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Posted on Mar 31, 2010 | Tagged in: events
Three Friendswood Development Company communities are among the newest to host open house weekends, where visitors can tour new and resale homes.
Lakes of Savannah, located just two miles from SH 288 in the Pearland area, Lakemont, located along the Westpark Tollway and Mason Road; and West Ranch located in the City of Friendswood - will all showcase a variety of new homes ready for move-in, decorated models and resale homes open with Realtors on site to answer questions.
The event, which began in another Friendswood Development Company community, Fairfield in northwest Houston, and has continued for years, is popular among residents and home shoppers because it gives them the opportunity to see the wide variety of homes available, talk to Realtors and new home sales professionals, and often talk to residents and find out why they are making these Friendswood Development Co. communities their home. Earlier this year, Friendswood Development Company’s north communities of Graystone Hills and Oakhurst at Kingwood joined in participating in open house events, and now its south and southwest communities will do the same.
“This is a great opportunity for home shoppers to really learn a lot about Lakes of Savannah, Lakemont or West Ranch,” said Misty Watkins, Marketing Director for Friendswood Development Company’s south division. “Now, visitors to these locations can preview the newest builders, sections and model homes now open.”
The open house event will take place on Saturday April 10 and Sunday April 11. New homes are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.Resale homes are open from 1- p.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday. Each community will have maps and information on all available homes and directions to new home sales offices.
Posted on Mar 31, 2010 | Tagged in: Houston , green
Preceding Lights Out Houston, scheduled for Friday April 23, 2010, the City of Houston is also encouraging residents and business owners to join an estimated 1 billion people across the world in turning off their lights and conserving energy for one hour on Saturday night, March 27, 2010, at 8:30 p.m. during Earth Hour 2010.
Although many Houstonians participate in recycling, and local companies, such as Friendswood Development who are now building Energy Star homes, it is exciting to think about the potential for mass conservation that can be accomplished by the coming together of individuals, companies and nations!
According to Green Houston, commercial building participation totaled over 111 million square feet, representing more than $67,580 in savings on their electrical bill for that weekend alone! It is estimated that in the downtown area alone if just 50% of the non-essential lights routinely left on overnight and on the weekends are shut off, 8.4 million kw-hours a year can be saved. That is equal to nearly $1 million annually; which is enough energy to power more than 600 Houston area homes for a year.
Posted on Mar 29, 2010 | Tagged in: Houston
Birthed from the accidental explosion of an unofficial image campaign, “Houston, It’s Worth It.” (HIWI) was created for the Greater Metroplex of Houston in 2004, and is now a wonderful place for Houstonians, potential transplants, and visitors to obtain a visual and emotional feel for our wonderful metropolitan City of Houston. In its first phase, HIWI created a website for locals to voice their opinions in the form of “Tell Us Why” allowing locals to share their emotions, and stories pertaining to why they loved Houston and are proud to call it “home”.
The responses were overwhelming, with “Good Food, Great Neighbors and It’s no Dallas” among the often repeated expressions. As a result of their unexpected success, the city proceeded with phase two and invited Houstonians to “Show Us Why”. Over 600 photos were received and exhibited at Houston Center for Photography, presenting multiple viewpoints of the city, including a great deal of humorous and unusual images and thoughts. A selection of those photos became “Houston. It's Worth It., The Book,” released in fall 2007. In September of 2009, one year after Hurricane Ike hit Houston, Galveston, and countless other communities in the Gulf Coast, HIWI published HIWI:Ike, The Book, a collection of photographs, blog entries, and stories reminisced by some of the people who lived through it.
March 20 & 21, 2010 - This weekend, Friendswood Development Company will host an open house even in three communities, offering visitors the opportunity to tour both new and resale homes.
Fairfield, Oakhurst at Kingwood and Graystone Hills in Conroe will have a variety of new homes open, with many ready for move-in, as well as resale homes open with Realtors on site to answer questions.
Residents, Realtors and shoppers have opportunities to tour new and resale homes and find out why many people are making these Friendswood Development Co. communities their home.
For years, the Open House weekend event has taken place in master-planned Fairfield and due to demand and response; the event now will be a regular occurrence in Oakhurst at Kingwood, offering direct access to U.S. 59; and in Graystone Hills, Conroe’s only master-planed community. “This is a great way for home shoppers to really learn a lot about the community,” said Christine Draughn, marketing director for Friendswood Development Co.’s north Houston communities.
The Open House event in both communities is the weekend of Jan. 16-17. Visitors can tour new decorated model homes, inventory homes and resale homes.
Posted on Mar 10, 2010 | Tagged in: tips , City of Friendswood
Each Spring, we move our clocks forward by one hour during the night in order to capture the convenience that extra light brings during the Spring and Summer seasons. Friendswood Development Company is reminding you to remember to do just that at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14.
Daylight Saving Time actually affects you in more ways than simply confusing your schedule. By making the adjustment, we are allowing ourselves to use less energy in lighting our homes. This energy-saving orientation was the original intent of the U.S. when Daylight Saving Time was instituted during World War I and later when the length of Daylight Saving Time was standardized in 1966.
Posted on Mar 9, 2010 | Tagged in: HAR , economy
Houston Business Journal reported in late February on the Houston Association of Realtors’ comments on the first month of 2010. Apparently sales of homes priced at $500,000 and higher displayed dramatic gains in January. In addition, the median price rose 11.9 percent, marking nine consecutive months of median price increases in the Houston area.
According to Margie Dorrance, HAR chair and principal at Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan, “Several overlapping factors influenced the Houston housing market as the new year began. These include both the first-time homebuyer tax credit and the expanded credit for existing homeowners, which may have prompted more listing activity. Strong sales activity in the higher-end single-family home segment also contributed to an overall higher average sales price for the Houston market.” Dorrance also noted HAR anticipates Houston pricing to reflect a robust real estate market as the tax credit deadline on April 30th approaches and the busy spring hom-buying season approaches.
Posted on Mar 4, 2010 | Tagged in: Village Builders
Village Builders, Houston’s Premier Luxury Homebuilder for more than 35 years, was recently awarded the 2009 Highest Ranking for Customer Satisfaction (in a tie) in the Houston area by leading global marketing information services company, J.D. Power and Associates.
J.D. Power and Associates quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. The New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study, now in its 13th year, includes satisfaction rankings for builders in 24 markets. The study reviews factors that drive overall customer satisfaction with home builders including workmanship/materials, builder’s warranty/customer service staff, price/value, builder’s sales staff, construction manager, home readiness, recreational facilities provided by the builder, builder’s design center and location.
“We are truly honored to receive this ranking,” states Cindy Hinson, Vice President of Operations for Village Builders. “It is our top priority to build our customers a home with the finest quality craftsmanship and luxury, and to provide superior customer service to all of our homebuyers and prospective buyers.”
For more than three decades, Village Builders has been committed to helping Houston homebuyers find the home of their dreams. Their consistent passion for perfection, cutting edge design and customer care has been a sign of success for thousands of Houston families. The Village Builders brand is synonymous with excellence and is founded on a tradition of quality craftsmanship and innovative design. Pride and high standards are reflected in each detail of a Village Builders home. Village Builders offers distinguished home collections at communities in the most desired locations in the Houston area, such as West Ranch, Graystone Hills, Fairfield and Oakhurst at Kingwood.
Find your new Village Builders home in Houston at VillageBuilders.com or call (866) 203-6386.
Posted on Mar 4, 2010 | Tagged in: education
Friendswood Development Company recently hosted and sponsored a Mandatory Continuing Education (MCE) class for Houston area Realtors at the Lodge in Heritage at Towne Lake – an active adult community designed for residents age 55 or Better.
More than 140 agents attended “The Investment Cycle, Buy, Manage and Sell,” taught by Dave Roedel, who is also the author of the course. Friendswood Development Company provided lunch and a gourmet coffee bar by Java Gypsy. The class fulfilled a part of the mandatory education credit hours required by Realtors each year.
A few lucky Realtors went home with door prizes, courtesy of Friendswood Development Company, a few of its builders and Caldwell Companies, developer of the Towne Lake master-planned community.
In addition to receiving required MCE credit, Realtors in attendance were given news and updates on Towne Lake and Heritage at Towne Lake as well as inventory and updates on Friendswood Development Company communities throughout the greater Houston area.
This was the first of a series of free MCE classes sponsored by Friendswood Development Company in Heritage at Towne Lake that are scheduled for this year. Classes planned will include Ethics, Legal Updates, and for the first time, The Active Adult Buyer. The free MCE classes sponsored by Friendswood Development Company will be held in the Lodge at Heritage at Towne Lake on April 16, June 18 and September 17.
In keeping with the festivities surrounding St. Patrick’s Day in March, Lennar and Village Builders are celebrating this lucky day with fabulous incentive opportunities all month long! Purchase a home in one of their more than 60 communities throughout the Houston area and receive a Lucky Day Scratch-Off Card! Each card will reveal one of three amazing incentives – a front-load washer and dryer, a sprinkler system or custom garage floor coating. Village Builders is also offering additional incentives this month including free Design Studio options up to $50,000 off.
Additionally, by visiting Lennar Houston on Facebook, individuals have the opportunity to become a fan and enter the Lucky Day Ireland Giveaway for a chance to win a trip for two to Ireland. Become a fan today!
Plus, time is running out to take advantage of the historic government homebuyer tax credit opportunities. New homes must be purchased by April 30, 2010 to qualify for a tax credit. If you haven’t owned a home in the last three years you may qualify to receive a first-time homebuyers tax credit of up to $8,000. Current homeowners may also qualify to receive up to a $6,500 tax credit. To qualify for the $6,500 tax credit, prospective homebuyer must have owned and resided in a home for any five consecutive year period during the last 8 years prior to the purchase of a new home. These tax credits are not loans, but prospective buyers need to act now, as this is one opportunity you don’t want to miss.
Lennar is one of the nation’s leading home builders with more than 55 years of experience building homes and communities all across the country. Lennar offers a variety of homes to meet any prospective homebuyer’s unique home ownership needs.
Village Builders a part of the Lennar Family of Builders, has enjoyed the distinction of being Houston’s luxury builder for more than 3 decades. The Village Builders brand is synonymous with excellence and is founded on a tradition of quality craftsmanship and innovative design. Recently, Village Builders was awarded the 2009 Highest Ranking for Customer Satisfaction (in a tie) in the Houston area by leading global marketing information services company, J.D. Power and Associates.
Posted on Mar 1, 2010 | Tagged in: events
Friday, February 26th marked the opening of the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s newest exhibition – Magic! This show examines how science and magic are intertwined, tapping into the universal desire to understand the “how” behind this ancient form of entertainment.
Magic is the perfect subject to inspire people of all ages – especially children – to learn about sciences and the world around them. From chemistry to physics, Magic! explores the elements behind the mystery.
The exhibit will showcase torches for fire eating, magic lanterns and automations, Harry Houdini’s trademark milk can and water escape trunk; Harry Blackstone’s “Zig Zag Girl” prop; Mike Cavenye’s linking coat hangers; and items from acts by Doug Henning, Penn & Teller, and other magic superstars.
