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The power of choice
From your burrito to your phone case, it’s hard to imagine not having a range of choices and styles in 2018. How much more should that apply to an important purchase like your home? If you’ve been browsing Pinterest or Houzz, you may already know the type of finishes you love. The good news: There are more choices in every price range than ever before. For example, if you love Carrera marble, but not its price tag, there’s a porcelain option that gives you the same look.
Take note: Not all builders offer the same latitude to make your home unique, so be sure to ask about your options before you contract. When you build from the ground up, Richmond American gives you hundreds of fixture and finish options. Plus, you’ll enjoy complimentary help from our design consultants to take out the guesswork.
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A way to exercise self care
Not a day went by over the past year when there wasn’t an anxiety-inducing news headline for everyone to chat about over the water cooler. And that’s on top of the daily stresses of job and family commitments! Unless you host a popular HGTV show, the last thing you need is the headache of a fixer upper. When you buy a brand new home and build from the ground up, you can still put your stamp on it, but you won’t be spending every weekend learning how to lay tile. That leaves more time for taking care of yourself and your loved ones.
Take note: When you buy a resale home, you’ll often have to pay for the renovations out of pocket. If you have to rent an apartment while the work is done, you’ll have to pay mortgage and rent at the same time! With new construction, you won’t start paying the mortgage until after closing and upgrades can usually be wrapped into your mortgage.
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The state of mortgages
It’s 2018 and interest rates are still low, which is a significant factor in the affordability of homeownership. We’ve come to take it for granted, but rates were not always at these levels. Take a look at these stats from the past for the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage:
| January 1988 | 10.55% |
| January 1993 | 8.12% |
| January 2000 | 8.31% |
Source: HSH.com, December 11, 2017
With rates hovering just above 4% right now, 2018 is still an incredible time to make a home purchase. There are no guarantees that these rates will hold. If we ever see rates around 10.55% again, the home within your reach now may become unaffordable.
Take note: If you hear rumblings in the news about potentially rising interest rates, be sure to check with your lender about a possible rate lock option.
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Time to plan and purge
We know the feeling. You want to move, but the thought of uprooting your life at a moment’s notice makes you pause. With a new home, you don’t have to make that transition in a week or even a month. When you build a new home from the ground up, you’ll have to time to organize and mentally prepare to make a change. While construction is underway, you can purge and decide what to donate or throw away. You can plan furniture layouts and get to know the neighborhood. Taking your time can equal less stress.
Take note: Whether you’re facing a job change or a military move, sometimes moving quickly is unavoidable. Not a problem! We can help make the process as streamlined as possible. Richmond American has homes ready for move-in across the country. Go to RichmondAmerican.com, enter your area in the search box and select the Show me quick move-in homes checkbox.
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Start browsing homes
If you are considering a move any time in 2018, window shopping should start now! Get to know the floor plans and communities in your area. Here are quick links to where we build:
Arizona new homes
California new homes
Colorado new homes
Florida new homes
Maryland new homes
Nevada
Utah
Virginia
Washington