M/I Homes is the newest homebuilder to join the builder team at Firethorne, a 1,400-acre master-designed residential community located in Katy/Fulshear. The builder’s 60-foot lot model home will be constructed in the new Firethorne West Model Park. Firethorne is situated 10 and 15 miles west of the Texas Medical Center-West Campus and Houston’s Energy Corridor, respectively.
M/I Homes’ one- and two-story homes, available in brick, stone and stucco exterior elevations, will range from 2,000 to 3,400 square feet and priced from the $220,000s. The builder’s signature features include soaring windows, rotundas, structural and designer options and a 30-year transferable structural warranty.
“We hand-select each of our builders based upon their high standards for design, quality, customer satisfaction and reputation,” said Firethorne General Manager Wayne Meyer. Currently completing the Firethorne builder team are: Ashton Woods Homes, Coventry Homes, Highland Homes, Partners in Building, Perry Homes, Plantation Homes and David Weekley Homes.
Firethorne, located in the top-ranked Katy Independent School District and Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, features 150 acres devoted to parks and recreational amenities, a 12-acre lake with surrounding greenbelt, resort-style swim center, new competitive swim center, sports fields, hike/bike trails, parks and playgrounds, discovery-rich wildlife observation area and a natural bird habitat.
To tour Firethorne, visiting both new construction and resale homes, call me at 713-818-2404. I have sold Katy real estate for over 22 years and would be delighted to hear from you!
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
It’s been way too long since I posted to my blog. Business has been booming and I have been spending my time with sellers and buyers. I sure hope I haven’t lost any of my regular readers! Today’s post is about a new builder who has entered the Cinco Ranch market.
Katy’s reputation as the nation’s number one “most notable high-growth area” has attracted a major national homebuilder, Columbus, Ohio-based M/I Homes. This top national builder is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (MHO).
M/I Homes now has a model home under construction in Cinco Ranch. It plans to open the model in early April to showcase all-new floor plans and architectural designs created especially for the Houston market after extensive research with local homebuyers. Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Beazer Homes, an Atlanta based builder, recently closed on 209 acres on FM 1463 for a development to be called Churchhill Farms. According to The Houston Chronicle, ”Named after the founder of Fulshear, Churchill Fulshear, Churchill Farms will have 550 lots, more than 40 acres of open space, a 10-acre lake and a community pool and clubhouse.” The first model homes are scheduled to open in January 2012.
The Cardiff family, one of Katy’s oldest families, retained this last tract of the old family homestead. The land was purchased by the Cardiff family in 1924 and recently sold to Beazer.
The Chronicle went on to say, “Homes will range from $150,000 to $250,000, depending on the lot sizes. The smaller lots are targeting single professionals working in the Energy Corridor in west Houston or medical professionals working in the hospitals along I-10. The larger lots will likely house move-ups.”
Beazer has announced that preliminary plans include 16 acres of retail and commercial development.
To tour Katy or Fulshear homes and work with a Realtor who can assist you in negotiations, call me at 713-818-2404. I have sold Katy real estate for over 21 years. Experience does count!
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
The Community Services Department Downpayment Assistance Program (DAP) can financially help you purchase your dream house in Harris County if you are income eligible and a first-time homebuyer. This money is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact me at 713-818-2404 for a referral to a lender who can tell you if the program has current funding.
Guidelines:
- $14,200 for new construction, $9,500 for resale properties, built within the current ten years. You must live in the house for five years, which is the affordability period.
- Maximum purchase price of homes not to exceed FHA 203(b) limits in Harris County.
- The home you buy must be in an unincorporated area of Harris County which includes these zip codes and service area and cannot be located with Houston, Baytown or Pasadena since these cities have their own programs. Contact me for a list of approved lenders who can tell you if funds are currently available.
- To begin the DAP process, all homeowners must take a homebuyer certificate program from a HUD approved homebuyer education course provider.
- To participate in this program, you must live in the new house or the pre-owned house for a minimum of five years, depending on the amount of the award.
- Buyers must have at least $350 or 1/2 of the lenders downpayment as required toward the purchase price to invest in the house.
- Buyer cannot have more than $10,000 in liquid assets such as stocks, cash or bonds.
- Buyer must have a least one credit score of 620.
- Buyers debt to income ratio (DTI) cannot exceed 42%.
- Buyer must be credit and program approved through one of the listed mortgage lenders and Harris County to receive downpayment assistance. (To work with an approved lender, contact me for a referral.)
- In order to qualify for downpayment assistance, you must be a first-time homebuyer or not have owned a house for three years prior to applying for assistance. You must be income qualified per the figured below.
- Every member of the household must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident Alien.
As of May 2010, the total family gross income cannot exceed the following:
Number of Family Members = Gross Family Income
1 = $36,500
2 = $41,700
3 = $46,900
4 = $52,100
5 = $56,300
6 = $60,450
7 = $64,650
8 = $68,800
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Cinco Ranch was the nation’s number one master-planned community (MPC) for new-home sales in 2009, according to a report by RCLCO, an independent real estate advisory firm.
With 887 new-home sales in 2009, Cinco Ranch was one of only two Houston MPCs on RCLCO’s top 10 list to report a sales increase from the previous year.
Sales increased 14% last year in the 7,600-acre community, located at Grand Parkway and Cinco Ranch Blvd. in Katy. The increase helped Cinco Ranch grab the top spot in the study, after ranking number two in 2008 behind a Las Vegas development.
The only other Houston area community with a sales increase for 2009 was Telfair in Sugar Land, also by Newland Communities. With 450 new-home sales in 2009, Telfair ranked fourth nationally in the RCLCO study.
“These results are outstanding for us,” said Bob McLeod, Chairman and CEO of Newland Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Katy resident Sandee Horton, my dear friend and Senior Sales Consultant for David Weekley Homes in Firethorne, was named Top Sales Consultant of the Year in Houston for David Weekley Homes for the second consecutive year!
“Sandee Horton does a top-notch job at Firethorne and we are very proud she has earned this city-wide David Weekley Homes award for the second year in a row,” said Firethorne Marketing Director Janet Burkett.
Firethorne is a 1,400-acre master-designed community in the west Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
One of the highly regarded features of living in a master-planned community, like Cinco Ranch, is the promise of predictability. Winter flowers are replaced with spring bedding plants. The landscaping is always tasteful but spectacular. In Cinco Ranch, the crepe myrtles bloom in mass. The water features are pristine and a delight to visit.
Property values are maintained by strict guidelines, enforced when necessary. The Architectural Control Committee is to administer decisions fairly and equitably always deciding in favor of sustaining property values.
So, what’s up now? Why aren’t more Cinco Ranch residents aware of the ongoing dispute? Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Does it make you angry when a Katy developer comes through and randomly plows down all the trees in their way? Hardwoods, too, like fabulous old oaks. It breaks my heart. Profit is great but working alongside Mother Nature, creating a win-win is even better. These same developers boast about “being green” but the obvious is the obvious. How much “greener” can you get than a tree? Give me a break!
When I got the call to list 1022 Woodcreek Cove Lane in Woodcreek Reserve, I was thrilled! (Above is the view from the front door of my listing; it looks onto Buffalo Bayou and the neighborhood amenities.) The master-planned community of Woodcreek Reserve, a favorite of mine, is located just south of I-10 at FM 1463. This is the exit for the Leonard E. Merrell Center located on the north side of I-10. Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Last weekend, August 9-10, Perry Homes debuted their new model in Cross Creek Ranch, a 3,000 acre master-planned in Fulshear. An amenities full one-story, the floor plan has four bedrooms and three baths. It’s 2,974 square feet.
Perry Homes in Cross Creek Ranch now offers buyers a choice of large one and two-story home inspired by Georgian architecture. The houses feature hand-crafted kitchen cabinets, Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Although I home office, I love to attend our working luncheons at Keller Williams Katy, especially those when a developer visits to announce a new development coming to the Katy area. The recent announcement of Cross Creek Ranch, developed by Trendmaker, was a grand surprise and a special thrill!
Cross Creek Ranch will be one of the most phenomenal developments in the Katy area and will have a huge impact on area real estate. There is so much to tell you Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
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