Lawn Tips- Is Your Lawn Water Wise

Local Utah landscaping expert, Chris Jensen shared his tips for keeping your new home's lawn looking beautiful. Thanks Chris for sharing your expertise with our homeowners!

Lawn Tips- Is Your Lawn Water Wise?

 

Don’t Kill it with Kindness

During the heat of the summer, your lawn only needs to be watered about twice a week.

Water in cycles

By dividing your watering time into three shorter cycles with time in between, water has more time to penetrate the soil and reach the root zone. This means run-off is minimized and more water gets to the roots.

Mow high-3"+

When grass is allowed to grow higher, roots have a chance to grow deeper. Deep roots help your lawn withstand changes in temperatures, even the extremes. Deep roots also need less water. Mowing high also means you get to mow less often.

Recycle your Grass

Leave grass clipping on the lawn to provide nutrients and to keep the soil cool. It also helps in reducing waste at the landfill.

 

Let the air in

Roots need air, too. Aerating your lawn helps compacted soils loosen up, and increases the

transfer of air into the soil so roots can breathe deep. 

 

Go on a less-lawn diet

If the only time you’re on the lawn is when you mow it, think of replacing part of the lawn with

low-water, low-maintenance ground covers, or even a patio or deck with a raised fire pit.

 

Monthly Watering Schedule

Start-up until April 30 Once every 7-10 days

May Once every 4-7 days

June, July, August Once every 2-4 days

September Once every 7-10 days

October to shutdown Once every 7-14 days

You may need to water less or more depending on the weather.

If it rains or is windy, remember to turn off your automatic system or add a rain clicker to turn off the system automatically.

 

 

 

All photos are of projects by Chris Jensen Landscaping

How Does Your Real Estate Tax Bill Compare To Other Parts Of The Country?

Mortgage rates may be a function of free markets, but real estate taxes are a function of government. And, depending on where you live, your annual real estate tax bill could be high, low, or practically non-existent.
Compiling data from the 2009 American Community Survey, the Tax Foundation, a non-partisan educational organization in Washington D.C., published property taxes paid by owner-occupied households, county-by-county.
The report shows huge disparity in annual property taxes by region, and by state.
As a percentage of home valuation, Southeast homeowners tend to pay the fewest property taxes overall, while Northeast homeowners tend to pay the most. But statistics like that aren't especially helpful. What's more useful is to know how local real estate taxes stack up as compared to local, median household incomes.
Not surprisingly, real estate taxes are least affordable to homeowners in the New York Metro area. The 10 U.S. counties with the highest tax-to-income ratios physically surround New York City's 5 boroughs. The areas with the lowest tax-to-income, by contrast, are predominantly in southern Louisiana.
A sampling from the Tax Foundation list, here is how select counties rank in terms of taxes as a percentage of median income:

• #1 : Passaic County (NJ) : 9.7% of median income
• #6 : Nassau County (NY) : 8.6% of median income
• #15 : Lake County (IL) : 7.2% of median income
• #18 : Cheshire County (NH) : 7.1% of median income
• #70 : Travis County (TX) : 5.0% of median income
• #90 : Marin County (CA) : 4.6% of median income
• #110 : Middlesex County (MA) : 4.4% of median income
• #181 : Sarasota County (FL) : 3.9% of median income
• #481 : Douglas County (CO) : 2.4% of median income
• #716 : Maui County (HI) : 1.3% of median income

The U.S. national average is 3.0 percent.
The complete, sortable list of U.S. counties is available at the Tax Foundation website. For specific tax information in your neighborhood or block, give me a call 801-209-3850.

Sneak Peak at New Moen Faucet

Last week I attended the Utah Builders Conference in Layton. Between seminars, I got to browse through some great new products from local and national suppliers. There was one thing I saw that anyone who is building a new home in Utah will want to know about... the new Brantford kitchen faucet by Moen.

I usually don't get this excited about faucets, but I'm telling you, it is awesome. Anyone who has had a pull down faucet knows that even the best ones come with some hiccups. I love my Aberdeen faucet by Moen, but when I'm done using it I have to push it back up into place and make sure it settles in. I've tried every faucet from all of the national brands, and even Delta's "famous" magnetic faucet catch can't compare to the new Brantford faucet by Moen.

This faucet pulls out SO SMOOTHLY. It twists and turns easily in your hand and when you're done, let go and the faucet retracts itself perfectly. If you don't believe me, check out this video. I sampled all of the national brand faucets, and the new Moen Brantford faucet was last. Notice how it just slides into place. Amazing!!!



This brand new faucet is not even on the market yet, but in May you can see it at the McArthur Homes Design Studio. We have an Award-Winning Design Studio where you can choose everything from faucets to flooring for your new home in Utah!

Habitat for Humanity with McArthur Homes

McArthur Homes, and many of our contractors and suppliers, helped complete the Habitat for Humanity home this year with the Salt Lake Home Builders Association.  Last week, we turned over the new home in Utah to the new owners, the Yussuf Family.  

 

The home was approximately 2000 SF, 6 bedrooms, 4 baths, and built entirely with donated materials and labor from HBA member suppliers and contractors.  It is amazing that even in these difficult times, commonly called the Great Recession, that so many people and organizations are still willing to donate so much to help others.  It really is amazing!  Seeing the joy in the faces of the family – especially the kids – made all the effort worth it, many times over.

Spruce Up Your Home for Spring

I don't know about you, but spring cleaning is in full swing at my house. I've been hard at work indoors while my husband has been fixing up the yard for spring. (It seems I may have gotten the short end of the stick, cleaning indoors with all the beautiful weather we've had!) I love the feeling of everything in the house looking fresh and new. Here are some "to do" items for spring to help you get started on your own home. Is there anything else you like to do to get ready for spring? Leave a comment with your ideas!

Indoor Cleaning Projects:

• Wash windows and repair screens
• Vacuum dusty drapes and window treatments (You can send really dirty drapes to the cleaners!)
• Defrost the freezer and dust refrigerator coils
• Remove grime and grease buildup on the kitchen exhaust fan
• Clean out the basement, giving away or discarding any unwanted items or clothing (My pile has made it to the garage, but I still need to take my donations to DI and discard anything unusable.)
• Shampoo carpets and rugs
• Steam clean upholstery
• Dust corners and ceilings
• Wash baseboards, doorjambs, windowsils doors and walls
• Wipe ceiling fans
• Clean oven
• Wipe refrigerator clean
• Clean out office files

Indoor Maintenance Items

• Check Air Conditioning Unit
• Inspect caulking around tubs, showers and sinks
• Reseal grout on tile floors
• Test GFCI outlets (Press the "Test" button, which should trip the outlet. Then press the "Reset" button to restore the connection."
• Tighten garbage disposal drain, connections and fasteners
• Change furnace filters
• Change batteries in carbon monoxide and smoke detectors
• Lubricate door hings and hardware
• Update first-aid and emergency kits
• Replace leaky faucet washers
• Replace incandescent bulbs with energy-saving lighting

Outdoor Cleaning Tasks

• Clean and de-clutter your garage
• Wash outdoor furniture
• Clean your grill and check for dead insects clogging the gas line
• Pressure-wash decks
• Scrub porch ceilings and walls
• Clean umbrellas and awnings
• Clean light fixture covers

Outdoor Maintenance Must-Dos

• Inspect and repair or replace damaged roof shingles
• Inspect and reseal roof flashing if necessary
• Pressure-wash driveway and walkway
• Clean and inspect gutters and downspouts
• Check the oil and air filter on your lawn mower
• Trim branches and shrubs that touch your home (They provide a pathway for bugs or excess moisture to enter your home.)
• Check ironwork for rust spots
• Reseal deck
• Seal drafty doors and windows

Phew! That's quite a list (and a lot of work!). You can find more information on many of these and other home maintenance items in McArthur Homes' new home guide. The best part about spring cleaning is that if you get it all done now, you can relax and enjoy the warm summer weather that is on its way! Happy cleaning!

Grand Opening of JL Sorensen Recreation Center at Herriman Towne Center this Saturday

This Saturday is the Grand Opening of the unbelievable new JL Sorensen Recreation Center, the largest rec center in the county! There will be some amazing events going on all day, Saturday March 19th. (See schedule below) While you're there, be sure to visit the McArthur Homes new model home across the street for your chance to win an iPad!

The JL Sorensen Recreation Center is part of Herriman Towne Center, the best new neighborhood in Salt Lake County! In addition to the new rec center, Herriman Towne Center boasts a brand new library, new elementary school and beautiful new homes by McArthur Homes! The community will continue to grow to include local dining and shopping options, churches, schools and more than 10 acres of parks.

Herriman Towne Center, Centered around YOUR life.

13158 S. Herriman Rose Boulevard (5400 W.)
 Model Home Open 11am-7pm

New Homes from 2500-3500 s.f.
Starting at $216k

Grand Opening Event Schedule at JL Sorensen Recreation Center

• 9:00am: Breakfast Eats (breakfast eats available – while they last)  9am-4pm: Bounce House Boxing and Obstacle Course
• 9:30am: Family 1-mile run/walk – On Track (all finishers receive a prize)10:00am: Zumba Class Demo – In Group Fitness (watch or participate)
• 10:30am: JL Kids on the Move Demo (ages 3-10 watch or participate)11:00am: Basketball Shootout (prizes)
• 11:00am: Cycling Class Demo – In Cycling Studio (watch or participate) 11:00am: Lunchtime Eats and Drinks – while they last
• 11am-1pm: Party Room walk throughs – sample of something delicious 11am-1pm: Personal Trainers on hand – to answer questions.
• 11am-2pm: Adventure Learning Preschool –Open House in Childcare 11am-2pm: Infinite Cycle – bike tuning, maintenance seminar, QandA, prizes
• 11:30am: Royal Ballet Demo – children’s ballet class demo in gym 11:30am: JL Kids on the Move Demo (ages 3-10 watch or participate)
• 12:00pm: SWIMMING POOL GRAND OPENING
• Important: See Pool Session Schedule Below
• 12-2pm: Mechanical Bull Riding
• 12:00pm: Adult Self Defense Demo – HapKiDo martial arts demo
• 12:30pm: Ace All Star Cheerleading Demo – children’s cheer demo
• 1:00pm:  Circuit/Boot Camp Class Demo - (watch or participate)
• 1:00pm: Bailey’s Gymnastics Demo – children’s gymnastics demo
• 1:30pm:  All Star Karate Class Demo – children’s karate class demo
• 2:00pm:  Performance Academy Demo – children’s musical theater
• 2:30pm: Hip Dance Company Demo – children’s dance class demo

SWIMMING POOL GRAND OPENING

 - 4 Sessions
Due to occupancy load restrictions in the swimming pool area, Saturday's swimming pool Grand Opening will happen in four sessions:

• 12:00-1:30pm Splash and Swim: Gold Coin Dive at 1:00pm
• 1:45–3:15pm Splash and Swim: Gold Coin Dive at 2:30pm
• 3:30–5:00pm Splash and Swim: Gold Coin Dive at 4:00pm
• 6:00–7:30pm Splash and Swim: No Gold Coin Dive

Patron attendance to each session will be capped once we reach max pool occupancy load. Pools will be cleared at the conclusion of each session for the preparation of the next session.

Meet Jazz Player CJ Miles at Herriman Towne Center this Friday

Get ready to meet one of your favorite Jazz players while visiting THE coolest new neighborhood in Salt Lake!  Herriman Towne Center invites you to come meet CJ Miles this Friday from 3:00 to 5:00 as we celebrate the McArthur Homes’ Grand Opening -- at 5400 West and 130^th South in Herriman.  There will be free Papa John’s pizza,  coke products and a raffle for 2 lower bowl Jazz tickets.

(Photo from the Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.tribblogs.com/tribphoto/2008/12/cj-miles/)

Herriman Towne Center already hosts the county’s largest recreation center, a new state of the art library, and new elementary school. Future plans include more parks, retail and office space, and a transit center all right within the community!…. But most importantly, brand new homes are being built from the low 200’s. 

So stop by this Friday from 3:00-5:00 to meet CJ Miles at Herriman Town Center and tour McArthur Homes new Model!  It’s all happening at 5400 West and 130^th South, in Herriman.  

Herriman Towne Center, Centered around YOUR life.

13158 S. Herriman Rose Boulevard (5400 W.)
 Model Home Open 11am-7pm


Meet CJ Miles from 3:00-5:00pm Friday, March 18th

Tell Us Your McArthur Homes Story and Win Big!

In nearly two decades, McArthur Homes has built over 2,000 homes for happy families like yours. We sincerely hope you enjoyed the building experience, really love your new home, and have created great memories with your family and friends.

We’d like to take this opportunity to celebrate your stories. Please take a few minutes to tell us about your home or building experience. What was your favorite moment during the homebuilding process? Choosing your selections at the Design Studio? Seeing your home framed for the first time? Walking through the door and into your brand new home? What do you love about your home or neighborhood? Swimming at the clubhouse? Relaxing on your front porch? Entertaining friends and family from your beautiful new kitchen?

 (Photo by Abbey Kyhl)

Simply submit your story and you could win a professional family photo shoot from AK Studio Design and one winner will receive a $500 Shopping Spree with a VISA Debit Gift Card.

Why you REALLY want to be a Finalist:

All of our TEN FINALISTS will receive a professional family photo shoot by Abbey Kyhl, owner of AK Studio & Design. Abbey is an expert at capturing those bright, fresh, candid moments that show the ones we love as they really are. She says, "My number one goal at every session is to capture a real glimpse of that perfect "moment". Whether it be a father and son chasing each other, a mother snuggling her newborn baby, the first kiss of a newly married couple, or just kids out being kids! So be yourself! Have fun! Enjoy the moment!" 

I have hired Abbey to do my family photos many times over the last few years and the results are always EXCEPTIONAL. You will love your photos! You can view Abbey’s work on her blog www.akstudiodesign.com/blog. The photo on the left is actually one of our cute McArthur Homes homeowner families! Congrats Rich & Laura Dibble!

Abbey is also offering a 10% discount to go along with this special contest. See her coupon at the bottom of this post!

Contest Guidelines:

Two Ways to Enter:

Submit a short paragraph telling us about your McArthur Homes home, your experience building, or your favorite thing about your home. Include a photo of your family and your home.

OR

Submit a short video of your home. Be sure to tell us why you love your McArthur Homes home or your experience building your home.

How to Submit Entries:

Email to kristi@mcarthurhomes.com 

OR mail to 

McArthur Homes

9962 S. Redwood Road

South Jordan, UT 84095

Deadline for entries is March 31, 2011 at 7pm MST.

Selection of Winners:

McArthur Homes will choose 10 finalists to represent a wide range of buyers from different communities. Finalists will be announced on April 1, 2011.

Each of the 10 finalists will win a professional family photo shoot by Abbey Kyhl, owner of AK Studio & Design. Photo shoot will include one 11X14 print and 10 edited images on CD. Retail value of $215. 

We will post the family pictures for each finalist, along with a short video telling their McArthur Homes story, to the McArthur Homes blog and Facebook. Then, entries will be open for voting for 2 weeks, beginning April 25th. The finalist with the most votes will win a $500 VISA Debit Gift Card! (So you’ll want to make sure all your friends and family check out your photos & video and vote!)

McArthur Homes retains the rights to use all submitted video, images and written material for promotional purposes. 

All photos in this post are by Abbey Kyhl, AK Studio Design. 

The Life of a "Parade of Homes" House

Like many of you, I LOVE the Parade of Homes! It is an exciting opportunity to see what is going on in the world of interior design and new homes. I always end up with tons of notes and photos of things I want to try in my own home.

Well... McArthur Homes is excited to announce that we will be participating in the Utah County Parade of Homes this June! For all you Parade of Homes lovers, we will document the construction and design process of our entry home. We'll give you an inside look at what goes into building a stunning model home for the Parade of Homes, and give you ideas for your own home along the way!

Our Parade of Homes entry will feature a BRAND NEW 2-Story Home Design in our popular Thanksgiving Meadows neighborhood. This new Cordova design is so flexible and perfect for growing families. Our model will feature a large master bedroom with bonus master retreat, two extra bedrooms upstairs and a handy loft/study area for the kids to do homework. On the main floor their are fun features such as a mud room with "drop zone" cabinetry for mail, keys etc. and plenty of built in cubbies for backpacks and coats! (Floorplan pics coming soon.)

Our interior design experts from Pace Interiors are getting started on the interior selections for our Parade of Homes house. Here's a sneak peak at what they've been working on at our Award Winning New Home Design Studio.

Coming up, we'll share their recommendations for top styles and products for your home. In the meantime, we'd love to hear your opinions! What's your favorite part of attending the Parade of Homes? Is there a home or feature that was so impressive that you still remember when you saw it at a Parade of Homes entry? Leave a comment, or share with us on Facebook!

USDA Rural Housing Loans

Highlights of the USDA Guaranteed
Rural Housing Loan Program
1. Loans may be for up to 100 percent (or greater if the guarantee fee is included in the loan) of appraised value or for the acquisition cost, whichever is less. No down payment is required;
2. Mortgages are 30-year fixed rate at market interest rates;
3. Loans may include funds for closing costs, the guarantee fee, legal fees, title services, cost of establishing an escrow account and other prepaid items, if the appraised value is higher than sales price;
4. Sellers may contribute to the buyer’s closing costs;
5. Buyers must personally occupy the dwelling following the purchase;
6. For purchase loans, a one-time guarantee fee is charged. The charge for refinance loans is 0.5 percent. After the one-time fee is paid, there is no recurring monthly expense charged for guaranteeing the loan;
7. Guaranteed loans are subject to the provisions of the Civil Rights statutes, including the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

To be eligible, applicants must:
1. Have an adequate and dependable income;
2. Be a U.S. citizen, qualified alien, or be legally admitted to the United States for permanent residence;
3. Have an adjusted annual household income that does not exceed the moderate income limit established for the area. A family’s income includes the total gross income of the applicant, co-applicant and any other adults in the household. Applicants may be eligible to make certain adjustments to gross income— such as annual child care expenses and $480 for each minor child—in order to qualify. You can use this site to see if your income qualifies.
4. Have a credit history that indicates a reasonable willingness to meet obligations as they become due;
5. Have repayment ability based on the following ratios: Principle, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance(PITI) divided by gross monthly income must be equal to or less than 29 percent. Total debt divided by gross monthly income must be equal to, or less than, 41 percent.

Homes That Qualify:
1. Guaranteed loans can be made on either new or existing homes;
2. Existing homes must be structurally sound, functionally adequate, and in good repair;
3. There are no restrictions on the size or design of the home financed;
4. The home must not be used for income-producing purposes;
5. Homes must be located in rural areas. Rural areas include open country and places with a population of 10,000 or less and—under certain conditions—towns and cities with between 10,000 and 25,000 residents. As your loan officer, I can help you determine eligible areas.

If you would like more information or would like to apply for a USDA Rural Housing loan please call Scott Smith 801-209-3850.

Helpful Resources:
McArthur's Move-in Ready Homes

Mortgage Tools