Maine Modular & Custom Home News

Let’s face it, with the stress and uncertainty we face each day just to get up, go to work and pay the bills, we all can use a little respite.  Where better to find a place of respite than within our own homes?  With a little planning you can create the perfect place for relaxation – a place you look forward to all day long – within the sanctuary of your own home.  Perhaps for you it would be a home spa.  Having some basic supplies on hand and paying attention to the mood setting ambiance that’s right for you, can change your bathroom into a personal haven.  Read these ideas at the www.relaxation-at-home.com website to get started today.  Spas are not the answer for everyone however.  At www.gmtoday.com you can read about making your walk-in closet into a personalized dressing room that transforms getting ready for your hectic day into a peaceful and calming experience.  If books are your highway to escape and respite, then what you need is your own book nook.  At www.typeamom.net it suggests that you find a comfortable corner and stake a claim to it.  Make this the perfect place to settle in with a cup of tea and a great novel.  Some people crave the sounds and smells of nature to find true relaxation.  At www.ezinearticles.com they give hints for creating a garden paradise with a soothing fountain.  If none of these ideas seem like the perfect at home get away for you, try reading Private Places by Judith Wilson to get some insight into making your home a true place of respite.  It doesn’t always take a lot of money to find place of comfort, just some creativity and a few small changes will make your life better.

Quality is a relevant term and should be treated as such.  All manufactured housing is subject to strict building codes which provide a minimum quality standard (minimum being the key word!)  Mobile homes are built to the HUD code, while modular homes are built to the BOCA code.  Researching the building codes will give you a fair understanding of the minimum quality you can expect when you buy a manufactured home.  All factory built homes are subject to these standards, however not all factory built homes are of the same quality.  HUD and BOCA codes were created to protect the consumer from shoddy craftsmanship.  Keep in mind that all factory built homes can be built to a much higher standard than the minimum.  The quality of your new home is entirely based on what is important to you.  Asking for your new home to be built to your standards assures you that your expectations of quality will be met.  At Schiavi Home Builders we go one step further by offering you the most qualified crew available in this area.  Our set crew, construction crew and quality assurance personnel make the process of delivering and readying your new home to move into a high priority.  We take care of everything so you can be certain the quality of the workmanship is top notch.

Think there is no good news in today’s economy?  Yes, times are tough.  Yes, the unemployment rate in Maine is 8.4%… but that means the employment rate is 91.6%.  Here are a few other positive notes about the market:

• 30 yr fixed mortgage rates continue to drop.
• Residential construction spending increased by 4.5% in April of 2010, bring it to the highest level in 15 months.
• The Northeast region saw a 66% increase in residential construction starts in April of 2010 compared to April of 2009.
• Maine’s Unemployment Rate in May (8%) is lower than the national rate (9.7%).  Maine has gained jobs 4 of the first 5 months of 2010.
• Compared Nationally, Maine has relatively low foreclosure rate.
• Oxford County, ME and Coos County, NH are in the middle 20% for Median Income Nationally.
• Cumberland, & York Counties, ME and Carroll County, NH are in the second highest 20% of Median Income Nationally.

Information found on these sites:

Reed Construction Data

NPR

Google and Yahoo! News

We just purchased a new 15-lite Exterior door, so I planned to write this blog about lock sets.  Why not choose a topic that will help me in my personal life?  Five minutes into my research, I stumbled across a blog about lock bumping.  Ever heard of that?  Me neither.  Fifteen minutes later, I know more than I want to, and I’m more than a little concerned!  Let’s just say, I will be choosing my new lockset with a bit more care.

Lock Bumping is a technique used to unlock locks with the use of a Bump Key.  Bump Keys can be used to unlock all brand names of lock sets and deadbolts.  Bump key kits/sets can be ordered thru various website that are easily accessible.  Along with the marketing of the tools, you can YouTube videos to learn the technique!

Here are a couple links that explain how lock bumping works and how to prevent it:

Lock Bumping – How to Protect Yourself.  By: LiveSafely

Lock Bumping | What is it & How to Prevent it.  By: Security World News

As I loaded my washing machine last weekend, a quick glance at the wallpaper border in the room got me thinking.  Many homes now have a “vintage washboard” as a decoration, but when did this tool go from being a tool to decoration?  This question started my research for this blog.  When did modern conveniences become the norm?

I will start with electricity as our conveniences require this utility.  When did electricity become a norm in American homes?  Ben Franklin may have been experimenting with electricity in the 1750’s, but it wasn’t until the mid 1930′s that electricity was a widespread utility.  President Roosevelt created the Rural Electrification Administration in 1935.  Even with the backing of FDR, many rural farming communities didn’t have electricity until the 1950’s!

The refrigerator is touted as the “most used modern convenience.”  Until the invention of the electric refrigerator in 1913, food storage was anything but convenient.  Many homes had small ice boxes that needed daily re-packing of ice to keep items cool.  Between 1915 and 1925, the refrigerator was sold as an add-on for homeowner’s current ice boxes.  In 1925 the complete unit became available for consumers.  It took 15 years for the fridge to become commonplace.

Back to my initial pondering, while the first electric washing machine was patented in 1908, less than 70% of homes had them until 1975.  Hard to believe that same year the microwave became a necessity in many kitchens, and had exceeded sales of gas stoves.  This accidental invention could be found in 60% of American homes in 1976.

Aren’t you glad you didn’t live in your grandmother’s era?

Nine out of ten homebuyers are going to need to finance at least a portion of their home.  So, of any blog topic I could choose to do, this blog is probably the most relevant.  This topic is also one of the most difficult to write, due to amount of information available.  Fixed, adjustable, balloon, interest only, FHA, VA, 50, 40, 30, 20, 15…… The options, and information available for each option is endless!  No wonder why people are confused and intimidated by the financing process.

During my research for this blog, I found an AMAZING website:  The Home Buying Institute.  This site is geared more toward buying an existing home as opposed to building a new home; however most of the information is still relevant.  Information about credit scores, interest rates, and real estate news.  The information is clear, concise, up to date, and free.  There are very few advertisements on the page (links from Google Ads).  The information I have reviewed is unbiased and factual.

Their page on Mortgage Types is the best I have been able to find.  I highly encourage you to visit this page (link below) for explanations of each type of mortgage.  Their information is better organized and more complete than I could ever hope to be on this topic, so I will defer to their expertise:

http://www.homebuyinginstitute.com/mortgagetypes.php

How much time do you spend on your landscaping each year?  How much time do you want to spend?  Between mowing, weeding, planting, watering and maintenance care, the typically homeowner spends hundreds of hours doing yard work.  While the creative side of landscaping ie: planting, can be relaxing and enjoyable; most of us find the aspect of maintenance tedious, and by the end of the season dread the chore.  Here are some basic tips to create low maintenance landscaping:

1. Plan ahead.  If you are just starting your yard, don’t just go out and by plants and seed; plan your yard.  Have a soil test done, not from one sample, but throughout your yard.  Group plants by their growing needs, soil type and sun exposure. 
2. Avoid sharp angles in your mowing area.  Use curved edges for flower beds and planting boxes for a more natural look and ease of mowing.
3. Mulch, Mulch, Mulch… it is a wonderful, versatile landscaping product.  Use it!  A thick layer of mulch will help hold weeds at bay, and protects soil from the drying rays of the sun; which means less watering.
4. Ornamental grasses and perennials tend to need less maintenance care than annuals.  Use annuals as colorful highlights and in pots, hangers and flowerboxes. 
5. Use a grass seed that has a high content of clover seed.  Clover is more resilient than many grass varieties.  It requires less water, and is more drought resistant.  Clover is short, which means less mowing.  It attracts beneficial insect and does not suffer from “dog spots.”  On top of this, clover is extremely soft.

Here are some links to articles with Low Maintenance Landscaping ideas:

Top 10 Tips for Low Maintenance Landscaping. from About.com

What is the most low-maintenance way to landscape? from HowStuffWorks.com

11 Ways to Save Water, Time and Money on Your Landscaping. from ThisOldHouse.com

Lawn-Less Yard Solutions. from ThisOldHouse.com

“The kitchen is the heart of the Home.”  This has been a catch phrase for years.  It is printed onto décor and embroidered on kitchen towels in kitchens around the world.  I have a new phrase “My kitchen is mission control.”  Whether I am doing homework with the kids, cooking a meal, paying bills, planning a family trip…. I’m in the kitchen.  Because so much happens in the kitchen, it is essential that I have an area to organize my life within the kitchen space.  Hence the Kitchen Office.

A kitchen office is a small space tucked into the kitchen design that allows you office space.  This space may only be a cabinet with a message board, charging station and bill basket tucked inside.  Or it could be a computer station with print drawer, mail slots and a filing cabinet.  It can be counter height, bar height, desk height, they even have standing workstations!  Kitchen offices can be designed into any kitchen to suit the needs of any family.  You know ‘It’s a good thing’ when Martha Stewart has one in her kitchen.

Kitchen Office in Martha Stewart's Home

Here are some links to get you started on your Kitchen Office:

Fit Functional Office Spaces in Kitchen   by HGTVPro.com

Kitchen Offices and Message Centers from 1001 Idead for Kitchen Organization by Joseph R. Provey

Kitchen Workstation Ideas by Better Homes and Gardens

In the housing market the appraised value of a home is the “line in the sand.”  If you are paying less for your home than the appraised value of the home, then you already have equity in your home.  If the appraised value of your home is lower than what you are paying for it, you have a problem.  Lending institutions will not loan more than the appraised value of a home.

Recently the appraisal process has under gone several changes due to the collapse of the mortgage industry.  Because of these changes, low appraisals have become more and more common.  We had a home appraisal come in lower than our cost to build the home!  How is this possible?  The biggest hurdle we face as a general contractor during the appraisal process is the comps (comparables).  To help determine the value of a home, appraisers look at local sales of similar homes.  There is a good chance the appraised value of your home will be based indirectly on the sale of a foreclosed or short sale home.

So, what can we do to justify the price of the home and ensure the appraised value of your new home is adequate to help you get financing?  Speak with the appraiser.  Banks are no longer allowed to have any relationship with the appraisers, general contractors however can.  A lot of times, we will request that the appraiser come to our Sales Office.  By doing this, they can tour our models to evaluate the quality of our work.  We can discuss the specification of the building project.  Many times we will visit the site with them to point out any value adding details on the property.  After the appraisal, if it is still low, we can request a copy of it to review.  By pointing out anything they may have missed such as hardwood flooring, the appraisal may be adjusted.

Here are some links to help you better understand the appraisal process:

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/08/26/understanding-your-home-appraisal/

http://home.howstuffworks.com/real-estate/home-appraisals.htm This article is a bit older but has a lot of information.  This was written before changes were made to the appraisal process.  The article refer to the relationship between lending institutions and appraisal companies, this is no longer allowed.

This is a link to a USA Today article regarding the appraisal process and the debate about whether there is a problem or not:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2010-01-04-foreclosures-weigh-on-appraisals_N.htm?csp=obinsite

Question:  What happens if during the building of your new home, there is a fire?  You have closed on your construction loan and the bank has made several dispersement payments for the construction costs.  You now have a mortgage but no home, who covers the damages?

Answer:  Your Builder’s Risk Insurance Policy.

Most banks require that a Builder’s Risk policy be in place at the initial closing of a construction loan.  They want to ensure that their interests (the money loaned for the project) are insured in the event of a catastrophic loss during the construction of a new home.  Builder’s Risk Insurance is a physical damage policy that covers all phases of construction.  From the moment equipment arrives on site to occupancy of the home.  Some of the losses this insurance covers include theft and vandalism, water, fire and weather damage.  This coverage is for the interests of the General Contractor, sub-contractors, bank and homeowner.  Each policy is project specific and should be reviewed between the General Contractor and homeowner.

Does your G.C. have Builder’s Risk Insurance? 

For more information, check out these links:

http://buildersriskinsurancehelp.com/

http://www.ehow.com/how_2049312_prepare-builders-risk-insurance-checklist.html