The Housing Giants list ranks the nation’s top home builders and can be viewed at the Housing Zone website.

As you approach the home, you can’t help but notice the inviting two-story covered porch with arch top window.  The welcome continues in the two-story foyer with gleaming hardwood floors.  To one side is your private den.  To the other, a formal dining-room.  At the back of the home, the spacious kitchen/dinette includes a generous L-shaped run of granite counters with views overlooking your back yard.  A large walk-in pantry offers plenty of storage space and we’ve added a central snack bar for convenience. Sliding glass doors lead from the bayed dinette area out to the yard.

The adjacent two-story great room features a slanted ceiling with second floor overlook.  With its bright wall of windows, the home is flooded with natural light. A warming fireplace with custom surround provides a focal point for the room.

A large mudroom, separate laundry and guest powder room complete the first floor living space.   For your in-home comfort, air conditioning has been installed.  For convenience, the two-car garage includes additional storage space and remote door-opener.

Upstairs, the owner’s suite comprises a spacious bedroom with tray ceiling, walk-in closet and private bath with relaxing tub, separate shower unit and double sink vanity.  Three additional bedrooms share the main bath.

Now available for purchase, 143 Hazelwood Lane may be viewed Saturday and Sunday from 1pm – 4pm and by appointment.  Priced at only $307,900, this home is truly “move-in ready”.  For more information, or to arrange a private tour of the home, please call Stacey Spokane at 716.830.3113.

Oakwood Estates occupies a peaceful location, just moments from the Niagara River and the River Oaks Golf Club. To visit, take the I-190 N to Exit 19 (Whitehaven Rd).  Turn Left at E River Rd.  Turn Left at River Oaks Dr and then the second Right ontoHazelwood Lane.

For more information about Forbes Capretto custom-built homes in Western New York, please call 716.651.HOME or contact us online.

During an educational seminar at the 2012 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Jay McKenzie, vice president of Builder Digital Experience, LLC, offered a number of advantages of purchasing a brand new home, and hidden costs of foreclosed homes that buyers need to consider:

Many foreclosures are sold “as is” with no disclosure requirements. You could be surprised with major repair bills for issues such as foundation faults or other structural defects, mold, hidden water damage, unsafe wiring, rodent infestations and more. A foreclosed home that appears to have been renovated may not have been done so with the proper permits and inspections. A brand new home provides peace of mind for your family’s safety because it has passed inspections and conforms to current building codes. A new home is also under warranty and any issues that arise during the warranty term will be fixed at no cost to the home owner.

Note:  Homes built before 1978 are likely to contain lead paint and when children breathe or ingest lead dust they can become poisoned and get very sick. Eight ZIP codes within Erie County, NY have been designated by the NY State Department of Health as “Communities of Concern” meaning children are at high risk for lead poisoning. Many of these homes also contain asbestos and lead piping.

The United States Fire Administration and National Fire Protection Association report that Forty percent of all home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms, while 23% resulted from homes in which smoke alarms were present but did not operate. The death rate per 100 reported fires was twice as high in homes without a working smoke alarm as it was in home fires with this protection. Forbes Capretto homes contain hardwired smoke detectors to reduce the risk of such fatalities.

New homes can be personalized with appliances, cabinets, countertops, carpets, floor coverings, paint color and other design elements to meet your family’s needs and tastes. They also come designed for modern lifestyles, with open space floor plans, walk-in closets, creative storage solutions and conveniently-located laundry facilities. With a foreclosure, you’ll have to spend time and money to knock out walls, re-paint, and make other renovations to change the previous owner’s tastes to your own.

Newly built homes are highly energy-efficient, saving the buyer money and helping the environment. New windows, doors and insulation better control the home’s interior climate, and Energy Star-rated appliances and other modern components will help save costs on utility bills. With a foreclosure, if the appliances, water heater or HVAC are in working order, depending on their age, they may not be for long. And they certainly aren’t as energy-efficient as new ones.

According to the 2009 American Housing Survey, 26 percent of all home owners spent $100 or more a month for routine maintenance expenses, while only 11 percent of owners of newly constructed homes (less than four years old) spent this amount.

New homes come outfitted with the latest home automation and wiring components that provide state-of-the-art technology capabilities to accommodate modern home appliances and entertainment resources such as high-definition televisions, full-house sound systems, hard-wired fire and security alarms and more. Foreclosures probably don’t have updated wiring, and old wiring not only may not be able to handle modern resources—it may be unsafe and a fire hazard, and will cost a lot to update to current standards.

Financing a new home is easier than financing a foreclosed home. At Forbes Capretto, we can complete the closing quickly, unlike banks that may have a backlog of homes to process, which can take months or years.

Finally, the American Housing Survey found that more than 90 percent of owners of newly constructed homes ranked their neighborhoods as either a 9 or a 10, while only 65 percent of all home owners gave the same scores.

For More Information

If you would like to find out more about the benefits of New Home Ownership, please call one of our New Home Consultants at 716.651.HOME or contact us online.

We will be holding our next Home Building Seminar in the summer.  This is offered free of charge and provides attendees with insight into how the building process works and how to choose a new home builder.  Reserve your seat today!

Data from the 2009 American Housing Survey (AHS) offer proof. The AHS classifies new construction as homes no more than four years old.

For example, for routine maintenance expenses, 26% of all homeowners spent $100 or more a month on various upkeep costs. However, only 11% of owners of newly constructed homes spent this amount. In fact, 73% of new homeowners spent less than $25 a month on routine maintenance costs.

Similar findings are available for energy expenses. On a median per square foot basis, homeowners spent 78 cents per square foot per year on electricity. Owners of new homes spent 65 cents per square foot per year.

For homes with piped gas, homeowners spent on average 53 cents per square foot per year. Owners of new homes spent 38 cents per square foot per year.

These data highlight that a new home offers savings over the life of ownership due to reduced operating costs. This is one of the many reasons that the current system of appraisals needs updating to reflect the flow of benefits that come from features in a new home.

From the National Association of Home Builders “Eye on Housing“

Our Models will be closed April 7th and 8th but you can call 716.651.HOME to arrange a private viewing of any of our homes.

At just over 2,000 square feet, the Davenport is the smaller of the two homes.  The first floor features a formal dining room, located off the foyer.  The rear of the home comprises an open-plan great room and kitchen/dinette.  The great room boasts a bright wall of windows overlooking the back yard and fireplace with custom surround.  The kitchen includes an L-shaped run counters, large pantry and center island snack bar.   A mudroom and guest powder room complete the first floor.

Going up the side-turned staircase, you find the owner’s suite featuring a tray ceiling in the large bedroom.  A walk-in closet and private bath complete the suite.  Three additional bedrooms share the main bath and the laundry has been located on this level for convenience.

Also a four-bedroom home, the Devonshire offers just under 2,600 square feet of living space.  As with the Davenport, the rear of the first floor is devoted to the open great room leading to the kitchen/dinette.  A large center island offers plenty of space for meal prep and seating while dividing the kitchen and dinette spaces.  The formal dining-room is adjacent to the great room and, overlooking the front yard is a private den/home office.

Upstairs, a double door entry leads into the luxurious owner’s suite with raised ceiling.  To one side is a large walk-in closet.  To the other, a private spa bath complete with whirlpool tub, shower unit and double sink vanity.  Three large bedrooms, the main bath and separate laundry room complete the second floor.

As with all our floor plans, both the Davenport and the Devonshire can be fully customized to meet the buyer’s needs and wishes. Floor plans may be viewed at www.forbescapretto.com or call (716) 651.HOME for more details.

Other key findings include:

- 15% feel that home prices will go down in the next 12 months.  This is the lowest level since February 2011 and indicates that people feel the market is now reaching bottom.

- 35% think that the economy is on the right track, up 19 points since November 2011.

- Confidence about personal financial situations, household income and expenses is holding at steady levels.

The full survey results can be viewed on the Fannie Mae website.

Our speakers included:

- David Capretto, President of Forbes Capretto Homes

- Bonnie Clement, leading Broker Associate in Western New York for 13 years

- Ralph Basile, leading mortgage underwriter at First Niagara

- Mark Longo, Partner/President of Block & Longo, P.C.

Also  present were vendor representatives from Buffalo Granite, California Closets, Custom Applications, Dobkin Tile, Hunter Douglas, Kitchen Advantage, Pella Windows and York Wallcoverings.

Thank you to everyone that attended as well as our speakers and vendors.   We had a great evening and hope you also did.

We are already starting to plan our next seminar.  If you would like to attend, please sign up on our Seminar page and we will keep you updated on details.

In the meantime, here are a couple of clips from last night:

As we approach Spring, traditionally a time of new beginnings, we are pleased to introduce our new logo, which better reflects our strength as a builder and the quality of our homes.

We’d love to hear what you think about this change.  Leave us comments below.