Maine Modular & Custom Home News

……like early robins and teeny shoots of green grass.

Ok, the positive indicators are anything but hearty but they are finally beginning to sprout.  Just like the feeble signs of spring in your yard….

The report last Tuesday from the National Association of Realtors showed an increase in sales of existing homes that took everyone by surprise.  It was the first increase since last July.  It wasn’t expected.  But it was welcome news.

Some of us are not completely surprised.  For months, we’ve been suggesting that now is a good time — in fact the best time in recent history — to buy or build a home.  Interest rates are down to historic lows.  Money is readily available for borrowers with strong credit history.  We’ve been busy planning homes for all sorts of savvy buyers.

It’s important to take note of these small meaningful changes.  They are precursors of other changes, and will eventually lead to an up-tick in the interest rates plus increases in prices.  Anyone sitting on the fence about building a new home in Maine would be wise to act before those adjustments are made.

It’s not unlike the change from winter to spring here in Maine.  Outside my office a flock of robins is foraging for worms in a driving snowstorm.  On a day like this, do you buy more rock salt or do you start thinking about getting your lawnmower serviced?

Spring, and a stronger housing market, is just a pendulum swing away.  Are you going to be the early bird or are you going to wait until everything feels safe and secure only to find the worms are too pricey for your budget?

Paula Mahony

The consumer is demanding it, and the manufacturers are producing it.  New ways of preserving wood that are chemical free have arrived.  The products will begin hitting the market this month.  The wood is ideal for building outdoor decks and furniture that is environmentally friendly.  Get more information on the Building Green website.

News has interesting side effects.  There was a lot of publicity recently about the closure of a modular home manufacturer here in Oxford.  The fact that we are located in Oxford seemed to confuse some people who thought it was Schiavi Home Builders that closed. Not true!

This confusion is the perfect opportunity to remind everyone that there are several different companies operating along Route 26 that specialize in some facet of modular construction — but we are all different companies with unique specialties.  At Schiavi Home Builders, we specialize in using modular construction technology to design and build homes in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.

The best way to really see the differences between Schiavi Home Builders and other modular companies is to visit us.  Plan now to stop by for our 2008 home show which takes place April 25th-27th.

Whether you visit next week or next month, you’ll see that Schiavi Home Builders is alive and well.  Actually we’re busier than ever because people are beginning to realize that this is a great time to build a new home.

Paula Mahony

We already knew that this is the best time to buy a new home.  That’s why we have advertised our lowest price guarantee.  Need more research to be convinced?  Read this article that appeared in Time Magazine in February.  Clearly the experts agree that buying a home is the most important investment you can make right now!  With all the confusing information coming at you…the best approach is: IGNORE THE HEADLINES.

Lowest price guarantee language catches MPBN attention!  Our new ad about our guaranteed lowest pricing has certainly generated a lot of attention.  We’ve had folks mention the ad when they come in to see us or call us on the phone.  We were a little surprised though when it caught the attention of Keith Shortall, News Director for WMPBN.  Maybe you heard the segment when it aired in late February.

Shortall asked Schiavi Home Builders’ owner Scott Stone about the credit crunch, the downturn in the housing market and whether or not it’s a good time to build a new home.  If you didn’t catch it on the air, you can hear it yourself by clicking on this link:

WMPBN Interview

Thanks to MPBN for authorizing this link.  For more information about out Lowest Price Guarantee, visit www.schiavihomes.com

Paula Mahony

What a winter!  The cost of heat is sky high, we are all wearing out snow shovels and there’s probably six weeks to go.  The season has changed conversations here at Schiavi Home Builders.  Almost everyone who comes through the door wants to know the best way to heat their new homes.

The Pellet Fuels Institute has a handy chart on their website that helps answer a lot of questions.  They allow you to insert prices of various fuels and if you do as I did, you will see a comparison to produce a million BTU’s that looks like this…

Electricity at $.15/KWH using a 100% efficient appliance costs $43.96

LP gas/propane at $2.95/gallon using a 78% efficient appliance costs $41.41

Oil at $3.30 a gallon using an 80% efficient appliance will cost $29.89

Wood pellets using an 80% efficient appliance will cost $17.15

Hardwood, dry, at $190 per cord, will cost $13.57

Under this scenario, it is tough to beat oil for price and convenience, but if you aren’t shy to work, old fashioned wood trumps them all.

 One of the things we try to consider is keeping the need for heat to a minimum.  Some of our homes come standard with R-25 walls and can be outfitted with R-60 ceilings.  Along with air exchangers, these homes often use a fraction of what their owners’ last homes used.  Built with a state of the art furnace, a new Schiavi home can help pay for itself in fuel savings.

Hank Emerson