build: Cost Plus Can Cost More
- 10/28/11 11:43 AM
One of the insider secrets of the building industry is that Cost Plus contracts often lead to a more expensive home than Fixed Price contracts. Time and time again we see families who want to “beat the system” by doing a Cost Plus contract they will get a better house for less money. In most cases, the reality is much different. Cost Plus contracts lead buyers into a false sense of security so they feel comfortable changing their mind, adding elements and features, going over budget or just redoing something. Often they fail to see the subsequent consequences of these decisions … (0 comments)
build: Free Newsletter
- 09/24/11 06:01 PM
We publish a monthly electronic newsletter. We provide this free to our friends and families and we NEVER share your informationn with third party companies.
If you wish to subscribe to our monthly enewsletter the link is - https://app.expressemailmarketing.com/Survey.aspx?SFID=103992
A sample of our most recent newsletter is here - http://www.garabedianproperties.com/Info/issue.pdf
We provide information on designing and building your new custom home, renovating of your current home and industry insider information on how to care for you existing home.
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Michael Garabedian
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build: Earn Miles Build or Renovate
- 09/05/11 03:05 AM
With American Airlines changing their frequent flier program, we are seeing so many travelers in search of creative ways to earn miles to top off their accounts. Often in the search for miles, they may overlook items that require attention very clsoe to home. Oue Miles For Dreams program allows a person to earn miles for daily activities they must undertake to care for their families housing needs. There are three ways to earn big mileage with the program. Build - If your family chooses to have Garabedian Properties build you a new home, you can earn miles. Renovate - Roof … (0 comments)
build: How much per square foot does it cost to build a custom home?
- 05/22/11 01:57 AM
Although a common question you can no more price a home by the square foot than you can by the pound. Just like any other product the features and amenities you include contribute to the final price. Many Variables Home pricing can vary due to a host of factors including the design, amount of cabinets, type of appliances and the light fixtures you select. Raw material pricing can vary your costs as well. It is not uncommon to see the price of a lumber package fluctuate by several thousands of dollars in 30 days. Just recently we witnessed rebar steel surge by almost … (0 comments)
build: Home Design Mistakes - #1 - Single Purpose Rooms
- 11/20/10 04:50 PM
Over the years, builders, designers and architects witness patterns develop as they work with families in designing and building custom homes. These patterns combined with the feedback we receive from the hundreds of families we work with, helps give us insight into the "dos" and "don'ts" of designing a custom home. We call these "don'ts" Home Design Mistakes or HDMs. The builder and architect are tremendous resources in guiding families through this process and helping them learn from those who have gone before them. This series will focus on some of the most common HDMs families have made when designing and building … (3 comments)
build: Its Not My Body You Want
- 11/12/10 05:40 PM
When you hire a builder you are not hiring him or her for their body. Although that would be very flattering if you were, the reality is that builders are sought out for their mind.
You are not paying your builder to make phone calls, you are not paying him to unlock your house so workers can work, you are not paying him to order materials and you sure aren't paying him to hammer boards together. Any handy man or executive assistant could do all those tasks. Now please don't get me wrong, those are all tasks related to a builder's … (2 comments)
build: Cheap Gas?
- 06/06/10 02:13 AM
Summer is here and Americans are hitting the highways for family road trips. This brings to mind a story of an imaginary family on an imaginary road trip and two imaginary gas stations. Dad was driving along I-35 towards the beautiful Texas Hill Country (all of Texas is beautiful, however for this story we will focus on just one area). He noticed his tank was getting low in gas so he pulled off into a town we will call Texasville. He drove into a brand new Lexon gas station. The Lexon was new, clean and bustling with activity. Before filling up, … (0 comments)
build: Do Small Builders Only Build Big Homes?
- 04/18/10 01:34 AM
Many times when I share my profession with someone, they immediately say "Oh, you build all those big homes". Although it is nice to be acknowledged for our work, it is frustrating that this common misconception keeps many families from enjoying the satisfaction of working with a small custom builder. This misconception persists due to some realities that govern our industry. Here are some of factors that are at work; Lot Prices The least expensive lots are often found in large master planned communities. The economies of scale in these developments combined with selling the lots off very quickly allows for … (0 comments)
build: You Don't Have To Spend A Million Dollars
- 02/15/10 02:55 PM
You don't have to spend a million dollars to have a custom built home. One of the most common misconceptions about custom home builders is that they only build expensive homes. The reality is most custom homes cost much less than a million dollars.
What is a custom home? A custom home is when a family works with a builder to design the floor plan, select the site and designate the amenities and features of their new home based upon their own decisions and budget. The plans can be designed from scratch or modifications of an existing plan. … (2 comments)
build: Trading Homes Is Easier Than You Think (Part 3 of 3)
- 12/06/09 03:23 AM
One of the largest hurdles families face in the search for a new home is what to do about the home they are currently living in. We hope this three part series helps illustrate how trading a home can benefit a family. The first of this series discusses the most common hurdles families face when seeking to move to a new home. The second part discussed how a new home builder offering a Trade In Your Home program can help overcome these challenges. This third part of the series will discuss how the steps of a trade program work. Where to … (0 comments)
build: Trading Your Home Is Easier Than You Think (Part 2 of 3)
- 11/28/09 03:47 AM
One of the largest hurdles families face in the search for a new home is what to do about the home they are currently living in. We hope this three part series helps illustrate how trading a home can benefit a family. The first of this series discussed the most common hurdles families face when seeking to move to a new home. This second part discusses how a new home builder offering a Trade In Your Home program can help overcome these challenges. The third part will discuss how a trade program works. What Is Trading Trading your home is when … (0 comments)
One of the insider secrets of the building industry is that Cost Plus contracts often lead to a more expensive home than Fixed Price contracts. Time and time again we see families who want to “beat the system” by doing a Cost Plus contract they will get a better house for less money.
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