Ron Lee Homes, a St. Tammany Parish builder which builds new, custom homes in the cities of Mandeville, Covington, Madisonville, and Abita Springs, has been consistently building what the industry terms “McMansions” on the Northshore of New Orleans for over10 years.  Now, a report has been released by the National Association of Home Builders that shows that the percentage of larger homes built since 2005 has significantly increased.

The AVERAGE size of new homes in 2013 is 2,600 square feet, which is up from the “housing bubble years” when it was 2,400 square feet.  Ron Lee homes builds many new homes which range from 3,200 – 6,000 square feet.  This group of homes, homes which are in the range of 4,000 square feet and up is called “mega homes.”  The percentage of mega homes built has increased almost 3% since 2005 – at 9%, up from 6.6%.   And, homes ranging in size from 3,000 – 4,000 square feet has increase from 15.6% in 2005 to 21.7% in 2013.

One factor which does affect and skew the statistics is the fact that first-time home buyers are having a difficult time qualifying for a new home.  Because of the Great Recession, students who graduated from college with an expectation of how the job market would assist them with future income found themselves without a entry-level career job and mountains of student loans.  During the Recession, the housing industry saw a huge increase of 20 – 30-year-old people moving back in with parents, friends, or relatives because of the lack of employment which would help them pay their bills.  So, with the lack of income, heightened debt, and many builders completely “stalling” on putting new inventory on the ground, the first-time housing market declined to 4% in 2013 compared to 9% in 2005.  A single-family, first-time home size is 1,400 square feet or less.

St. Tammany Parish’s population constitutes home buyers with a slightly higher-than-average income level, so the building of 3,000 – 4,000 square foot and “McMansions” trends normally in this area.  Even during the slower real estate years past, the business of building for Ron Lee Homes truly showed this trend with new and custom homes being built with more accessories as well as larger square footage.  For more information about building your new, custom home in St. Tammany Parish, Contact Ron Lee Homes at 985-626-7619 or E-mail Info@RonLeeHomes.com.

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At Ron Lee Homes, we will build you a new home or a new, custom home either on a subdivision lot or on your own lot.  Or, we can build your new home with a floorplan that you designed.  Or we can design your floorplan as well as build your new home from the ground up.  If you are interested in building the home of your dreams, but you don’t have a lot or a floorplan, national trends are starting to show that rural lots and developments will help new home buyers save money on the cost of the land on which they are planning to build their new homes.  These lots and neighborhoods are considered rural, but they still may be located very close to small retail shopping centers or even distributed between grocery stores and large shopping areas which may be as much as 5 – 10 miles away.

There are several subdivisions in St. Tammany Parish right now that have affordable lot costs, are located a little farther away, but are very close to shopping and dining on the I-12 Corridor.  These communities include the following: Bedico Creek Preserve (located off of Hwy. 1085 off of 1077), Maison du Lac (located off of Bootlegger Rd. off of Hwy. 21), TerraBella Village (also off of Bootlegger Rd. off of Hwy. 21), and Eagle Landing (located off north on 1077 above Madisonville).  All of these communities offer lots for sale as well as new homes for sale built buy quality builders in St. Tammany Parish.  Ron Lee Homes builds homes in Bedico Creek, Maison du Lac, and TerraBella Village.

Keep in mind that when you are purchasing a new lot, there are several requirements to consider:

1. Decide on the square footage of your new home, and if you do not already have a floorplan, make sure that your new home floorplan design will fit within those square footage requirements.
2. If you already have a floorplan designed, make sure the “footprint” of your floorplan will fit proportionately on the lot you are interested in buying.
3. If you don’t know how to fit a floorplan to your lot, consult with your builder to help you decide if the lot in which your are interested will be a good fit for your floorplan.

Ron Lee Homes has been in the home building business in St. Tammany Parish for over 20 years.  We have built “spec” homes (where the buyer can pick out carpet, tile, and cabinet colors), semi-custom homes (already designed floorplans with minimal changes by the home buyer), and fully custom homes.  We have built a portfolio of homes ranging in square footage from 1,800 – 10,000 square feet.  We are experts in determining how your home will be positioned on your lot.  We will even go through a detailed “sitewalk,” which includes marketing out the footprint of your home and choosing the trees that you want to keep – if you happen to have a lot with a lots of trees!

So, when you are ready to purchase your land, and you may consider buying a lot that is more rural, Ron Lee Homes can guide you every step of the way from your lot selection and floorplan design to the final home building process.  For More Information on buying a new homesite in St. Tammany Parish, Contact Us at 985-626-7619 or E-mail Info@RonLeeHomes.com.

 

Louisiana has, without a doubt, experienced one of the most bitter and unusual winters on record in this state.  On the Northshore alone, there 3 ice events with one actual hazardous ice storm.  Also, the season does not seem to want to let go with temperatures dropping into the 40’s every 10 – 12 days, as if to remind us that old man winter can exact his due until spring or summer officially takes over.  Because of these colder temperatures, homeowners in Southeast Louisiana who usually enjoy a practically maintenance-free winter on our fair shores, have had a wake-up call when it comes to wrapping pipes and letting the water drip – exactly how high do you turn the faucet on anyway?  With all of this in mine, below are some tips and tricks to check out around your home as the weather thaws, and things really start to warm up.

Inspect roof: Check your roof for loose, warped or missing shingles and make sure the chimney flashing and skylight seals are intact.

Clean and repair gutters: Clear winter storm debris, such as branches and pine cones that dropped from the trees during the ice storms, from gutters and downspouts and check that they are still securely attached to the house. Blocked or loose gutters can allow water into your home and damage trim.

Look for leaks: Common culprits for hard-to-find leaks are attics and crawl spaces, such as underneath a raised house. Inspect these areas, look under sinks for damage from frozen pipes and check your water heater for signs of corrosion.

Clear exterior drains: Remove leaves from underground or exterior drains to clear the way for spring showers and prevent backups.  With all of the precipitation that we had – whether frozen or rain – there may be clogs that are not normal around your ditches.

Inspect siding: Inspect siding for pieces that have come loose or popped because of the unseasonable cold weather.

Check window and door seals: Examine the exterior caulking on door and window seals to ensure it remains watertight.

Patch cracks: Patch cracks in concrete driveways, sidewalks and steps that may have appeared because of the ice.

Paint the exterior: Painting or touching up paint on the exterior of your home not only makes it look better, but will also help protect the home from the elements.  In Louisiana, it is recommended that if you don’t paint your home that you at least clean off the mildew and put a seal on the exterior to protect it from more mildew growing back quickly.

Inspect the HVAC: Hire a qualified technician to service your home’s HVAC system to make sure it is running properly before hot temperatures call for air conditioning. Now is also the time to replace your HVAC filters.

“Winter weather can damage homes in ways that aren’t easily visible,” said NAHB Remodelers Chair Paul Sullivan, CAPS, CGR, CGP, of Waterville Valley, N.H. “Home owners should protect their investment and hire a professional remodeler to repair or replace damaged components now, before spring storms create more problems.”

 

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With the advent of sophisticated, up-to-the-minute real estate websites, organizations such as the Federal Reserve, economists, and banks are utilizing every tool that they can find to be able to predict home selling and buying trends, in order to make the best

decisions that they can about housing stocks and housing portfolios.  Unlike the stock market which is closely governed by the Securities & Exchange Commission and has results that can be monitored and thus predicted, the housing market has been a volatile, if unpredictable commodity that has previously been separated out and graded by regional information across the United States.  Because Zillow and Trulia are able to instantly access a multitude of MLS (Multiple Listing Service) feeds – lines of coded information taking the latest updates of listings, sales, and updates to real estate listing which are being inputted by Realtors on an hourly basis – analysts are now able to collect data on a weekly and monthly basis in order to predict which markets are on the rise in real estate sales, which markets are stagnant, and which markets are falling.

One of the indicators which economists have been watching lately and producing papers on are the rise of home prices.  During 2013, home prices rose at dramatic paces through many months of the year, breaking records that pre-dated the Great Recession.

These home prices seemed to be rising so fast that economists became worried that they would create another housing bubble and dump the United States into yet another Recession once they reached unsustainable highs.  In other words, the housing market would “price itself out of the real estate market.”  However, at the end of 2013, housing prices leveled off and had only moderate spikes in most major markets.  Interest in predicting the housing market came through the close scrutiny of this process throughout 2013 when economists and analysts starting piecing together the data from Realtor websites as well as national websites such as Zillow and Trulia.

Prediction of home sales are based on some tried and true, simple methods such as supply and demand.  Many houses on the market for a higher price won’t sell, therefore, sellers will drop their prices in order to move houses.  So, too much supply will lower the cost of houses.  If there are few homes on the market, and it is a seller’s market (which it seemed to be during 2013), then the seller can name their price.  New Orleans, Louisiana is still currently experiencing a seller’s market in certain neighborhoods downtown.  The Garden District, Uptown, and Mid-City are all seeing homes go on the market, and within 24 hours, a home will have bids going among 5 different interested parties.  Realtors in these Greater New Orleans areas are also contacting homeowners who do not have their homes for sale to ask them if they would be interested in selling their home because they have run out of locations to sell their clients.  These pockets of demand seem to be popping up all over the United States as the once stagnant real estate market is once again, picking up speed.  In New Orleans, this trend is because of the increase of available jobs in the Central Business District which is seeing an increase of out-of-state employees coming to New Orleans to work in the tech and film industries.

Even though the housing market has been predicted on a broad scale before, there are still many investors and participants in the stock market who have “bet on housing stocks.”  Therefore, this influx of detailed and timely data has been a boon for those that are heavily vested in the real estate market, especially on Wall Street.

 

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The term “DIY” is thrown around a lot in today’s media.  Many people who are “in the business” know that this term means Do It Yourself, and they spend hours doing just that with practically every project around their home.  Sometimes this work is done to enhance the appearance of a home, garden, shop, or public area.  Many times, Do It Yourselfers are taking on the work themselves in order to produce affordable results which will help them sell their home.

In order to provide some helpful tips to those new home buyers who are looking to purchase a new inventory home or to build a custom home of their dreams, but they are unable to get started because they still have a home to sell; we are Ron Lee Homes would like to give some tips and tricks on how to use DIY tactics to spruce up your home to increase its value and get it ready to sell.  So, here goes, our list of DIY tips for the kitchen:

1. Apply Some Love to Your Appliances: When selling your home, think about all of the effort that you put into creating the perfect kitchen, whether you use it for catering and entertaining friends, or if it’s the heart of your family’s activities and milestones.  You may have installed specialty appliances, such as stainless steel appliances, upgraded gas appliances, or even a Viking kitchen setup.  You probably spent a lot of time and effort buying the perfect refrigerator to match your kitchen’s theme in order to blend in, as well as to offer the most square footage for cool storage and freezing as possible.  It is very important not to neglect your appliances.  One of the things that will make your home show well in order to sell is to thoroughly clean all of your appliances, both inside and out.  You should also consider completely defrosting your refrigerator and freezer, cleaning your fans, checking for cracks or leaks in either your collecting cup or an evaporating pan (dependent on the model), and if necessary replace the water filters in your refrigerator as well as your iceline.  Special cleaners are sold for stainless steel appliances.  If you are trying to sell your home, it is important to spend a little bit extra to get these specialty cleaners in order to make your appliances shine like new.

2. Clean From Top to Bottom: While spending a lot of time and focus on the actual appliances in your kitchen, don’t neglect the one item that will filter out all of your excess steam, smoke, and smell from your kitchen while you cook – your vent hood.  You may not realize it, but your vent hood collects a significant amount of grease while it is essentially filtering the air in your kitchen.  You should take special care to thoroughly clean all surfaces of your vent hood. The next part to check the type of vented hood that you have.  More modern kitchens utilize a ductless cooktop vent hood which uses a carbon charcoal filter to recirculate and clean the air along the way.  Make sure to replace this filter every 6 months if your kitchen has one of these vent hoods.

3. Gas Ovens Produce…Gas: Believe it or not, it’s important to pay close attention to your gas appliances if you cook with gas, which can be preferable for medium to high-capacity cooks and chefs.  While your stovetop may adjust your temperature perfectly for thickening your sauces or creating the perfect roux, your gas oven may not be as forgiving of drippings that may come off of the many delectable casseroles and souffles that you cook in your oven.  The more drippings that are burned off in high temperatures in your gas oven, the more carbon monoxide is produced.  Many experts recommend installing a carbon monoxide detector in the room adjacent to your kitchen (if you use a gas oven) in order to detect an unsafe production of carbon monoxide from your oven.  By acting as a responsible homeowner, you will not only have a clean oven to show potential buyers, and you will also let them know that you are keeping your home safe and maintained from harmful gas exposure.

4. Protect Your Surfaces: The surface on which you cook is the most highly used and important part of your kitchen.  These surfaces are where you set your groceries, fix sandwiches, roll out dough, cut and prep meat and vegetables, and visit with your friend when you are having a glass of wine and a long visit.  Most people worry constantly about keeping their countertops germ-free, but whey they  may miss is that these surfaces must be kept sealed and protected in order to make them last.  Even though your builder may have explained that the countertops installed were granite countertops, there are many different types of granite countertops, so be sure to check your documentation, or if applicable, your warranty, to check to see the type of maintenance and sealing time periods are recommended in order to maintain the appearance and quality of your countertops.  Different countertop styles require different maintenance.  For marble countertops, you may want to seal them if you use a lot of acidic food because the acid mars the marble.  For soapstone or butcher block countertops, these must be sealed with oil.  While you can’t seal solid-surface (Corian or plastic top) countertops, you can “repair” them from slices or scratches by using a jeweler’s emery pad to rub out these scratches.  However you decide to take care of your countertops, or how often you decide to seal them will decide if your kitchen will show well when or if you decide to sell your home.

5. Kill the Mildew! Louisiana homeowners are no strangers to mildew, as for many, it is a constant fight to keep the mildew from creeping into the house.  However, there are some simple ways to ensure that your kitchen sink or sinks don’t first of all grow mildew, or if they already have, how to clean them so that your kitchen does not show any mildew damage.  The most important part of your kitchen sink is how the sink is sealed to your countertops, the backsplash, or the wall.  The caulking used to seal the sink keeps water from seeping into the cabinets below or into the sheetrock against the wall.  This water seepage and settling will grow mildew in a hurry if the caulking is not repaired or replaced.  If your caulking for your sink is gone, you can simply replace it.  However, we recommend to thoroughly clean around the entire area that will be caulked with a mildew remover in order to completely kill the mildew before you reseal your sink.  Once you have cleaned off all of the mildew, then thoroughly seal the sink with the appropriate caulking.  It is very important not to remove caulking that does not have mildew damage and has not pulled away from the sink.  Caulking over this already existing caulk will only  make your seal stronger.

So, in addition to making your home’s kitchen show it’s very best, we have also given you some excellent tips to make sure that you have literally cleaned all parts, components, and appliances in your kitchen from the inside out.  So, even if your home does not sell immediately, you will still enjoy the fruits of your labor by have a perfectly clean and safe kitchen.

 

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