However, this expectation is a bit problematic, especially when working with bank-owned and short sale properties — actually even with traditional “seller” listings.

Consider the following:

• In the typical purchase and sale agreement, the loan cost provision wherein the Seller is asked to contribute is defined as “Buyer’s loan and settlement costs, including but not limited to prepaids, loan discount, loan fee, interest buy-down, financing, closing, and other costs allowed by lender.

From experience, I know that for many buyers, these loan costs are about 4% to 4½% of the purchase price — especially for first time homebuyers purchasing toward the bottom of the housing market. Of the 4-4½%, about 3% or so are actual loan fees — lender fees, recording fees, appraisal fees, etc, with the remaining 1-1½% or so made up of prepaid costs such as upfront homeowner insurance, property taxes, homeowner association fees, prepaid interest, and so on.

• Property owners of all types have taken a tremendous hit in equity over the past few years. Most owners in the King and Pierce county areas in which I work most frequently have seen a decrease in value of their homes of around 35% since the peak of the market in 2007 (in our area). In order to sell a home without falling into a short sale category — where the home is worth less and being sold for less than the outstanding loan(s) — the seller very well might not have enough equity left in the home in order to pony up the Buyer’s costs in addition to their own 8%-9% of sale costs.

• In either bank-owned or short sale properties, the banks involved are typically refusing to pay any more than 3% in Seller concessions. Included in that 3% is typically any other work that must be done to a property such as replacing a failing roof, adding a range, etc. — typical requirements for most buyer loans.

• We’re actually seeing multiple offers on many many properties at the moment. Buyers I’ve represented that need or insist on requesting more than 3% of the purchase price in Seller paid closing costs? They were not successful bidders on their offers.

Over the last few months, I’ve successfully negotiated seller-paid loan costs for most transactions, but for bank-owned and short sale properties — only up to 3%, with virtually no prepaid expenses included. 

We’re in a learning curve again for being a buyer in our area. Expect that 3% is the maximum in closing costs you may receive from a Seller. Be prepared to pay the difference when the sale closes.

 The honor roll includes:

• Brandon – the Buyer
• Dean & Debbie – the Sellers
• Andy – the relocation rep
• Sara and Rob from Stewart Title – the title and escrow folks
• Josh Hall – the Buyer’s broker
• Dave Jagosh of Pacific NW Home Inspections – the Seller’s inspector
• and me of course – the Seller’s broker

So … how was it done?

My clients (the Sellers) were fantastic. They prepped the house exactly as suggested, including having the home pre-inspected, then completed everything on the inspection list. It helped that we used one of the very best inspectors in the area – in fact the seller’s inspector also turned out to be the preferred inspector for the Buyer.

We did some careful marketing, targeting the home in the MLS with a full-fledged suite of photos, along with adding another 30 or so photos on my Web site, along with being sure the listing appeared on several hundred other sites.

Did we have careful talks about price? You betcha! The right price brought the expected offers with fully preapproved Buyers. With a bit of negotiation, everyone was thrilled! 

 So a HUGE thank you and Congratulations to everyone involved!

Whooo hooo!

In our yard, May 1st has always been the earliest that baby vegetables go into the garden, flower pots get hung and planters dressed up for the summer. We’re fortunate to have a huge garden plot, which also means that lots of weeding, soil turning, and fertilizing also takes place about this time of the year. 

Gardening is a huge part of our PNW lifestyle, especially here in the suburbs where I work to assist Buyers in their home purchases so that they have a little of their own garden heaven. As I tour homes with them, it’s interesting to hear comments about the garden areas of the houses they like.

Some Buyers are so excited about green lawns and summer barbeques, some look forward to having a few fragrant roses to bring indoors during the summer months, and some have grandiose plans (like me) for full-blown vegetable plots hoping to grow enough produce to can and freeze for the year.

Because of Buyer fascination with gardens, Sellers should also strive hard, especially at this time of year, to be sure that yards and gardens are well trimmed and productive. Have a vegetable garden area as part of the yard? Go ahead and plant it even though the hope is to have your home sale completed well before harvest time. Buyers love the idea of picking fresh tomatoes!

Using information gathered gleaned from the local Multiple Listing Service, shows that for the period January 1 through March 31, 2012 the important numbers are:

• 215                    Total number of completed (closed) sales of residential properties
• 51                      Number of New Construction properties sold
• $61,750            Low price
• $620,000        High price
• $219,950         Median price
• $228,741         Average price
• 123 Days         Average Days on Market (the amount of time before a home listing receives an offer and it is accepted by both the Seller and the Buyer)
• 5 Months!        Approximate Absorption rate (the amount of time it would take to sell all properties looking at a per month closed sale volume based on a the last six months)

Of the 215 closed sales, 102 of them fell into the Short Sale (31 sales) and REO/Bank-Owned (71 sales) — a full 47% of the total for the quarter, producing both good news and not-so-good news.

Good news? = Homes are selling and selling quickly including bank-owned and short sale properties. 

Not-so-good news? = Distressed properties continue to account for almost half of all properties sold in this area of King and Pierce County (remember that Auburn straddles both counties).

So what does this all mean?

Properties are selling and selling in a reasonable amount of time — just under four months. There’s about a five month inventory of homes in Auburn, meaning that, at the moment, Auburn is in a balanced market. Buyers are not as likely to make a low offer and get the house, especially considering that a full 33% of all closed sales are homes that have already been foreclosed and are bank or corporate owned. Bank-owned homes tend to be priced somewhat lower than traditional sales and sales move along fairly quickly.

I can tell you from working hard in Auburn during this time period, that multiple offers are happening! I’ve personally been involved with a number of all-cash and full-price offer competing offer situations.

If you are considering a move in the Auburn, WA area … whether to buy a first home, a second home, an investment property, or wish to sell and move … you need to get in the game!

If you’re in a situation where you believe you need to short-sell your home, you especially need to get in the game now! Remember that the IRS Debt-Forgiveness Act is currently due to expire at the end of 2012. While I’m not a tax accountant and you should definitely consult with one during a short sale, bear in mind that you’ll want to avoid paying income taxes on any amount that is forgiven by your bank. Let’s get that home listed and sold while sales are happening!

Carbon Monoxide Detector Required in Washington State

Carbon Monoxide Detectors are now required for home sales in Washington state.

In order to sell, or re-sell a home in Washington State, effective April 1st, a Seller must now include a carbon monoxide detector in every home. As a Buyer, you’ll want to watch for the presence of the detector. As a Seller, here are the guidelines:

• A detector must be placed on each floor of the home
• A detector must be placed outside each sleeping area
• It doesn’t matter whether or not you have a fuel-burning fireplace in your home
• It doesn’t matter whether or not you have an attached garage 
• It doesn’t matter whether the home is new construction — the law applies to every home

Carbon monoxide detectors are readily available in hardware stores, home centers, super stores such as Fred Meyer and Wal-Mart, and often at Costco and Sams Club. In my own search, I’ve priced them starting from about $35.

Our Washington Realtor association produced this short video explaining the new requirement:

If you have any questions about this new requirement, or need additional assistance as you prepare to sell your home, please don’t hesitate to give me a call. As always, I’m delighted to be of help to you in any of your real estate needs.

Valley Meadows Resale in Maple Valley WA

Rare Valley Meadows resale! Sitting on a lovingly landscaped corner lot backing to neighborhood park path is this ‘like new’ home with gorgeous millwork, shiny hardwoods, gleaming tile work and fresh paint.  

Gorgeous Chaffey Homes Resale

Too Cute!

Perfect both for entertaining and for quiet moments, the home’s open floor plan features formal living and dining rooms, formal den, family room with gas fireplace, island kitchen, and patio. Even a darling playhouse!

Grand Open Staircase

Throughout the home, every room is truly generous in size with large windows, which open the home to wonderful natural light. Just off the entry, the grand staircase leads up to the bonus/loft-perfect for play or maybe TV space? 

Main Bath Upstairs -- Open to One of the Bedrooms AND the Loft

Just off the loft are three bedrooms, and the compartmented main bath with double vanity, which is also open, Continental-style, to one of the bedrooms.

Just One Side of the Master Bedroom

Then, step through double doors to the master ensuite with its peaked ceiling. Large enough for a huge bed, plus sitting furniture, imagine bubble baths in the deep soaking tub … and all the clothes you can organize in the huge walk-in closet.

The owners have done everything possible to prepare this home for new owners. The pre-inspection report is available for your review during your personal tour.

Too many features to list–better come see!

Buying a new construction home is a bit different than purchasing a resale home – one that’s been previously owned by someone else. You’ll need to be familiar with a few tricks of the trade, along with understanding a bit about how the process works. These 20 tips to buying a new construction home are just the starting point on your way to the new construction home of your dreams. When you’re ready, I’d be delighted to be of assistance to you!

1. Use your own Broker/Agent

ALWAYS use your own Broker/Agent; doing so will help ensure that you get what you want. Understand that the sales reps you meet at a new construction community are likely really representatives of the Seller – the Builder, corporate owners, developers, whomever – that are there to present their product, answer your questions … and do the best job for the Seller that they can.

YOU want the same thing, but from your standpoint. You want to see the product, get your questions answered, but have your needs be number one. By using your own Broker/Agent, you can be assured that there’s no conflict of interest.

Most importantly, if at all possible, be sure to contract with a Broker/Agent before you start shopping. Often the policies at a community require that your agent be present at the first showing and then at every showing. If they’re not, you may find yourself working with the site rep even if you didn’t intend to do so. And your agent, who comes along later, may not get paid either – or perhaps will be paid a significantly less amount because the site rep was the person who registered you. 

2. Don’t expect price reductions

Yes, it does happen. But overall, remember that Builders, etc., have established a set of prices that they feel best makes their product (the houses) marketable with an expected profit margin. Furthermore, lowering the price on a house drops the comparable value of other houses in the community, thus bringing the entire suite of houses down in price. Typically a pre-sale home … one that has not yet been built … will be slightly higher in price than a home that the builder erected as a “spec” house – one that was built to attract Buyers to the site. Note also, that very often homes that have not sold for a period of time will not drop in price – they actually go up in price at a new home development, thus supporting the builder’s position that materials and labor costs increase. 

3. Look instead for builder concessions in the form of additional upgrades

Rather than price reductions, you may be able to gain a few upgrades from the Builder at no cost, or for less money. Perhaps the Builder would be willing to include a fence, landscaping, upgraded carpeting, or appliances as part of your purchase without charging you extra. 

4. Builder incentives in the form of interest rates, etc., may not be coming from the builder

Lots of new communities boast incentive programs that cite things like “3.75% financing for 30 years” or “Zero Closing Costs.” What’s important to know is that the Builder may not be the one actually paying those closing costs, or reducing the interest rates. Typically, those types of incentives are coming from the Builder’s preferred lender who is counting on a sufficient number of loan transactions in order to recoup the cost of the incentives.

While Builders can’t require you to use their preferred lender in order to purchase a home from them, they can require you to use their lender in order to gain the benefit of the incentive. You’ll want to check with your own lender first to see if they’ll match the incentive or can give you a benefit in another fashion before deciding to switch gears and go with the Builder’s lender. Remember that nothing’s really free, so be a bit cautious when making decisions like this one. 

5. Expect to use the builder addendum

In almost every case, new construction homes require the use of a Builder’s contract or at least a lengthy addendum in addition to the typical purchase forms used by a Broker/Agent. Generally those Builder forms include language specific to the terms of the building process and can be many many pages long full of tightly packed terms. While much of the language is common sense, be sure to read the contract thoroughly yourself (as will your Broker/Agent) and then consult with a qualified real estate attorney if you have questions or concerns. Agents, even those sales reps for the Seller, aren’t allowed to (and shouldn’t) attempt to advise you or interpret what those custom forms really say. 

6. Builder warranties vary

Not all builder warranties are the same. Some builders warrant their work from top to bottom for several years, some only for one. Many builders will offer a warranty of up to about 10 years for structural-type issues, with other warranty time frames for things like plumbing leaks. In addition, you’ll find that your new home will likely have individual warranties for appliances, roofs, windows, etc. Be sure to carefully review the warranty offered by the builder of your desired home before signing the final contract for your Purchase. 

7. The floor plan isn’t the floor plan

The little floor plan you see when viewing your potential home at the builder site isn’t an exact representation of what your home may look like. For example, you may see a nicely drawn oval bathtub with rounded edges on the drawing only to find out when the home is almost finished that the actual tub is rectangular. Room sizes are close estimates, but usually measurements are rounded. Sometimes the location of outlets will move around. Sometimes your chosen particular lot requires other modifications in order to fit the home properly. 

8. Rarely can you modify the floor plans

Unlike building a custom home, most community sites where several homes are being built by the same or a group of builders are based on a preapproved set of plans that have already received the stamp of approval from the local building authorities. Conversely, in a custom home situation, your set of plans can be modified prior to building or even during the construction process if you want to pay the extra associated costs.

In these preapproved communities, fewer options for modifications are generally allowed. Doing so would significantly increase the amount of time the builder wants to spend on any one house, while also increasing his/her costs. Changes to floor plans, even to add extra outlets, etc., must be included in the particular permit and approved, which can involve new drawings and perhaps repeated permit processes. If you do want to make changes, be absolutely certain you’ve worked this out as part of your purchase contract.

9. Expect changes

While everyone starts out thinking all of the choices have been made, finishes chosen and the idea that the new home will look just like the model, realistically suppliers run out of or change products or prices, thus affecting the appearance of your home. Builders typically reserve the right to substitute materials and finishes, sometimes leading to surprises. Try to tour a finished home or two and do ask lots of questions about the sorts of things that the builder might substitute. It’s nice to know upfront what you might expect! 

10. Expect about 5 months after permit or approximately 100-120 days after lumber drop

Every builder, City, County, etc. has different time frames that historically work for them when completing a home. For most builders in the greater Auburn Washington area, I’ve found that it takes approximately four months for a builder to complete a home after lumber drop – i.e., the date on which that huge stack of wood is delivered to your home site. Remember that lumber drop occurs after the construction permit from the city/county/etc. has been received by the builder … and after the foundation is complete. Those two tasks can add another month or even two to the process. 

11. Add an extra month or so to the anticipated build-out time

As part of your pre-sale purchase, the Builder and/or sales rep will provide an estimated date of completion for the building of your new home. What’s important to remember is that the estimate is just that – a projection of when the home will be complete and ready for occupancy providing everything goes according to plan. Realistically, however, plans don’t work out exactly on time. In my experience, I’ve found it best to add about an extra month to the whole thing. Go ahead and include the Builder’s date in your contract, but in your heart expect delays. 

12. Be sure to include your Broker/Agent in every walk through; cc them on all conversations, etc.

As indicated in Tip #1, your Broker/Agent is a critical part of your purchase team. With that in mind, be sure that you’ve asked your Agent to attend every walk through and meetings with the builder, and that you’ve included them in email conversations, etc. Note that some builders really try to restrict Agent attendance, but in my experience, you need an extra, knowledgeable set of eyes and ears to help keep things on track. You’ll want to negotiate or handle any restrictions they may have to this at the time you work through your Purchase agreement. 

13. Don’t expect perfection

As much as we feel we’d like to control every piece of the building of our new home, realistically the house won’t be perfect when it’s complete. For example, the quality of wood used to frame the walls of your home is just not what it used to be. You’ll see knot holes, crooked boards, perhaps what look like curious framing practices, and so on. Unless you see significant problems, however, remember that each step of the build process has been inspected not only by the foreman in charge of your project, but also by the local building inspector who should be keeping an eye on things to be sure that the local building codes have been met. If you do see problems, be sure to bring them to the attention of your own Broker/Agent who will assist you in working out any issues with the builder. 

14. Walking the site will get you into trouble

Stay away from the construction site, especially during working hours. There are a lot of physical hazards involved – workers are carrying lumber, shooting nails, stringing wires, spraying drywall compounds, etc. Most job sites require workers and visitors to wear hard hats in an attempt to prevent injuries.

Equally as important is the fact that you don’t really want to disrupt work flow. You want your house finished. By getting in the way of the current project, you’ll cause inordinate delays. Those workers can’t make changes and, as odd as it may seem, probably won’t even talk with you. They’re there to do their jobs, not chat with the Buyer.

Your purchase contract will probably state that you cannot visit the site without making an appointment with the seller rep who will then set up an appointment with the project superintendent or foreman. And then, of course, you’ll also want your Broker/Agent to also be in attendance so that there’s a good record of who said what and when. (Your Broker/Agent should also be conversant and knowledgeable enough with the process to help interpret what’s going on and what could be done to satisfy everyone involved.) 

15. Be nice to the foreman!

You may only meet the construction foreman for your home build a few times, but these folks are gold when it comes to completing what you need. They’re usually very nice … but very busy … trying to coordinate several projects all at the same time and making sure that everything is done correctly. Remember, they have a critical job to do, but you want them to also be your advocate. They want the job done right too! 

16. Take lots of pictures

Each time you have the chance to take a walk through of the home or when you do visit the home site, be sure to take your camera along. I can almost guarantee that you’ll want to hang a shelf on a wall at some point – and wouldn’t it be great to know approximately what’s behind that drywall? Not only that, it’ll be fun to look back at the process … later.

17. Ask for leftover paint, vinyl, granite tiles, carpet scraps, etc.

Most of the bigger builders will put together a very nice box of touch-up paint for you as normal practice, but if you can, you may want to also request that leftover vinyl flooring, the sink cut-out from your granite counter, and the leftover hardwood flooring pieces and carpet remnant be left for you. These can be helpful patching materials when accidents happen and it’s nice to have everything match. Note that many of the finishing steps are done by subcontractors, however, and it may just not be possible to capture any of the leftovers. In addition, significant leftover materials may be used in other homes or even returned to the supplier. It never hurts to ask! 

18. Do your own inspection

More precisely, prior to closing on the purchase of your home, be sure that your purchase contract allows you to bring in a qualified home inspector to test the various workings of your home … checking outlets, plumbing fixtures, walking the roof, the crawlspace and attic, and so on. Typically the items found on your independent inspection will be repaired by the Builder, but will not affect timely close of your purchase. Builders often retain a time period after closing to repair defects. 

19. The “certificate of occupancy” is probably not a certificate at all

The final step before the Builder releases the home to you for closing of your purchase will involve receiving signatures on the final inspections by the City/County, etc. thus allowing the home to be occupied. The term “certificate of occupancy” is a phrase used to indicate that the final signature was received and you’re ready to go! 

20. Move-in day is the sweetest day on earth

Well, of course it is for every Buyer for every home … but there’s just nothing like the unparalleled excitement that seems to surround moving in to a brand new home in which you made all your own choices. On the day before the furniture arrives, buy a roll or two of that tacky carpet protector stuff or paper to cover the walking paths on the rugs and floors so that you and the movers don’t track the great outdoors into your new home.

… And then take a moment for a big smile! Take a few minutes to sit on the floor, on the deck, on the sofa in the middle of the room (because you can’t figure out where to exactly position it) and reflect on what you’ve accomplished. This was a BIG deal!

Looking for new construction in the greater Auburn area?

• Part I – New Construction In and Around Auburn WA
• Part II – New Construction In and Around Auburn WA

In addition, you’ll find a few more tips about buying new construction in the post 20 Tips to Buying New Construction. 

Premier Homes

I haven’t had a chance to work with any of the Premier Homes folks yet, but wanted to include them in this list as they have a nice community (Northlake) just barely southeast of Lakeland Hills in the Pierce County side of Auburn. At the same location, Lennar Corporation recently acquired the remaining home sites at Northlake and is now building them as Woodland Meadows. I’ve toured a couple of new construction Premier Homes over the last few weeks and they are beautifully finished and a good option for someone shopping in the upper $200’s. A quick drive through the neighborhood last weekend showed lots of activity on the Lennar home sites! 

Polygon Homes

Polygon’s home plans have long been some of my very favorites. They’re wonderful folks to work with too! In addition, the Polygon builder team has one of the best home warranties, supporting their homes door-to-door for 3 years (with an optional 2 additional years at the Buyer’s cost), with a total of 10 years for the home structure. Coho Creek in the Covington area (just behind Kentwood High School) has homes available from the mid $200’s up to the low $300’s ranging from about 1,700-2,500 square feet.

Near the south edge of Auburn in Bonney Lake, you’ll find The Estates at Lakeland Hills with slightly larger homes ranging from the higher $200’s up into the mid- $300’s. There aren’t too many of these homesites left, however; The Estates is just about sold-out!

Richmond American

Richmond American recently purchased SDC Homes and appears to be continuing with many of the original SDC home plans and finishes. In addition, Pinnacle Estates is a gorgeous Richmond American community in the Lakeland area of Auburn—BIG beautiful homes with awesome views that sit up high on the east and southern ridge of the area. Note that Richmond American, in my opinion, probably builds some of the biggest homes for the money that I’ve seen, along with their signature art niche’s in the entry halls of most of their homes. Really attractive!

Henley USA (MainVue Homes)

MainVue developments are springing up all over the place. Their newest development on the east hill, Kendall Ridge, is a gorgeous site – incredible views of the Cascade Foothills and Mount Rainier are available from the sites that site on the Ridge. (As an aside, the photo that comprises the banner of my Web site was taken from this development a couple of years ago – when there was just dirt!)

The MainVue floor plans are unique, gorgeous, and truly a breath of fresh air with huge glass doors framing their outdoor rooms (covered patios). Prices are a bit higher than some of the other builders, but with their less common floor plans, appear to be attracting quite a few avid followers. Expect prices to be in the mid $300’s to mid-$400’s at most MainVue communities.

Edgeview

When driving anywhere near Lakeland Hills, it would be hard to miss the many bright red signs pointing to the new Edgeview Homes community on the far east side of the area …just off of of Evergreen Way and Kersey Way. Edgeview is built high up a on ridge, and comprises probably a couple hundred home sites, community parks, playgrounds and even an off-leash dog park (yay!!). The largest home plan in the community is just over 2400 square feet, and most of the home sites are somewhat on the smaller side – maybe not important when all of the parks and playgrounds are factored in. Prices range from the low $200’s to mid/upper $200’s.

Covington Pointe

I haven’t had a chance to visit Covington Pointe, but really need to! This is a rare 55+ community, located conveniently near the Multicare Center just off of 180th. The community is gated and features gorgeous one-level homes (no stairs!). I’ve included it here because I haven’t seen any new 55+ communities for quite some time.

Kendall Homes

Just outside of the Auburn area are three communities being built by Kendall Homes. I wanted to include them in this list, however, as I did just assist a buyer in their purchase of a new Kendall Homes house … and it was a great experience! Of note, especially, was the willingness of the folks at Kendall Homes to make some slight modifications for my client. They removed a wall, repositioned a door, modified a shower enclosure, and, outside of the contract, allowed him to purchase his range and have it installed just in time to satisfy the final appraisal and inspection. For communities in the area, visit Mountain View in Maple Valley (just off Witte Road), and 132nd Court and Vermilion.

Quadrant Homes

Unfortunately, there aren’t any Quadrant communities currently being built in Auburn that I can see. I’ve really been a fan of their new Revolution series; an update to their offerings that was long overdue in our area. There are a couple of small Quadrant communities in nearby Kent, along with a few homes here and there in other locations. Be sure to ask about their new homes when you talk with your agent. I think you’ll be impressed!

Part I — New Construction In and Around Auburn WA

In addition to the shiny new finishes and new house smell, of course, new construction is attractive to many buyers because of builder financing and low down payment incentives, extended warranties, and the desire to decorate a home from the ground up, choosing plans, colors, cabinets, counters, and flooring. Not to mention that a contract written for new construction will close, unlike so many of the short sale listings that are prevalent in our area. There’s a sure thing happening in new construction … less so with distressed property listings.

It can’t be stressed often enough, however — If you have a plan to purchase new construction, whenever possible, visit the sites for the first time with your own broker/agent, who will register you in the community and help you obtain all of the important information. Your agent can then work on your behalf from the very beginning to be of help to you as you buy the home of your dreams. 

If you can’t, or don’t, go with your agent the first time around, be sure to let the site representative know that you are working with your own broker/agent and that the agent will contact the site rep ASAP on your behalf. Then get in touch with your agent before visiting the site again and again! 

While I haven’t worked from start to finish with each of these builders, I’ve visited a most of these communities, helped Buyers through the new construction process, and had a chance to talk with many of the site representatives. Over the years, I’ve resold many many of their homes as well!

Here’s a brief summary of new construction in the area and in no particular order; click the builder or community name to visit the associated Web site. Because there are SO many new construction options in this south King/north Pierce county area, I’ve split this list into a couple of different posts. Be sure to refer also to Part 2 – New Construction In and Around the Auburn WA Area, and especially 20 Tips to Buying a New Construction Home, also to be posted in the next few days.

One quick addition note – the builders and communities in this list are not custom build sites – all are based on preapproved plans and typically few changes can be made to the plans, although all offer a limited number of upgrades so that the look of the home can be personalized. 

DR Horton

One of the biggest builders in the area is DR Horton. Prolific, that’s for sure! DR Horton tends to build similar plans in almost every community I’ve visited and can be a very good choice especially for first time homebuyers. In my experience, they tend to have great financing incentives packaged with their listings, which can be attractive if you are comfortable working with the DR Horton preferred lender.

There are a couple of DR Horton communities near Auburn – one on Auburn’s west hill (Lakepoint) with prices in the low $200’s, and another huge community in Covington (CornerStone), just past the Highway 18 and Kent Kangley interchange with prices in the higher $200’s to mid $300’s. 

Schneider Family Homes

The folks at Schneider Family Homes are definitely one of my favorite builders for reasonable prices with nice quality finishes. I’ve worked with a buyer in the past who purchased a new Schneider home—it was a wonderful experience and those buyers are still thrilled with their house, and I’ve been involved with resales of several as well. While the folks at Schneider homes tend to build just a few homes at a time in each community, there are typically a few homes available in each neighborhood. You’ll find lovely true hardwood floors, solid granite surfaces and thoughtful designs. Most Schneider homes in the greater Auburn area tend to be priced in the low-mid $300’s, from about 2,200 square feet and above. 

Soundbuilt Homes

Soundbuilt Homes is another busy busy builder in the area with three Auburn communities currently under construction. Their basic price point is really attractive to many buyers, offering generous size for the $$.

Brandon Meadows may be their newest community – located on 312th just past the 132nd and 312th junction. Similar to the newest MainVue community almost across the street on 312th/132nd, this community’s property was cleared several years ago just before the housing decline in 2009 in our area. From the Brandon Meadows Web site, it looks as though pricing will be from the mid $200’s up into the low $300’s.

Two additional sites for Soundbuilt in Auburn are the small Sterling Court, located at about 304th and 121st with similar pricing, and Terrace View, a townhouse community located in Lakeland Hills. 

Conner Homes

Conner Homes is a local builder with some delightful home plans and a couple of communities in the Auburn area. They tend to build about 20 houses at a time in each community, which means each build gets personal attention and the communities are not quite as “rapid fire” as some others. I like their finishes and floor plans a lot!

Monterey Park in the Auburn valley (just behind one of the Carpinito Brother farms) has both single family and duplex style homes ranging from about $175k to the high $200’s.

Lakeland East in the Lakeland Hills area of Auburn features homes from about 1,300-3,300 square feet (quite a spread!) fitting in to almost every buyer’s pocketbook.

• Part II — New Construction In and Around Auburn WA
• 20 Tips to Buying a New Construction Home

In my area of south King County, we’d had a number of just wet little snow blizzards that melted about the time the flakes hit the ground. What I didn’t know, was that the worst of the storm was just laughing at me … waiting for me to go back into the house to finish my skeptical blog post.

For my area of the Auburn east hill, snow was late to arrive, but when it did, it was daggone serious. Now, remember you east coasters … we’re talking about the Seattle area here. We don’t get much in the way of snow. We may get a few inches here and there, close the schools for a day, and then melt off. There’s little snow equipment in the area, we live up/down on hills and the snow we do get is typically very very wet. None of that dry fluffy stuff that’s fun to ski … just Seattle “concrete.”

This time around was no exception. After fits and starts, snow really started to fall on Wednesday and it was wet wet wet sticky stuff. Great for making snow sculptures. That sort of thing.

Thursday morning around 7am, the power went out. A quick look outside said that it had snowed a bit more. With accumulations around 8 inches or so after it’d melted off a bit. Bummer—I wanted SNOW!—and an adventure! At my house, situated on a small community well, septic systems, electric heat, it was going to be a cold few hours – outside was around 28 degrees or so.

But, expecting the best and dressing in layers, we were prepared! Flashlights, generator, a full fridge and pantry full of food, bottles of drinking water and a bathtub full of water for the necessary stuff. Bring it on. We were ready.

HAHAHAHAHAAAA

Fast forward to late Thursday … it’s raining. That’s what was predicted. It was going to rain off all of our accumulations. No problem. What the weather folks didn’t know, is that the rain was freezing. Encapsulating everything and accumulating a deadly layer of ice on top of the snow. And it just kept on accumulating. By the time the rain stopped and turn back to snow on Friday, we’d gathered about an inch of solid ice on top of our snow layer. Stuff is falling off the trees everywhere. (Nothing like laying in bed listening … creeeekkkk, screee, schuuuuuckkkkk, CRASH!) Outside, it’s a winter wonderland with ice coating everything.

But then the snow kept on coming … again! Now there was about two inches of snow on top of the ice! Yikes! I had no idea. Friday morning I decided to let the dogs out front to avoid the broken tree mess in our back yard … and immediately after stepping off the porch all four legs splayed out on both dogs. Getting purchase and standing back up was a challenge for them.

By late Friday we were able to actually make it out of our driveway and back to the world and what a mess it was. Downed trees, downed wires, cars in ditches; it was total destruction. No wonder we had no power. Lines were down on both sides of our private road, huge trees laying everywhere.

But real estate calls just kept on coming. My cell phone kept ringing with people looking for houses. So on Saturday I decided to go ahead and make a showing appointment and give it a go. Yikes, what a further mess. Now our feeder road was totally blocked off, with power line trucks guarding the road so no one could get in or out. Lots of yellow caution tape. (Yay!! Maybe they were working on restoring power!) With lots of talking, we were allowed to carefully go around all of the barriers and trees and off to my showing. Only to be stood up by the Buyers. Sigh … but it was a fun adventure!

Here’s a shot of my favorite shade tree during the ice storm … and after. What you can’t see here is the line of tree trunks that are now just sticks. There’s gonna be a lot of tree removal again this year. I’m thinking that Mother Nature decided pruning was necessary so decided to help us get a start at it. We were very very fortunate – no real damage, but sure a lot of destruction. (And I was mighty glad to take a hot shower on Sunday when the power was restored!)