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

Herriman Towne Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

McArthur Homes is celebrating the Grand Opening of the new Herriman Towne Center community. We kicked things off with an official ribbon ceremony with Mayor Mills of Herriman City. Do you know what I learned? They don't actually cut the ribbon at a ribbon cutting ceremony. I also learned that Herriman Towne Center will include not just new homes, but fabulous local shopping & dining options, a 5.5 acre park, the new JL Sorensen Count Recreation Center, the new Herriman Library, several churches and even new schools! You can find more information on Herriman Towne Center at our website.

Help Out a Family in Need

Do you have extra items you would like to donate to a good cause? McArthur Homes can help! There is a yard sale this Saturday, February 12th to benefit the Ceran Family in their efforts to raise the needed funds to adopt 3 orphan siblings from Ukraine. McArthur Homes is donating the use of their moving van to collect these items from your home and take it to the yard sale!

Just let us know where you live and we'll stop by and pick it up on Friday. You can leave a comment here, email kristi@mcarthurhomes.com or call the main office at 801-253-9910. This is a great opportunity to get rid of some of those extra items and help a great cause. 

 

You can also come by and check out the huge indoor yard sale, February 12, 2011 at 10:00 am at Rockwell Charter High School in Eagle Mountain – 3435 E. Stonebridge Lane. Just across the street from McArthur Homes' Stonebridge Model Home.

 

Check out these websites for more information:
http://www.ukrainianmiracle.com/
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700081908/Utah-family-hopes-to-adopt-Ukrainian-orphans.html

Dress up the Bathroom

When building my new home, I purposely stuck with neutral colors in my paint, cabinetry, countertops, flooring etc. I did this so that I could later add color through furniture, accessories and accent paint. When I feel like changing things up, I can easily switch out a few items instead of needing to demo my whole bathroom.

I have finally gotten started on adding some color and interest to the kids' bathroom. This is going to be a long process, so today I'm posting on how to dress up your towels. Look for future posts on adding beadboard and a fun art project!

I purchased very plain hand towels at Target for about $4/each. I know, I could possibly have gotten them for less if I'd shopped stores like TJ Maxx, Ross, etc. but I was in a hurry and these were the perfect color to go with the shower curtain.

After I got the shower curtain and towels home I was found leftover ribbon in my craft room that matched the dark blue color of the shower curtain perfectly. I cut a length of ribbon that was slightly longer than my towel. Measuring as I went, I pinned the ribbon in place about 3" from the bottom of the towel. Then I tucked the ends around the edge of the towel and pinned those too.

I sewed along the edge of the ribbon with a straight stitch. You could also use a decorative stitch in a contrasting thread, especially if you choose a plain ribbon.


Ta da! The finished towel ties in nicely with the design scheme and cost a fraction of a fancy designer towel.

Here's one more idea for dressing up your towels. This is from our McArthur Homes model home in Herriman. I love how simple and elegant the flowers look.

Obviously, this isn't practical if you use the towels on your towel rack, which my kids do. I think this is perfect for a guest bathroom though. I love to have a stack of fresh white towels ready for guests, while still keeping the decorative towels hanging in the bathroom. Imagine how impressive this would be if you used fresh flowers for special guests!

What have you seen or done to dress up your bathroom decor? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Utah Housing Loans

The Utah Housing Corporation provides low cost, low down payment financing to Utah homebuyers. They are able to provide financing by utilizing tax-exempt and taxable bonds, federal and state income tax shelters, conventional lending, federal and state grants, low-interest loans, and other forms of debt and equity.

Who would use a Utah Housing Loan?

Are you a first time buyer* with a 3.5% down payment?
FIRST HOME loans are geared to first-time homebuyers who have access to personal or family financial resources to pay all of their down payment and closing costs. FirstHome loans may also be used to purchase homes in Targeted Areas of Utah.

Are you a first time buyer* with no down payment?
FIRSTHOME PLUS offers financial assistance for first-time homebuyers who do not have personal or family finances with which to pay their down payment and closing costs. These costs generally average 5% - 6% of the home purchase price. Applicants can borrow up to 6% of the amount of their first mortgage to cover this 5% - 6%.

Are you a Veteran?
VEP-FirstHome PLUS offers financial assistance for Veteran homebuyers who do not have personal or family finances with which to pay their down payment and closing costs. These costs generally average 5% - 6% of the home purchase price. Veterans can borrow up to 6% of the amount of their first mortgage.

Are you a single parent?
SINGLE PARENT FirstHome PLUS loans assist single parents who have previously owned or co-owned their own residence and have primary custody of at least one minor dependent. These applicants need to borrow funds from UHC to pay all or a part of their down payment and closing costs.

Not a first time buyer or single parent but still want low cost financing?
Utah Housing provides financing for move up buyers withing its targeted** areas.

Scott Smith at Academy Mortgage has been providing Utah Housing Loans for many years; helping Utah first time homebuyers to purchase new homes. If you are interested in more information or to apply today, call Scott 801-209-3850.

Here are some helpful links:
McArthur Homes Available Homes
Utah Housing Income Limits
Utah Housing Purchase Price Limits
Homebuyer Counseling and Training

*The federal government classifies a first time buyer as someone that has not owned or co-owned a home in the previous three years.

**The federal government has designated certain neighborhoods as Targeted Areas. There are two advantages to buying a home in a Targeted Area:
1) There are no restrictions on former home ownership.
2) Higher income limits are accepted.

Quick & Easy Ways to Personalize Your Child's Room

Children's rooms are the perfect place to take design risks. Use bright colors. Try something creative! Whether you're jumping in with a fresh start in your new home, or just want to add some pizazz to what you already have, here are 3 easy projects that will help you personalize your child's room:

Art Gallery
You can create a custom art gallery wall for your child's room at almost no cost.

I started with some frames I had in the basement. You could find inexpensive frames at garage sales or thrift stores. Remove the glass, then paint them all the same color for a cohesive look.

Next use scrapbook paper or plain colored card stock to fill the frames.  Choose colors to coordinate with your overall decorating scheme.

Attach clips to the top of the frames using a hot glue gun. You can use either bulldog clips or binder clips.

Hang the frames and display your child's favorite art projects. Rotate the art regularly to keep the look fresh and show your child how much you love their creative art projects!

Personalized Wall
Create this bold, personalized wall display with just a few tools. For my letters, I used left over bead board. You could also use 1/4" plywood.

First trace the letters of your child's name onto the beadboard or plywood. Then use a jigsaw to cut the letters. Don't worry about being perfect. Sand out any rough spots then paint to match your child's room.

To create a 3D look, I cut 3/4" pieces off an extra 2X4 and painted them the color of the wall. I nailed those to the wall, then nailed my letters to the 2X4 pieces. This made the letters "pop" off the wall.

Dress Up Station
My daughter loves to dress up, so I created a special dress up area in her room. It was so easy!

Just buy the brushed nickel hooks from 3M, they stick to the wall and then pull away easily. Place several hooks on a wall at child's height. I actually attached them to my daughter's bed to create this little niche.

The final touch is a child sized mirror leaned up against the wall. You can get them cheap if you look for discounts or garage sales. Remember, almost any mirror can become a beautiful, unique statement piece by painting the frame.