September 11, 2012 | No Comments | Category: College Station, King Oaks, New Braunfels, Vintage Oaks | Tags:
In a recent survey of King Oaks property owners, walking trails ranked as one of the highest desired amenities. Now, King Oaks is proud to announce that construction has begun on residential community’s latest development—walking trails.
The miles of walking trails will wind throughout the neighborhood, connecting popular existing amenities like the community pavilion and fishing pond.
The hope is that people will walk and bike the trails for exercise, but also use them to visit friends and navigate the community, SouthStar Communities’ Thad Rutherford said.
Recent reports show that a residential community’s design and amenities can even have long-term effects on health and happiness, with walking trails leading the way as one of the most potentially beneficial community amenities.
In a San Antonio Express-News article about amenities’ impact on healthy communities, pediatrician Richard Jackson shared his advice on what to look for. Jackson, also the host of the PBS program “Designing Healthy Communities,” said that people should consider a community’s “proximity to a park, walking trails or whether it’s easy to take a walk around their neighborhood” when weighing the decision of where to buy land.
“Sometimes basketball courts and fountains are neat, but walking trails are one of those things that buyers really say that they want,” Brett Dietz, division president for KB Home in San Antonio, said in the article. “It goes beyond health. It has to do with family and neighbors.”
Stay tuned for more community development updates!
Read the full San Antonio Express-News article.
May 24, 2012 | No Comments | Category: King Oaks, New Braunfels | Tags:
The latest home building rate report brings good news for prospective land buyers and home builders. Construction on single-family homes is near a three-year high, rising 2.6 percent in April. Permits for single-family homes also rose almost 2 percent, indicating a secure rate of building and sales to continue.
Currently, the number of construction permits approved in College Station is double the Texas state average. Plus, the average building costs in College Station are over $40,000 less than the state average. Just 10 miles south of the town home to Texas A&M University, SouthStar’s King Oaks residential community offers all the benefits of home construction in College Station.
The rate of construction growth is a strong sign towards the home market’s long-awaited recovery since the housing bubble burst five years ago. In all, single-family home construction in the United States has increased 39 percent from its record recession low. By capitalizing on this momentum, prospective land and home owners can have confidence in the real estate value of their purchase and take advantage of the currently record-low mortgage rates.
This month, builder optimism has also risen to the highest level in five years, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index. Homebuilders reported improving sales and higher traffic from prospective buyers as key influences on the sentiment evaluation, the survey showed.
“Homebuilders are reporting stronger demand,” Ian Shepherdson, an economist at High Frequency Economics, confirmed in a note to clients, crediting the improving labor market as one contributing factor to the growth in home building.
Need another incentive to build? According to the National Association of Home Builders, each home built also creates an average of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 towards the economy.
For more information on land buying opportunities and available locations, visit http://www.kingoaks.com/specials/ and talk to a representative today!
December 8, 2011 | No Comments | Category: College Station, King Oaks, New Braunfels | Tags: buying a home,buying land,home insurance,homeowner
When preparing to buy land and build a home, it is important to work with your builder and to consider land and environment you’re building on and how it will affect your home insurance policies. Check out these details to consider when it comes to building a home and buying home insurance:
1. Building Materials – When building a home, work with the builder to use materials that are both safe and cost effective. Wood-framed houses are more flammable than steel or cement structures and are also more vulnerable to extreme weather conditions.
2. Backyard Amenities – Consider what kind of amenities you want your backyard to have, especially a swimming pool. Policies can increase significantly when you add features that can cause injury to residents. Consider adding a gate or alarm to your pool to show that you’re working to make your backyard safe.
3. Proximity to Emergency Services – You might think a fire hydrant in front of your house might be an eyesore, however from an insurer’s point of view, it can be extremely beneficial. Also consider how far your local fire station and police services are when looking for a homesite.
4. Closeness to Water – When choosing a homesite, be sure to consider how close your future home will be to a body of water like a pond or lake. You will want to be sure to purchase flood insurance in case heavy rains cause your home to flood, and you should consider other kinds of weather-related insurance depending on the part of the country you’re building in.
Feel ready to be a land and home owner? Click here to start your search for your dream home at King Oaks today.
In a recent survey of King Oaks property owners, walking trails ranked as one of the highest desired amenities. Now, King Oaks is proud to announce that construction has begun on residential community’s latest development—walking trails.