Do New Lending Regulations Impact Omaha?

Know anyone who's interested in building a home? 
If you have any friends, family, or co-workers who are looking to own their first or second home - would you forward this message to them? We'll be happy to show them our 8 new construction home plans along with the benefits of owning a Charleston Home so they can make a decision that's right for them.

We’re here with Eric Almquist from First National Bank to discuss the new lending requirements. How have these new guidelines affected loans after October 1st?

The new regulations were supposed to be enacted in August, but got delayed until October. These regulations intend to make it easier to understand and more accurate to the disclosure process for customers. It holds lenders accountable to accurately quote fees and costs. It ultimately helps the consumer.

We’re still in the trial stage. We’re still figuring it out. Six months down the line, you’re going to see lenders have things in order. It will benefit consumers eventually. There are delays and frustrations now because these changes were recent.

Although this hasn’t directly impacted Omaha lenders severely, we now maintain better conversations. We’re building awareness and educating our clients through transactions, such as identifying new paperwork. We have a long time period to adapt with, so it’s a gradual process we can work with.

If you have any questions about the new regulations or more, give us a call or email. Thanks for tuning in.

Elkhorn's Newest Custom Neighborhood

Know anyone who's interested in building a home? If you have any friends, family, or co-workers who are looking to own their first or second home - would you forward this message to them? We'll be happy to show them our 7 new construction home plans along with the benefits of owning a Charleston Home so they can make a decision that's right for them. 

We're very excited to announce that lots are now available for purchase in our brand new Elkhorn neighborhood, Arbor View. It's located at about 208th and Maple and consists of 127 lots in Phase 1. The neighborhood is in a fantastic location - it sits across the street from Indian Creek Golf Course and is right down the street from downtown Elkhorn. It is also in close proximity to local schools and churches, making it an ideal place to raise a family.

If you are interested, don't hesitate to come by and see which lot is the best fit for you. If you want to check out some of our model homes, you can do so at our Saddlebrook location on 150th and Fort, or at Pebblebrooke near 174th and Highway 370. 

As always, if you are interested in building a custom home in Omaha, we'd be happy to help!

How to Tell If Your GFCI Outlet Has Power - Part 2 Sump Pump and Treadmills

How to Tell If Your GFCI Outlet Has Power

Welcome back! I’m Shaun Sterba, Warranty Manager at Charleston Homes. Today I wanted to talk to you about Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI).

Down in the furnace room, we have a sump pit that is plugged into its own dedicated GFCI outlet. If the light is illuminated, follow the troubleshooting steps listed previously. After heavy rains, lighting or snow melts, it is good practice to reset the outlet to make sure it’s working and it hasn’t accidentally tripped. Also, a sump pump has an unknown lifespan and is common practice to replace it every few years. Also, our electrical systems do not support treadmills and if you plan to use one, we recommend having a licensed electrician professionally install a 20 amp dedicated breaker for the treadmill.

Thanks and have a great day!

How to Tell If Your GFCI Outlet Has Power - Part 1 - Kitchens and Bathrooms

How to Tell If Your GFCI Outlet Has Power 

Welcome back! I’m Shaun Sterba, Warranty Manager at Charleston Homes. Today I wanted to talk to you about Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI). All of our kitchens, bathrooms, exterior, garage and basements will have GFCI outlets. You can tell if the outlet does not have power by noticing the illuminated light on the unit. To restore power, simply press in on the reset button and the illuminated light will disappear. There are different styles of GFCI outlets; but generally if there is no power press the reset button on the unit and power will be restored. As a general rule of thumb, all of our bathrooms are connected to master bathroom. This means if the light on the unit is illuminated, none of the outlets will work until the main unit is reset.

Thank you and have a great day!

Now is the Time for You to Winterize Your Sprinkler System!

Now is the Time for You to Winterize Your Sprinkler System!

Today I wanted to talk to you about the importance of winterizing and draining your sprinkler system. In the basement of your home, you will find the utility room where the main water line comes into the house. You will see two valves on the unit and by turning them at a 90 degree angle, that will shut the water off to your house; that is not what you want to do. Above those valves, you will find a red valve that will control the water going to your sprinkler system. Once you turn it 90 degrees, water will be shut off from going outside. Once the water is shut off, there is a drain valve above it where you should get a bucket and allow the water to slowly drip out. This can take up to several hours. Once on the outside of your home you will find the backflow preventer and you will turn the valve and allow the water to drain out by just leaving it open.

When it comes to actually winterizing your sprinkler lines, we leave that to the professionals at Turfbuilder Irrigation; they use compressed air to blow the lines out. Anytime the temperatures dip below 50 degrees or freezing, I highly encourage you to drain the lines until you feel the need to water again.

Thank you for joining me and have a great day!

Are You Having Trouble Finding a Home?

Are You Having Trouble Finding a Home?

Welcome back! We have had a phenomenal year due to the fact that most of our homes are presale. This means we weren’t building homes and waiting for them to sell; we had many people coming to us and building from scratch. Our low on-hand inventory is not alone, the Omaha area in general is lacking inventory.

The lack of inventory is creating frustration for buyers as they cannot find the home they are looking for. When buyers come to us with this issue, we simply tell them “let’s build it!” We help you find the lot and the floor plan and are more than happy to make it happen.

If you or someone you know is thinking about buying, give us a call or stop by one of our model locations. They’re open seven days a week. Have a great day!

Don't Wait Until Spring!

Don't Wait Until Spring!

It is shocking that we are already halfway through October. If you are looking to move into a new home, the soonest you could move in would be mid-April 2014 as we are sold out into spring. Most people’s mindset right now is that it's late fall, the holidays are coming soon and I am not ready to move. The reality, however, is that now is the time to buy so you can move in next spring. Additionally, interest rates are still staying low making it a great time to purchase a home and to also get an extended lock through your lender to secure your pricing and your final interest rate price.

Don’t forget, our models are open 7 days a week and we would love to have you come out and visit Pebblebrooke or Saddlebrook. Thanks and have a great day!

Pebblebrooke - Our Newest Subdivision

Pebblebrooke - Our Newest Subdivision

Autumn is here and today we’re at our Pebblebrooke subdivision on the corner of 174th street and Highway 370 where we opened our new models earlier this year. The sales and successes of this new subdivision have been phenomenal and there are still plenty of lots available. We do have lots that we are going to re-plat this fall to make more lots suitable for three-car garages. These lots are some of the most affordable in southwest Omaha and the locations include prime interstate access, minutes from schools and Chalco recreation center.

If you have not been out to visit us, our models are open seven days a week and we would love to see you. Thanks for watching and have a great day!

Building an Accessible Home - Part 2 - Warranty Check Up

Building an Accessible Home - Part 2 - Warranty Check Up

Hey, guys! Welcome back to our video blog!

At Charleston Homes we take pride in our homes and the service we provide. We want to be there for our customers before, during and after the home building process.

That’s why we are here today with the Hoell family. They have been in their home for 11 months now and we wanted to follow up with a checkup to see how everything has been going. Like many other families, the Hoell’s needed to customize their home to fit their needs.

A wheelchair accessible home was a must for them. So, we made sure the bathroom was large enough to comfortably move around in. We also added roll-over thresholds to help accessibility and many other adjustments to make life a little easier.

With these changes, the Hoell's find their daily routines much easier! This is just one example of how we work to make your home perfect for you and your needs.

Here's part one of this series: http://charlestonhomes1.blogspot.com/2012/10/an-inspiring-interview-with-newest.html.

If you need any help or have any questions. Please give us a call!

Seal Your Exterior Foundation Cracks

Hi everyone, welcome back to our video blog!

Today, I wanted to talk to you about sealing any exterior cracks you may have on your foundation above grade.

Many of you don’t know that your waterproof warranty does not cover any leaks above grade.  Now, here, we have our tar line and the tar line is meant to expand with the crack. Cracks in the foundation will happen and are very normal. Water can come in through the crack and exit on the inside into the basement.

To seal you can use Vulkem. It will leave a line; you can paint over it later. Start from top and go down to the tar line. Then take a rag and push everything into the crack. That’s it! It’s best to do it in the late spring or summer.

That’s all for today, if you have any questions please give us a call!

Thanks for watching!

Driveway Maintenance

Hi everyone, today I’d like to talk to you about driveway maintenance.  Summer is drawing to an end and that means winter weather will be coming before you know it.  So I want to talk about sealing your driveway, the control joints and any cracks you may see as well as sealing the surface with a penetrating sealer.

First we have a crack we want to seal. The product we like to use is Vulkem 116; you can get it at any hardware or home maintenance store. The color you should get is limestone; it matches most concrete shades.

So, the reason you want to seal the cracks is when the weather drops and snow falls, water gets into the cracks. It freezes and then will bust open the top. We seal then in the summer so the water can’t get in. Sealing the control joints is important as well because it prevents moisture from soaking in the ground underneath the driveway.

When you apply the Vulkem 116, you don’t need a lot, just enough to cover the surface.  Now, this is a polyurethane sealant so it can be a little difficult to get off your hands. So if you want to wear rubber gloves you can, but you’ll take your finger and push the sealant in the crack a little more.

It will be pretty tacky and sticky before it dries. Sometimes you can spread sand over the sealant to help with the tackiness. After about 2-3 days it should be dry.

Another maintenance item is sealing the surface of your driveway. Concrete is porous on the surface and all the way through.  You want to seal that surface for the winter months when you are tracking in salt from cars. You want to use a penetrating sealant. Try not to use an acrylic sealer; that just goes on surface and doesn’t soak as a penetrating sealant would. You would just spray that in a pump sprayer on a clean driveway!

So if you have any questions give us call! Thank you so much for watching!

Air Flows and Seasonal Adjustments

Hi there! Thanks for joining our blog today! I wanted to discuss airflow and seasonal adjustments of your damper and register vents!

Today we’re in a two story model. I want to point out if your home is equipped with dampers, there is a lever you need to adjust accordingly depending on the season.

When the lever is in line with the pipe, it is in the on position; it is open all the way. Inside the duct there is a flapper where a fan can be manipulated with the pull of the lever. As I rotate up or down (it doesn’t matter which way) I am able to adjust the air flow. If I turn to a quick 90 degree angle I can actually shut it completely off.

So, in the summer months, the upstairs is warmer than the main floor. So, you will want to turn the bottom lever about 45 degrees to push more air up. The same in the winter months, except you will want to adjust the top lever.

Other seasonal adjustments include the register vents in your home. The vents above the furnace tend to get more air so to create more air flow in the rest of your home you will want to close those a bit.

If you have any questions, give us a call at 402.934.2212!

Lot Availability in the Omaha Metro

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It’s no secret that the real estate market has been on the rise. Financial barriers that prevented people from buying and building are far behind.  

Walt Slobotski, of NP Dodge Real Estate, reported in 2008 there was a total of only 28 lots sold during the entire year. It’s almost the middle of 2013 and they have already closed 147 lots and have 120 pending.  

What does this mean for future buyers?

Lots are being bought up quickly, which is great; however, not much new land has been developed. A shortage of desirable lots is inevitable in the near future.  

To make sure our clients have desirable lots to choose from in 2014, Charleston Homes has bought 350 lots and put them in inventory.  

If you are thinking about building, our suggestion is to do so sooner rather than later.  Land developments can take anywhere from 18 to 24 months to complete.  Now is the time to buy: there is lot availability, interest rates are low and the market is great. Take advantage of the opportunity before things change.  

Please feel free to visit our models at Saddlebrook or Pebblebrooke if you are interested in building a new home and you can always get more information from our website at www.CharlestonHomesOmaha.com.

Why Now Makes Sense to Build

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The message is simple. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, let’s build it. There are only 3,800 homes on the market—the lowest number we’ve seen in years—so we’re getting calls daily from agents and consumers asking what inventory homes we have available, but we sold out of them a month ago. This type of market makes it the perfect time to build.

With the supply of homes so low, it’s especially challenging to find everything you want in an existing home. Don’t end up settling! It makes sense now more than ever to build. At Charleston Homes we offer seven floor plans at a variety of price points whether it’s a ranch, two story or 1½ story. To date, we’ve built in more than 60 neighborhoods and can find the perfect lot in the perfect neighborhood for you.

Best of all, you can personalize your home, rather than settle for what an existing home has to offer. Your home will reflect your personality because you can customize it to meet your tastes and needs. There are so many options from three-car garages, brick or stone fronts, a media room, finished loft, and more. Once you move in, we’ll ensure you’re satisfied by checking in with you 60 days later to see if you have concerns and then again 11 months later. We stand behind every home we build.  

If you’re out looking for a home, visit one of our model complexes. We’d love to talk with you at our new models in Pebblebrooke at 174th and Highway 370 or our models in Saddlebrook at 150th and Fort. Our model hours are Monday through Thursday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. You can also reach us at Pebblebrooke at (402) 502-5600 and at Saddlebrook at (402) 934-2212. We look forward to seeing you!

What Makes the Huntington Stand Out

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Our 1½ story—the Huntington—has an updated design. You can see it at our model complex in Pebblebrooke at 174th and Highway 370. There are not many 1½ stories in Omaha, but we can build the Huntington anywhere in Omaha and the surrounding areas. You won’t be disappointed.

So what’s new in the plan? The heart of the home, the kitchen features more cabinets and a new setup that makes it more spacious. Tying the kitchen into the family room makes it a very open floor plan. The front room, could be a formal dining room or living room while the rest of the first floor features an owner’s retreat, with a more spacious bedroom and bathroom than in the previous layout. With two bedrooms and a spacious loft upstairs, the Huntington is one of the most functional plans we have. Top off all this space with an unfinished basement that offers multiple configurations such as a bedroom or a big open space with lots of storage and you can have the home of your dreams.

To give it your own personality, you can customize the exterior and interior to meet your needs and tastes. The Huntington, which has a total of 2,631 square feet of finished space above grade, typically sells in the $220,000 to $270,000 range.

We’d love to visit with you at our new models in Pebblebrooke at 174th and Highway 370 or our models in Saddlebrook at 150th and Fort. Our model hours are Monday through Thursday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. You can also reach us at Pebblebrooke at (402) 502-5600 and at Saddlebrook at (402) 934-2212. We look forward to seeing you!