Meet some of the area’s best builders in the Spring Circuit, running 2 weekends, April 10-11 and 17-18.  This is a great opportunity to tour new homes, see the latest in design trends, and talk to different builders about opportunities to build your new home!

Regal Construction has 3 communities in the Circuit – Mudbrook, Spring Landing, and the Fountains at Meyers Lake.

If you’ve been thinking about a new house, now is a great time to think about putting your current home on the market. Spring IS just around the corner, and as people start to dig themselves out of the snow, the market is sure to pick up.

Visit us at Open House this weekend – we’ll be at Spring Landing, The Fountains at Meyers Lake, and the Villas at Mudbrook, all open Sunday 1:00 to 4:00.

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108701/the-10-must-have-features-in-todays-new-homes.html?mod=family-love_money

This year, Builder Magazine built a “virtual” home – which has the distinct advantage that anyone can tour it, not just show attendees.

I am impressed with the design on this home; the designers acknowledged that when the housing market rebounds, it’s going to be very different from previous boom years. Instead of throwing up a 4,000 sq. ft. “McMansion”, they put a lot of thought into designing a 1,700 sq. ft. home with creative space that would appeal to many different kinds of families. The home has creative spaces, an open feel, and flexible rooms that can adjust with its owners lifestyles.

One warning – home building suppliers donate the materials for show homes such as this, so the tour includes plenty of plugs for their products. And I wish the web site had an overall floor plan for viewers to review. Having said that, though, I think the home and the concept are worth a tour:

http://www.builderconcepthome2010.com/

http://www.cantonrep.com/news/business/x370522861/Stark-housing-market-continues-to-improve
I’m not sure it’s time to pop the champagne cork yet, as there is still plenty of room for improvement for housing in northeast Ohio, but the article points out some of the criteria that make it an incredible time to buy a new home – namely the Federal Housing Tax Credit and historically low interest rates.  If you’ve been thinking about buying a new home, I would argue that right now is an opportune time to jump into the market.

I think an important consideration for northeast Ohio, also, is that we never experienced the real estate runup in pricing that much of the nation did… meaning that we never experienced the sharp decline of much of the nation, either.  Stability can be a good thing when it comes to one of the largest investments you’ll ever make!

Mudbrook, Spring Landing, The Fountains at Meyers Lake, or lakefront living at Catawba Bay. 

Each community features a maintenance package where you can get rid of your snow blower and let someone else go out and find your driveway!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34443935/ns/business-real_estate/

Stark County (and in reality, all of northeast Ohio) never experienced the heights that many markets enjoyed during the boom. We’ve all felt the decline, however.  While I wouldn’t expect to see any large jump in construction activity in our area, I do feel that stories such as this one are signs that potential buyers are taking into consideration the large tax advantages that the IRS is currently offering to buyers, and more are willing to take a leap into the market.

Keep in mind that if you have a house to sell, now is a great time to put it on the market, as the tax credit applies to your potential buyers also.

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=204671,00.html

The house must be completed by June 30, 2010 to qualify, and all indications are that the IRS will NOT extend the date beyond June.  If you have wanted to build a new home, now is the time!

If you’ve been thinking about putting your home on the market, keep in consideration that the tax credit will make your current home more appealing to potential buyers, also.

Since the first-time homebuyer tax credit was such a success, the federal government has extended the tax credit of up to $8,000 for qualified first-time home buyers purchasing a principal residence. It also authorized a tax credit of up to $6,500 for qualified repeat home buyers.

Combined with the current aggressive housing pricing available today, along with extremely low interest rates, the tax credit makes NOW a great time to buy a new home – whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or a repeat buyer!

For complete information on the tax credit, visit www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com!