New construction is hot in Lincoln. People looking for new construction typically have some features in mind that they want in a new house. Here are the top 10:

1. An open floor plan. Most people just seem to love going into a new house and seeing the living room and the kitchen as one big area. Most seem to want the ability to be in the kitchen and visit with someone in the great room at the same time.
2. A large kitchen with a walk-in pantry and granite countertops. The kitchen is often the focal point of the entire house and new home buyers want their kitchen to stand out. Granite countertops are wildly popular as they make kitchens look richer. A walk-in pantry provides sufficient space for items that won’t fit in the kitchen cabinets.
3. A mud room. Most new construction homes are built with a mud room. Typically this is the first room you enter when walking into the home through the garage. Also called a “drop zone,” it is a great place to leave coats, shoes and other items carried into the house. Most have cubby holes or lockers for coats or at least coat hooks. That makes it easy to grab your coat and run when you leave the house. Many times this room also doubles as the laundry room.
4. A master suite. This consists of a large master bedroom with a master bath that includes a walk-in tiled shower, a jetted or soaker tub and a double sink vanity. The walk-in master closet can either be off the bedroom itself or the bathroom.
5. A large rec-room in the finished basement. A finished rec-room gives a family double the living space and serves as a place to kick back and relax. It’s a great place for a large flat screen television and casual and comfy furniture.
6. Plenty of storage. Let’s face it – people have “stuff” and they need places to put it. Much new construction today leaves large unfinished spaces – usually where the furnace and water heater are – for storage.
7. Great floors – wood, tile – anything but vinyl. Wood flooring in the kitchen and dining area is fairly standard today in most new construction. Many people are even eschewing carpet in the great room in favor of wood floors. Wood colors range from light to dark and all provide a look of richness. Tile is demanded in bathrooms, laundry rooms and entry ways where wood is not present.
8. Well-placed laundry rooms. Laundry rooms no longer are relegated to the basement. In newer homes, they are expected to be on the main level or even on the upper level by the bedrooms in two-story houses. It’s a convenience thing – people just don’t want to carry laundry to and from the basement anymore.
9. Three-car (and even bigger) garages. You will notice that the majority of newly-built homes today have three car garages. Builders understand that families have multiple cars today and single and double garages just aren’t big enough.
10. Covered deck. Who doesn’t like a deck in their back yard – even more so when it has a roof over it. A covered deck gives people a great outdoor living space.

 Posted by Lori Black

The past couple of years there has been a response to the national economic indicators with a general insecurity about spending money in general. This year that seemed to lighten up, and we continued as Realtors to stress that all markets are local. Lincoln has very strong economic indicators, with very low unemployment and community investment in several new projects.

The local market saw a distinct jump in a positive direction. Most impressive is that year-end residential sales closings were up 18 percent from both 2010 and 2011. New construction permits were up, and lot sales were brisk.

There was an odd sense of “watch and wait” through the election time and through the “Fiscal Cliff” deliberations. Our clients wanting to discuss their plans for Spring of 2013 have started calling early this year, and with interest rates still at such low rates, the coming year should be a strong one for real estate buying and selling.

The future is especially bright for the millennium buyers who are hoping to experience their first-time home buying process. The first-time home buyer programs do not offer tax credits anymore, but there are a lot of future homeowners realizing that they can qualify for affordable home mortgages with some very good loan programs.

 Posted by Susan Ferris

Woods Bros Realty announces a partnership with NEBCO, Inc., for residential sales in its Northwest Lincoln Fallbrook community.

The two companies each have over a century of experience building in Lincoln and both support the sustainability and new urbanism concepts that Fallbrook embodies, where people can live, work and shop within their neighborhood.

“There is a lot of positive growth happening out in Fallbrook, and we are thrilled to be a part of marketing such an exciting concept,” said Gene Brake, CEO of Woods Bros Realty.

Woods Bros Wilderness Hills sales professionals Jayne Debus and Karalyn Hoefer will be focusing on residential sales at Fallbrook out of an onsite sales office at 570 Fallbrook Blvd., Suite 110.

Debus, originally from Wyoming, was a real estate broker in Hastings, Neb., for 30 years. She moved to Lincoln seven years ago, where she and her husband, Bruce, have enjoyed living in the Fallbrook area. She was the residential broker for NEBCO Realty Group in the Fallbrook Development, and she will continue to use her expertise of the area.

Debus has been very active in her local, state and National REALTORS® Associations and is currently serving as chairperson of the Governmental Affairs committee at the REALTORS® Association of Lincoln, where she was named 2011 REALTOR® of the Year.

“I’m excited to continue specializing in Fallbrook while also having access to the tools and network of agents at Woods Bros Realty,” Debus said.

Karalyn Hoefer has been a REALTOR® with Woods Bros. Realty for 13 years. She is an associate broker and has earned both the Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) and Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designations. She has served on the Woods Bros Advisory Board, REALTORS® Association of Lincoln and is past president of the Lincoln Chapter of the Women’s Council of REALTORS®. She currently serves as Secretary for the State Chapter of Certified Residential Specialists®.

When not specializing in residential real estate, Hoefer is an active volunteer with the American Heart Association and Miss Nebraska Scholarship Pageant. Hoefer and her husband, Brian, have two daughters.

“I have been impressed with the Fallbrook area since the first time I toured it. I am looking forward to living and working in such a great community and being able to share that with others,” Hoefer said.

For more information on Fallbrook residential sales, visit www.WoodsBros.com/Fallbrook or call Debus at 402-432-9555 or Hoefer at 402-450-1355.

Woods Bros Realty

Fallbrook

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

According to the city Building & Safety office, permits were pulled in 78 Lincoln subdivisions. Twenty-five percent of these subdivisions accounted for 77% of all permits pulled last year. Our mystery area had nearly three times more construction than the second most active area, accounting for 42 of the 370 total permits pulled for new construction. The next most active development had just 15.

This mystery area encompasses more than 500 Acres of residential and 130 acres of commercial properties with plans for parks, trails, premier shopping and more. The development is now moving forward with opening its fourth addition, offering 110 premium home sites. This area touts “Distinctive Living Where Dreams Come Alive.”

If you guessed an area in South Lincoln, you would be right! The Wilderness Hills development is one of Lincoln’s newest and finest additions, nestled in a prime location in South Lincoln, located one-half mile south of S. 27th Street and Yankee Hill Road, close to SouthPointe.

Make plans to see this new development at this year’s Spring Parade of Homes. There are seven featured homes in the Wilderness Hills area, with an opening Celebration for everyone on Sunday, May 8th. The Celebration includes roses for the first 250 moms in attendance along with inflatable games for the kids, a Grand Prize Drawing, LIVE Radio Remote from 2-4pm, prize drawings at the featured homes, and food & beverages.

If you have been considering building a new home in Lincoln, take a look a Wilderness Hills.

Woods Bros Realtor Vladimir Oulianov represents several builders who have constructed the majority of homes built at Wilderness Hills. Each of these builders is Energy Star Certified, meaning they build healthy and efficient homes to reduce impact on the environment as well as save the home owner money on utilities.

To learn more about Wilderness Hills and new energy efficient homes, visit www.NewEfficientHomes.com.

 Posted by Vladimir Oulianov

Lois Hartzell

Woods Bros Realtor Lois Hartzell was installed Jan. 17 as the first female president of the Home Builders Association of Lincoln (HBAL).

Hartzell, an agent with the Lincolnshire Square office, has been in the home building industry for 14 years and has been a member of HBAL since 2002. She owns Vistar Homes, which was formed January of 2004 to bring in a line of affordable homes to the housing market.

Hartzell is active with HBAL, having supplied, cooked and served lunch to volunteers for the organization’s Santa Cop charity each year since 2000. She has served on numerous committees including, the Parade of Homes and the HBAL golf fundraiser committee. She received her Graduate Master Builder designation in 2009 and her Certified New Home Sales Professional designation in 2010.

She was on the Board of Directors for Northeast Family Center from 2002 – 2005. She is an active member of local and state REALTOR associations, as chair of the State Equal Opportunity Committee and  a member of the Affordable Housing Committee locally. Hartzell is also a member of  Remodelers Council, the Nebraska Thoroughbred  Association. National Association of Home Builders Women’s Council and is active in her church, along with being very involved with a clothing giveaway project for those in need.

Also at the HBAL Installation, Woods Bros Realty was recognized for being a member of HBAL for 55 years.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Woods Bros Realty professionals Bob Danley, Vladimir Oulianov and Jennifer Schuller of the Country Club Plaza office and Jon Rademacher and Lois Hartzell of the Lincolnshire Square office recently earned their CSP (Certified New Home Sales Professional) Designation from the National Association of Home Builders.

The CSP Designation recognizes those who specialize in new home sales who have completed the three-day Certified New Home Sales Professional course. This course, offered locally by the Home Builders Association of Lincoln, gives a broad understanding of the home building business, consumer psychology and the advanced techniques used by real estate veterans for greeting, closing and overcoming objections.

For more information about the CSP designation, visit www.nahb.org/CSPinfo.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

By MATT OLBERDING / Lincoln Journal Star

The federal homebuyer tax credits helped propel local home sales in the first half of the year to their highest level in three years.

According to figures released last week from the Realtors Association of Lincoln, there had been 2,001 home sales through the local Multiple Listing System as of June 30.

That’s a more than 13 percent increase over the same period in 2009 and the most since there were more than 2,100 sales in the first half of 2007.

Sales of new homes, which have been a drag on the market for several years, were up even more.

For the year, sales of new homes are up more than 40 percent after increasing nearly 150 percent in June.

Despite the good news, most signs point to a slowdown in the second half of the year.

For the second straight month in June, pending sales – sales that are under contract but have not yet closed – were way down compared with last year.

“As expected, there was a reduction in the number of pending home sales in June, compared to those in June of 2009, due to the April 30 Homebuyer’s Tax Credit deadline,” said Nicole Jensen, executive vice president of the Realtors Association.

The tax credit, which offered $8,000 to new buyers and $6,500 to repeat buyers, expired at the end of April.

Despite continuing closings of sales related to the tax credits, sales of existing homes in June were actually down compared with June of last year – 370 to 396.

“We definitely foresee that the volume of home sales are going to curtail and are going to curtail pretty quickly,” said Kent Thompson, the elected president of the Realtors Association.

Still, Thompson stands by an earlier prediction he made that home sales will be up overall for the year.

“I think that Realtors, as a whole, will have a good year this year,” he said.

Mike Rezac, owner of Rezac Construction and president of the Homebuilders Association of Lincoln, is not as optimistic.

Despite the spike in sales of new homes, permits so far this year are down slightly compared with where they were at this time last year.

While that may not sound so bad, Rezac points out that last year was a 29-year low.

“I don’t see this being a terribly strong year,” he said. “We’re really holding out for next year.”

Not everybody is looking at the market with skpticism, though.

Rita Dinger, a real estate agent for Woods Bros. Realty, says she’s been plenty busy since the tax credits expired.

“I’m having one of the busiest Julys I’ve ever had,” she said.

Dinger said she thinks that all the incentives did was push people to buy a home earlier than they would have otherwise.

And she’s not convinced yet that the slowdown is anything more than typical late summer seasonal drop-off.

There are plenty of people still considering buying a home, Dinger said.

“They’re looking for all the reasons that people have always looked.”

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

From the Sioux City Journal:

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – The Nebraska Energy Office is offering residents low-interest loans to go green when building a house.

The office is offering 2.5 percent loans through eligible Nebraska lenders for the construction of single family, highly energy-efficient homes. The home must meet or exceed the state’s energy code by 30 percent to be eligible.

Energy Star 5 Star Plus homes typically feature higher levels of properly-installed insulation, high-performance windows, tight construction and ducts, efficient heating and cooling equipment and Energy Star appliances, lighting and water heaters.

The first step to building an Energy Star 5 Plus Star home is to have a certified home energy rater complete a rating of the construction plans provided by the designer and builder.

___

On the Net:

Nebraska Energy Efficient Housing Loans: http://www.neo.ne.gov/loan/index.html.

Certified Home Energy Raters: http://resnet.us

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Woods Bros Realty is proud to present its 2010 Spring Jubilee of Homes. Over 20 brand-new homes will be open to the public from 1-5 p.m. on April 17-18 and 24-25. Visitors can register at each home for a one-in-four chance to win a Visa® gift card.

This year’s Jubilee occurs during the very end of the $6,500 repeat and $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credits, in which buyers have until April 30 to be under contract and until June 30 to close on the purchase of their new home. Buyers could purchase one of these homes in plenty of time for the tax credit. For those who would prefer to customize their own new home, Woods Bros sales professionals will be on site at each home to help buyers through the process of selecting a builder and a floor plan, all the way through to the closing and moving into a brand-new home.

It’s no secret that today’s new homes save home buyers money on heating and cooling costs. From windows and doors to insulation and roofs, the efficiency standards have increased over time. Some builders go above and beyond when considering energy efficiency. A number of our Spring Jubilee Homes have earned the Energy Star rating.

Compared with standard homes, Energy Star homes meet strict energy efficiency guidelines, delivering hundreds of dollars in annual savings on heating, cooling and water bills. These guidelines also help protect the environment, creating less air pollution, and the Energy Star rating is becoming an important quality when considering reselling your investment.

Click here for a list of new homes in the Spring Jubilee of Homes.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Woods Bros Realty and First Choice Homes are pleased to present an ”Open House at North Creek Villas” March 7-14 at the townhome subdivision at North 20th Street and Fletcher in Lincoln, Neb.

Nine brand-new townhomes are for sale in North Creek Villas, and they include two-bedroom ranch plans and two-bedroom two-story plans. All feature two-stall garages and are priced from $118,400 to $144,400. The convenient location offers easy access to I-80 and North 27th Street.

For the event, the homes will be open Sundays from 1-5 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 4-7 p.m., with no opens scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

First Choice Homes, is offering various incentives through the promotion. In addition, there is still an $8,000 first-time and $6,500 repeat home buyer tax credit available, not to mention already low interest rates.

The builder, First Choice Homes has built hundreds of homes in the Lincoln area for over 10 years. The company has been awarded an Honorable Mention award from the Better Business Bureau of Nebraska. First Choice Homes has teamed up with Gotcha Covered to select everything you need for your new home from carpet to kitchen cabinets, tile, light fixtures and all your home decorating needs. Their designers work with you for no extra charge.

The townhomes are listed by Beth Scholz and Rob & Teresa Predmore of Woods Bros Realty’s Lincolnshire Square office. For more information about the promotion, visit www.WoodsBros.com/NorthCreek.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

BY MATT OLBERDING / Lincoln Journal Star

November was a month to remember for local home sales.

Existing home sales were up 76 percent over the same month last year. Sales of new homes were up more than 60 percent.

Doug Rotthaus, executive vice president of the Realtors Association of Lincoln, attributed the numbers largely to the $8,000 tax credit for new homebuyers, which was extended last month, and the new $6,500 tax credit for buyers who already own a home.

“Tax credits are playing a big part in this, along with low interest rates,” Rotthaus said.

Kent Obrist, a Realtor with Woods Bros. in Lincoln, said about one-third of his buyers this year have been first-time homebuyers.

He said that helped lead to a “really good” October and November.

Nationally, half of home sales in October and November were to first-time buyers, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Sales of existing homes were up 44 percent nationally and 53.5 percent in the Midwest compared with November 2008, although those numbers are measured differently from the local ones. The national sales figures are reported as an annual rate, rather than as raw numbers of sales.

“This clearly is a rush of first-time buyers not wanting to miss out on the tax credit,” said Lawrence Yun, the national Realtor group’s chief economist.

National figures for new home sales were not available from the Realtors.

Even with the strong showing in November, sales of new homes locally for the year to date are slightly below where they were last year, but Rotthaus said existing home sales are approaching record numbers.

The local record for existing home sales was set in 2005, and “we’re real close to beating ‘05 year-to-date,” he said.

Rotthaus said he’s looking forward to this year’s success continuing at least into the first half of 2010.

” I think the expanded tax credit will have a good impact on our market,” he said.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

From Prairie Fire Newspaper

By Matt Gersib

Leadership manifests itself in a number of ways. Whether on the field of sport, in the boardroom or in government, a good leader sets an example for others to follow and does so without boasting. It’s always more challenging to lead than to follow, but the rewards are greater with success for leaders.

And so it is with the Bridges, a new subdivision near Southwest 27th Street and West Denton Road in Lincoln, Neb. For builder Mike Rezac, owner of Lincoln’s Rezac Construction Company and chairman of the Nebraska Green Building Council, taking a leadership role in development of the state’s first fully geothermal neighborhood is something he’s absolutely passionate about. For him and partner Gary Pickering, the development is the culmination of a dream borne out of respect for the land and a belief that the status quo in home building simply isn’t going to be good enough for a lot of homebuyers in the near future.

“I was part of the team that built the state’s first certified green home more than five years ago,” Rezac said. “At the time, we were just establishing Nebraska’s green building standards. The whole green building movement was just getting off the ground in Nebraska. Since then, we’ve developed a specific expertise in the design and construction of efficient, green-certified homes.

“Moving forward, as energy becomes an increasingly valuable resource, it makes sense that we pay more attention to how we’re generating and using the electricity we need to power our homes and our lives. There are so many ways to increase home efficiency during design and construction.”

Read the rest of this entry »

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

It’s the first development of its kind in Nebraska, and the builders are hoping the example it’s setting will influence more people to go green when it comes to their home. It’s called “The Bridges,” and it’s a one-of-a kind “green” neighborhood just off 27th and Denton Road.  The development uses geo-thermal technology, which takes temperatures from the ground to heat and cool homes instead of using energy.

“We’ve got geo-thermal plates in the ponds, and they actually transfer heat and cooling.”  said a spokesman Matt Gersib.

When this type of technology is compared to conventional heating it could save the home owner between 30 and 70 percent on energy costs. The “Net Zero” home in The Bridges also features everything from recycled carpet and shingles to solar panels that are intended to leave the homeowner with a zero energy bill. And building an energy efficient green house has become even more affordable with several tax credits available.

 ”The federal government is providing a 30 percent tax credit on geo-thermal heat, which basically allows you to upgrade your heat system at no cost. That geo-thermal heating will save you anywhere between $800 to $1,500 a year on your heating and cooling,”  said Woods Bros Realty sales professional Mike Thomalla.

The placement of the Net Zero house was even designed to face east to west with windows on the south side having awnings that block the sun in the summer and allow it in during the winter months. In all it’s an impressive home providing energy efficient equipment that’s breaking the mold and laying down the foundation toward the future of home building in Nebraska.

Keep in mind the purchase price of the home can be costly.  But once you’re in the home the savings add up.  If you would like to check out the model home at The Bridges, they have open houses every Sunday.

More information can also be found at : http://www.thebridgesne.com or www.geoexchange.org.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

New U.S. home sales jumped in June by the largest amount in more than eight years as buyers took advantage of bargain prices, low interest rates and a federal tax credit for first-time homeowners.

While home prices are still falling, the figures released Monday were another sign the housing market is finally bouncing back. Data out last week showed home resales rose 3.6 percent in June, the third straight monthly increase.

View the rest of this article at MSNBC.com.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is urging first-time home buyers who want to build a new home and also take advantage of the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit to act immediately.

“We have received many inquiries from potential home buyers asking if a sales contract on a new home by the November 30 deadline will be sufficient to receive the first-time home buyer tax credit,” said Joe Robson, chairman of the NAHB and a home builder from Tulsa, Okla. “They have been surprised to find out that they must move into the new home before they are qualified.”

Home buyers may qualify for the tax credit if they purchase the home on or after Jan. 1 but before Dec. 1, 2009.  In the case of new construction, the date the home buyer takes occupancy of the house is considered the purchase date, not when the sales contract is signed.

For the full story, please visit the NAHB web site.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty