Tag Archives: Boerne

San Antonio Real Estate Market Update

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STD 24

According to Home Buying Institute, 2015 was a strong year for the U.S. housing market, and the hope is that next year will be equally prolific. The belief is that home prices will rise more slowly in 2016 as a result of a supply and demand imbalance.

In terms of mortgage rates, the 30-year average has held steadfast at around 4% all year, although there are indications it’s on the rise and could be at 5% by end of 2016. This is good news for those who are selling before investing in a brand new custom home. However, if you’re looking to lock in a new mortgage at the lowest rate possible, it’s evident that you should do so quickly. Early bird catches the worm, as they say!

According to our esteemed SA Business Journal, “Home sales in San Antonio continue to blast through previously set milestones.” How long this will last is anyone’s guess. The SA Board of Realtor’s third quarter housing report revealed that this summer was one of the most active seasons in recorded history with the market experiencing an increase in sales price as well as volume.

Although the city of San Antonio is enjoying a moderate 5% growth, neighborhoods including Boerne, Terrell Hills, Leon Valley and Helotes increased 50% year-over-year. Kendall County, for example, reported a 44% increase in sales. We’re not surprised by this. Our Texas Hill Country clients love their new homes and are happy being away from all the city traffic and hubbub, while still being close enough to come into town for events and such.

Overall, home sales in San Antonio increased 11 percent compared to last year. We wouldn’t presume to make any predictions for the upcoming year, but our guess is San Antonio will continue to be an ideal place to live and build a home for this and a hundred more reasons!

If you’d like to explore your options, please give us a call at 210-494-5400. To be added to our private email list to receive the newsletter, please sign up here.

 

Floors – For Every Step You Take

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floor

They may always be beneath us, but the kind of floor you choose for your home can impact the look and feel of your entire house. Especially if you’re working with a custom home builder like us, the sky’s the limit when it comes to floors, but just what does that mean? If you don’t know what you want, then you don’t know what to ask for, right? Here are just a few ideas to get you brainstorming!

Hardwood Floors

The great thing about hardwood is that it never goes out of style. They’re authentic, renewable, beautiful and durable. As for current trends, dark hardwood is in! Two of the most popular stains are Ebony and Jacobean. They go very nicely in the kitchen with white cabinets or in the living room when used with light furniture – think white or soft blue.

Tile Floors

Tile can be used in so many ways – as a mosaic, for example, or even to replicate wood. People are using textured tiles that look like wood for flooring. Trends include reclaimed, barn wood or aged-looking wood, mixing materials like natural stone and wood-looks, parquet flooring (creating geometric patterns with planks), square-based patters and exotic looking hardwoods.

Laminate Floors

One of the main reasons to go with laminate flooring is cost, although there are certainly other benefits, such as they don’t scratch nearly as easily as hardwood. If you are indeed building a house from the ground up, laminate wouldn’t exactly be our first choice, but it’s a money-saver in a pinch. Fortunately, these days you can find some very nice looking laminate that’s almost impossible to discern from the real thing.

Carpet

Carpet is still a great look for bedrooms, although a gorgeous rug over stunning hardwood simply can’t be beat. Right now, favorite options include carpet with texture and patterns in neutral colors such as taupe or gray, although muted blues and teals are certainly growing in popularity.

Creative Floors

When it comes to what you can use to make a floor, all you have to do is use your imagination. You could make a floor out of marbles, pennies, wine corks, puzzles, ceramic shards, even sheet music. What are your interests? How do you want people to feel when they walk into a room? These are questions you should be asking yourself. Besides the walls in the room, the floor has the most potential to make a statement. So what are you going to do with it?

Please feel free to call us at 210-494-5400 to help you get started building your new custom home from floor-to-ceiling!

Lighting the Way in Your New Custom-Built Home

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Many people don’t realize just how important lighting is to achieving the desired look or feel you want in your new custom home. Lighting isn’t just an art, it’s also a science. The right lighting can dramatically enhance the space – make it look larger, softer, grander, warmer, cooler, the list goes on. Architectural elements and art pieces should also receive precise lighting design consideration in order to gracefully showcase the unique aspects of your home that make it special.

Natural & Artificial Light

Finding a harmonious balance between natural and artificial light is key to feeling at home in your new house. Natural light and the way it moves through your home is a crucial consideration.  For example, how the sun moves along the horizon from sunrise to sunset and how it affects the interior as well as the exterior of your house, helps us to make decisions, such as orientation and design.

In the evening hours, artificial lighting must replace the natural daylight and enhance your space, not diminish it, using either subtle or dazzling methods. Understanding the intent of the lighting and décor such as how the space is to be used and what, if any, decorative pieces should be emphasized, determines exactly where fixtures should be located and what type of fixtures are best.

Our Lighting Experts

We work with Turney Lighting & Electric – who is quite literally a one-stop source for all lighting, fans and home accents. When the time comes to decide on lighting fixtures, we send you straight to the experts, along with the house plan and lighting budget. Turney has a beautiful showroom in San Antonio and Boerne where you can explore a variety of options. They help guide you in the right direction, based on whatever theme or style you want throughout your new home.

Illuminating Trends

The U.S. Lighting fixture industry generates over 22 billion dollars a year and is estimated to rise 7.7% annually to 32.5 billion in 2018. Surprisingly, there are a lot of factors that influence the market, including things like environmental factors.

Lighting fixtures themselves are becoming showpieces in modern homes. Gone are the days of bright white kitchens and garish lighting. Directional sconce lighting is coming back into fashion. Depending upon the style of your new kitchen, you can go for a minimalist monochrome design or traditional brass fixtures, for example, that look exceptional in a room with natural tones.

Go Green

Following LEED energy-saving practices is becoming more and more common as energy costs continue to rise. CPS Energy has indicated that energy bills will increase approximately 4% in 2015, therefore saving energy wherever and whenever we can is always at the top of the priority list.

Lighting controls are a fantastic and easy way to save money. Not only do they dramatically extend the life of bulbs, but they use less electricity. As opposed to standard light switches that only save money when “off,” dimmers and controls save on energy around-the-clock!

For more information on illuminating your new custom home, call us today at 210-494-5400 or visit our website!