at some of the cutting-edge highlights, check out these products below—some currently for sale, others soon to be released—that can make your house seem a whole lot savvier in the year ahead.

It’s good to be smart!

Home Building Trends | Saving Money on Your Home in 2016

 
Home Building Trends | It’s New Year’s resolution time—when we vow to drop 18.5 pounds, start training for a triathlon, cut back on sodium, and maybe even give up our crippling HGTV addiction. What’s that you say? You want to make a resolution you might actually keep?  OK, try this on for size: Resolve to save buckets of cash by making simple changes around home, sweet home.

Whether you live in a mansion or a condo, homes consume a ton of expensive energy—whether in the form of electricity, water, or gas. The good news? You can lower these bills—freeing up cash for all kinds of other pursuits such as that new kitchen reno you’ve been dreaming of or even a vacation far from home. What’s more, these changes are far from painstaking; some are as simple as switching your lightbulbs or tweaking the settings on appliances.

Collectively these tiny changes can add up to huge savings. Try a few or all to reap the benefits of a fatter bank account in 2016—and beyond.

Home Builder Jacksonville | Couch Jargon Explained!

Home Builder Jacksonville | Few pieces of furniture in your home carry more weight—figuratively or literally—than your couch. If life itself could be distilled into one massive, upholstered home furnishings item, it would be a sofa. So if you’re shopping for one, you’d better know your terminology.

There’s an entire universe of styles and options out there, and picking the perfect sofa is way more complicated than choosing between leather or fabric.

This installment: a comprehensive couch glossary so you can find the ideal fit for you.

New Home Communities | 6 Stellar Reasons to Buy a Home in 2016

New Home Communities | Is it really 2016 already?  For those of you who happen to be planning on buying a home in the new year—or even just trying to—there’s a whole lot to celebrate. Why? A variety of financial vectors have dovetailed to make this the perfect storm for home buyers to get out there and make an (winning) offer. Here are six home-buying reasons to be thankful while ringing in the new year:

Reason No. 1: Interest rates are still at record lows

Even though they may creep up at any moment, it’s nonetheless a fact that interest rates on home loans are at historic lows, with a 30-year fixed-rate home loan still hovering around 4%.

“Remember 18.5% in the ’80s?” asks Tom Postilio. “It is likely that we’ll never see interest rates this low again. So while prices are high in some markets, the savings in interest payments could easily amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of the mortgage.”

New House Builder | How to Pet-Proof Your Home

New House Builder | A pet makes a wonderful addition to any household. Cats and dogs mean furry snuggles and tons of comic relief; they can also teach us all a few things about unconditional love. Unfortunately, they also bring with them some less desirable traits: sloppy table manners, a propensity to break things, and truckloads of animal hair.

It’s true, pets can be messy. In fact, your beloved animals can actually ding the value of your property if you’re trying to sell by adding scratches to your doors and floors, funky, semipermanent smells, and other flaws that prospective buyers might just catch. However, there are precautions you can take to pet-proof your home so that their negative impact is greatly reduced.

Follow these tips to do dog-and-cat damage control.

Home Building Trends | Kitchen Features Explained

 Home Building Trends | No area of a house seems to hold a homeowner’s fascination like the kitchen: Hands and potholders down, it remains one of the top areas to renovate. But while home listings are filled with mentions of consumer faves such as granite countertops and Sub-Zero fridges to entice buyers, not all of the nifty features or workhorses of the kitchen are household names. Like, what the heck is  a toe kick, anyway? We’re here to help you figure it out!

Whether you’re looking to buy a home or renovate the one you already own, here are the essential kitchen features you’ll be glad to know by name.

Home Builder Jacksonville | Easy Home Decor Ideas Under $5

 

Home Builder Jacksonville | Decorating your home shouldn’t require cashing in a 401(k). In fact, many of the items you need to jazz up your oh-so-humble abode may already be in your home, or bought for a few bucks at your local yard sale. From there, all it takes is some creativity and a willingness to take a few risks, says Myquillyn Smith.

Here are a few of her budget-friendly ideas to get your own gears turning.

Fur-lined ottoman

Take one yard-sale ottoman, then add a swath of fake fur. Adhere them together with hot glue, and you’ve got one sassy footstool!

New Home Communities | Lighting Fixtures Explained

New Home Communities | Nothing lights up a home like, well, light! And whether you’re shopping listings or upgrading your current abode, you should know that there are a ton of options, and knowing your sconces from your pendants will help you mastermind the perfect lighting setup for every room in your home.

Running glossary of all the terms you need to know whether you’re buying, selling, or sprucing up your home.

This week, we’re tackling the burning topic of lighting. Check out these terms below to learn about the myriad ways you can shed light in your home. 

New House Builder | Affordable Alternatives to Ikea

 

New House Builder | Whether you’re desperately seeking a new couch, a rug, or even just a chrome-plated toilet brush holder, chances are pretty darn good that you have, at some point, headed to the nearest Ikea for your home furnishing needs. Like it or not, this Swedish furniture megachain has perfected the art of creating affordable, modern designs for the masses.

But maybe you’ve had one too many meltdowns trying to piece together your “flat pack” design. Or maybe your birch veneer Billy bookshelf spontaneously collapsed. Perhaps you’re tired of trudging through those meandering store paths to find one light bulb, or crave a different inexpensive aesthetic. Or maybe you just don’t like Swedish meatballs.

Whatever the reason for your Ikea fatigue, know that these days, there are plenty of alternatives out there—furniture and home decor outlets that are just as friendly on the wallet but also deliver style and quality without giving you an assembly migraine. So before setting out once again to the Big Blue, browse, click, and consider the following:

Home Building Trends | Ellen DeGeneres' Top Home Design Tips

 Home Building Trends | Who knew? Ellen DeGeneres isn’t just an affable talk-show host and beloved comedian. She’s also an extremely prolific home designer and house flipper, as shown in her new book, “Home.”

“I wanted to be an interior designer when I was 13,” DeGeneres admits in her book—which explains why, over the past 25 years, she has bought and renovated nearly a dozen homes. Each home was an adventure and an education, she recalls. Below, from her book, are a few lessons she’s learned, as well as gorgeous photos of her interiors that illustrate her points.

Neutral colors make the best palette

“I like neutral colors with stronger colors in art, pillows, or a nice throw. Big color statements on walls or furniture can be fun, but limit the possibility of changes.”

Home Builder Jacksonville | Conserve Energy and Save Money This Winter

 

Home Builder Jacksonville | With the temperatures dropping, you may be worried about a soon-to-come snowy commute or potential holiday season stress. No matter what is on your mind, before you know it, your winter energy bills will be pouring in. For many of us, these are higher than what we got in the summertime, throwing your monthly budget out of whack and even possibly putting you into debt.

Some of your energy use may be hard or even impossible to curb, but there are plenty of things you can do now to prepare your home for the cold weather. Your wallet will certainly thank you. Check out these tips to help you conserve energy and save money during the cold weather this year.

New Home Communities | Tackiest Home Decor Trends to Avoid

 

New Home Communities | Home decor trends may come and go, but certain fads … well, let’s just say we’re really, really glad they’re gone. In fact, we can’t imagine how they ever became a thing in the first place. For a horrifying walk down memory lane, through some of the worst home-decor trends of all time, check out these bad fads:

1. Plastic furniture covers

Designed to prevent food, drink or dirt from adhering to fancy upholstery, those thick layers of clear vinyl instead adhered to you—or at least to any exposed skin (don’t even think about sitting on that plastic-wrapped arm chair on a hot day). Plus, let’s be frank: Saran-wrapping your furniture is not a great look. It screams that you’ve got neatnik issues—and that you care more about your furniture than making guests comfortable.

New House Builder | Renovations That Add Value, But Also Increase Your Taxes

New House Builder | Homeowners aren’t usually thinking about their future tax bills when they embark on a remodeling project. But they’d be smart to at least give them a second thought. That’s because renovations can significantly raise a home’s value, which can increase the amount for which it is assessed. Assessed value is used to determine your property tax.

Home Building Trends | 10 Perfect Holiday Gifts for New Homeowners

 

Home Building Trends | When someone buys a new home, they barely know where to begin when it comes to stocking it with things they need—and now that there’s no landlord to take care of problems, they’ll probably need a lot. Plus, their budget is likely stretched tight. It’s a perfect gifting situation!

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, if you know anyone who might need some help on the home front, here’s a roundup of 10 of the best gifts we could find to fit their lists. Warning: Many of the items are so enticing, you might just need to pick up an extra for yourself—even if you’ve lived in your home for a while.

Home Builder Jacksonville | 9 Ways to Stay Warm Without Turning Up the Heat

 

Home Builder Jacksonville | The chill will be here before you know it—or, depending on where you’re reading this, it’s already arrived with a scary vengeance. Now you have three options: Crank up the thermostat, up your layering game (and risk looking like the Michelin man), or search for other types of home heating products to keep you and the family toasty.

Here’s the good news: There’s a slew of products that can warm your home in an array of astonishing ways, from heated rugs to countertops to driveways (no more shoveling snow!). Here’s a sampling of the innovative options.

New Home Communities | 6 DIY Tiling Mistakes

New Home Communities | Tiling seems like a simple (and maybe even fun) project for the newbie homeowner. With the help of some grout, rented tile saw, mortar, and spacers, you can have a gorgeous backsplash or entirely new flooring.

Easy, right?

Well, yes and no.

The actual act of laying tile isn’t terribly complicated, as long as you plan out the process and pay attention to the basics. But truth be told, there are lots of ways you could screw up your work—from selecting the tile to ignoring critical steps while prepping.

New House Builder | Buying and Selling a Home During the Holidays

 

New House Builder | When the end of the year rolls around, people’s minds tend to shift to gift giving, holiday parties and good food. Real estate? Not so much. But for buyers, this could be one of the best times of the year to get a good deal. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering buying and/or selling during the holidays.

Selling During the Holidays: Pros and Cons

For the most part, real estate agents recommend against selling your home during the holidays, and for one very good reason – demand is low. People are often traveling or spending time with loved ones, and not thinking about moving.

Home Building Trends | Set Up the Christmas Tree Without Destroying Your Home

 

Home Building Trends | OK, it’s officially time to set up the picture-perfect Christmas tree! But if the thought of wrestling a 7-foot-tall Norway spruce through the door, into a tree stand, and then decorating it to the nines sounds dicey, that’s because it is. One wrong move could wreak havoc on your home—and do serious damage to those warm and fuzzy holiday feels. So follow these Christmas tree setup tips so you can keep your home safe and yourself sane through this critical early stage of the holiday season.

Prepare the way

Before you set out to find this year’s tree, do yourself and your home a favor and take care of some small chores that will save you time and trouble later.

Home Builder Jacksonville | 5 Kitchen Design Trends That Buyers Hate

Home Builder Jacksonville | Serious home chefs, or just house-proud owners, might consider the kitchen their showstopper room—the one that will stop potential buyers dead in their tracks. And that’s why they add all the upgrades, accoutrements, and trendy new finishes they can possibly find. To some extent, they’re absolutely right—a great kitchen can make a buyer fall deeply in love.

But it doesn’t always work that way.

An inherent danger of taking a deep dive into modern design is accepting the harsh fact that today’s trends may be tomorrow’s “Oh, God, remember that?” fads such as fake brick or hideaway appliances. With the average kitchen remodel pushing $20,000, designing without foresight can be a costly and embarrassing mistake.

New Home Communities | Making Room for Extra Guests Over the Holidays

New Home Communities | Happy holidays to you and you … and you and … hey, just how many people are expecting to stay at your home this winter, anyway?

All kidding aside, hosting guests can be one of the highlights of the holiday season. But it can also be a monumental hassle. Like, where do you put them all?

Don’t let the lack of an official guest room turn you into a Grinch. All you need is a bit of creativity and some planning to keep the (freeloading) hordes happy and well-rested and to keep you reasonably sane during the process. Let us help!

New House Builder | 6 Ways to Supersize Your Small Kitchen for the Holidays

New House Builder | With Christmas around the corner, odds are you’ll soon be spending plenty of time in your kitchen. (Maybe even way more then you want!) Adding to the holiday stress levels: if your culinary workspace is tight, turning out meals for a crowd may be a real challenge, especially with more helpers (aka family members) around. Don’t panic! You still have time for some kitchen-organizing hacks that can bring some order to the chaos. Plus, you can get inspiration for how to maximize your small space for next year.

Home Building Trends | What Your Front Door Reveals About You?

 

Home Building Trends | Thinking about freshening up your front door? You probably know that it’s crucial to boosting your home’s value. But before you reach for the paint, know that your choice of color might tell perfect strangers quite a lot about who you are.

That’s according to an environmental psychologist. She took us on a tour of the color wheel to get her insights on what each shade might indicate about a homeowner’s characteristics. So in addition to deciding which shades work best with your exterior color palette, think about the statement you want your front door to make.

Home Builder Jacksonville | The Different Types of Residential Buildings

Home Builder Jacksonville | When deciding on the type of home you’d like to purchase, it’s important to know what’s available and envision how your lifestyle and needs might evolve in the next five to ten years.

There are several types of residential buildings to choose from. Below is a handy guide to the characteristics, benefits and drawbacks of each type of residential building.

New Home Communities | 4 Steps to Styling Your New Home

New Home Communities | One of the most exciting aspects of moving into your new house is making it feel like a home. Styling your interior so that it feels both comfortable and personal is an important step in the transition from house to home, but not everyone is blessed with an innate sense of style, nor the designer’s eye to pull it all together.  Here are the most crucial design tips to help you maximize the style and ambiance of your new home:

Get inspired, make a plan, then execute

I often see people do these steps backwards when it comes to decorating and then end up with a bunch of random pieces that don’t really work together. Unless you have the uncanny knack of “throwing together” the perfect eclectic room, it’s best to have a plan. Start by compiling interiors for inspiration. Shelter magazines are an obvious resource, but also movie sets, restaurants, art and fashion can be good sources. Once you have a general room style direction, you can drill down to each piece and find options you like. It helps to arrange these all in one place, like a bulletin board or a PowerPoint. The next step is to make a floor plan so you know what will fit in your space.