Maine Modular & Custom Home News

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

With record low interest rates, tax credits, rock bottom prices on land and construction fees…. All you have to do is find an out of work builder to give you a lowball price and you’ll be in your new home in no time, right?  Better think again.

You know the time has come to make a change.  You know it’s a smart financial move to build your new home.  Yet, bad things happen, expecially to the uninformed.  That’s why you have to do your homework before you select a builder.  You can make a great choice, if you know the right questions to ask. Read the rest of this entry »

There is a lot of debate on whether it is a good or bad time to build a new home.  The answer is a resounding YES!  Now is a GREAT time to build a new home!

1. The General Contractors that have been able to weather the building market storm are financially strong and reputable contractors.  They are the contractors that are booked solid during strong building climates.  You can now work with the best in the industry for what you might have paid for the worst in the industry.
2. Over the past few years, mortgage rates sank to record lows.  While the rates are still low, they are slowly creeping up.  Now is the time to lock in your mortgage rate.  Don’t make the mistake of waiting for rates to drop, when trends show them to be on the rise.
3. Because the construction industry has been at historic lows, costs are low.  Many building materials are at their lowest prices in 5 years.  Labor costs are low because contractors are willing to work for a little less.  On top of this, employers have their pick of the best laborers due to lack of work available.
4. One of the most compelling reasons to build NOW, is that the economy is growing.  Slowly but surely the economy is getting stronger.  Given the information above, you can build your new home with a quality contractor, get a low mortgage rate and have value added to your home with great products.  As the economy grows, the equity in your new home will grow exponentially.

Is it a good time to build?  You decide.  Check out these articles, and do your own research.

http://www.eplans.com/house-plans/Now-Is-a-Great-Time-to-Build.hwx

http://www.davidrobertsbuilders.com/Great%20time%20to%20build.html

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1918174

I’ve known what the topic for the “F” Blog was going to be for several weeks now, but needed to do a bit of foot work before writing the blog.  Facebook has become an unexpected phenomenon that has completely revolutionized the idea of “staying in touch.”  It is now possible to “stay in touch” with family and friends in minutes each day with just a few keystrokes.  Facebook has grown so quickly that now businesses are jumping on board.  What better way to get up to date information to clients, new and old, than on a media they are already using.

Schiavi Home Builders created our Facebook page back in 2008.  Since then we have posted several times a year…..  We are obviously failing miserably at “staying in touch” via Facebook.  This needs to change.  I have spent the past week adding photos to our profile and updating the information.  I invite you to check out our Facebook profile, here is a link:   Schiavi Home Builders on Facebook.  Become a Schiavi Home Builders Fan and watch as we develop this new face of our business.

Do you use Facebook to stay up to date with businesses you are interested in?  If so, what information do you look forward to receiving through Facebook?

Why is it that when our home renovations are complete, we aren’t 100% happy with the results?  For some reason the reality of the room doesn’t always live up to our expectations.  I believe the reason for this is that we don’t “go for it” when we are picking out our paint colors.  We tend to tone down our choices for fear that what we really want to do will be too drastic, too bright, too dark, too vivid….  The “toos” go on and on.  And when the job is complete, we end up just short of what we really wanted.

After years of watching shows like “Trading Spaces” “While You Were Out” “Design on a Dime” and many others, I had learned that being afraid of color can limit your design options.  I knew that my husband would have a fit about what I wanted to do in our home, so I started redecorating during his deployment.  Boy, was I glad I did.  The color I picked for the ceiling and top half of the walls of our Living Room was called Baritone, it was a really deep purple.  The first coat looked like “Barney” purple!  But I didn’t stop, I had a picture in my mind and knew that if I changed anything, I wouldn’t get that picture.  Besides, I already had the paint, I might as well finish, and if I didn’t like the results I could always adjust afterwards.  I’m so glad I followed through.  The Living Room turned out beautifully as did the Dining Room that we did the following year. 

Visit Behr, Glidden, Benjamin Moore or any other paint manufacturer for ideas for your renovations.  Get inspired and go for the picture you have in your mind!

There have been attempts in the past to come up with a solar roof shingle and the efficiency has been limited. Dow is working with a Tuscon firm on a new thin photovoltaic film to put on roof shingles that has a higher rate of conversion to power than in the past. The ease of installation is a big plus for this form of solar power. You need to install roof shingles anyway, so installing a shingle that has a photovoltaic film and acts to capture the solar energy, eliminates the need to install solar panels over a regular roof shingle. The hope is that the new type of solar roof shingle will be ready to be distributed to the public in 2011. For the full details read the entire article here.

What’s that? It’s the newest in solar power where the conversion into electricity is immediate, as opposed to creating water power which then converts into electricity. The demand for this renewable energy systems is going up by 20-30% per year so they must be doing something right. If you would like to read additional information about photovoltaic systems click here on the free informational site Toolbase Services. They offer some great information that’s not boggled in technical details, plus additional links to get further information.

We all know what the buzz is these days…..saving on gas mileage. A lot more employers and employees are reaching agreements for one or more days of telecommuting. Once upon a time everyone always went into the office from 8am-5pm, but times are changing. With secure and fast internet connections, we can work from our computers at home. So, now we’re left figuring out how to incorporate a home office into a home that may not have space for one. I found that the website for My Home Ideas had some very creative thoughts on how to put an office space into places you never would have considered. They have ideas for the more traditional offices, also, and if you are building a new home don’t forget to incorporate some of these great ideas. If your boss has not agreed to let you stay home to work yet, it’s still great to have a space to become more organized in paying bills and keeping track of appointments. If you have the space ready for personal use, then when the boss does suggest telecommuting, you’ll be one step ahead!