Occasionally, I receive updates from the folks at Brookfield Homes, and when I do I like to pass them on to our readers.

If you’d like further info on this community, just let me know.  By the way, if you are considering a new construction home there are lot of reasons to make sure you have a real estate agent to represent your best interests through a Buyer’s Broker Agreement.  It is easy to visit a new homes project and get caught up in the excitement and allure of those beautifully appointed model homes.  The new homes sales reps may be – and usually are – great people.  But of necessity they are most concerned to represent the home builder.  It is critical that you have someone solidly in your corner, and that is where an experienced and seasoned agent and a Buyer’s Broker agreement is in your best interests.

You can also visit the Brookfield Homes website, and check out Goose Creek Village as well.

Brookfield Homes - Goose Creek Bend

The Goose Creek Bend community is being described as “an intimate enclave of single family homes situated on 1-acre, wooded homesites.”

These new homes, priced from the 600’s, will be located near the intersection of Sycolin Road and Belmont Ridge Road.

These are 4 and up bedroom homes with lots of room for customization to accommodate home buyer preferences.

I will keep you posted as house images and other information become available.  In the meantime, let me know if want more information, or help getting more specifics from the good folks at Brookfield Homes.

But Brookfield Homes is breaking the mold with their new collection of homes in a gated community they are calling “Saranac.”

I toured the community and walked through the “Colden” model.  It is impressive, all the more so because it is so different than what we typically see.  I personally would not call this an extreme interpretation of Craftsman style, but the look and feel is definitely there.

THE COLDEN MODEL AT SARANAC

The style evokes a “feeling” and of course it is subjective and varies.  Words like strength, dignity, timeless good looks, hominess…all of these come to my mind.  You will have to tour Saranac to discover your own reactions, but I found this to be a very interesting, distinctive, and attractive concept and community.

One of the positives for me was the location…the site of these homes was once a girls campground. Lots of mature woods and a lake setting seems like such a harmonious places for these homes, given the Craftsman emphasis on balance and harmony between architecture and land.

Some general information about Saranac.

LOCATION: South on Route 29 to Gainesville, then left onto Linton Hall Rd., then right on Glenkirk Rd to right on Bearhurst Dr. to right on Collier Lane, then first home on right.

PRICING: At this point, three series of homes .
- The Cottages ($399 to 419K)
- The Lodges ($460 – $490)
- The Cabins ($689 – $739)

LOT SIZE: “Cottages” and “Lodges” on one-quarter acre lots; “Cabin” on one-half acre lots.

NUMBER OF HOMES AND COMMUNITY SIZE:  157 homes on 250 acres.  Backs to Lake Manassas.

OTHER AMENITIES: Planned pool and rec area near lake, trails throughout, fire-pits, picnic shelters, and bridge over stream are original to Camp Glenkirk, the previous site.

MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kathy to arrange a tour or for any additional help we can provide.

COLDEN MODEL - FOYER

COLDEN MODEL - FAMILY ROOM

COLDEN MODEL - KITCHEN

COLDEN MODEL - SCREENED PORCH

VIEW OF LAKE MANASSAS AT SARANAC

If our introduction to Saranac has peaked your curiosity, and you have more questions about the area or other aspects of this new community, do feel free to email or call me.  If you are home buying in this area and in this price range,  this is definitely worth a close look.

If you are home searching in the Leesburg and Ashburn area, please read our feature on this development, and let us know if we can help.

It is a Toll Brothers community in the South Riding area.  I visited a few weeks ago and wanted to do a short post on it.

On my visit, I looked at attractive 3 bedroom, 3 and 1/2 bath townhouse style units, with rear garage and deck.  Delivery looks to be around late Summer and early Fall of 09.

Prices points were in the $325,000 range when I visited, with some nice standard features,  but in the current environment prices are not static.

More details on the Toll website, and of course, give me a call if you would like a sense of the property values in the area before you visit this community, or if you have any other questions about other new town house developments in the area that you may want to consider for comparative purposes.

GREENS AT SOUTH RIDING STATION

GREENS AT SOUTH RIDING STATIION - BACK VIEW

As I look at what we have available to help us understand who does and does not quality for the Administration’s mortgage relief program, I have to say that we don’t have all the answers yet.  I think this will be a work in progress until we are farther along the implementation journey.

When the ” Making Home Affordable” initiative was introduced in February, two goals were set forth:

1. To help financially-ailing homeowners get mortgage relief
2. To help homeowners who have lost equity qualify for today’s low rates

On Wednesday of this week the U.S. Treasury introduced new details about the program.

In addition, it also created an “Am I Eligible For Making Home Affordable“ form on its website.

The press release issued by Treasury provided details on the President’s plan. Specifically, it covers explicit loan modification instructions that will assist up to 4 million delinquent homeowners and their respective mortgage servicers.

The guidelines lay out the loan modification details and are a thorough 17 pages long. These instructions answers the questions about how the process will work, and how it should be carried out.

There is a lot of detail,  but what about the estimated  5 million homeowners whose unfavorable home equity has made refinancing impossible?

For these Americans, the Treasury instead offers a basic Q & A and encouragement that guides homeowners to call Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac to confirm their eligibility.  The “refinance plan”, in summary, says that a homeowner who has paid his mortgage in a normal manner, and whose home value is “about the same or less” as the amount owed on his first mortgage..here is goes… may be eligible.

That is what Treasury is saying as I understand it, and it sounds like a definite maybe

You could check out the website, and if you still have questions about the Making Home Affordable program, call your mortgage lender.  If  you need a few referrals in this area, I can help.  And of course we are always here to answer any questions in my area of expertise.  The current market value of your home is one obvious area and do let me know if that is something you want some help in assessing.

GREENE MILL PRESERVE IN LEESBURG & ASHBURN AREA

First, here are a few basics:

Name: Greene Mill Preserve                       Builder: Stanley Martin Homes
Location: In the Leesburg and Ashburn area, at the intersection of Evergreen Mills Rd. and Black Branch Parkway, proceed on Black Branch, then right on Dinah Place.
Home type:  Mostly single family with small number of townhomes
Price range: App. $439,990 to $569,990
Amenities:
• 424 Acres with 340 acres of conservancy area
• Community Clubhouse that includes Club Room with Stone Fireplace, Game Room, Lounge, Kitchen & Office
• Pool House & Dual Zoned Pool
• Village Green w/ Gazebo, Butterfly Garden, Tot Lot, Community Ponds, Apple Orchard
• HOA Dues: Approximately $130.00 monthly and includes use of Pool, Community Center and other facilities, as well as Trash & Recycling, Common Area maintenance, snow removal on roads.
• Schools: Creighton’s Corner Elementary, Stone Hill Middle School, Briar Woods High School
(Please CLICK HERE for SCHOOL REPORTS).

[NOTE: Community, pricing, and school information may be subject to change.]

To my eye, these Stanley Martin Homes at Green Mill Preserve have a bit more exterior style than what you typically find. They have taken the traditional design and infused enough character to make these homes more stylish.  Also to note is the “preserve” concept with ample acreage to give the community a less cluttered feel than you may find elsewhere.

Speaking of less cluttered, the more open interiors that have been noticeable in new construction is something else Stanley Martin is highlighting, along with a list of upgrades and other amenities.

Here are a few more links and resources that you may find helpful, along with several images from this attractive community.  As always, we are able to get you whatever other information you need on this community, and we encourage our readers to always have Buyer Broker representation in the purchase of any home.

CONTACT US for further information on these or other new homes.

CHANTILLY-LOUDOUN COUNTY area (Community info & listings within neighborhoods)

Easy PROPERTY SEARCH

Unique VIDEO HOME BUYER WORKSHOP

INTERNET RADIO SHOW (current episodes on “HOW TO SELL YOUR HOME IN A CHALLENGING MARKET”)

STANLEY MARTIN HOMES WEBSITE

BRADLEY MODEL AT GREENE MILL PRESERVE

BRADLEY MODEL SUNROOM AT GREENE MILL PRESERVE

BRADLEY MODEL KITCHEN AT GREENE MILL PRESERVE

CLUB HOUSE AT GREENE MILL PRESERVE

POOL AT GREENE MILL PRESERVE

VILLAGE GREEN OPEN SPACE

The Hamlets is a Pulte community of about 320 homes on 1,300 acres just off Evergreen Mills Road at Great Woods Drive, not far from Loudoun County Parkway. Among the nice variety of models, pricing ranges from high 400’s to low 700’s.  As one example, the Ambassador Series includes the Westford, Briarwood, and Monterey models which are single family homes on 1/2 acre lots with 2 car side-load garages, and priced from the high 500’s to low 600’s.

THE HAMLETS AT RED CEDAR - BRIARWOOD MODEL

Amenities include swimming pool with Club House, weight room, social area, also walking trails, and The Hamlets own version of Central Park.

From my perspective one of the biggest “amenities,” right up there with the location and price, is the quality of the home itself.  Pulte is doing quite well in that regard.  At least as far as the  J. D. Powers assessment is concerned.  It appears that during four of the last five years Pulte has ranked number 1 in the New Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study.

THE HAMLETS AT RED CEDAR - MONTEREY MODEL

An interesting alternative that some families will want to know about is the “Multi-generational” house option for the Compton model. The concept is a single home but with two distinct living spaces (Master Bedroom suite on first level, for example) to accommodate families who have the need and interest in this kind of ownership and life style arrangement.

THE HAMLETS AT RED CEDAR - CHATSWORTH MODEL

Also of note is the “conservancy” feature of the Hamlets. A fair amount of the land within the Hamlets has been sold as land only, with lots ranging from 5 acres to over 50 acres.  I am told that all but 2 of these land parcels are now sold. The benefit with this concept is simple:  more open space, and better ratio of homes to land.

It is a very pleasant community, and of course in the current market there are some exceptional values among new homes.  If you are looking at new construction, and do not already have an agent, I strongly encourage you to be represented through a Buyer’s Broker agreement.  And of course, I’d love to help you in that process if you are not currently working with someone.

Here are a few resources that you may find helpful.

CONTACT US for further information on these or other new homes.

CHANTILLY- LOUDOUN COUNTY area (Community info & listings within neighborhoods)

Easy PROPERTY SEARCH

Unique VIDEO HOME BUYER WORKSHOP

INTERNET RADIO SHOW (current episodes on “HOW TO SELL YOUR HOME IN A CHALLENGING MARKET”

PULTE’S RED CEDAR WEBSITE

Here are more images of the attractive interiors of these models, compliments of the good folks at Pulte.

THE HAMLETS AT RED CEDAR - MONTEREY INTERIOR

THE HAMLETS AT RED CEDAR - CHATSWORTH INTERIOR

THE HAMLETS AT RED CEDAR - CHATSWORTH KITCHEN/BREAKFAST AREA

THE HAMLETS AT RED CEDAR - BRIARWOOD FAMILY ROOM

THE HAMLETS AT RED CEDAR - COMPTON GREAT ROOM

At time of this post, I am told there are about 13 units still available.

Who might have a special interest in these units?  Someone not interested in the maintenance aspects of the more typical single-family home.  Also, for some buyers at least, these homes would have more appeal than a traditional townhouse.  The three and four clustering concept makes for a little different feel than the traditional townhouse.  Also in the mix are first-time buyers who are able to make their first move into home ownership through this concept, rather than the fully attached townhouse.  Of course, another thing about these units that can be a plus..they are brand new. Most builders have “opened up” the interiors of new construction homes, and these Carriage models have that going on.  The backyard patio option (see image) is quite nice as well.  It is an option in place of a small grassy area.

You will also find information on the Toll Brothers website.   Please contact me for the most up-to-date pricing.  As always, my encouragement to any home buyer:  don’t go into the transaction unrepresented.  My team and I are always here to help you get the best deal for the home that is right for you.
Here is additional info:

Name: The Carriages at South Riding

Location: Near intersection of Justice Drive
& Londontown Terrace in South Riding,
Virginia.

Builder: Toll Brothers

Home type: Attached Single Family

Price range: App. $495,995 to $521,995

Amenities: South Riding Proprietary is also a good source of info on this community.

School District: (please verify with school board, as districts change)
• Little River Elementary
• Mercer or Stone Hill Middle School
• Freedom High School
NOTE:For school evaluations click here

Other notes: 1st Floor master bedroom is an option on the Granville.
A 4th bedroom or loft is also an option on each model.
Please note back view of walking path and woods.

Relocation info: Please visit our Relocation Center.

Leaving the Sheetz station on Poland Road, and heading toward Pleasant Valley Road, you will see a contrast.  Mixed in with the older homes that were built before this region became Silicon Valley East, are a number of recent and still growing new communities.  For example, you can enter South Riding at about the halfway point, or if you stay on Poland Road, you will go into Pleasant Valley Road.   One of the developments that you can enter along this stretch is located at the intersection of Mountcastle Drive and Poland Road.  It is The Retreat at South Village

These are Winchester homes (at the “Retreat”), single family style only, and the construction is mostly complete.  There are 6 homes under construction, with 3 more to be started.  Projected completion is estimated for August/September of 08.

Winchester Homes has been part of the Weyerhaeuser Corporation, for about 29 years.  This is a builder that has been highly rated by JD Powers and Associates, although I am told that Winchester has limitations on just how much they can use this fact in their marketing and advertising.  You can check out these ratings, and take a closer look by going to -  http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2007166#2007166a

My opinion on the JD Powers survey:  I think any well-grounded, solid research on consumer satisfaction is a highly useful piece of the picture.  To the extent that it reflects what this builder is doing better, it is significant.   My perception is that JD Powers is highly respected, and I’d suppose their research methodology is solid.

Winchester emphasizes their high level of customization.  In their formal marketing it is called “Your Home, Your Way.”  The gist of this approach is as much customization as the buyer wants, and as much as the builder can reasonably accommodate.

Here is a summary of information about this community.

Name: The Retreat at South Village

Location: Intersection of Mountcastle Dr & Poland Rd. – next to South Riding.

Builder: Winchester Homes

Home type: Single family only

Size: Approximately 177 homes

Style: Traditional

Price range: Here is a sample of models, prices, and square footage.

The Oxford II             3,330 Fin. Sq Ft         From $ 599,000
The Browning            3,532 Fin. Sq Ft         From $ 711,000
The Garrett               3,513 Fin, Sq Ft         From $ 719,000

Amenities:

• 6 lane competition pool and bathhouse

• 39 acres comprise the green zone

• 2 tennis courts and tot lots

• basketball court and soccer field

• asphalt paved walking pathSchool district: (please verify with school board, as districts change)

• Little River Elementary

• Mercer or Stone Hill Middle School

• Freedom High School        NOTE: For school evaluations click here.

Other Notes: Special incentives may include 3 fully finished levels for selected model(s),

OK, my next comment is one part self-promotion and one part consumer advocacy.  When we do our New Homes Profiles I usually respectfully remind our viewers to not do something that some real estate consumers have regretted in a big way.  Don’t go into the purchase of your new home unrepresented.  If you already have a wonderful agent, great.  If not, make a wise choice, and get someone in your corner who is experienced, and really good at what they do.

And as always, if you have follow-up questions on this Winchester community, or any other, I am always here for you.  By the way, you can also use our Property Search anytime.

Here is a small sample of interior and exterior images of The Retreat at South Village homes, just to give you a sense of the community.  The lovely backyard view was taken from the deck of one of the model homes.  Definitely a killer view.  [This post by Kathy O’Neal