More and more, multi-generations of families are moving in together. Shared living is on the rise, meaning finding the right homes for people who are falling into this trend is becoming more pertinent for realtors.

Cultural preferences and flexibility play a role in finding the right shared-space home. Some families prefer open, shared spaces and others need more boundaries. Some couples are interested in finding homes with rentable garage apartments. Affordable, green options are also in increased demand.

One unique development comes from designer Marianne Cusato. Cusato helped develop the compact, affordable Katrina Cottage after the 2005 hurricane along the Gulf Coast, and now she has designed The New Economy Home. The first house of its kind, is is specifically designed to meet the needs of our shifting times, and measures 1771 square feet with four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms.

Read more about the shared living trend at REALTOR® Magazine.

Posted in Real Estate Market Conditions, Real Estate Industry Trends, New Home Builders

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Commerce Department, nationwide housing production hit its strongest pace in the last six months this January, posting a 2.8% gain to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000 units.

"Builders are starting to see the positive impacts of home buyer tax credits and other favorable buying conditions in terms of consumer demand, and are cautiously increasing production to meet that demand," said National Association of Home Builders Chairman Bob Jones.

Read more at RISMedia.

Posted in Real Estate Market Conditions, Real Estate Industry, New Home Builders, National News

Good upkeeping is essential to retaining a quality home, and repairs can be costly, especially if they've been neglected. Luckily most repairs, if done once a year at the best time, can be kept in-check.

Money magazine offers a listing of home maintenance tasks organized by the season with estimated costs so landlords and home owners can take care of their home properties.

Read more at CNNMoney.

Posted in Real Estate Industry, New Home Builders

On Friday, January 15, 2010 the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) waived the 90-day Flip Rule for one year, effective February 1.

A press release issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) stated that "FHA research finds that acquiring, rehabilitating and the reselling these properties to prospective homeowners often takes less than 90 days. Prohibiting the use of FHA mortgage insurance for a subsequent resale within 90 days of acquisition adversely impacts the willingness of sellers to allow contracts from potential FHA buyers because they must consider holding costs and the risk of vandalism associated with allowing a property to sit vacant over a 90-day period of time."

The waiver is limited to sales meeting specific conditions:

• All transactions must be arms-length, with no identity of interest between the buyer and seller or other parties participating in the sales transaction.
• In cases in which the sales price of the property is 20 percent or more above the seller's acquisition cost, the waiver will only apply if the lender meets specific conditions.
• The waiver is limited to forward mortgages, and does not apply to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) for purchase program.

The waiver can be read in its entirety as a PDF from the HUD Web site.

Posted in Headlines, Real Estate Industry, New Home Builders, National News

BrokerIPTV: Today we are talking with Steve Brooks, owner of Brookstone Builders and Steve, welcome to the show.

Steve Brooks: All right.

BrokerIPTV: Glad you are here. Yeah.

Steve Brooks: I am glad to be here.

BrokerIPTV: Tell me about Brookstone Builders?

Steve Brooks: Well, I started about 10 years ago converting apartment building into condominiums and about four to five years ago, I decided to get into new construction. So, I started out with multi-family, duplexes, four-plexes those kind of things and now I've moved into custom single-family homes.

BrokerIPTV: Tell us about your design and your approach to custom homes?

Steve Brooks: Well, I spend a lot of time on design. To me, thats one of the most important features in a new home. You walk into a lot of homes and right away you just feel like a bad floor plan or just doesn't flow well or things like that. I personally I like to think of the home as if I was going to move into it myself. So, every feature, everything, every decision I am putting into that house, I have to look at it as if I am going to move into that house. I think in the end, you show a better product, if you think of that throughout the process of building a house, so,

BrokerIPTV: What sets you apart? How do I know I am walking into a Brookstone home?

Steve Brooks: Good question. First of all, I am proud to say that all my houses are built green, which we will talk a little about later in the interview, but secondly, I try to use very unique materials. I think a lot of homes you walk into you see the same materials. I like to say my homes are rustic contemporary; rustic meaning more like a Colorado field, slate instead of travertine, natural stained woods, wood beams, large timbers, use of interior stone, contemporary meaning like clean lines, clean trim, contemporary kitchen cabinets, those sort of things, so you get kind of a Denver feel, but also a mountain feel in the homes; thats really what I am looking for in the homes I build.

BrokerIPTV: The other thing is I really love your floor plans. I mean I am personally, somebody like me, I like an open floor plan. It's very open, very inviting. It flows very easy. I am sure you have gotten some of those comments from people who bought your homes and so forth. So, well done there. Is there anything new that people are talking about as far as floor plans these days?

Steve Brooks: Well, obviously new trends in building - outdoor kitchens are big. I put outdoor fire places, grills, those sort of things in all the homes I do now, because I think thats in high demand. As far as new trends in floor plans, I think definitely most people like finished basements. I finish all the basements that I do and its a great second area for people to recreate in and use. So, I have always done that, but like you said before, open floor plans are big. I like have the kitchen, the nook, family room, all those areas open to one space; sometimes you will see them kind of close off. I personally dont like that. I think it's more of a trend to do an open area. I also put wine rooms on all the main floors, which I think is kind of nice and in this price point, people like to have that sort of thing, so.

BrokerIPTV: We should mention, the price point is?

Steve Brooks: They range from 1.3 to 1.8, depending on which house it is, so.

BrokerIPTV: How do people find out more information about your homes?

Steve Brooks: Well, until I finish my website, which has been under construction for a while, they can email me at steve@brookstonebuilder.com or phone me at 303-709-2400.

BrokerIPTV: Steve, thanks.

Steve Brooks: Thank you Dan. I appreciate it.

BrokerIPTV: I appreciate having you.

Steve Brooks: Thanks for the opportunity.

Posted in Headlines, New Home Builders