Often when asked about home building vs. purchase and remodeling, I like to think about castles. In many parts of Europe, it's possible to buy a real castle! And, often, these amazing structures and properties can be had for the price of a 25 year old American vinyl sided colonial! But, it isn't the cost of the purchase that is the major hurdle, but the cost of fixing the … [Read more...] about It isn’t the Purchase Price, but the Cost of Ownership
Financing
Construction Lending 2014
I recently had a chance to talk to a reporter from the Wall Street Journal about construction lending to smaller builders. It's interesting for me to hear what's happening around the country and talking to Ken gave me a window on what's happening in other areas. In general, though, business post-recession hasn't returned to "normal" for custom builders-especially when it comes … [Read more...] about Construction Lending 2014
Buying a Home-Square Footage Matters
I came across an article in Bloomberg this morning about a lawsuit in CA in which a buyer claims that a Realtor inflated the square footage of a home that the buyer wound up buying. This is one of the oldest issues in real estate transactions- how big is the home? Different areas have different customs for what is included in these calculations. Here, in OH, it is customary to … [Read more...] about Buying a Home-Square Footage Matters
Prepping your Home for Your Vacation
Considering the time of year, I thought that this article would be helpful. And, yesterday, when I got word that one of our customers had their home broken into, it became more so. By the way, the alarm our customer had installed chased the would-be burglars away empty handed- of course, the damage they did breaking in will need to be fixed, but the event could have been much … [Read more...] about Prepping your Home for Your Vacation
Spring into action on Things You’ve Put Off
This spring we've had a flurry of calls all related to the same thing-things people have known about and wanted to change/fix/enhance are now at the top of their to-do list and it's time to get things done! Bathrooms, garages, basements, landscaping, walkways, driveways- all of these things (well, maybe not the bathrooms) are sort of the drudgery part of home maintenance. We … [Read more...] about Spring into action on Things You’ve Put Off