Brennan Installed as 2011-2012 HBA President
Read Brennan of Synergy Designer Homes was recently installed as President of the Home Builders Association of Greater Savannah.
Hilton Head
Get Your Home Onto The Parade of Homes Tour
January 18, 2012Held in conjunction with the Lowcounty Home & Garden Show, the Parade of Homes Tour is the most effective way for local builders and communities to directly target and showcase their homes to thousands who are actively improving their homes or shopping for a new one. The annual Parade of Homes Tour brings customers directly to you. It provides the opportunity to showcase your craftsmanship and engage directly with your target audience -- homeowners who are ready to buy or build a home! Unlike most advertising mediums, the Parade of Homes Tour enables potential clients to touch, see and get a 360 degree perspective of the homes you build. Register today and be part of this exciting event! See registration kit attached. MORE INFOMATION
January 10, 2011Court KOs Banks in Mortgage Case
The highest court in Massachusetts ruled against U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo & Co. Friday in a pivotal mortgage foreclosure case that could spark more turmoil and uncertainty in a housing market already mired in depression.The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed a lower court judge's ruling invalidating two mortgage foreclosure sales because the banks, in their capacity as trustees for mortgage securities, did not prove that they actually owned the mortgages at the time of foreclosure."There are now thousands of these homes that have been purchased through foreclosures handled in a very similar fashion where the titles are defective," said Ward P. Graham, a Massachusetts title attorney who co-authored a friend-of-the-court brief in the case on behalf of the Real Estate Bar Association for Massachusetts, Inc.
BUILDERS NEWS
Here’s a bit of good news for builders and suppliers heading to this year’s International Builders’ Show in Orlando: This year’s “New American Home” is already sold.
That will undoubtedly earn a sigh of relief from the struggling industry. The organization was disappointed last year when the “New American Home,” which is supposed to be the conference highlight what the industry can do, fell into foreclosure after the builder ran out of funds. For the first time since 1984, soirees couldn’t be held at the industry showpiece. A computer model had to do.
This year, the parties are back, offering conference attendees - some 50,000 - about the same as last year, but well below the 104,000 who attended in 2007- some solace as the industry’s downturn drags into its fourth year and the usual suspects continue hindering recovery. Unemployment remains elevated, the foreclosure crisis hasn’t ended and housing values continue eroding.
But, at least they can enjoy the Greek-Revival home that brings back some of the boom-era grandness. It offers about 8,500 square feet of living space and it even comes with a guest cottage. There are classical elements - pool, fireplaces, wooden floors and library/wine room - and some whimsical additions, such as a secret garden. Many of the products are donated by vendors eager to show off their wares, which kept construction costs down, said builder Keith Clarke of Continental Homes in Orlando. (Kate Clarke, his wife, handled interior design.)
The buyer paid $1.5 million for the Lake Davis Drive address and has already turned down an offer for $3.5 million.
Given last year’s saga - and that many builders continue to have trouble accessing funding for construction - not every builder approached was interested. In better times, they would have jumped at the career-making opportunity, given that tens of thousands of people tour the home and it receives plenty of press attention. (The builder receives a nominal fee.)
But the Clarkes, who say they’ve made great industry contacts, would do it again. “It really did work out very well,” Keith Clarke said. “I’m quite excited to really see how it’s received.”
Orlando builder Alex Hannigan, who helped select the Clarkes for the project, considers himself a fan. “I am so delighted with the home,” he said. “It’s just a real showpiece as it’s supposed to be.”
