Archive for March, 2011
Quadrant Homes gets personal
Quadrant Homes , a major builder in the Puget Sound area for the last 40 years, is changing its motto from “More House Less Money†to “Built Your Way.†In July and August of 2010, Quadrant undertook a large study to measure what buyers truly value in a new construction home. Ken Krivanec, Quadrant President, recently stated that as the company was beginning to lose ground, the leadership recognized a need for a new approach. According to Quadrant’s market research, today’s buyers have strong opinions about specific areas of the new construction home.
America”™s new DIY experts
The blog site Young House Love started with two twenty-somethings with zero design training but lots of enthusiasm. Sherry and John Petersik live in Richmond, VA, and have made a career out of blogging about their own home improvement projects. When the Petersiks purchased their first house in 2006, a 1,300 square foot brick ranch, they got the DIY bug
America”™s priciest real estate
The most expensive town in America is not Manhattan or Beverly Hills or the Hamptons.
Tax tips for the homeowner
Homeowners can lower their tax liability to Uncle Sam. How? When preparing your 2010 taxes , consider the following before you file.
Big name homebuilder sets up Seattle digs
The PulteGroup, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, recently acquired property at Issaquah Highlands in a plan to develop Sunset Walk, a community of 70 townhomes. According to The Seattle Times (“Pulte moves into the Seattle areaâ€) , the company also purchased 600 undeveloped lots in Snoqualmie Ridge II and property in 3 other suburban developments – Redmond Ridge East, the Arbors in Maple Valley, and Glenshire in Redmond. George Rolfe, director of the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies at the University of Washington, considers the large acquisition an optimistic sign of growth potential in the region’s housing market.
The new iPad 2
Apple recently unveiled its newer, thinner, and faster iPad 2. The new design has shed its original size in thickness and weight, or a sizeable 4.6 mm and 0.2 lbs, respectively.
Instant cities in the sky
Today’s newer cities, built around air travel and global trade routes, are the centers of global commerce not by chance but by design. The world economy is expanding, and according to The Wall Street Journal , “the aerotropolis–fast, efficient, far-reaching and filled with generic “world-class” architecture–embodies it” (Greg Lindsay, “Cities of the Sky”)
Prefab goes Northwest
Building custom homes in the Pacific Northwest can be tough when it comes to dealing with the rain, unless you go prefab. SeattleMet article, “Prefabulous,” highlights a firm whose specialty is building modular homes
Procastination pays off for travel
Waiting until the last minute to book your airline travel or hotel? Travelers are getting on the procrastination bandwagon, not because they are putting off scheduling plans, but because they want the best deals. A recent study by Priceline indicated that 82% of travelers who used the company’s mobile app booked their hotel accommodations within 24 hours of arrival
iPhone Apps for Remodeling and Decorating
If you’re in the business of decorating, remodeling, or shopping for good deals, you’ll want to check out the handy iPhone apps featured in HouseBeautiful .
