Archives for April 2012

A Builder’s Perspective on Shopping for House Plans Part Two By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

April 30, 2012 szabogroup

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

PDF/AutoCad File: No matter how perfect the house plan you choose is, my experience tells me you will most likely want to make a few last minute changes. You may decide to add a basement window or two. Or maybe you decide to replace that half wall at the family room with a spindled rail. If you have the electronic version of the plan, this can easily be accomplished.

The other nice benefit to having the electronic version of your house plan is the distribution becomes much easier and cheaper. When I’m bidding out a new home, I like to send a PDF version to each subcontractor through email. This will save you both time and money versus printing and mailing. Think about it. If you have the minimum of three bidders per activity and you have thirty activities required to build your home, you will need to send out ninety (90) sets of house plans. The electronic version of the plan saves both you and the environment.
Michael Luckado has built, remodeled and repaired thousands of homes across the U.S. He created Armchair Builder and the Armchair Builder Blog to help people save money on their new home building projects.

Please note that this Scottsdale Real Estate Blog is for informational purposes and not intended to take the place of a licensed Scottsdale Real Estate Agent. The Szabo Group offers first class real estate services to clients in the Scottsdale Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area in the buying and selling of Luxury homes in Arizona. Award winning Realtors and Re/MAX top producers and best real estate agent for Luxury Homes in Scottsdale, The Szabo group delivers experience, knowledge, dedication and proven results. Contact Joe Szabo at 480.688.2020, [email protected] or visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com to find out more about Scottsdale Homes for Sale and Estates for Sale in Scottsdale and to search the Scottsdale MLS for Scottsdale Home Listings.

A Builder’s Perspective on Shopping for House Plans By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

April 26, 2012 szabogroup

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

Selecting the house plan to build your new home can be an exciting process. Finally you have the opportunity to create the home of your dreams that matches your family’s lifestyle. Besides square footage, the number of bedrooms and an inspiring design, there are some additional items you should consider when selecting the plans to build your new home. Here you will get some insight from a builder’s perspective on what makes a great set of house plans.

Energy Efficiency: If you’re thinking of building a more energy efficient home to save on your utility bills and help the environment, you might want to consider a plan that has been designed with this in mind. The folks here at The House Designers have a large collection of green house plans that are designed to the Energy Star standard. Because this energy efficient standard requires special building procedures and products, it will save you time and money to include them in the initial house plan set.

Foundation Type: Your house plan foundation will be affected by the lot that you ultimately choose. You probably won’t want to build a slab foundation if your lot is low due to the additional costs to raise the building pad. As far as basements go, you probably won’t want a basement if your lot has rock at, or just below, the surface as this can be expensive to remove. So, you may want to consider ordering your house plans after finalizing your lot selection.

Plan Handing: Many of the house plans offered by The House Designers can be reversed…which means the layout can be changed to the opposite of what is shown. So, if you choose to reverse a plan with a garage, the driveway and garage will flip to the opposite side of the home. This is sometimes required if you are building on a corner lot as many municipalities won’t let you place a driveway near an intersection.
You may also want to consider views when deciding the orientation of your home. You may want to reverse your house plan so the large grouping of windows frames that gorgeous ocean or mountain view.

Selling Luxury Homes: The Top Differences When Selling In A Luxury Market Part Two By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

April 16, 2012 szabogroup

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

The families moving into high-end luxury homes are looking for exclusivity, and want homes with private country clubs, golf courses, and tennis clubs. Since buyers in this market are traditionally families with incomes upwards of $800,000 per year, they are more likely to pay attention to lifestyles which afford them personal attention and provide recreational priorities. Many have traveled internationally and a large percentage of those will have traveled first class or by private jet.

Those buying in the luxury home market are also likely to be looking for, or already own, a second home. Second homes or vacations homes are a priority for folks in this market. Contact with a good real estate agent and network is important in this endeavor.

Million dollar home owners are often those younger baby boomers who work for large companies and earn around $800,000 per year. They care about health and recreation and many visit spas regularly, so that amenity is a high selling point.

No, “a rose by any other name”, is not just a rose; and a house is not just any house when it comes to the luxury home market.

Selling Luxury Homes: The Top Differences When Selling In A Luxury Market Part One By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

April 12, 2012 szabogroup

Shopping in Scottsdale

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

“A Rose by any Other Name”, is Not Just a Rose. And, a house is not just a house. The luxury home market is truly unlike any other real estate market. Real estate is not simply real estate when the buyers are looking for something other than a solid roof overhead and a piece of property to call their own.

For one thing, people who are investing in luxury homes now are, predominantly, not affected by the rising interest rates—something other home buyers will be considering. The country’s luxury home buyers are not being impacted by interest rate increases, and many state they will continue buying luxury items for their homes. As a matter of fact the luxury market is doing very well, and there has only been a slight lowering of sales on the lower end luxury market.

People buying luxury homes are looking for something a cut above. They want the amenities in the home to reflect the leisurely lifestyle they are living. Some of the top features desired in luxury homes are: Security systems, gourmet or designer kitchens, and home theaters, which can seat six or more, and wine cellars.

Living Large Outdoors By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

April 9, 2012 szabogroup

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

Dramatic landscape plans create luxurious spaces for relaxing and entertaining

Whatever it may be called—arbor, colonnade, conservatory, deck, loggia, pergola or pool house—the outdoor structure is a significant component of today’s modern American garden. Outdoor structures can be used as transitions between one part of the garden and another, or they may connect the house to the yard. In the articles that follow, you’ll discover how a simple curving wall can contain a luxurious outdoor retreat that’s used throughout the year. You’ll be intrigued by waterfalls and pools sculpted from a steeply sloping backyard. Talented designers, of course, are key: Their vision can turn the simplest landscape into a practical yet exceedingly stylish haven.

This landscape plan is a very unusual one. The backyard is short and shallow, completely unsuitable for the large entertaining area with swimming pool that the homeowners desired. Pool designer Carrie Luttrell of NVBlu Inc. says the solution was to link a rear patio to the side yard, which was just big enough for an expanded patio and a negative-edge pool suitable both for adults and active children. However, because the yard slopes up toward the street, Luttrell explains, instead of having a negative edge on the far end of the pool that disappears in the distance, the negative edge on this pool serves as a small waterfall that is viewed from the patio entertaining area.

A hydrotherapy spa at one end accommodates eight adults, and it, too, has a waterfall that appears to cascade from the pool into the spa below it. “We wanted to mimic the same negative-edge effect,” says Luttrell. While Luttrell was responsible for the entire design, the patio was installed by Statz Stone and Structure, which also worked with the homeowners on the striking plantings that surround the area and complement the landscape in the distance.

Luxury Kitchen Design By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

April 5, 2012 szabogroup

Shopping in Scottsdale

By Joe Szabo,ScottsdaleReal Estate TeamArizona
Luxury Kitchen Design: Today’s expensive homes are only as luxurious as the kitchens they contain. Luxury kitchens call for extraordinary details along with the use of rich materials and colors.

Ultimate Investment: As the most valuable room in any house, a luxury kitchen adds tremendous worth to a home. Unlike an expensive car, which can depreciate quickly, an expensive kitchen is an investment that creates value over a longer period of time.

Price Points: In my experience in the kitchen remodeling industry, I’m convinced that the old adage “You get what you pay for” holds true when it comes to building kitchens. Luxury appliances and expensive kitchen cabinets will last much longer and retain their value far better than mid-range and low-end options. I’ve seen mid-level cabinetry crumbling and falling off the walls after only 10-15 years. Cheap import cabinetry may “look” luxurious today but will end up in a dump in a very short time. Your best bet is to buy it right the first time. Considering a luxury kitchen design is a great place to start.

Luxury Kitchen Cabinets: Cabinetry is the largest and most important investment in any kitchen remodel. Luxury kitchen cabinets often feature high-end American woods like Cherry and Walnut with rich, dark stains. Exotic woods such as Sapele Mahogany or Brazilian Cherry can take it to another level. Specialty painted and glazed finishes can also make for a luxurious kitchen. For a downright opulent look, some cabinet finishers use gold leaf to accent cabinetry details. High-end kitchens often feature flush inset, frameless, or beaded inset cabinets with deluxe undermount soft-closing drawers.

Luxury Appliances: To create a beautiful focal point in the room, an artfully crafted wood hood makes a stunning design statement. For extra elegance, luxury appliances can be framed in with decorative carved posts or fluted columns. Occasionally the appliances themselves are panelized with wood. Luxury kitchen sinks can be crafted of heavy gauge stainless steel, polished or hammered copper, or even marble or granite.

Luxury Landscaping Part Three By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

April 2, 2012 szabogroup

Cascading waterfall, Szabo Group, Joe Szabo, Joseph Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate, Scottsdale Home for Sale, Scottsdale, Arizona, Scottsdale Arizona, Scottsdale Real Estate Agent

By Joe Szabo, ScottsdaleReal Estate Team Arizona

Here are some more creative items for luxury landscaping:

Outdoor Landscape Lighting
One may not immediately think of landscape lighting as being one of the key components to luxury landscaping, but when we consider that almost every event hosted on a large estate occurs at night, it becomes readily apparent just how crucial landscape lighting is. Professional outdoor lighting provides visibility in gathering and transit areas, and it magnifies aesthetic by adding special decorative effects to specific forms and elements of interests. Patio lighting, pathway lights, custom pool lights, special garden lighting, fountain lighting, and concealed tree lighting are just a few examples of landscape lighting techniques that make a property safe and comfortable to move through so people may enjoy its many finer nuances at any hour of the night.

Due to the highly individualized and personal nature of custom home architecture, it is impossible to apply any type of “formula” to luxury landscaping. Every property has to be treated as its own unique world and developed with the intention of creating an outdoor living experience that is uniquely expressive of the architecture of the house and the lifestyle of the owner. In-depth consultation with the client is absolutely necessary in order to gather all the facts required for such a design, and the materials used to build landscaping elements have to represent the highest grade and quality of manufacture in order to ensure the impeccable results that people expect from an investment of this magnitude.