Archive for October, 2010

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Preparing for an addition to your home

Friday, October 29th, 2010

Dreambuilder brings the same expertise to additions, renovations and remodeling projects as it does to its new custom home building projects.  Many families today are reinvesting in their current home, adding space and updating outmoded rooms.  Dreambuilder is here to make the process as easy as possible.  Our emphasis on forethought and planning allows you to know what to expect.  This also allows us to optimize the construction schedule so that the inconvenience of the project is minimized and takes as little time as possible.  Contact us today to find out more information about adding on to your home with Dreambuilder.

By Melissa Rayworth, The Associated Press

Ask William Carter about expanding your home and he’s going to be blunt: It will be expensive. It will be messy. And it will take time. 

“This is a very taxing process,” says Carter, who has renovated homes in California for three decades and is now board chairman of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. “You’re probably going to make 1,500 to 2,000 decisions before this project is completed.” 

But, he says, if you plan carefully and trust your instincts, you can “end up with a quality project and everyone will be friends afterwards.” 

(more…)

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Dreambuilder Four progress pictures: the latest now on Facebook

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

Dreambuilder Four Kitchen

A dozen new progress pictures are now available on Dreambuilder’s Facebook page.  The finishing trades are well underway with tile, cabinets and countertops now installed.  Click here to see them and all of the progress pictures to date. 

And don’t forget to become a fan!

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NAHB: Market Expected to Favor Smaller Homes Even After Recession’s End

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

Dreambuilder Seven

This article from the National Association of Homebuilders highlights current trends in homebuilding.  Driven by the current economy, it is no surprise that new homes are trending smaller and with fewer features.  This is all the more reason to build a custom home with Dreambuilder Custom Homes.  You have direct control over the costs of the house through its design, placing the square footage exactly where you want it.  Additionally, you make the choice to spend your money on the features that matter most to you, and not on ones that you don’t need or desire.  Check out Dreambuilder Seven as a great example of what the smaller custom home can look like, while retaining the luxury features you want in a custom home.

A new look at housing starts based on data from the Census Bureau finds that single-family homes in the U.S. continued to get smaller last year, and economists at NAHB suggest that the downward trend is likely to last beyond the end of the recession.

From a peak of 2,268 square feet in 2006, the median size of new single-family homes dropped consistently through last year, when the size was down to an even 2,100, according to a new special study by NAHB’s Housing Economics, “Characteristics of Single-Family Homes Started in 2009.”

(more…)

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New portfolio plan — Dreambuilder Seven — showcases the smaller custom home

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Dreambuilder has added a new portfolio plan to its Dream Home Gallery — Dreambuilder Seven.  At just under 1900 SF, Dreambuilder Seven exemplifies that custom homes can be created in a smaller footprint and still deliver the custom experience.

Best of all, the price of this new home, including luxury touches such as tile flooring, stainless appliances and energy efficient features, is about $200,000.

When most people think of custom homebuilding, they naturally think large, luxurious and expensive.  Small custom homebuilding is entirely possible, which addresses the ‘large’ and ‘expensive’ and brings the price down to the level of regular buyers — while retaining the luxury features found in beautiful homes.

You can view the new plan here, and for more information about the affordability of custom home building, see our Affordability page.

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Mortgage Rate Hits Record Low, 4.27%

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

By Matt Jarzemsky, Wall Street Journal

Average mortgage rates in the U.S. continued their fall in the past week, with the average rates on 30-year fixed and two other loans setting a record low, Freddie Mac said Thursday.

Rates have slumped for months because Treasury yields have slid amid to economic uncertainty and Federal Reserve rates that remain near zero. They resumed their retreat after increasing for a few weeks beginning at the end of August. Mortgage rates generally track the yields, which move inversely to Treasury prices.

Data suggesting inflation is “running at a tepid pace at best” have allowed “mortgage rates to ease to new or near record lows this week,” said Freddie Mac Chief Economist Frank Nothaft.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.27% for the week ended Thursday, down from the prior week’s 4.32% and 4.87% a year ago. Freddie has been tracking such rates since 1971.

The 15-year fixed mortgage averaged 3.72%, down from 3.75% the previous week and 4.33% in the like 2009 period. The latest week’s figure was the lowest since Freddie started tracking such loans in 1991.

Five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 3.47%, another low. They were down from the prior week’s 3.52% and 4.35% a year earlier. One-year Treasury-indexed adjustable rate mortgages were 3.4%, down from 3.48% on the week and 4.53% a year earlier.

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