Tag Archives: landon homes

Back to School, Back to Clutter?

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School is back in session and if you’re not careful, you could soon be drowning in a sea of paper. Before that happens, it’s important to establish some ground rules to maintain order in your house. 

The first thing you can do is establish one central location for papers and mail so everyone in your home knows where to find certain items. Next, decide what you’re going to keep and what you can get rid of. 

Children bring home lots of papers from school, so determine what percentage will get saved. As much as you’d like to keep all of their school work, it’s just not realistic to do so. Instead, display the most important or memorable papers on the refrigerator or on a bulletin board. Then, take a picture or scan the rest so you can save them electronically, minimizing clutter.   You can also store school papers in a 3-ring binder, a file folder in a drawer, or a storage box. 

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How Do You Know If You Are Getting a Good Deal on a New Home?

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When shopping for a new home, you naturally want to get the best deal you can for the money. After all, buying a home is one of the biggest investments you’ll probably ever make.  But sometimes what may seem like a good deal at first, can wind up costing you more in the long run.

How many times have you bought an item “on sale” only to find out the price was actually marked up before the store decided to lower the price? So, what seemed like a bargain at the time really wasn’t – since the “sale” price was actually higher than the normal price of the same item at another store.

Unfortunately, some home builders and contractors use this same tactic.  They will lowball you to get the job and then come up with every opportunity they can to charge you extra, so you wind up paying much more than if you had gone with someone else.

You may also come across two homes with the same square footage and same number of bedrooms and baths in two adjoining neighborhoods. However, one is more expensive than the other. Does that automatically mean the cheaper home is the best value?  Not necessarily.

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Don’t Just Buy, Buy “Down”!

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Landon Homes is running a 2/1 buy down promotion through August 31 on select new homes that are financed through its preferred lender, Flagstone Lending.  Under the promotion, the interest rate on the loan would begin at a very low rate, then increase gradually over the next two years, before settling at a permanent rate for the remainder of the 30-year loan. 

For instance, if the current interest rate is 4.5 percent, the interest rate for the buy down would begin at 2.5 percent the first year, increase to 3.5 percent the second year, and then rise to 4.5 percent the third year, where it would stay throughout the remainder of the loan’s 30-year term. The title policy is included in the promotion, and there are no loan origination fees. 

As an added incentive, Landon says every customer that purchases one of the special 2/1 buy down homes will go into a drawing for a brand new Nintendo WII family gaming console package. 

If for some reason you don’t need to take advantage of the extra-low interest rate buy down being offered by Landon, Flagstone loan officer Patrick Iglinsky says he can mold the promotion into something that will be beneficial for you. 

The mortgage process may not be easy to navigate these days, but Iglinsky says he works closely with the Landon team and the title company to manage the flow of information for the home buyer. As a result, Iglinsky says he helps ensure that the approval process goes smoothly from the day the contract is signed to the day of closing. 

For more information about Landon Homes’ 2/1 buy down promotion, visit our website at www.landonshomesusa.com or contact Tanya Smith at 214-707-0347.

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Energy Saving Features in New Homes in Dallas

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Summertime brings hot weather and high electricity bills for many homeowners due to the increased use of air conditioning.  But Landon Homes has been working hard to change that scenario by incorporating energy saving features into its “Better Built by Design” homes in North Dallas.

Some of those features include: thicker exterior walls, which hold more insulation; air conditioning units that exceed Energy Star standards; and cardinal glass windows that block a significant amount of the sun’s radiant heat, saving homeowners up to 20% on their monthly energy bills. To better understand how our homes are built, check out our video and 3D construction animation on our Website!

Robert and Jennifer Anderson can attest to the energy savings. This couple recently bought a 3066 sq. ft. Landon home in the Villages at Lakeview in Frisco ISD. Their old home was a one-story, 1900 sq. ft. house, located just two miles away.

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DFW McKinney Area Growing Fast

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They say that “everything is bigger in Texas,” and that certainly is the case with Dallas-Fort Worth. It’s the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country, both in the last year and the past decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

What’s spurring all that growth? Good jobs and affordable housing, as well as a favorable business climate. There’s no corporate income tax, building costs are relatively reasonable and regulations are minimal.

One city that’s been helping to pump up the metro area’s growth is McKinney, site of Landon Homes’ Shiloh Ranch community. McKinney was the nation’s third fastest growing city last year, and has ranked number two in population growth for the last decade.

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Homes for Sale in Little Elm, TX

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If you love living near water and enjoy small-town charm, Little Elm, Texas is the place for you. This Landon Homes community just outside of Dallas is all “wet,” thanks to the fact that 23 miles of its corporate town limits are the shoreline of Lewisville Lake. Little Elm is conveniently located within minutes of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and features exemplary rated Frisco schools.

Landon Homes is proud to feature the Villages at Lakeview a new home community in Little Elm. Whether you’re shopping for your first home or an empty nester looking to downsize, Landon has your perfect home.

The Enclave at Lakeview offers some of the best prices in the Frisco Independent School District. This master-planned community includes four amenity centers, with pools, parks, trails and more. If you have a growing family that needs a bigger backyard and more space, consider the Reserve at Lakeview. This community offers estate-sized homesites – 74’ and 84’ wide and 3-car garages. In the middle of those two neighborhoods you’ll find The Dominion at Lakeview. It’s conveniently located just east of Lewisville Lake and is served by the area’s newest and best schools. Panther Creek Parkway leads directly into the Lakeview location from the Tollway.

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McKinney, TX Ranked #5 Best Place to Live in 2010 by CNN Money Magazine

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Landon Homes’ Shiloh Ranch community in McKinney TX is proud to announce that CNN Money Magazine has ranked the top 100 small cities that boast plenty of jobs, great schools, safe streets, low crime, lots to do, charm, and other features that make a town great for raising a family!  McKinney, TX ranks at #5

McKinney, TX was not only ranked #5 in CNN Money Magazine’s top 100, but it boasts the highest job growth rate since 2000 in the top ten!

# 5 – McKinney, TX

Top 100 rank: 5
Population: 125,000
Unemployment: 7.8%

Lots of towns near Dallas have low crime, affordable homes, and good jobs; McKinney is no exception. What makes it stand out is its gem of a downtown. Lovingly restored 19th-century buildings house restaurants, boutiques, and galleries; the 1875 courthouse contains a new performing-arts center.
McKinney’s employment opportunities are robust, sparing many residents a rush-hour drive of up to an hour to Dallas. Defense contractor Raytheon has a 3,700-person division here, and a mix of businesses in financial services, medical technology, and eco-friendly manufacturing are moving in.
Though McKinney has grown like mad over the past decade, you’d never suspect it when driving through its tree-filled communities surrounded by ponds, parks, and hiking trails.

–Vanessa Richardson

http://money.cnn.com/…/PL4845744.html

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Rent or Own? Home Ownership Has Many Benefits

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Should you rent or buy a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth area?

There is no easy answer to that question because everyone’s financial situation is unique.

When you rent, you have little or no maintenance to worry about, and it’s easier to move when you want. But you don’t get any tax benefits, you don’t have any equity build-up or control over rent increases. And there’s the possibility of eviction.

On the other hand, there are quite a few benefits to owning a home.

For one thing, home buying costs tend to be fairly stable. Fixed-rate loans don’t go up (although taxes and maintenance costs can.)  The amount of money typically spent on rent can be about the same or less than a monthly mortgage payment.  But once you factor in the tax benefit for homeowners, the savings can be significant. 

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Frisco, Other Dallas-area Cities Among Fastest-Growing in U.S.

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07:10 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 23, 2010

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News

eaasen@dallasnews.com

http://www.dallasnews.com/…/062310dnmetcensus.19e354d.html

In North Texas, the newcomers keep coming and coming and coming.

Frisco was the nation’s fastest-growing city last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday. McKinney wasn’t far behind, ranking third.

The top 25 list is studded with several other North Texas cities, including Lewisville , Fort Worth, Carrollton and Denton.

Frisco claimed the top spot among cities with more than 100,000 people, thanks to a 6.2 percent population increase during a 12-month period starting in July 2008. Its Collin County neighbor, McKinney, scored a 5.5 percent jump.

Any way you slice or dice the census data, Frisco and McKinney remain chart toppers. Over the past decade, Frisco also had the country’s biggest population growth, while McKinney ranked No. 2.

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Money Magazine Rates Rockwall & Collin Counties Excellent For Job Growth

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Looking for a new job?  Look no further than Collin County and Rockwall County near Dallas, TX. Money Magazine rated the two counties among the top 25 places in the country for job growth.

Rockwall County, a former commuter county in rural Texas, has seen an influx of new shops and restaurants, combined with large employers like L-3 Communications, to spur job growth in the area. In addition, manufacturing jobs at several long standing aluminum plants remain the backbone of the county’s economy.

Collin County has a high-tech industrial base, featuring such well-known employers as Texas Instruments, Raytheon, Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and other software, Internet and telecom companies.  County officials work closely with the area’s municipal EDCs (Economic Development Corporations) to provide a variety of incentives to businesses relocating here.

Four of Collin County’s five largest cities – Frisco, McKinney, Plano and Allen – are nationally ranked in the top 100 wealthiest cities. That’s more than any other urban area in Texas and the Southwest, according to a survey – U.S. Wealth Centers — by Portfolio.com.

Once you find employment in the Dallas area, Landon Homes can help you find a place to live. We have new home communities in Frisco and McKinney, and all of our locations are within driving distance of Rockwall County.  Our homes are better built by design, with eco-friendly and energy-saving features that respect both the environment and your budget.

For more information, contact Tanya Smith anytime by phone at 214-707-0347 or just click on our LIVE CHAT feature throughout the Landon Homes website for speedy answers to all your new home questions.

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