Fall Home Maintenance To Do List

Fall is definitely in the air here in Utah! Before you get out your holiday decorations, spend a Saturday afternoon checking on your home and taking care of the yard. Here are a few "To Dos" to get you started:










Inside Your Home

• Change your furnace air filter and stock up on air filters for the rest of the winter (change them monthly). 
• Check the weather stripping on your doors and caulking around your windows to ensure maximum heating efficiency.
• Review fire safety precautions for your home and replace fire extinguishers if necessary.
• Change the batteries in your smoke detectors.

Outside Your Home

• Inspect your gutters and clear out any leaves or other blockage. Make sure that downspouts are directing water away from the foundation of your home.
• Rake leaves off your lawn and sweep off your deck or patio.
• Clean, pack and store any patio furniture that will not handle the coming winter weather.
• Disconnect garden hose and use your indoor valve to shut off and drain water from all outdoor pipes.
• Empty any unused fuel from gas-powered equipment from lawn mowers. Sediment can build up and clog fuel lines.
• Test your emergency generator if applicable.

Now your new home in Utah is ready for winter! Do you have other fall or winter tips for taking care of your home? I'd love for you to share them in the comments.

Salt Lake City One of the "New Big Boom Towns" According to Forbes

Forbes magazine recently ranked 52 of the largest metro areas in the country according to which cities are most likely to grow and prosper in the coming years. Salt Lake City ranked among the Top 20, coming in at #12. Why did Salt Lake do so well? Here's a look at how Forbes judged the cities:

We started with job growth, not only looking at performance over the past decade but also focusing on growth in the past two years, to account for the possible long-term effects of the Great Recession. That accounted for roughly one-third of the score.  The other two-thirds were made up of a a broad range of demographic factors, all weighted equally. These included rates of family formation (percentage growth in children 5-17), growth in educated migration, population growth and, finally, a broad measurement of attractiveness to immigrants — as places to settle, make money and start businesses.

Forbes discovered what most of us already know; the Salt Lake City area is a great place to live and work! The best news is that as the Salt Lake metro area's economy prospers, home values will likely continue to rise, making now a great time to own a new home near Salt Lake City!

Using Art to Add Personality to Your Home

Adding art pieces to your home can be the perfect way to add a spark of personality to your space. Art can create drama, unify a color scheme or even add humor to a room.

We used many beautiful art pieces in our Award-Winning Parade of Homes entry. One of my favorites was the statement piece we used in the family room. It adds so much color to the space! Click here to see more images from our Parade home.

I noticed an abundance of artwork used in the recent 2011 Salt Lake Parade of Homes. Here are some of my favorite pieces:

And here's a fun way to inspire your own little artists- display their artwork in a playroom!

Traditional Hardwood or Engineered?

Who doesn't love a beautiful hardwood in a home? Woods are warm, inviting, interesting and come in a huge variety of finishes. They are so popular, that almost every home buyer I worked with in the last year has chosen some kind of wood-like finish on the floors of their new home (laminate, engineered or traditional). The question EVERYONE asked was "Which is better? Engineered or Traditional Hardwood?" Well, the answer depends on what you are looking for in your floor, but here are some tips from our Award-Winning Design Studio:

Traditional Hardwood

Source: houzz.com via Meghan on Pinterest

When I say "Traditional Hardwood," I  mean the wood comes unfinished and is installed in your home, then stained and finished. Each plank is one solid piece of wood, not layers or veneers. Usually this wood is given a smooth finish, but it can be given a hand-scraped finish on the edges.

• The major key to traditional hardwood is that you can refinish over and over and over again. The process is a little messy, but it can save you tons of money in the long run because you won't have to replace your floors. 
• Sanding and finishing the wood on site means that you can get a nice, tight floor with little to no gaps between boards. This helps keep dirt and water from getting in between the floor and causing problems down the line. I also personally love the look of a smooth, shining wood floor.
• Staining the wood on site means you can get the exact color stain that you want. This is a perk that is not always available in engineered woods.
• One downside of traditional hardwood is that they may be more prone to shifting and warping.  A home humidifier system can minimize some of the shrinking and warping.

Engineered Wood

Source: exoticfloorsdirect.com via roserobert on Pinterest

Each plank of engineered wood usually has a veneer of more expensive wood on top and then subsequent layers of a more affordable wood below. The layers are laid cross-grain so that on the first layer the grain runs lengthwise, then the next layer is crosswise and so on. The number of layers varies depending on quality and price. Each piece is prefinished and then installed on site, usually as a floating floor.

• Often, you can get a wider plank or more expensive type of wood for less money when you choose engineered over natural hardwood, making it a budget friendly choice.
• The cross-grain layers of engineered wood make it more warp resistant. This can be especially beneficial in climates that have hot summers and cold winters because the climate change may cause wood to shift and expand.
• Most engineered woods have the popular hand-scraped look or some kind of bevel at the edges of the wood. This is done to help hide any flaws in installation. This is a pro for more people, who love the look, but you should keep in mind that those crevices may gather dirt and liquids.
• Engineered woods are prefinished with an aluminum oxide finish. Usually the more expensive the wood, the more layers of finish. This will help minimize scraping and staining, but these woods will show wear especially in high traffic areas. Some homeowners have found that their finish has taken on a scuffed, dirty look over the years. Some engineered woods can be refinished but usually only once. If the wood has the hand-scraped look it can be more difficult to refinish.
• The popularity of engineered woods means that they are now available in a wide range of wood types and stains. However, you will have to choose from the options that are available as you cannot mix and match stains like you could with natural hardwood. 

For more information on wood types and styles, visit our Award-Winning Design Studio and browse the thousands of products available for your new home from McArthur Homes. 

Simple DIY Wall Treatment

Thanks to the recent Salt Lake Parade of Homes, our Herriman Towne Center model home received TONS of traffic and positive feedback. Most people's favorite decor detail in this new home was the wall treatment in the second bedroom.

 

Achieving this fun look at home is even easier than it seems. Simply attach ribbon in a diagonal grid pattern using thumbtacks. Place the thumbtacks at the corners where the ribbons intersect. Next hot glue flowers onto each thumbtack. You're done!  This look can work with any color scheme.  Just change up the colors of the ribbons and flowers. You could even try it in a boys room using a different decorative element in place of the flowers.

What To Make of The Headlines

The past month has been packed with Headlines which will be written about in the history books. Here are some of the headlines:

Debt Ceiling Deal Reached To Avert Default: The Huffington Post recapped the news that congress had passed a deal to raise our debt limit. This is like your credit card company increasing your credit limit allowing you to go deeper in debt. But at least you can meet your short term needs. This also included a plan to reduce spending by $2 Trillion...depending on who you ask. Apparently the S&P missed their estimates by about $2 Trillion. But haven't we all misplaced a trillion dollars here or there?

News of the debt ceiling was quickly replaced by news that S&P had downgraded the US credit rating for the first time in history. This is big news because the rate at which the US borrows money could increase. Ever have a credit card company increase your rate because you made a late payment on a different account?

What does all of this mean? In the short term all of the added uneasiness has lead to a rash of investors retreating to mortgage bonds, as investments, lowering long term mortgage rates. Here is a graph showing the improvement in mortgage bonds. These bonds work inversely to mortgage rates. So, as the graph increases, mortgage rates decrease.


It's certainly an understatement to say that mortgage rates are great right now. What's more important is that your purchasing power is greater than it has ever been. You know the stories our parent's tell of 18% mortgages, well the payment on a $100,000 loan at 18% is $1,507.09, while the payment on the same size loan at 4% is $477.42. What does this mean? Buying power at today's interest rates is approximately three times greater than it was in the early eighties. And you don't have to put up with the brown and yellow painted cabinets, shag carpet that requires raking, or faux wood wall paneling in your basement that they were opting for back then.

So, don't let the news or the headlines prevent you from making a great investment on a home for your family. It is still possible to get financing with zero down payment, and there is help for those with past credit challenges.

Contact kristi@mcarthurhomes.com for information on available homes, check out www.mcarthurhomes.com for neighborhoods where McArthur is building, or go to www.scottutah.com for more information on financing your new home.

Buying Cheaper Than Renting in Most US Cities

According to a recent article on CNN Money, buying is now cheaper than renting in most U.S. cities, making now an excellent time to get out of your old rental and into a brand new home. The study, conducted by Trulia found that "buying was cheaper than renting in 74% of the country's 50 largest cities in July."

Cities where rent remains the cheaper choice included New York City, Seattle and San Francisco. For most of us however, low housing prices, low interest rates and great tax benefits add up to real value in home ownership. For instance, you can own your own beautiful new home in Eagle Mountain, Utah starting at just $170,900.

"It's a personal decision, of course. But if you have a steady job and you are planning to stay for seven years or more and have enough cash to put 20% down and enough left over for seven or eight months of expenses, you're better off buying in most places," said Daisy Kong, a spokeswoman for Trulia.  (Read the rest of the article here.)

If you're still renting and would like more information on how owning a brand new home might work for you, visit a McArthur Homes neighborhood or email kristi@mcarthurhomes.com.

Creating a Spa-Like Master Bathroom Inspired by the Parade of Homes

The best way to create a spa-like bathroom is to start with a clean, fresh color palette. Of course I love the simple white and green palette of the McArthur Homes Award-Winning Parade Home, the Cordova. The white octagon tile caused quite a debate. People either loved it or hated it. I'm on the love-it side myself. :) The cultured marble shower and garden soaker tub (a must for a spa-like bathroom) are included at McArthur Homes, making this an affordable and stylish bathroom.

This luxurious bathroom is right up my alley also! Here, the details combine to create a spa-like experience. Want to add a touch of day-spa to your own bathroom? Add rolled white towels on a shelf or tucked underneath a bench. I tried this in my master bath and LOVE it! Other details include a small makeup mirror, sconces flanking the mirrors for ideal lighting and plenty of candles.

Excuse me while I just drool over these white marble countertops. Marble is probably the thing I love most in the world of interior design. Yum!

The tub shown below is another favorite detail. I can't imagine bathing my kids in it, but I guess that is what makes it feel even more relaxing!

And here's one more simple way to transform your bathroom into a spa-like sanctuary. Just add a couple of towel hooks and two white robes. I feel more relaxed already! :)

$2 Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point

For all of our Lehi homeowners in Thanksgiving Meadows and Thanksgiving Village, here is a great deal from Thanksgiving Point:

TWO BUCK TUESDAYS
$2 for Any Venue (including Museum of Ancient Life, Gardens and Farm Country)
Every Tuesday in August
Visit their Website for More Information

If you don't already own a McArthur Homes home in Lehi, stop by our Award-Wining Parade Home (now open to the public) while you are in the area. Thanksgiving Meadows is located just minutes from Thanksgiving Point and offers townhomes from the $140s and single family homes under $200k.

Salt Lake Valley Parade of Homes 2011

If you've heard anything about the Salt Lake Parade of Homes this year, you've probably heard about the "Up" house at Herriman Towne Center. It's a life-size replica of the home in Disney's movie "Up," complete with a Carl and Ellie mailbox!

To celebrate all of the fun that the "Up" house has brought to Herriman, McArthur Homes is offering FREE Ice Cream to those who visit McArthur Homes at Herriman Towne Center during the Parade of Homes. Come visit us 11:00am-9:00pm Monday-Saturday to see our beautiful model home and find out about all the amazing things that will be coming to Herriman Towne Center over the next few years.

And while you're here, be sure to visit the "Up" house and check out the Parade of Homes.
Salt Lake Parade of Homes
July 29th-August 14th
11:00am-9:00pm
http://www.saltlakeparade.com/