Increased Efforts Lead to Huge Payoff for Pennsylvania Home Builder

Even though many builders were hit hard during the recession, now that the market is booming again, these same builders are once again positioning themselves to once again become powerhouses in the industry. One example of such a builder is Pennsylvania and Maryland home builder Keystone Custom Homes.

Keystone Custom Homes has always been dedicated to improving lives. Whether it's improving someone's life by building them a new home or helping those in other countries since a percentage of each home sale is donated to HOPE International, it's safe to say that the builder has done just that.

However, Keystone has done more than just improve lives, it has also improved its business tremendously in the past few years. At the beginning of the recession, the builder had just 18 communities, and today they are building and marketing homes in 48 communities in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Not only that, but they have also increased the type of homes they offered, introduced five new collections of homes in the past year alone and have continually refreshed their designs to meet buyers' changing needs.

These efforts have paid off in a big way. The builder has been named "America's Best Builder" an unprecedented three times, it has been the area's largest privately owned builder for six straight years and now they've once again topped the Central Pennsylvania Business Journal's Top 100 Private Companies and Top 100 Performing Builders lists.

With 250 homes already closed this year, Keystone CustomHomes is well on their way to exceeding the 300 home sold mark, which they last reached in 2008. Even with the local housing market making great improvements in the past year, these tremendous sales numbers are a true testament to what this local builder is doing for the community.

If you would like to learn more about Keystone Custom Homes and its central Pennsylvania and northwestern Maryland new home communities, give them a call at 877-513-0385.

Eight Active Adult Homes Closed by The Orchards Group in September

With the recent growth of the Atlanta real estate market, it comes as no surprise that builders all over the metro area are reporting record sales this year. The Orchards Group is one of those builders currently experiencing amazing sales in 2013, and the month of September was no exception. Together, they closed on eight new homes at their two active adult communities!

The Orchards of East Cherokee and The Orchards of Brannon Oak Farm each saw four homes close last month. Of the eight home closings, six of those new home buyers were already metro Atlanta residents, providing further proof the market has drastically improved over the last 18 to 24 months. An added benefit of the improved real estate market for The Orchards Group is that they are now experiencing an increased ability to sell their active adult homes, because their target market is finally able to sell their current homes.

“When we were in the depths of the recession, 75 percent of our new homeowners were moving in from out of state,” said Mitch Block, director of sales and marketing for The Orchards Group. “The local prospective buyers simply could not sell their existing homes, which was necessary for them to be able to buy new homes.”

Each of The Orchards Group communities have outstanding amenities that complement the active adult lifestyle, including a sparkling swimming pool, barbeque grilling area and a grand clubhouse that is complete with card and game rooms, fitness center and a gourmet kitchen. At The Orchards of Brannon Oak Farm, you will also find a community lawn, fire pit and a gentlemen’s den with a fireplace in the clubhouse. 

Residents at The Orchards of East Cherokee will enjoy a beautiful waterfall sitting plaza next to the pool.

The Orchards Group allows residents to spend even more time enjoying the community amenities, thanks to a maintenance-free lifestyle. Regular landscaping, including weekly cutting, mulch replacement, irrigation and chemical treatments is included by the homeowner’s association.

To find out more information about the active adult homes from The Orchards Group, contact the community sales center at The Orchards of Brannon Oak Farm at 678-513-8879 or call The Orchards of East Cherokee at 770-345-5409. You can also visit www.OrchardsGroup.com. 

Smith Douglas Communities Introduces New Suwanee Townhomes at Brynfield

Smith Douglas Communities is delighted to announce that they are now offering a new product of townhomes at their popular Brynfield community. This community has already experienced great success with its single-family homes, and now the Atlanta home builder hopes to continue with their new townhomes.

These new maintenance-free Suwanee townhomes will offer spacious floor plans with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. Interior features will include gourmet kitchens with granite countertops and Frigidaire appliances, large master suites and spacious secondary bedrooms. Right now, buyers can also take advantage of pre-construction pricing from the $160,000s.

In addition to saving with low pricing, homeowners will also save thanks to energy efficient features and designs, including 50 gallon electric water heaters, two-zoned HVAC systems with thermostats on each floor, high-quality insulation, house wrap, insulated low E windows and more.

This exclusive gated community also offers luxurious amenities such as a neighborhood pool with mushroom, a cabana and playground. This means your whole family and all of your new friends and neighbors can enjoy spending time together right inside of the community.

Outside of the Suwanee townhome community, homeowners are just minutes away from popular restaurants, shopping, entertainment and recreation. Top local attractions include the Mall of Georgia, Discover Mills, Coolray Field, downtown Suwanee, Suwanee Creek Park, Rock Springs Park and the Collins Hill Golf Club.

In addition, the community's youngest residents will attend Walnut Grove Elementary, Creekland Middle and Collins Hill High schools in Gwinnett County.

To learn more about the fantastic opportunity to own these new Gwinnett County homes for sale, call 678-731-7066. Or, drop by the model home located at 42 Reynoldston Court Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. or on Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m.

Get into the Halloween Spirit Near Cobb County Real Estate

With October officially underway, children of all ages are preparing for another spooktacular Halloween season. This year, residents of Brock Built's Cobb County homes at Cloverhurst can get an extra special treat a little early during the final night of Kennesaw's Outdoor Movie Series at Swift-Cantrell Park.

Swift-Cantrell Park is the area's largest park with two paved and lighted trails, acres of open space, playground, picnic pavilions, plaza, Frank Boone dog park and Skate Spot skate park. Because the park has so much open area, it is the perfect place for gatherings or events of any size.

One of the park's most popular events is the annual Outdoor Movie Series. This year's series will conclude with a celebration of Fall-O-Ween on Saturday, October 12. The park will be transformed into Spook-Central Park as families, who are encouraged to dress in their best Halloween costume, come out to enjoy hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins, scarecrow displays, a trackless train, Trick-or-Treat trail, children's crafts, carnival games and inflatables. At 7:30, the evening's festivities will continue with a free screening of Hotel Transylvania on the lawn.

Brock Built's Cobb County real estate at Cloverhurst is located less than 10 minutes away from Swift-Cantrell Park, and is convenient to other local amenities and attractions, including Marietta Country Club, Smith-Gilbert Gardens, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield, Town Center Mall and Lake Allatoona.

Only a few of these boo-tiful new homes priced from the high $300,000s remain, so interested buyers need to act quickly to secure their spot within this 15 home community.

To learn more about this community or to schedule an appoint, please call Lorrie Collie at 770-853-1088.

New Active Adult Homes Under Construction in Cherokee County

The Orchards Group is pleased to announce that they have begun construction on 19 new active adult homes, 10 of which are already sold, at The Orchards of East Cherokee. Thanks to an incredible sales year so far, this community is now more than 60 percent sold out, and the new construction is being started to keep up with buyer demand.

The new construction at The Orchards of East Cherokee will feature a combination of ranch condominiums and single-family homes. The first construction will be of a ranch condominium building that will be move-in ready by mid-January, and it will consist of four new homes from the Southern Heritage Collection.

The first home will feature the Beaumont plan, a popular two bedroom, two bath home that has an upstairs activities suite. Featuring more than 2,000 total square feet of living space in an open floor plan, this home is priced at $232,000. In addition to the activities suite, highlights of the Beaumont plan include a fireside living room, dining room, breakfast area and a kitchen with a spacious bar.

Two of the homes in the ranch condominium building will consist of the Ashewood plan. Priced at $238,500, the two bedroom and three bathroom plan features 1,700 square feet of living space on the main floor. Both of the bedrooms, a fireside living room, sunroom, dining room and large kitchen make up the main living space of these homes. In addition, the two Ashewood homes have an additional 400 square feet of space in an upstairs activity suite and full bath.

The final home in the ranch building will feature the Charleston plan. Priced at $240,000, this spacious two bedroom, two bathroom home includes a private den, which can be turned into a third bedroom or office space. The Charleston plan features a kitchen with a large bar area, formal dining room, breakfast area and a living room with a fireplace. The home is complete with an extra storage area located above the two-car garage.

All of the gorgeous new homes from The Orchards Group offer residents a low-maintenance lifestyle, which gives them plenty of time to enjoy a host of other activities. Regular landscaping, including weekly cutting, chemical treatments, mulch replacement and an irrigation system are included  the homeowner’s association.

Just a sampling of the other amenities and activities that residents will get to enjoy are the swimming pool, barbeque grilling area, waterfall sitting plaza and the grand clubhouse that is complete with a gourmet kitchen, fitness center and card and game rooms.

The new Cherokee County homes from The Orchards Group are located just minutes away from I-75, I-575, the Cherokee County Library, Sequoyah Park and plenty of dining, retail and recreation venues.

For more information on the new Cherokee County active adult homes from The Orchards Group, visit www.OrchardsGroup.com or contact the sales center at The Orchards of East Cherokee at 770-345-5409.