Indoor Outdoor Transparency:  Employing three or four, floor to ceiling glass pocket sliding doors between the Living/Dining/Kitchen (LDR) space and Lanai that open up to create one contiguous space running from the refrigerator to the pool.

Living/Dining/Kitchen (LDR) combo space: No walls demarcating anything on the first floor except the bathrooms.

“Space”: room

Patio: Lanai (usually “extended” Lanai)

Dedicated Media Wall:  Pre-wired living or family room wall to accept a 80” or larger television, with surround sound and multiple gaming consoles.

Multifunction Kitchen Island: An island that comprises one half to three quarters of the kitchen footprint to be used for crafting, homework, science projects, buffets, overflow seating, air

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Jacksonville New Home Incentives: They're clearing the books for 2014.

It's the end of the year, and New Home Builders are offering great incentives and specials, especially on spec homes. Many Builders have unadvertised incentives and specials that Bloom Realty are made aware of before they’re advertised. Indeed, some specials are sent directly to us by the builders, and not generally known by the general homebuyer community.  

One great example of these special unadvertised offers: $10,000 to $15,000 design credits to upgrade your custom-built home are being offered by scores of new Jacksonville homebuilders. Upgrade to custom tile and flooring, higher grade appliances and countertops, all compliments of the many new homebuilders who want your

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Lennar - Jacksonville New Home Builder "In Focus"

Lennar Corporation, founded in 1954, is headquartered in Miami, Florida and is one of the nation’s leading builders of quality homes for all generations. Lennar builds affordable, move-up and retirement homes in Communities that cater to almost any lifestyle – such as urban, golf course, Active Adult or suburban Communities.

Lennar builds homes in 18 different states in some of the finest markets in the nation. In Florida: Clermont, Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville / St. Augustine, Lakeland, Melbourne/Viera, Miami, Naples / Ft. Myers, Orlando, Palm Beach, Sarasota / Manatee, and Tampa

Lennar’s Financial Services companies – including Universal American Mortgage Company, North American Title Company and

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By: Alan Aptheker  When you hear the name David Weekley Homebuilders, you expect innovative design, quality workmanship and customer satisfaction. Kelly Pointe at Nocatee proves the point. David Weekley Homes have built their reputation on putting the customer first, and homeowners across America have confirmed this, with endless testimonials that say purchasing a David Weekley home is an excellent experience.   

When you discover Kelly Pointe at Nocatee, you’ll be impressed with the design, workmanship, and of course, that customer care which says you’re special to David Weekley.  You’ll see it when you visit the Kelly Pointe at Nocatee sales office. David Weekley Homes are also trend setters. They were the first builder to offer a

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The “Imagination” and "Designer" series homes are comprised two distinct price points and 13 models. 

Nocatee’s Greenleaf Village is located on the western side of the Nocatee community, and yet another example of Nocatee’s and David Weekley’s success in merging the natural and practical elements that are bringing homebuyers to Nocatee.  At the heart of Greenleaf  is Greenleaf Park, with 10 acres of natural beauty outfitted with picnics areas a huge dog park, and ball fields.

David Weekley Homes has two major categories of homes in Greenleaf, and within those two categories are 13 different styles and floor plans to choose from.      The “Imagination” Series offers six home styles, priced from $181,990, with 1486 to 2382 square feet…

Jacksonville new home construction growth in a contributing factor for higher PHSI in the South.   The Jacksonville new home construction market is no doubt helping boost the overall Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), which is a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings. The PHSI climbed 3.3 percent to 105.9 in July from 102.5 in June. The index is at its highest level since August 2013 (107.1). A PHSI of about 100 is considered an average.
Pending home sales in the South increased 4.2 percent to an index of 119.0 in July. PHSI is a good indicator of the health of the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed. Economists…

Trends in New Home Construction Design & Decor

What's In — What’s Out —What’s Next In Home Design? The standard for all home design and décor is pretty consistent: warm, welcoming and comfortable. These words describe a home that allows you to melt away the cares of the day. But lots of homeowners have gone way beyond the desire for a private refuge and are instead focusing on creating inviting entertainment areas — a place where family and friends are at least as comfortable as they are.   "The home isn't just for the person who lives there anymore," says Linda Rossi, a marketing manager for Toll Brothers, a leading builder of luxury homes. "It's where people create memories and share their lives with family and friends. The emphasis is now on…

Jacksonville New Homes Tract Homes
By: Alan Aptheker

The next blog in our New Construction series will illustrate one of the three different types of new home construction available: A “Tract” home.   Tract Home: “A dwelling that has a similar style and floor plan to those of all other houses in a development. Example: Shady Acres is a subdivision of tract houses. Each home is a 3-bedroom ranch-style house with the same basic floor plan. Tract housing can usually be delivered to the market at a much lower cost per square foot. Volume building makes it possible for the builder to purchase materials and contract for labor at a much lower rate than conventional home building methods. The reason is simple; the floor plans are one of a few popular…

New Home Builder Spec Homes

By: Alan Aptheker

The next blog in our New Construction series will illustrate one of the three different types of new home construction available: A "Spec" home.   "Spec" of course is short for speculative. Builders build homes for sale with no particular buyer in mind. These homes are often completed fully, but it’s very possible to find a spec home still under construction, where there is still wiggle room for personal touches. Some builders specialize in spec homes. They prefer building homes without the complication of working with a customer’s involvement. Other builders enjoy the process of working with their customers and would prefer building a custom home rather than a spec home. Still others make little or no…

New Home Insulation Q&A. It's all about the "R"
By: Alan Aptheker

Here’s a Q&A about the “R”. What’s “R?” "R" means resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power. Almost all insulation products have to tell you their R-value Q. What's the first thing I should look for when I buy insulation? A: If you’re looking at insulation with an R-value of 38 from Company A and insulation with an R-value of 38 from Company B, you’ll know the two products offer the same level of insulation. That’s true even if they’re different kinds of insulation — say, if one is blanket insulation, which comes in batts and rolls, and the other is loose-fill insulation, which comes as loose fibers or fiber pellets and requires special…