2010 Spring Parade of Homes: Opportunities are Blossoming

Looking to buy a home? Looking to remodel your own? Looking for some fantastic houses to tour in your free time? The Omaha Spring Parade of Homes is fast approaching! I will be showing a home in West Omaha and I welcome and encourage you to attend. In addition, you will get to see the beautiful Silverleaf Estates neighborhood, which includes houses designed by ADC, Inc., a design-build company that has quite a presence in the Omaha area.

So mark your calendar! The 2010 Spring Parade of Homes will take place May 9-16. This exhibition provides an extraordinary opportunity to tour top-of-the-line homes around the greater Omaha area.

Why Should You Go?

Whether you are a homeowner or looking to purchase a house, the Parade of Homes is a chance to gain exceptional insight, tips and home design ideas. The event, sponsored by the Metro Omaha Builders Association, is free and will run from noon to 6 p.m. on weekends, and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays. This is an opportune time to consider home ownership considering the current low mortgage rates, competitive home prices and tax credit for first-time homeowners, so this event should not be passed up!

Stop By and See Me in Silverleaf Estates!

Be sure to stop by 1426 N 191st Avenue, located in the in the beautifully secluded Silverleaf Estates in West Omaha. Located at 192nd and Old Lincoln Highway, Silverleaf Estates offers breathtaking landscape and an old world charm that is unlike any other Omaha development. It is part of the Elkhorn school district and only minutes away from Village Pointe shopping center and easily accessible from the interstate.

Silverleaf, which was the 2009 pick for Omaha's annual "Street of Dreams" event, is the perfect place to build your next luxury home. Be sure to visit this location during the Parade of Homes to see some of the most magnificent homes in Omaha.

Who Built It?

This house in Silverleaf Estates was designed by Advanced Design & Construction, Inc. It perfectly highlights all the exceptional features that ADC incorporates into every building project. They offer superior design and efficiency while still keeping your budget in mind. ADC continues to create unique residential spaces that incorporate functionality, affordability and individual style. The perfect blend of engineering, design and construction is evident in this home, but you will have to come and see for yourself!

So hop in the car and take time to tour all of the fabulous homes being featured May 9-16. You can come and go as you please and it can even turn into a fun family outing. I will be at 1426 N 191st Avenue throughout the week of the Parade and I can't wait for you to stop by! And don't forget, if you come you can sample some of my delicious homemade meatballs!

Be Un-Emotional When Buying a Home In Order to Get the Best Value!

Want to break your heart and your bank account at the same time? Then buy a new home based on the fact that you've fallen in love with it!  Needless to say, you should never do this! 

In some cases, when you fall in love with the "pretty face" of a house, you fail to look underneath and find problems like bad wiring, leaky roofs, bad foundations, etc. This is an extremely expensive way to buy a home!
  
A funny and sad example of this is shown in the 1986 film, The Money Pit, starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. They make the mistake of falling in love with a home and think they're getting a $1,000,000 property for only $200,000. 

Once they get into the home, they find out it'll cost a million to repair it! It's got wood rot, a bad roof, bad plumbing, bad electricity, even bad raccoons!

Well, that's Hollywood exaggeration, of course. After all, The Money Pit was a comedy. But, when things like that happen to you, it's no joke. Repairs can cost you a lot of money and heartache, not to mention dangerously rising blood pressure!

So, again, never ever fall in love with a house at first sight! Easier said than done, you say? How do you avoid this tendency? Below, I offer some solutions to the problem!

Solution 1: Get Cold Hard Facts about the Home!

When I talk about "cold, hard facts," I'm talking about getting the house evaluated by a certified home inspector.

It's well worth the money to have this job done because the inspector will cast the objective eye you lack on the property. He or she will evaluate every aspect of a house - roof, plumbing, wiring, foundation, etc.

And then, that inspector will provide you with a written report that may range anywhere from 20 to 50 pages. It will give you a point-by-point summary of what needs to be corrected.

The cost of a home inspection varies with the region of the country. Nationally, they range from $200 to $400. But, for the investment of, say, $200, you prevent yourself from losing thousands of dollars in repairs in two ways. One, you can simply walk away from the deal. Or, two, you can require that seller fix all items before you sign a contract!

Bonus: Often, you can ask that the seller pay for the home inspection!

Solution 2: Cool Off and Take Your Time!

Infatuation with a home is fun and exciting, and you can have the overwhelming temptation to buy an attractive home practically "on the spot." My advice - walk away and come back several days later, especially after you've viewed other properties! By then, it's likely you'll have a more objective eye.

Solution 3: Keep It Simple!

By this I mean that you should stick within your price range. Youwant the best house at the best price within your means! So, if you see an outwardly gorgeous house at, say, $10,000 above your price limit, say, "I love you, but you're way too pricey for me!" and walk away from the temptation!

Solution 4: Rely on Your Realtor!


At heart, I and other professional Realtors like me, want you to have a house that meets your needs in the best way possible. That means preventing you from buying a home that's not in the greatest shape and/or beyond your means.

To be perfectly blunt about it, I rely on great word of mouth from satisfied customers to make the most of my real estate career. So, you have my promise that I'll do my absolute best to get you into the house of your affordable dreams!

Need that objective eye to help you make a smart home-buying decision? Contact me at teresa@teamelliott.net! or call 402.690.1573 today!