The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) just kicked off National Home Ownership Month.
Generation Homes, a custom focused builder specializing in coastal and oceanfront homes, has created a unique dialogue with new homeowners on the local level.
It begins with Generation Homes President Cora Johnston and Generation Homes’ experienced team hearing what new homeowners want.
"As local, custom focused builders we work every day to help people realize the American Dream of owning a home,” noted Johnston. We know that what we build holds a homeowners’ hopes, memories and dreams for the future. Vision, idea, dream – call it what you will – we never forget whose home we are building."
Generation Homes is building in the new Sea View community in St. Augustine Beach and premier communities along the First Coast from Ponte Vedra Beach to Hammock Beach, including Vilano Beach, Flagler Beach, Beach Haven, Anastasia Dunes, Magnolia Dunes, Marsh Creek, Sea Colony, Sea Grove, and Whispering Oaks and on coastal private lots.
One misnomer is only people who benefit when a new home is built along Florida’s First Coast are those who get to live there, and the builder who constructed and sold the home.
The positive impact of new residential construction is much far-reaching than that.
“When a family moves to St. Johns County and buys a new house, they will likely shop at local stores to buy furniture and accessories to decorate the home,” noted Johnston.
New homeowners spend money on patronizing local businesses and service providers.
“They will fill their car’s gas tank at local gas stations so they can get to the stores, have local mechanics work on the car when it breaks down or needs the oil changed, or buy a new car at a local dealer when it’s time to replace the old one.”
Yet a home is so much more than an investment. In good times and in bad, home ownership has been a cherished ideal and a source of pride, accomplishment, social stability and peace of mind.
Children will enroll in local schools. This increases enrollment, meaning more teachers, janitors, cafeteria workers and other school support staff will need to be hired. Those kids will also join sports leagues and other activities, buy equipment and pay registration fees that provide stipends for referees and coaches.
And families do grow.
Generation Homes’ GrowHOME concept is to plan for growth and change in a new home during the design phase so future additions and renovations are pre-engineered into the home, making it easier and more cost effective to make those changes when the time comes.
“Our goal is to help our customers plan for their future with their home,” Johnston noted. “Even if a customer thinks this is the last home they’ll ever own; our experience tells us nothing stays the same forever. Adding ‘grow’ spaces to a custom plan is a natural fit because lives are always evolving and it gives our customers great security and satisfaction knowing their home can evolve with them.”
Families who buy a newly built home enjoy numerous benefits including safety, amenities, the latest construction technology and improved energy efficiency.
The energy-efficient Shades of Green® program allows home buyers to choose the level of green built into their new home. The goal is to save homeowners money on monthly utility bills by engineered construction such as the open cell spray foam insulation under the roof.
Then there is the bigger picture of housing’s incredible impact on the economy.
A healthy housing industry means more jobs and a stronger U.S. economy. In fact, fully 15 percent of the U.S. economy relies on housing. Most of the products used in home construction and remodeling are manufactured in the United States.
Over the long term, as the families who move into new homes become part of the community, their positive impact continues. NAHB estimates that those 100 new homes also provide the community with additional, annually-recurring impacts of $4.1 million in local income, $1 million in taxes and other revenue for local governments, and 69 local jobs.
This is National Home Ownership Month, but, home ownership is an ideal worth celebrating every day. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, the rate in Florida for first quarter 2017 was 64.6 percent; the U.S. home ownership rate was 63.6 percent for the same period.
Recognition of home ownership began as a week-long celebration in 1995, and was later proclaimed to last the entire month of June in 2002 under former President George W. Bush.
Generation Homes builds to withstand the test of time and maximize comfort. Using effective and proven construction techniques has earned a well-deserved reputation for finish, style and sustainability.
For more information, call (904) 955-4769 or visit www.generationhomesusa.com.