It is our goal at The Parks at Plaquemines to keep our buyers informed about the latest information from the local, state-level, and national real estate industry. We post content to our blog that we hope that you as our custom home buyer will find helpful. Look here for information about financing your new home, building restrictions for new homes, and real estate legislation that will impact you as you are looking to buy or build a new home in the Greater New Orleans area.

How Many Subcontractors It Takes to Build a New Home

Ever heard of the joke how many people does it take to screw in a light bulb?  Well this is the thought process when approaching the subject of how many subcontractors it takes to successfully build a new home.  When we hear the term builder, some new home buyers think that a builder has a wide range of employees that each do the specific tasks it takes to “put a home together.”  Some home buyers don’t realize that builders are more the organizational2-100-hardwood-drive-exterior-main and contractual arm of the building process, a hands-on, supervisory position.  Builders use contractors and subcontractors to actually complete all of the components of building a new home.  A 2015 Special Study in Housing Economics reports that builders rely on 11 to 30 subcontractors to build one single-family home.  That means that there is an average of 22 different subcontractors that will be used to build one new construction home.

Based on a survey of builders done by the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), we can figure out what particular jobs are subcontracted out the most.  Over 90% of builders sub-contract concrete work, masonry, drywall, foundations, fireplaces, technology, plumbing, electrical wiring, HVAC, carpeting and security systems.  There is still a lot to be done even if the previously mentioned projects are taken care of by subcontractors.

Home buyers should know that both the builder and subcontractors are a vital part to the construction of a new home. Without one the other could not successfully do their job.

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New Home Trends That Builders Are Using in 2016

Fashion is not the only area we see ever-changing trends.  Housing looks, features and construction are also changing each year.  If you are looking for a new home or are in the process of building a new home, here are some new home trends we are currently seeing builders build.

The first feature that ranks the highest on our list is a tie between the walk-in closet in the master bedroom and the laundry room.  Builders across the country agreed these two features were very important when building a new home.  Organization is a priority these days, and these two areas enhance organization and storage in a new home.

Next, to add to our list of features that ranked high on a builder’s list are energy features.  In a rating from a vote of 9-205 Oak Park Court Breakfast Room“very likely” equal to 5 and “not at all likely” equal to 1, the Low-E windows rated 4.8, Energy-Star rated appliances rated 4.5, Energy-Star rated windows came in at 4.4 and the programmable thermostat rated 4.4.  We are all concerned with the environment, and energy conservation not only helps the environment but also helps save on your utility bills!

Coming in next is the great room that is one large kitchen-family room-living room combination.  Builders rated the great room an average of 4.7 making it a likely feature that will be included in a new construction home.  Families want to have a house that flows and is open and airy.  Mom can be in the kitchen cooking while keeping an eye on the kids playing in the family room.

Speaking of open and airy, more and more home buyers want 9’ ceilings on the first floor.  This feature can make a small area look much larger and feel a lot more open. Builders ranked this a 4.4 on the likely scale.

These last features made the list but are not as important as those mentioned above.  Builders keep repeating that 16-100-hardwood-drive-upstairs-livinghome buyers have been asking for features that will give additional organization and storage space, an open feel and clean lines.  For the average newly built home, you will find a two car garage, granite countertops and double sink in the kitchen, walk-in pantry, mudroom, bathroom linen closet, front porch  and exterior lighting.

There are also many features builders will stay away from in new homes.  These include outdoor fireplaces, laminate countertops, two-story rooms, carpeting, jetted tub in master bathroom, media rooms and sunrooms. Builders rated all of these as least likely features they will use when building a new construction house this year.

You cannot go wrong with any of the popular features mentioned above if planning to resale, build or purchase a home.  When it comes to real estate you want to always keep track of the up and coming trends.

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New Orleans’ Real Estate Market on the Rise

New Orleans’ real estate market is on the rise with home values up 54 percent and rents up 50 percent making the area a thriving market.  Although we are seeing a positive impact in the housing market, the median income remains the same at $37,000.  New Orleans has one of the higher poverty rates in the country at 28% with 55% of renters spending over a third of their annual income on housing. The HousingNOLA plan will focus on not only creating new housing in the area but will keep the new housing affordable.  The goal is to do this by maintaining affordable housing in the area and create new affordable housing in the City of New Orleans.  This plan will be executed within the next 10 years.  3,000 affordable new homes will be available for buyers by 2018 and a total of 5,000 affordableNewly Completed Garden Home new housing will be completed by 2021.

The focus will be on families that have an annual income of less than $48,000 for a family of four. Reports state that high demand for affordable housing is evident with 33,000 affordable homes needed over the next decade.  New Orleans’ families who have a combined annual income of $29,700 to $44,575 are within the most concentrated demand. These statistics encouraged the City Council to change the city’s zoning ordinance, allowing developers to build more multi-family housing on smaller lots, if the developer will dedicate some of the units to affordable housing.

Andreanecia Morris, vice president of Providence Community Housing who heads the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, said “HousingNOLA is our chance to make some of those wrongs right.”

HousingNOLA will be funded by arranging local, state and federal dollars, new public policy, private sector developers and nonprofit investment.  This will be done by incorporating 75 new affordable houses in upscale neighborhoods such as Uptown, Mid-City, Bywater and Lakeview, obtaining $2.5 million from New Orleans’ Neighborhood Housing Improvement Fund, creating a property tax relief for current homeowners and incentives for developers to build affordable new homes, enforcing fair housing laws by using vouchers,  gaining additional funding for the Louisiana Housing Trust Fund, and stimulating sustainable development.  In fact, $16 million of New Orleans’ 2016 budget has been dedicated to the affordable housing efforts.

The project will be compromised of 2,000 rentals, 1,500 new houses and 1,500 homes for special needs. Harold Brooks, a 9th Ward resident who served as a community reviewer for the HousingNOLA plan, said everyone agrees that in five years, “this will be a new, New Orleans — it’s going to change.”  This will be an exciting huge project but will keep the culture the same.

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Land on the West Bank, Close to New Orleans

Sometimes, the southern region of the crescent in the Crescent City of New Orleans gets overlooked for its potential to offer benefits for those home buyers who are interested in being near New Orleans but not necessarily living in the city of New Orleans.  Land on the West Bank is still available in an established, master planned community just over the Intercoastal Waterway in Plaquemines Parish.  Plaquemines Parish is an odd-shaped piece of land that extends from the “base” of New Orleans all the way down to where the land seems to disappear into the marsh.  Because of this, the parish gets a reputation for being flood prone or “too far south” to be livable for those looking to commute to work everyday in the Central Business District (CBD).

At The Parks of Plaquemines in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, we offer the best of both worlds.  You can live in a parish that has significantly lower bills (taxes, city rents, utilities), in a gated community, in a safe environment (only one way in or out of the parish from our location with low crime), only 10.2 miles from downtown New Orleans.  Also, a 5-094HUGE perk of choosing to live just outside of the city limits is the fact that Plaquemines Parish has one of the best rated school districts in the state of Louisiana, so if you are moving with your family, there is a guaranteed quality school district to send your children.

The subdivision itself also has a lot to offer.  In addition to being able to buy your own lot and custom build your new home (if you wish); you can also enjoy walking and hiking trails carved out around the community.  Inside the community we have built a community swimming pool, tot lot / playground, and tennis courts as amenities for our new home buyers.  New Homes are available now at The Parks of Plaquemines, and we are slowly building out the community with both traditional housing as well as new construction garden homes in our Villas Neighborhood.

Our master planned neighborhood is located near everything the West Bank in Jefferson Parish has to offer with shopping, dining, and entertainment locations, the day-to-day office visits that are “life necessary” such as doctor’s 3-099and dentist’s visits, veterinarian appointments, and even home business visits such as accountants and lawyers.   There are two ways to access New Orleans – across the Crescent City Connection bridge or by ferry at Algiers Point.  New ferry boats are in the works because of a bill signed recently by the governor to get them operational as well.

Real estate in New Orleans is scarce, and prices are higher because of supply and demand.  If you are interested in living in an established neighborhood, you may want to consider living a little bit farther away in the comfort of a beautifully maintained and quality built subdivision such as The Parks of Plaquemines.  Contact Us at 504-364-2350 or E-mail [email protected] for more information.

Single-Family Homes in the Greater New Orleans Area

New home starts for single-family homes in the Greater New Orleans area are on the rise, according to Jon Luther with The Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans.  New construction starts were at 1.21 million last month, and that included single-family home starts of 600,000 – 700,000.  Between commercial building conversions and new construction, apartments are leading the race on new construction in New Orleans simply because the opportunity to build new homes is more limited within the city limits because of the lack of land to build.  However, even if builders cannot start and build out full-scale, new home developments, there is plenty of new construction going on in the city in the form of tearing down blighted housing and even taking an existing home 081“back to the studs” and starting over again as a complete rebuild.

“Anytime you see 600,000 to 700,000 new (single-family) starts, home builders are going to be pretty damn happy,” Luther said. “They’re the best numbers we’ve seen in about 10 years.”

According to Luther, the best chance that New Orleans has of starting and building a large scale development would be to utilize the 5,000 acres of land near the Avondale shipyard.  Officials in Jefferson Parish have had several meetings about rezoning this property which is owned by several different owners.  If they were to release the land for building purposes, New Orleans would be able to develop and build either a Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) or similar master planned community on this property.

Another obstacle for providing new homes for home buyers on the Southshore in New Orleans is that it is difficult for builders to provide housing for first-time home buyers.  According to Luther, the appraisal system in New Orleans recently went through an overhaul to ensure that appraisers knew how to appraise a new home for sale in 072New Orleans because the values given during appraisals were losing local builders a lot out of their profit margins.  Also, with the recent concessions by the Department of Housing and Urban  Development in lowering the down payments on FHA loans for first time home buyers, there is now a possibility of Millenials being able to move out of apartment living in owning their own home – as long as affordable housing can be built in New Orleans.

If you are interested in living close to New Orleans but not having to “pay for it” with higher taxes, higher utilities, and city rents, you should consider moving to The Parks of Plaquemines, a masterplanned subdivision located just 9 miles from the Central Business District in New Orleans, across the Intercoastal Bridge.  With a convenient location, safer neighborhood proximity, and a little bit more lot space on which to play, The Parks of Plaquemines offers lots for sale and homes for sale at competitive new home pricing.  Contact Us at 504-364-2350 or E-mail [email protected] for more information.

 

Click Here for the Source of the Information.