Dallas Luxury Home Builder, Bella Vita Custom Homes, was honored to serve as host to the final 2012 Komen Dallas Race for the Cure committee meeting for the Dallas County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen on Tuesday evening.  As you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so I decided to contact the Susan G. Komen’s Dallas County Affiliate last month and had the pleasure of speaking with Kaitlyn Echols, who is their awesome and kind Events Coordinator.  I humbly offered our beautiful Bella Vita show home located on 6830 Waggoner Drive, Dallas, TX 75230 to possibly host any of their exciting events they have and we decided that their final committee meeting for the 2012 Race would be a great fit at our new custom show home.

The cool night had an elegant yet casual feel with all of the lovely members dressed up so nicely yet very relaxed as they all mingled, reminisced and laughed with one another while enjoying a gourmet catered dinner with delightful finger foods and yummy desserts.  As the attendees toured the Bella Vita show home they were very nice and complimentary of the openness, layout, exterior and interior design as well as our attention to every detail in the fine finish out of our home.  The hard-working members were given thoughtfully stuffed gift bags at the end of the evening by their board president, Terri Swain, showing her heartfelt appreciation for all of their great efforts and sacrifices throughout this past year.

The Dallas County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® was founded in 1992 and hosts the Race for the Cure® annually.  This year, the Race attracted approximately 22,000 participants and raised more than $2 million to fight breast cancer.  Each year, the Dallas County Affiliate is proud to be a part of this global fight, having contributed more than $10 million to the cause with 25 percent of these funds going toward internationally innovative research and the remaining 75 percent supporting breast health agencies and organizations in Dallas County.  These agencies and organizations provide a continuum of care for breast health through education, screening and treatment programs for the under-served and non-insured in Dallas County.  To donate today to the Dallas County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, please click here to do so- every dollar helps.

Susan G. Komen continues to fund individual research awards. It also recognizes that breast cancer is a complicated problem and has created the Promise Grant award system, which uses team science to look at larger, critical issues in breast cancer.  Komen’s research funding is also directed towards cultivating young researchers; over 260 young and emerging scientists are currently supported through Komen’s training and career catalyst grants.  A recent Komen evaluation has shown, in fact, that this investment has been successful. Nearly 90% of former Komen postdoctoral fellows are still in the field of breast cancer, most of them as independent researchers.  With the help of one of the largest grassroots networks in the world, Komen has been able to invest nearly $755 million in breast cancer research since its beginnings in 1982.  Komen currently funds over 540 research teams in 39 states and 10 countries to help end breast cancer.  Please click here to donate to the National Susan G. Komen Foundation in your support to finding a cure for breast cancer today.

Bella Vita Custom Homes was honored to be able to offer our show home for this very worthy cause and organization and we certainly plan to do more with the Komen Dallas County in the future!  Congratulations to all of the race participants and the entire Komen Foundation for another successful year in raising these much needed donations to help find a cure for breast cancer.  Thanks again to all the members who came to the committee dinner last Tuesday evening and we hope you enjoyed our lovely show home as much as we enjoyed hosting for all of you.

Live Beautifully,

Tony

I recently wrote about why now very well might prove to be one of the best times to buy a new Bella Vita Custom Home!  Since then there have been several articles written about the strong signs of recovery in the new housing industry.  More specifically, the new housing market in Central Texas has seen some of the most continuous and healthiest indicators that new housing is indeed quickly and aggressively bouncing back.  Bella Vita Custom Homes is extremely blessed to be the preferred custom home builder in Austin, Dallas and Houston.  The following is a brief summary of how all three of our Bella Vita Custom Homes’ new housing markets are performing as well as the rest of the Country overall.

According to a report by Metrostudy, which is ‘a national housing data and consulting firm that maintains the most extensive primary database on residential construction in the US housing market’, significant job growth and continuing rental increases in the apartment market remain the primary reasons for the increasing levels of demand seen in the new home market in Austin.  Metrostudy recorded 2,369 starts in Austin in the third quarter of 2012, up 37% from the third quarter of 2011 and surveys indicated there were 1,945 closings in Austin in the third quarter of 2012, up 14% from the third quarter of 2011.  Eldon Rude, the Director of the Austin market for Metrostudy, states that critically low inventory levels for developed lots in key locations will serve to both drive up home prices in some areas in 2013, as well as limit supply of new home starts in Austin within the next year, added Rude.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area experienced a very healthy 32% climb in starts during the third quarter because new home sales have grown throughout the entire year and new home inventory is at a historic 20-year low.  Furthermore, homebuilders in Dallas raised their prices during the third quarter in more locations than any time in the last four years.  The icing on this cake for ‘Big D’ is the compounding fact that the lot inventory in the Dallas-Fort Worth market is now at a 13-year low and the most desirable communities have less than an 18-month supply of lots (that is low).  Several new homebuilders are struggling and searching hard to find replacement lots in these very popular and strong locations.

Another report generated by Metrostudy for the Houston housing market indicates new home starts are simply soaring.  In fact, annual starts are the highest level since 2008 and the current lot inventory is at the lowest since 2003; that’s a scary mix which is ultimately going to lead to higher prices across the market.  Greater Houston continues to rank among the very top job growth markets in the entire country, ”Much of the growth in new home activity has occurred in the upper price points over the last five quarters, though recently the lower price points have shown signs of growing demand,” said David Jarvis, director of Metrostudy’s Houston division.  Houston builders closed 6,014 new homes in the third quarter of 2012 which is an 11% increase from the third quarter of 2011.  The homes currently under construction in Houston represents a 43% increase from the activity at this same timeframe last year and over the past year, the supply of developed lots in the Greater Houston area has declined by an estimated 15%.

On a national scale, the number of U.S. housing markets showing consistent improvement in three key measures of strength- housing permits, employment and house prices- for at least six consecutive months expanded by 22 in November to a total of 125, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI).  “Not only did 22 additional markets qualify for the improving list in November, but the geographic distribution of included metros expanded from 33 states to 38 (plus the District of Columbia), while 97 out of 103 markets retained their spots on the list from the previous month,” observed Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).  Rutenberg continued, “This shows that a housing recovery is firmly taking root and helping generate needed jobs and economic growth across much of the country”.  “This new high point for the Improving Markets Index provides the latest evidence that housing has turned a corner due to rising demand from consumers who are increasingly confident about the direction of local home values,” said Kurt Pfotenhauer, vice chairman of First American Title Insurance Company.

Construction spending moved up in September to the highest level seen in nearly three years, thanks largely to a boost by the housing sector.  Construction spending increased nearly 9% percent in the 12 months ended in September before adjustments for seasonal variations, the Commerce Department report showed.  Increasing demand for new homes is boosting residential construction as the real estate market sheds excess distressed properties and borrowing costs remain at historic lows.  The housing market recovery has been quickly strengthening with purchases of new homes rising in September to the highest level in more than two years, the Commerce Department stated.

Many industry ‘experts’ during the housing recovery have stated that the Central Texas market would be the last one to feel the effects of the corrections and more importantly the first ones to actually come out of all of it which is proving to be quite true.  Bella Vita Custom Homes is very blessed that these wonderful Central Texas cities are the only markets that we have chosen to enter and build custom homes in as I feel Central Texas was-and still is- one of the most insulated and protected markets in the entire Nation.  In my opinion, all of these facts and stats are very telling signs of the times ahead and it certainly looks like a nice steady recovery is underway in new home building… and gaining substantial momentum.

Live Beautifully,

Tony

This is a very understandable question to be asking if you are currently considering investing in a new Bella Vita Custom Home.  I would have to say that I truly feel now is indeed one of the best times to invest in a new Bella Vita Custom Home.  The main reasons in my opinion are due to historically low interest rates coupled with the low inventory of available new homes, recent increases in homebuilder confidence, strong signs of recovery in the housing industry and our national economy.  These are all very good indicators that the new home industry has indeed turned a corner and is now heading back in the correct direction.

The Federal Reserve‘s latest announcement to keep interest rates incredibly low for a year longer than previously thought- until 2015- should encourage us to take advantage of these currently low rates and borrow money to invest in a new custom home.  “That is sort of how the Fed policy of keeping rates low will stimulate the economy: by increasing the disposable income of households through refinancing.  And also by keeping interest rates low, it will make it easier for households to  buy new houses, which will stimulate the construction sector slightly,” says Bill Hampel, senior vice president of research and policy analysis and chief economist at the Credit Union National Association.

Almost 30 years ago interest rates were above 12% for a 30-year fixed mortgage and just 15 years ago they were in the 7-8+% range and less than 5 years ago you would of been thrilled to lock in a rate around 6%.  Today you are currently able to secure a 30-year fixed mortgage in the low 3% arena which is incredibly low and allows you to possibly borrow more than you might be able to if rates went back up to an average of 6+% range.  This chart shows trends of the national average mortgage rates on 30-year fixed  mortgages, 15-year fixed mortgages and 1-year ARMs since 1985, according to Bankrate’s weekly survey on interest rates.

Source: Bankrate.com

Shawn Tully, senior editor-at-large for Fortune, argued in a recent article that a severe shortage of new homes was also helping provide the foundation for a resurgence in both new home sales as well as prices.  Much of the data referenced was provided by Mike Castleman, chief of Metrostudy.  Castleman states, a major reason is the shortage of “ready to go” lots — with permits and basic site work in place — in good locations.  “The lots in top locations will all be gone by April of next year,” he says. 

Also recently, confidence among the nation’s homebuilders has risen to its highest level since June of 2006.  The National Association of Home Builders said its builder confidence index rose for the sixth consecutive month in October.  “Many builders are reporting increases in the number of serious buyers visiting their sales offices, and the overall confidence measure is much higher than it was at this time last year,” said the association’s chairman, Barry Rutenberg.  The biggest increase in the NAHB’s monthly survey of its members came in measuring traffic of prospective buyers, rising 5 points to its highest level since April of 2006.

Another indicator is the recent increases in the cost of core building commodities which also points to a sign of the steady rise in demand for new homes.  New home building costs have been under significant pressure and increases are already being felt in such construction components as concrete, lumber, steel, copper, sheetrock, roofing, and paint.  The increases for all construction materials are up 5% in the last year and are up a total of over 35% since 2004.  Added to this equation is the fact that labor costs have also been at historic lows not seen in decades during the downturn and workers are now also raising their prices with the upswing in hopes to finally make a sustainable and fair profit.

The Housing Scorecard, a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market, continues to show signs that the housing market is strengthening.  Homeowner equity jumped by 5.9 percent to $7,275 billion in the second quarter of 2012.  After a sharp first quarter rise, total equity has grown to $863 billion, or 13.5 percent, since the end of 2011.  “As the September housing scorecard indicates, our housing market is showing important signs of recovery – with homeowner equity at a four-year high and summer sales of existing homes at the strongest pace in two years,” said HUD Acting Assistant Secretary Erika Poethig.  Another interesting fact that was pointed out in the Urban Land Institute’s 2013 Emerging Trends in Real Estate report is, “At some point, the sheer force of the expanding population (at 2 million to 3 million annually) will create demand for single-family homes, and any upsurge in housing will likely ripple positively through the rest of the real estate industry and the entire economy.”

So, these are the main reasons why I truly feel that now is indeed one of the best times to invest in a new Bella Vita Custom Home.  If you are thinking about building a beautiful new custom home, please visit or contact us and allow us the honor of showing you what we can provide for one of your biggest and most important investments.   Our team is confident you will realize and agree why we have so many appreciative Bella Vita Custom Home owners that typically only have one wish left after they move-in to their new custom home…

“We just wish we built with you sooner, but so thankful and happy we did.”

Live Beautifully,

Tony

Low maintenance on a new Bella Vita Custom Home… now there’s some serious piece of mind if you ask me!  This is the third of the top three benefits that a new Bella Vita Custom Home provides our wonderful homeowners; very low maintenance and a comprehensive dependable warranty that lasts up to ten years on the major structural elements of your home.  Do you remember the last unexpectedly needed costly repair on your home?  It is unfortunately sad to say, but if you can’t recall the last time a major component or system of your house decided to give out… one of them will likely do so sooner than later.  Even a bit sadder is that once one of your major mechanical systems such as your HVAC or water heater(s) begins to fail it’s typically a sign that it’s just the beginning of the other hard-working parts of your home needing major repairs or even complete replacement. 

So, it’s finally the weekend and you have a very long and ever-growing list of household items and upkeep that’s pretty common and needed on a much more regular basis with older houses… sound like a familiar tune?  Not to our lucky homeowners who chose to build and live in a new Bella Vita Custom Home… their weekends are free to spend however they wish.  We are finding that our new custom home buyers are now looking more into and requesting a self-sufficient and ‘smart’ type of home to enjoy.  In the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) “Home of the Future” study, industry experts said low-maintenance interiors are “critical” or “very critical” in today’s new homes.  The higher the square footage, the more likely buyers want maintenance-free homes.  “The idea is to spend more time on family and less time on house work,” says Stephen Melman, NAHB director of economic services.

Smart homes deliver smart energy efficient controls to do things such as set/program/change your thermostat settings, turn on and off your fireplace and ceiling fans, switch lights on and off and even have your shades automatically close as the sun changes positions and starts beating into your home.  Advances in home technology and electronics can now provide a true ‘whole home automation’ system that gives you total control over virtually any electronic device or appliance or system in your new Bella Vita Custom Home. 

There are numerous providers of such new home technology and the list is growing longer every day, but in my opinion two very good options for home automation systems are the Vivint Home Automation Package and the Control4 home control systems. 

The Vivint Home Package features premier security, automatic door locks, video surveillance, controlling your lights, your thermostats and even various small appliances from your smart phone or tablet.  Consumers Digest editors recognized the Vivint Home Automation and Advanced Security packages as “Best Buys” in its home security industry category. Consumers Digest awards its prestigious “Best Buy” rating to products that offer exceptional value in today’s highly competitive marketplace and also considers excellence in customer support when choosing recipients.  Bella Vita Custom Homes provides all of our homes with an included full security system trim out which of course can be customized to include select product offerings in the home automation package. 

Another provider and leader in such ‘whole home automation’ technology that effortlessly makes your new Bella Vita Custom Home capable of truly being a smart home is Control4.  Imagine a home that remembers to lock itself at 10 pm, shades that close as the sun hits, and a home theater setup that takes care of the lights, sound and picture all with just one touch… that’s a Control4 home.  With Control4 you can monitor and control your smart home even when you’re not there.  Get text alerts if your garage door was left open or be notified the minute your kids get home.  Cameras and smart locks give you peace of mind that your treasures inside are safe and sound.  Your kids work hard all day to turn on all the lights… with one ‘Goodnight’ button, turn off all 25 lights just before you go to bed. 

Innovative low-maintenance materials and construction techniques mean that today’s new custom homes are built to be much more energy efficient than homes constructed even just five years ago.  Not only can they be more affordable to operate, new homes also are significantly more resource efficient and environmentally friendly… as well as more secure and healthy for your family.  Furthermore, due to home automation technology you can control any and every feature of your home from your pocket no matter where you are physically located.  If you would like to learn more about the latest offerings and see a demonstration in new custom home technology please visit us at our beautiful and advanced Preston Hollow show home on 6830 Waggoner Drive, Dallas, TX 75230. 

Live Beautifully,

Tony

We had an unbelievable turnout at our Bella Vita Custom Homes Fall Show Home Tour this past weekend so a very warm Thank You to all who came out and made it such a fun time!  We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did; we really loved being so busy throughout the entire weekend.  We had an incredible turnout with over 300 excited Bella Vita fans come through our doors over the weekend.  Our guests were kindly greeted with a mimosa, gourmet coffee or glass of wine as soon as they arrived and then they were casually guided through the show home by one of our knowledgeable sales professionals.

Our younger guests enjoyed decorating pumpkins and playing in the courtyard, and the game room, and the media room… they were kept well entertained.  We also had some wonderful live music from our courtyard by Goga Denisov who was a big hit and received several well-deserved rave reviews.  Speaking of rave reviews… we honestly could not be happier or more proud of the overwhelming response from all of our guests.  Some of the most popular comments we repeatedly heard were; how beautiful and well done the interior design of the home was, how well our show home was appointed, the well hidden yet very desirable ‘secret lounge’, the great finish out and attention to detail, the constant disbelief of our estimated cost per square foot given the obvious quality and numerous upgrades throughout our beautiful show home.  Several of our visitors were so impressed after viewing the show home that they took an escorted tour of a few other gorgeous custom homes that we have completed or near completion in the area to attain a better sense of our wide array of styles and timeless design.

As I’m sure you can agree there’s nothing that really compares to actually seeing, feeling and touching a custom home to truly appreciate all it offers.  So, please don’t hesitate and come visit our beautiful show home on 6830 Waggoner Drive, Dallas, TX 75230 the next time you find yourself near the Preston Hollow area.  If you were one of the hundreds that were able to take advantage of our Fall Show Home Tour, you might still want to take another look or bring some friends and family to show-off the home to them as well so please feel welcome to return and do just that!  We certainly tried our best to ensure all of your questions were answered and we always strive to give our customers as much personalized attention as possible.  Our sincere apologies if we were not able to provide you with all the attention you deserve so please feel free to contact us and we will set up a private meeting to discuss your wants and needs.  If you would like to be notified about any future Bella Vita Custom Home events, please email me your contact information; tony@livingbellavita.com and I will add you to our preferred list to keep you informed of all our exciting upcoming events and parties.

Live Beautifully,

Tony

As a Realtor who focuses on new construction, I can say with confidence that Bella Vita Custom Homes offers everything I and my clients want in a custom builder:

1. An eye for creative design blending luxury elegance & style with practicality.

2. An unrelenting desire to vastly exceed my clients’ expectations so they become raving fans.

3. Unparalleled experience & “know-how” for construction quality.

4. A strong network of suppliers & trades, along with vertical integration structure that enables them to crush the competition on the value provided for dollars spent.

5. Financial strength that 95% of builders will never attain.

6. Plain and simple Integrity.

I recommend them without reservation.

Seth Koppel, Broker/Owner – TexHomes Realty

Lots of builders say they are custom builders… what I looked for in a builder was one who was capable of listening, taking my thoughts and dreams and putting them in a house plan.  To some people a house is a place to live; I have entrusted Bella Vita Custom Homes to build a HOUSE to be part of my future wife’s and kid’s inheritance.  That “trust” is what Bella Vita Custom Homes has come to earn.

John Delao

After deciding to build our first custom home, we were extremely diligent in choosing the right homebuilder we could trust, understood our desires and had the same vision as us.  We met with several custom homebuilders throughout DFW, but fell in love with the Bella Vita team after seeing the creative design and exceptional quality of the beautiful model.  Bella Vita Custom Homes’ outstanding reputation was only confirmed after we called and personally met with over a dozen (literally) prior customers.  Additionally, the quality of work and attention to detail was evident as we walked through four “in-progress” homes each at different phases of completion.  Ultimately, we chose Bella Vita Custom Homes because they understood our goals and held an unwavering focus on customer satisfaction creating a family-like trust with the team.

Our home is currently 90 days from being completed and we have absolutely loved working with Bella Vita Custom Homes.  They guided us through each phase of the build process and really eased any concerns we had going into the build process.  They are extremely knowledgeable on the City Codes, which made the permitting process much easier on us.  The team is extremely hard-working and has done a wonderful job communicating with us, answering every phone call at any hour of the day.  All-in-all, what could easily have been a stressful and difficult process has been smooth and enjoyable.  We can’t wait to move in!

We highly recommend Bella Vita Custom Homes to anybody looking for an exceptional quality custom home.  If you would like to see our completed home as an example of their workmanship, you are most welcome.

Brittany and Mike Bandy

In searching for a custom builder to build our dream home, we were seeking someone we felt we could partner with on such a personal project.  Trust, quality, a sense of style, open and authentic communication were the major qualities we sought.  From our first meeting with Bella Vita Custom Homes we felt this and a partnership in building our home began.  They took the time to get to know our family and how we live and incorporated our ideas into a design that is amazing.  It is great to have a team at Bella Vita Custom Homes that is dedicated to ensuring that we are satisfied throughout the building process.  They take the time answer all of our questions and make sure we have the information needed to make decisions.  We recommend Bella Vita to anyone seeking a true partner in their custom building efforts.

Mitchell Ward and Pamela Wills-Ward