Tag Archives: best home builders san antonio

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Work from Home & the Newfound Value of a Home Office

“Sorry, that’s my dog barking in the background!” Sound familiar? COVID-19 quarantine and shelter in place orders have sent many of us home while still juggling a full workload. Facetime, Slack, and Zoom have all taken new prominence in our lives as we try to find our new normal. Whether it is helping the kids with school, trying to operate business as usual from the bedroom, or looking for some quiet on the back patio, we have all felt the challenges of this new work format.

Finding a suitable place in the home to connect virtually can be difficult. It can feel like waiting for the stars to align for pets, appliances, and family to all be quiet enough for a peaceful hour of work at home. While it has been nice to be near to those we love through the stay at home era, we must also face reality. Work from home may not be going away anytime soon, and we need to set ourselves up to be productive in this format.

Work from Home

In a CNBC article, Fidelity’s Chief Risk Officer, Greg Montana, predicts there will be no return to packed office buildings. Montana thinks there will be some return to office work, but not like before as he leads one of the world’s largest financial institutions which has 95% of its workforce at home. The CNBC article goes on to cite a Global Workplace Analytics claim that employers can save $11,000 per employee who works from home at least half the time. Cost savings, expanding technology, health concerns, and convenience may have catapulted us forward into the work from anywhere format for good. This brings us back to the barking dog in the background of our zoom call. What should we be doing with our homes to anticipate this change?

Investing in a dedicated home office space is quickly transitioning from a “nice to have” to a “must have” for homeowners. The corner of a bedroom might work temporarily, but we all know we need more permanent solutions. Not only can a dedicated workroom increase our quality of life amidst chaos, but it also holds the potential to increase the value of our homes.

A dedicated, working space off the main living area could make our homes more desirable when we market them in this new era of remote work as a business norm.

Having a home office with a heavier soundproof door and dedicated space to serve as a differentiator between home and work might just be the next best investment for your career, sanity, and home. For those who are self-employed and now using a home space as their primary place of work, you may even be able to use a home office as a tax deduction. Work from home can become a joy if we take the steps to set ourselves up for success. Simply having a differentiator within the home can ease the mental strain of “never leaving the office” now that you live there. As we write this article from our kitchen table and make our own home office ready, may we advise you to invest in an office space now to proactively take advantage of the opportunity COVID-19 has brought us.

Okay Fido, you are free to bark now!

 

Written by Michael Smith

San Antonio Real Estate Market Update – Summer 2015

It’s hard to believe we’re midway through the year! Here’s a look at where San Antonio stands in terms of the current real estate and economic market:

Even with the significant rainfall slowing construction of new homes and commercial buildings, everywhere you go it’s easy to see the growth that’s taking place in the city, particularly downtown, with condos, apartments and hotels sprouting up faster than weeds.

According to the San Antonio Business Journal, the West side of SA is also seeing a lot of growth with mixed-use developments becoming the “new frontier.” Just last month, KFW Engineers & Surveying, a local civil engineering firm, announced they will be building a multimillion-dollar headquarters off of Loop 1604.

According to Zillow, the median home value in San Antonio is now $153,600, which means our home values have gone up 8.7% over the past year and predictions indicate they will rise another 2.8% within the next year. Already the median price of homes currently listed is $189,900.

Some may view this growth as a negative, particularly if you’re wanting to buy and miss the cheap rates of just a few years ago. However, you can also look at it as San Antonio is finally rising to its potential.

Bexar County added almost 5,000 new jobs last year with another 4,000 likely to be added by the end of this year. Forecasters are claiming the city’s “new energy economy” is responsible for this significant growth.

In particular, CPS Energy’s New Energy Economy Initiative has been a primary catalyst – they’ve brought in seven new companies into the Alamo city, which translates into 1,000 new jobs and an estimated income of more than $40 million.

If this kind of growth in the tech / energy industries continues, San Antonio will be put on the map for more than just the Spurs and River Walk. At Stone Creek Custom Homes, we’re excited to see the bar being raised and are more than ready to meet the challenge!

We believe there’s no better time to consider building a custom home than right now. For more information, please call us today at 210-494-5400.

 

 

 

Best of Houzz 2015

Stone Creek Custom Homes Wins Best of Houzz 2015

Houzz (www.houzz.com), the leading platform for home remodeling and design, today announced the community’s picks for Best Of Houzz 2015, a homeowner-to-homeowner guide to the top home buildersarchitectsinterior designers, landscape pros and other residential remodeling professionals on Houzz from tile, stone and countertop pros to painters.

“Houzz connects people with the best home professional for their project by providing the only 360-degree view of a professional, from their portfolio, client reviews, awards and accreditations to their work style and expertise based on their participation in the Houzz community,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing for Houzz. “We’re delighted to join our community in recognizing the talented professionals on Houzz who are delivering incredible designs and delightful customer experiences.”

The Best Of Houzz award is given in two categories: Customer Service and Design. Customer Service honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2014. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 25 million monthly users on Houzz, known as “Houzzers,” Winners will receive a “Best Of Houzz 2015” badge on their profiles, showing the Houzz community their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.

Houzz recently launched the Photographer Network (http://www.houzz.com/getPhotos) to provide industry professionals with access to top photographers at affordable prices, making it easy to showcase their work to the Houzz community. Consisting of more than 500 professional photographers in the U.S. and Canada on Houzz, the network provides special photography packages to first-time clients who are professionals on Houzz.

About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a room to building a custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community powered by social tools, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, buy products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin and Sydney. For more information, visitwww.houzz.com