View Your New Home Virtually with Shea Homes

Technology is amazing...Imagine buying your next new home from the comfort of your current home!

Today's struggling economy is driving the use of innovative technologies in new home sales and marketing. A growing trend is the use of Virtual Model Home Tours to replace the use of expensive model home complexes in communities across America.

America's homebuilders are uncovering new ways to cost-effectively market new homes to a new price-sensitive homebuyer: Virtual model homes!

These highly-detailed 3D videos create the spatial experience of walking through a model home and visualizing every detail, before the home is even built. Though the price to create these tours is far less than their physical counterpart, high quality tours can easily cost $10,000 or more. "If you are going to replace the tactile experience of walking through a real model home with a virtual home, it had better be astoundingly realistic or you might have the reverse effect and turn off your prospective homebuyer," said Steve Ormonde, Co-founder of Focus 360, and the inventor of this technology.

The cost of this level of quality and detail has been out of reach of many homebuilders. This is why this week Focus 360 introduced a new more affordable "Value Line" that addresses this price/quality issue head-on. "The biggest obstacle to builders' use of virtual model homes in the past has been the price tag associated with high quality tours," said Ormonde. "Our goal is to provide builders with a solution that is not only more affordable, but one that provides the high quality needed to engage home shoppers and present a builder's product in the best possible light."

Can virtual model tour videos drive sales while decreasing a builder's investment in model homes? "Absolutely!" stated Adam Hieb, Director, Sales and Marketing for Shea Homes. "The days are gone when we could afford to put up multi-million dollar model complexes. Every new Shea home community is different but in general, our use of high quality virtual model tours will greatly reduce the number of model homes needed. Instead of four models for instance, we might be able to get away with one, with the remaining models represented in 3D virtual reality. In some lower profile communities, virtual tours may eliminate models completely - a sales office might suffice. And while we have used Focus 360 for many years for our bigger budget, high profile projects, we are excited that we can now afford them for all our projects."

For more information on Shea Homes visit www.SheaHomes.com.

Excerpts for this post provided by EarthTimes.Org. The full article can be viewed at http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/homebuilders-are-increasing-the-use,1087301.shtml

Green Homes are Red Hot!

New Homes Builder

According to Kevin Morrow of the National Association of Home Builders, green certifications of homes have jumped from 99 last year to at least 564 this year. "The interest in green building is driven by consumers. More people are doing it to save money on their heating bills," states Morrow in a recent USAToday article.

Shea Homes is a builder of new homes that are eco-friendly and energy-wise.

Whenever possible, Shea Homes uses certified wood products from sustainable forests, recyles construction materials and incorporates water-conserving appliances and fixtures into new homes in an effort to help reduce the carbon footprint of the home as well as benefit generations to come by helping reduce America's carbon footprint.

In addition, Shea Homes includes energy-saving insulation, energy-saving heating and air-conditioning systems, Energy Star appliances at most communities, efficient water heaters and dual pane windows with low-E glass.

To learn more about Shea Homes and their vision to help you live happier, safer and healthier lives, visit http://www.sheahomes.com/.

What To Look For in a New Home Builder

Most people don't build new homes often, so you really need the final product - your home - to be what you want it to be. Architects and interior designers agree that if you want to be happy with your new home you need to take time in the early stages of the building process.

Builders play a big part in those 'early stages' - they are the one's who are going to make what is down on paper a reality. They are the one's who provide the shell for everyone else to provide their services; without a builder you wouldn't need the electricians, plumbers and painters, nor would you have a home to live in!

When looking for a new home builder you will want someone who guarantees their work. In New Zealand you should check that the builder you employ is a Registered Master Builder. Only Registered Master Builder's can offer you the "Master Build New Homes or Alterations & Additions Guarantee", which covers a percentage of such things as loss of deposit or non completion (should this occur), as well as materials cover and a limited structural cover for up to 7 years. Having a guarantee in place will give you peace of mind.

A good home builder will also have quality check processes in place, where an assigned person carries out checks at several critical stages of the building process, to ensure that any issues which arise during this time are dealt with effectively and cost efficiently, after all you want the service you are paying for to be a quality one!

Look for a new home builder that has a good reputation, I hear you asking "How will I know this?", first of all you should ask to see their work, it's most likely that they will be in the process of building a house when you ask, so arrange a time to see how good their work is or alternatively ask if there are any showhomes which they have built, available to view. Secondly, you could ask around friends and family to see if they can recommend anyone to you. Thirdly, if they have one, check out their website for things like client testimonials and information about the company itself.

If you have employed the services of a design & build type company they will most likely have a builder or building company which they use. This saves you time having to find one for yourself and also keeps everything simple for you, by providing you with all the services in one package.

When you are searching for a new home builder it's important to keep in mind that they will be building your home, the place where you go to relax and be secure. Look for a quality builder and you will get exactly that!

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Article Provided By:

Paul Clarke is Managing Director of Landmark Homes, a multi award-winning residential home building company in New Zealand. Paul and his wife first started Landmark Homes in Tauranga 32 years ago and have built a reputation on honesty and quality in everything they do.

Sacramento New Home Builder Market

By Paul Escobedo

Sacramento is one of the most beautiful parts of California and is a great place to live thanks to its mild climate and beautiful scenery. If you are looking to purchase or build a new home in the Sacramento area, then look no further as we've laid out a list of some of the best new home builders in the area. Check it out and see if you can find the builder capable of custom designing the home of your dreams.

Kimball Hill Homes - Kimball Hill Homes currently builds in California, Nevada, Texas, and Illinois. Amazingly, their founder started building homes in Illinois in 1939, but the company was actually formed in 1969. They've received a host of home design and building awards over the years and they can build homes based on nearly any design and budget. They also offer a great warranty, specialty financing, and a wonderful home building experience.

Bredian Homes - Bredian Homes has built hundreds of custom homes since their inception in the 1980's. They currently build in Hillcrest, American River Canyon North, Folsom, Sierra Oaks, Carmichael, Laguna, Pocket, and Sacramento County. They build some of the most amazingly unique custom homes in several of California's finest communities. Visit their website to see a sample of the luxury custom homes that they currently offer.

Cambridge Homes - These homes are some of the most beautiful custom homes in the area. If you are looking for a unique custom home, then Cambridge homes is the place to go. They built their business around a set of core values that makes them the leader in customer service and satisfaction. Although they build homes as low as $200,000, many of their homes are $500,000 and more. They build mostly two story homes but can build in any style you need.

Grendhal Homes - Grendhal homes, founded by Thor Grendhal, has been building new homes for over 30 years and has a large portfolio of wonderful two story homes. They help you create your plan every step of the way so that you end up with not only a great home, but a wonderful experience. They build mainly two story homes, but offer a variety of styles to choose from. They use only the finest quality materials and craftsmanship and have a design team ready to make your experience a good one.

Richmond American - If you are looking for a new home in the $100,000 to $650,000 range, then Richmond American can make it happen. They build homes in the Riverside and San Bernardino areas and can offer financing, insurance, and custom design services. Over the past 35 years, Richmond American has built over 150,000 homes across the nation. Contact them or visit their website to learn more about how they can serve you.

For more detailed information on any of these builders, visit their websites for complete and up to date lists of model homes and custom galleries. Many of them also have custom financing plans that can help you afford the home of your dreams. All information is current as of January 2009.

When is The Time to Buy?

NOW! The market opportunities which are available right now will not be around forever. Interest rates are at historical lows (generational lows) as well the value that can be found in the New Homes market is amazing. New Home Builders are willing to help you get in your dream home and provide rates that we have never seen before. The programs available are providing a great opportunity for buyers today.

If you are asking yourself why you should buy a new home, the answer is simple - it's NEW! There is a warranty, the carpets and flooring is new, the roof is new, the plumbing and electrical is new and under warranty. Tread lightly with the "false opportunities" which have saturated the market... Short sales, and Foreclosures are NOT what they seem. Most have been mistreated and can cost tens of thousands of dollars to bring them up to a living standard that you will feel meets the value for you and your family.

Benefits of Custom Made New Homes

Finding your dream home can be tough, it's easy to find a place with the right number of bedrooms or the right number of bathrooms or the right size backyard, etc. - but it's the finer details that could potentially trip you up when it comes to finding the perfect place for you and your family.

You may be looking for a home office, or a home theater, a finished basement or an in ground pool. Some or all of these may or may not be deal breakers - it's certainly possible that you could live, most likely even happily in a place that didn't meet every single one of your requirements, but you could conceivably live more happily in a house that met every single one of your desires.

New Home Builder

The best way to ensure that you get all of the options that you want present in your new home is to have custom made new home built. Having a custom made new home built could conceivably cost you a little bit more than settling for an already existing home - but in having your custom home built you can be certain that every little detail is exactly the way you want it.

The benefits of having a custom made new home go beyond just choosing what elements you want or need present in the house. With a brand new home, with fixtures that you choose, you can rest assured that everything will work exactly as it's supposed to as well.

You never really know exactly what you're going to get when you purchase and older home. Even if things appear totally fine cosmetically, there could be seriously problems just beneath the surface that could rear their ugly heads just after you take ownership. Previous owners may do whatever it takes to sell their home, which includes covering up a problem and making it look like everything was okay. Even if you go through a home that you were looking at with a fine tooth comb and get the approval of an inspector - there could still be things that don't get picked up and that could go wrong shortly after you get into the home, making your life a lot less pleasant than it should be after moving into your supposed dream home.

A custom made new home will also let you choose a location - if you have an area in mind that you would really like to live in, but you simply can't find a home anywhere in the neighborhood that meets your standards, that problem can very easily be solved by having a home built in the neighborhood in which you want to live. The best school systems and the nicest neighborhoods are no longer impossible to find homes in; all you have to do is have one built.

New Home Builders

The only concern you may have when having a custom made home built could be the cost. Even if the home you are having built is smaller than the average size of home in the neighborhood that you choose, the cost of materials, land, labor and permits may exceed what you would have paid for an already existing home in the neighborhood, but consider what you'll be getting for the money. The extra cost you'll incur will be giving you exactly what you want in your new home exactly the way that you want it. Everything in your new home will work exactly the way it's supposed to and exactly how you want it to - and that could very well be worth every extra penny that you spend in the process.

Looking for quality new homes? As a leader in premiere living environments, we provide superior energy efficient Kitchener homes, Guelph homes in the London Ontario home markets.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_Nutt

New Home Builders

SheaHomes.com is proud to annouce their 5 Star New Home Builder program - highlighting the the 5 star value which drive Shea Homes to build the finest new homes and communities in America.

Value - Quality - Financing - Customer Service - Caring

Discover Shea Homes today and find out why this New Home Builder is recognized as an industry leader.