New Home Source Blog

Checklist of Features to Request in Your New Home

An important part of buying a new home is making sure your home builder includes features that will make your life easier. As with most home infrastructure, it's much less expensive to install these features during construction than to add them later. There are hidden features that you might not have thought of but can transform a house into an automated "Smart Home."

• Communications: Given the amount of technology most homeowners use on a daily basis, it's critical that all rooms be wired for Internet access, phone, cable, satellite TV, and entertainment systems. You don’t really know how you might use certain rooms down the road, so it's better to be prepared and have the technology available everywhere in the house. Perhaps the next owner has advanced needs and having this capability will be a selling point. And don’t forget the outdoor spaces like porches, patios, and workshops where a lot of your time will be spent.
• Safety and Security: Security measures like smoke detectors, sensors, alarms, and even cameras are vitally important and can be centrally wired or set up to work wirelessly.
• Lighting: The lighting inside your new home and on the exterior can be automated to make your life easier and to make your home a safer place. Lights can be set to turn on at specified times and you can be alerted if lights were left on or came on at unexpected times.
• Comfort and Efficiency: In addition to saving on energy costs, automation of the heating and cooling systems in your new home will make your home more comfortable. A programmable system can regulate your indoor environment based on your schedule and habits. Save on energy costs by also scheduling the operation of systems like sprinklers and pool pumps.

Discuss these features with your builder before breaking ground. They'll add so much to your home, not just in efficiency, but in safety and comfort as well, and in many cases will pay for themselves.

Featured New Home City: Sacramento, CA

Sacramento, the bustling capitol of California, boasts previous mentions as one of the country's most livable cities and as Time Magazine's "most integrated" city in 2002. With over 400,000 residents, it's the cultural and economic core of the Sacramento Metropolitan Area.

The city of Sacramento is best known for its gold-rush history and has evolved considerably in recent years. It features two large universities; the UC Davis Medical Center; a thriving riverfront area with harbor; several notable museums, top restaurants, and nightlife spots; a number of theaters; more than 100 parks; and scenic trails by the American River Parkway.

Finding a new home in Sacramento is easy, particularly a new green home. Sacramento boasts many home builders that are partners with Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

One such builder, Lennar, features several homes in Cazadero II at Kavala Ranch. These homes are built using Lennar's solar program, which combines solar electric systems with today's most innovative and energy efficient building practices and products.

The Cazadero new-home community offers five unique floorplans, ranging from 1,463 to 2,779 square feet with 3 to 4 bedrooms and up to 3 baths. It's a short drive into downtown Sacramento, and South Lake Tahoe and San Francisco are both only a two-hour drive away.

New Home Red Tape Goes Green

As energy costs rise, California and various localities throughout the state are actively encouraging energy efficient construction through legislation. If you’re building a new green home, these new rules might save you some green as well.

Last year, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Monterey and other counties enacted new green building policies. These guidelines and others around the state either mandate increased energy efficiency or offer incentives for builders to go green. Studies prove that green buildings also benefit their new owners: New green homes not only save home owners money in energy costs, but have higher resale values, rental rates, and occupancy rates than their conventional counterparts.

Many new regulations utilize the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. These guidelines not only promote energy efficient construction practices, but also take into account factors such as proximity to public transportation, use of renewable energy, and the environmental impact of construction materials.

In localities mandating green building, only homes built after the enactment of green-building legislation are guaranteed to have these cost-saving features. In these tough economic times, going green with your new home is quickly becoming a win-win scenario.

If you have any questions regarding the impact of this legislation on you and your new home, please contact your builder or a real estate attorney in your city.

Powered by the Sun

Using the sun’s energy for power could soon become commonplace for new homeowners in Hawaii. According to a recent article in the Honolulu Advertiser, the island is on its way to becoming the first state in the U.S. to require that all new single-family homes come equipped with energy-saving solar water heaters beginning in 2010.

With the price of oil at more than $100/barrel, using the sun as a power source is also a powerful financial alternative: estimates report that electricity costs for an average new home could be cut by up to 35 percent, simply by using a solar water heater. Hawaii currently offers a solar energy tax credit for homes built before 2010; there's also a federal tax credit available.

In related news, a Roper survey found that nearly 90 percent of Americans think that solar electricity should be an option for all new home construction, with three-fourths of respondents saying that solar power is “more important than ever.”

Green Living is Easy in a New Home

New homes today are greener than ever - and that’s a big plus for homeowners.

Today’s new homes are considerably more energy-efficient than homes built even five years ago, largely because of higher-quality, higher-tech materials and good building science.

As a result, new homes are better at holding in hot and cool air in winter and summer, helping us save money all year long. Many builders are also offering low- or no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) options for paints, as well as cabinetry made without formaldehyde, helping us breathe easier and contributing to increased indoor air quality.

Starting a painting project soon? The National Association of Home Builders recommends choosing paints that have been independently certified as low- or zero-VOC. For example, Benjamin Moore’s EcoSpec line is certified by Green Seal (www.greenseal.org) and the Greenguard Environmental Institute (www.greenguard.org), nonprofits that test, certify and promote low-emitting interior products.

Is Bigger Really Better?

Homebuyers over the last 30 years seem to think so, with houses that have been "supersized" - just like expanding waistlines, fast food meals and gas-guzzling SUVs. The average home size in 1970 was 1,500 square feet. But, in 2003, just 22 percent of the new homes built were less than 1,600 square feet, with 41 percent of the new homes built were between 1,600 and 2,399 square feet, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Luxury Home Must-Haves Are "Stress-Free"

Making money is stressful, especially if you’re making a lot of it. So, it’s not surprising that today’s luxury home buyer’s “must-have” features encourage a stress-free and eco-friendly environment.

According to the American Society of Interior Designers, keeping up with the uber-rich Joneses means having heated bathroom floors for warm tootsies, state-of-the-art saunas, towel warmers, eco-friendly woods and non-toxic building materials, and technology that controls virtually everything in the house. What are YOUR must-have little luxuries? Let us know!

2008 Colors: Think Cool, Calm, Collected – and Home

Home is the inspiration in Benjamin Moore’s 2008 Color Trends Report, with colors meant to epitomize what it means to have a roof over our heads: comfort, sanctuary, security and personal style. Color experts at the company are calling the them e for 2008 “Returning Home.”

The colors are classified in three categories — Modern Tranquility, Organic Comforts and Pure Opulence – and they look just like they sound. Think monochromatic color palettes in light and dark heather grays, and soft neutrals; colors that are evocative of the natural world; and lighter versions of jewel tones with all the color and none of the brashness, like French blues and softer violets.

Design experts say that the easiest, most inexpensive way to spruce up a home is with paint. After all, if you don’t like the way it looks, you can just paint over it.

SOURCE: Benjamin Moore

Gadgets and New Homeowners

Hello Jetsons - Give us the gadgets!
Someday we’ll be able to push a button that will automatically whip up dinner and pour a glass of vintage Bordeaux at the same time. The truth is, we want technology in our homes that makes our lives easier – and builders are responding.

According to a Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) study that analyzes new homebuyers and their technology purchases, electronics manufacturers and retailers are expecting an eight percent increase in revenue. Our coolest must-haves include structured wiring, distributed audio, automatic lighting controls, broadband everything, and home automation and energy management systems – at every price point and with remotes that control it all.

"The connected home is no longer just for the rich and famous," said John Venator, president and CEO of the Computing Technology Industry Association. "We're seeing mass market acceptance and demand for advanced technologies in the home."

Bring it on. Instant Bordeaux can’t be far behind.

Design You New Home Online

The internet is changing the way new homes are designed and customized. A new product called Envision allows new home buyers to customize their new home on the internet. Envision allows buyers to browse thousands of options quickly and easily. Gone are the days of rushed design center appointments. With Envision you can view photos and videos of options, and then make your selections online.