Oliver Homes Builder Blog

New Homes in Franklin County, PA

Taylor Oliver — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:35:01 +0000

As we look at the new home market in Franklin County, Pa mostly in the southernmost part of the county we are seeing an increasing amout of new construction. Most are homes that are not with the multitudes of extravagnza but practical homes for practical people. This is a reflection of the character of the people living in this area- very practical, common sense people with a great view of life and thenselves without feeling the need to be the biggest on the block or the desire for owning the McMasion. It is truely wonderful to be able to assist people in their desire for homeownership especially this market where without guidance it can be difficult to obtain financing. That will be a topic of another blog entry. As you may look for a new home in the Tri-State area of Hagerstown, MD., Greencastle, PA., Waynesboro, PA., or areas nearby consider the southern Pennsylvania market. It’s a great place to live, Thanks.

Building a new home in Washington County, MD

Taylor Oliver — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:46:28 +0000

Washington County, MD currently has a credit they are offering of $ 9,000 off the excise tax they normally charge for new construction in the county. This is actually a great situation for new home buyers in the community. Not only will clients be able to take advantage of low interest rates and great prices the government is also giving a $ 9,000 credit also. The market in the Hagerstown, MD area is very similiar to those markets around the country – that of not being really busy but not an area that is without potential. With 2 Interstate Highways easy access is available to the metropolitian areas of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD. Having been a lifelong reisdent of Hagerstown, MD. we have seen growth but still maintain a rural character for our families.

When we talk about housing in Washington County, MD. we still see 1 acre lots that area affordable but still have those smaller sites available. As to the status of housing Hagerstown, MD is a great place to live with affordable housing and many local attractions including shopping, museums, theaters and more. Now is truly a great time to get started with your new home. Good luck.

Interest rates and New Homes

Taylor Oliver — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:51:02 +0000

As we look at the current economic climate we can see that rates are low to extremely low. In a normal market this would translate into a excellent time to buy a new home. This could be done either as an investment of as a living situation. The obvious change is due to the economic conditions we are currently faced with that especially being the high unemployment rate. In looking at the current unemployment rate of slightly over 9% we are clearly stating around 9 % are unemployed but still over 90 % are employed. Those 90 % clearly have an opportunity to do some great things in the purchase of real estate. For those that currently do not have a home but do have a stable job situation them this becomes a great opportunity to purchase a new home and get a great rate. Now I am clearly not stating if your job is unstable buy a home – that could be a disaster waiting to happen and I would not advise it. However, for that person who does not have a home, is in need of housing and will be living in that home for a few years the advantages all line up for you to make a great investment plus have a place for your family to live and make memories.

I must include a discussion of making money in real estate, which can still be done, and the value of just owning your own home. The thought of making money in real estate has been around for a long time and has profited many investors. However, in today’s market as that becomes harder one must go back to the thought that maybe, I can just use my home to have my family grow up in and provide opportunities for our loved ones to learn and cherish times together. That seems like a very basic premise but also a great idea as we look at any given aspect of our lives. It may be time for us to revert back to buying what we need, and clearly live within our means including housing. If you follow this premise I believe you’ll find yourself in a great housing situtation.

Happy House Hounting.

Taylor Oliver

Finding the right lot

Taylor Oliver — Mon, 02 May 2011 13:40:20 +0000

As we are in the middle of the spring home building season one of the first things one needs to build a new home is a piece of ground. The question arises as to what do I want this piece of ground to look like and what does it need to have for me to build a new home. You need to ask what type of home you want before deciding the lot needed. Obviously, if you want a log cabin you probably want a wooded homesite but what about other types of homes? To give you some insite check out these thoughts. A smaller lot may be suitable for a narrow width home and will probably have water and sewer. A home with more width will probably require a larger homesite and may either have water and sewer or need a well and septic system. That is not to say that you can’t get a bigger lot with water and sewer because they are available. If you build a two story home you can get a smaller homesite in width as that style home usually has a smaller foundation than a rancher. If building a home without a basement i.e. split foyer, split level, or a home on a crawl space or slab you may be able to find a less expensive lot as you will not be as concerned about rock in the area as it will not be necessary to dig a full foundation.

You may also consider the lot type as you again consider the home you will put on it. If you have a full basement and desire a walkout door or daylight basement you will need a lot that slopes to the rear of the site. If you are having a split foyer built you may desire a level site or one that does not have as much slope. The same would work for a split level home. If you are OK with a full foundation and do not desire an exit door you can also have a level lot. There are many options that are available to you in considering you home and lot but they need to work together. Most of the two story homes and ranchers have similiar lot needs for similiar circumstances. Split foyer homes and split level homes have certain unique characteristics to themselves.

Hopefully, this information has been useful in helping you select your homesite. Your best information will be from a person who is an expert in construction physically looking at your individual homesite and giving you an anaylsis of that individual piece of land. Good luck with your new home and best wishes.

Light bulbs in Homes

Taylor Oliver — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:30:17 +0000

It may seem strange to talk about light bulbs particularly as we also talk new homes but we are going to see many new issues concerning light bulbs in the next couple of years. In the next few years we will see -mandated by legislation in 2007 -the elimination of the incandenscent light bulb as we know it. By the year 2014 we will not see the production of the 60 watt light bulb which we have become so familiar with. It will be replaced with a new form of understanding in light known as lumens. Actually, it is a better way to understand and buy light bulbs. A lumen is the amount of light given off by the bulb and does not have anything to do with the amount of electric used by the bulb.

Due to the Energy Act of 2007 we will see the much more efficient Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL’s) in the near future. Over the course of the next three years the bulbs that we have purchased for many years in the form of how many watts they use will be replaced with the term lumen. A former 60 watt bulb is roughly equivalent to 820 lumens. The 100 watt bulb is about 1700 lumens. The Compact Fluorescent Bulb is actually about 4 times more energy efficient that the traditional 60 watt bulb as we know it. The actual equivalent 60 watt bulb in lumens only uses 13 or 14 watts and they’ll last 3-4 times as long. Now I know you may not like the little squiggly looking bulb but they have already started to improve the CFL’s to look more like the traditional bulbs we have become familiar with.

From a practical standpoint start to replace your traditional bulbs with the CFL’s as the old bulbs burn out. If you don’t like the look of the new bulb or the brightness of the light take the new bulb and put it in a closet or basement and buy a different one for your prefered location. Keep trying until you find the particular bulb that you like. If you do find the new bulb to not give off enough light replace the new one with a higher “wattage” bulb. In other words instead of using a 820 lumen bulb to replace a 60 watt bulb use a 1120 lumen (equivalent to a 75 watt bulb) which will give you more light. Remember if you replace the more energy efficient bulb with a “larger” replacement bulb you’ll still save energy ( a 75 watt equivalent bulb only uses 18 watts) and still get at least the equivalent or more light. You can win both ways.

Over the next few years we will see many changes in light bulbs. Keep you options open and read up on what is available for you. Also, the packaging is changing for all of us to better understand what we’re buying. Good luck as we move into this new phase of lighting our homes.

Winterize Your Home

Taylor Oliver — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:56:55 +0000

We’re now in the mist of the coldest of months and you’re finding your older home to cold and drafty. The question now is what can I do to make this better without spending a whole lot of money? I will mention three things that will not cost a lot and will pay for themselves very quickly. Most heat is lost through the ceiling as hot air rises- therefore you may want to get more attic insulation. You can buy this yourself at any of the local or big box hardware stores and install it yourself without too much difficulty. You could employ a insulation contractor and have a few inches of blown insulation spread into your ceiling space but this is a Saturday morning project you can do yourself if you want. The second thing to do is to deal with those drafty windows. For the winter take some plastic and cover those single strength glass windows and seal them off from the wind. You can buy actual kits to do this if you want but some type of clear plastic will work just as well. The third item on my short list is to get some weatherstripping and seal those drafts coming in at your door and window openings. This is easy, inexpensive, and will pay for itself this year in your heating bills. These are simple and easy tasks and could be done in a single day. It will save you money and make you feel warmer and keep you healthier. Good luck and keep warm in this cold weather. Spring is coming.

Winterizing Your Home

Taylor Oliver — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:31:50 +0000

As the fall turns into winter homeowners need to look at the winterization of their homes. It doesn’t matter whether you have a brand new home or an 100 year old home. In both cases it will need to be winterized. In an older home their is reasonably more work to do but still manageable. The most obvious thing in both is to make sure there are no openings to allow cold air inside the home. Things to check are crawl space doors (if you have a crawl space), foundation vents- make sure they are shut (many new homes shut automatically in the winter), and check your chaulking around your doors and windows. Other items that we need to check include servicing you heating equipment, cleaning your gutters and downspouts, and making sure your outside hoses are disconnected and faucets turned off if that is required of your outside faucet.

If you still haven’t taken advantage of the $ 1500 Energy Tax Credit that is set to expire the end of December of 2010 you can always replace older windows, install newer energy efficient doors or install insulation. All are good items and with a 30% Tax Credit up to $ 1500 they will be a “better buy” this year than next. In addtion, you will enjoy savings on your energy bills for many years to come. I have already installed additional insulation in my home and garage to take advantage of the tax credit and energy benefits. If you notice in your home cold air drafts and feeling a “breeze as you sit your easy chair” it may be something to consider.

Good luck with your energy needs and winterzing your home.

Energy Star New Homes

Taylor Oliver — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:14:40 +0000

Our firm, Oliver Homes has recently completed 4 new homes with the Energy Star guidelines. Those guideines are set so that the Energy Star home benefits by having a 15% energy savings over a home built in the previous code cycle. For instance, a new home built in 2008 would be 15 % more energy efficient than a home built under the 2003 code whereas a new home built in 2010 would be 15 % more energy efficient than a new home built in the 2006 code cycle. The 2006 code is the current code most are using today. Thus a new home Energy Star home being built in 2010 will be about 30% more energy efficient than a new home built under the 2003 code that was not an Energy Star home. The monthly energy savings for the new Energy Star home built in 2010 is tremendous over the new or re-sale home built even 5 years earlier that was not Energy Star. Even though the cost of the Energy Star home is slightly more it would benefit any new homeowner to strongly consider the ugrade in their new home. Good luck with your new home and hope this helps explain the Energy Star aspect of construction.

Buy a New Home?

Taylor Oliver — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:37:13 +0000

In looking at today’s real estate market we see a lot of homes actually on the market. Is now a good time to buy or not? We’ll look at that question and let you make that decision. Obviously, with a lot of properties on the market prices are clearly low or at worst reasonable compared to a few years ago. Many people are even willing to look at the short sales and foreclosure sales to try to arrange a “better deal”. It is imperative in those situations to be aware that you may fact many projects to bring you home up to the appearance and need you will want. It’s more than one buyer who brought a short sale or foreclosure that had to spend a lot more money to fix certain items.

Another consideration is what type of interest rate you will get. Recently, I saw a review that today’s rates are the lowest they have been in decades. We have even seen a 3.75 fixed for 30 year rate. That’s truly a great rate. If someone has a credit score over 620 he can get a FHA rate that is very reasonable with a small downpayment.

The big thing in today’s market is looking a your own job stability. To be blunt, if you don’t know for sure you are going to have a job you shouldn’t buy a new or existing home anyway. However, if you do feel confident in your job stability and comfortable with your present financial situation then today may be a terrific time to get started in you real estate ownership experience. Good luck in making these decisions and happy house hunting.

Lots for Building a New Home

Taylor Oliver — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:10:25 +0000

In looking at sites to build a new home you have to consider many factors. First, consider the type of home you will be building and will it fit on the lot. Oliver Homes has a community in Greencastle, Pa called Pleasant Walk Estates that has 2 acre homesites that would accomodate most any size home. They have two other communities near Mercersburg, Pa called Deerwood Mountain Estates and Mountain Brook Estates. Deerwood Mountain Estates has only 1/2 acre lot sizes and a new home buyer would have to be careful as to what type of home and how large of a home that could be built on that site. Mountain Brook Estates has 3 acre lots that would not really be any issue for size of a home. Those lots would have to be looked at individually as some allow for walk out basement exits and some do not. These are just some basic things to look for in the purchase of a lot in building a new home. In addition to size one must also consider what particular convenants are for each community- i.e. is there a minimum square footage requirement, is brick or another cladding material required, are any special roof pitches needed, and many more. Finding the right site to put your new home is something that needs to be looked at and analyzed to find what works not only for you but for the also new home you want to build. Good luck in your search.