SUPPLEMENT TO TULSA WORLD | SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2016
Buying a Home What in the World do you need to know?
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Tips from local experts for
first-time homebuyers Buying a home is a big decision, and it involves many small decisions along the way that can be especially daunting for a first-time homebuyer. Here are some suggestions from local experts to help you navigate the process.
1. Know your credit score. As soon as you decide to start looking for a home, check your credit report and credit score. “Credit history is an important determinant in mortgage approval and loan interest rates,” says John Howard, president, Mortgage Division at BancFirst. Howard recommends getting a free credit report through annualcreditreport.com and reviewing the information for accuracy “Insure all current loan, credit card and mortgage payments are current, and contact credit companies and agencies to dispute any incorrect information,” Howard says. “Make sure the report shows you have several good credit references. Being delinquent on any current payments is a red flag on loan approvals.” During the home-buying process, it’s important not to undertake any major life changes. “Discuss these plans with your lender first in order to make sure they do not have an adverse impact on your loan request,” says Bruce W. Schultz, executive vice-president of Mortgage with SpiritBank. These plans include job changes (even if your income is increasing). Schultz also recommends that homebuyers avoid opening any new credit/ debts during the buying process and avoid major purchases such as automobiles or furniture that open up new debts (even if buying something on “same as cash”).
2. identify your budget. Calculate a monthly payment that you can comfortably afford. Also, determine your ability to pay down payment and closing costs.
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“Down payment and closing cost assistance programs are often available, but lenders will need to know your capability to handle any of these amounts to best advise you,” Howard says. “You must be able to document the sources for funds that you could use to make down payment or pay for closing costs.” Gifts from relatives are acceptable to pay costs on many loan programs so determine if that is an option. Make sure to not include amounts in accounts that are necessary to pay your on-going living expenses. “Don’t move money around,” Howard adds. “It is better to allow your loan consultant to advise you before you start transferring or grouping the funds intended for a purchase.”
3. Get prequalifed for a mortgage before you start shopping. Knowing what you can comfortably afford will help you keep your search focused on the homes that are right for you. Getting prequalified also makes you more attractive to buyers and real estate professionals. Most banks and mortgage companies offer customers the ability to get pre-qualified in advance of shopping for the home of their choice. “Prequalification allows a lender to review your entire financial profile and determine the price range of homes for which you are most likely to be approved,” says Schultz. “That in turn helps you determine your own comfort level from a standpoint of your monthly housing expense and narrow down the range of homes in which you may be looking.”
4. Find a responsible lender. When choosing a lender, pick someone with whom you are comfortable. They should listen to you, put your needs first and be able to explain your home loan options clearly. It’s a good idea to interview potential lenders to find the one that is best for you. “Look for a good, reputable lender,” says Schultz. “In 2008, Congress passed the SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act which requires both Mortgage Lending Institutions (banks, mortgage companies, etc.) and individual mortgage lenders to be registered with the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry (NMLS). Individual mortgage lenders must pass FBI criminal background checks and disclose other per-
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before you start looking for a home, it’s vital that you answer some important questions such as what is your ideal price range and which features do you want most in your home. tinent information in order to become registered and approved.” In addition, each institution and individual loan officer/originator has a unique identifier known as an “NMLS #,” which they give to prospective applicants. Consumers can go to the free public website and obtain the verification that their lender is registered at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.
4. Get organized. You can expedite your pre-qualification process significantly by having your financial profile together when you meet with your lender. This includes having the following documentation with you to present: • W2s and/or 1099s for documenting income for each job held in the last two years. • Federal tax returns for the last two years. • Checking, savings and investment statements on all personal accounts covering the most recent two months. • Pay stubs covering the past full month with year-to-date information on them. • Documentation regarding other income such as tips, disability or social security. • The name and contact information of your landlord, if you are currently renting.
• If you have or are receiving a financial gift from a family member, make sure to disclose that to your lender as early in the process as possible.
5. contact a Realtor to help in your home search. Use an experienced Realtor who knows the area and the market. An experienced Realtor can keep you advised on issues you will face in the home search and contracting process. “Provide your real estate professional with the pre-approval letter you have received and discuss your needs in housing,” Howard advises. “Be realistic about your abilities and expectations. Allow your real estate agent to provide information to help you in your search.”
Additional tips Here are a few other helpful tips to make the process go more smoothly. “Have at least one reliable and secured email address you monitor daily where you may receive important time-sensitive documentation related to your loan request,” says Schultz. Once you have located the home you wish to purchase and have it under contact, Schultz recommends getting your homeowners insurance coverage wrapped up in a timely manner so you won’t hold up the closing.
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Choose a neighborhood that meets your lifestyle needs Don Burns advises anyone trying to Then there are the nearby public and decide where to live to drive through a commercial amenities. neighborhood in the evening and see Yorktown has easy access to the Creek what the residents are doing. Turnpike and Highway 75. The commuDon’t go during the day when parents nity is 10 minutes from the Tulsa Hills are at work and kids are in school, he says. shopping district, within 14 minutes of Go in the evening and see what’s hapthree golf courses and only six minutes to pening after hours in the neighborhood. downtown Jenks. That will tell you more about a commuAlthough Yorktown is located in the nity than the photos or floor plans of the city of Jenks, it is served by the Bixby houses there. school district. Ask yourself, Burns says, “Is this some“We call it the fresh air lifestyle,” Burns where I can live where my family will feel says. “We have nicer size lots that offer safe and comfortable? Are there things elbow room, unlike midtown Tulsa. Anyhere that can enhance our lives?” thing that any of us needs is really close.” That’s how Burns and his wife and two And, of course, Yorktown has a homesons ended up moving into the Yorktown owners association. community of Jenks less than two years That’s important, Burns says, because it ago. helps maintain property Burns says he wasn’t values for people who Ask yourself, “Is this even looking to move live there. Covenants somewhere I can live when he started considmean that residents where my family will ering a relocation. can’t paint their houses He and his wife have garish colors or park feel safe and comfriends who lived in Yorinoperable autos in the fortable? Are there ktown, and they would driveway for extended things here that can often visit them. Burns periods of time — couldn’t help but notice things that can lower enhance our lives?” how the community neighbors’ property was teeming with life in values. the neighborhood. It was as attractive as Guy Lewis agrees. He developed the the houses in the community between Hyde Park community near Highway 75 121st and 131st streets off Elm Street. and 81st Street. Burns lived in another neighborhood Hyde Park caters to residents age 55 in the Greater Tulsa Area that he calls and older rather than younger families, a typical “garage door up, garage door but it too has a homeowners association. down” subdivision where neighbors “In order to maintain the covenants set rarely got to know one another. So he forth for the high standards of the neighCourtesy moved. borhood, there must be a way to enforce The Yorktown community in Jenks draws many families because it provides Burns is now marketing consultant for the covenants,” Lewis says. “And having lots of opportunities for residents to interact, including this annual Fourth of Yorktown and president of the homean HOA will do that.” July parade. It also features a swimming pool, trails and athletic facilities. owners association because he enjoys Just as Yorktown has its amenities, the community so much. Hyde Park offers its residents certain “We like to build relationships with our things that appeal to active senior adults. neighbors,” he says. Those include a clubhouse that has Yorktown is composed of six distinct indoor pickleball courts, a game room, neighborhoods in a master-planned dance studio, fully equipped exercise community. Each distinct neighborhood, facility, library, professional kitchen and such as Carlisle or Manchester, offers a party room. Outside the clubhouse, resispecific price point and house size to dents can enjoy a swimming pool, tennis appeal to various home buyers. Prices court, putting green, wet bar and gas grill. range from about $195,000 to more than “At Hyde Park, when you buy a home $600,000. there, you are also buying a part of the All homeowners in Yorktown, however, clubhouse as the clubhouse is an extenbenefit equally from the array of amenision of your home,” Lewis says. ties that the developer planned in the He adds that it’s even more important community. Those include a massive for seniors to live near medical services, swimming pool and water park; a 7-acre grocery and retail stores, and restaurants. park; baseball and football fields, basket- Hyde Park offers that by being located ball courts; and miles of walking trails. just south of the Tulsa Hills shopping “You just don’t get that most places,” district, which continues to expand. Burns says. But the thing that excites Lewis most It is similar to only a few other master- about Hyde Park is no different than what planned communities in the area such as drew Burns to Yorktown: camaraderie. Forest Ridge in Broken Arrow and Stone It’s all about sharing the lifestyle you Hyde Park is a community of smaller single-family homes designed exclusively Canyon in Owasso, Burns says. want with other people. for active senior adults age 55 and older.
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CURB APPEAL: How to care for a freshly sodded yard (MS) — Sod, sometimes job even before adding watering as long as you called turf, can quickly the cost of additional transition slowly. The sod turn a barren landscape supplies, such as soil, fer- will change colors if it is into a rich, thick carpet of tilizer and tilling equipnot getting enough water. green. Homeowners hop- ment. Many homeowners Never let the lawn turn ing to revive their lawns who install sod want to yellow, otherwise you commonly turn to sod as ensure their investment may have to cut out dead the quickest means to do lasts. spots and re-sod. just that. However, once Here are the main ways • Wait two to four weeks the sod has been laid to care for and protect sod before mowing the sod. down, few homeowners until it is fully established. Keep the lawn height to may know how to keep it • Once the sod has around 2 inches to ensure looking its best. been laid down, the lawn that it won’t scald in the Sod is real grass that is should be thoroughly sun. grown on special farms. It soaked with water. Most • After two months of is generally grown locally experts recommend established sod growth, to avoid long aerate the sod transport times to keep the that could soil from bedry out the ing too comMeasure the square footage (the product. Sod is length of the area in feet, multiplied by pact and to typically sold enable oxygen the width of the area, in feet), and then in squares or and nutrients divide by 9. This will give you the square to get into the rolls of grass that come with yardage. A pallet provides 50 square soil. the roots and • Keep yards of sod cut in slabs, and a roll of soil already children and sod provides 25 square yards of sod cut attached. pets off the into one long slab. There may be sod while it is some sort of establishing thin backing material on soaking it to a depth of 6 itself. the sod to keep the grass inches. • Fertilize the lawn evblades together. • It is important to ery 50 to 60 days, beginMany homeowners establish a watering ning in March and ending turn to sod when growing schedule to keep the sod in October. lawn from seed becomes moist. Water the sod to a • Inspect the sod for problematic or too timedepth of one inch every pests, which may include consuming. Seeds can be other day for the first insects or problems like blown around in the wind three weeks to enable the fungi or weeds. Treat acor be eaten by birds and roots to securely establish cordingly with products other animals before they themselves in the soil. designed to remove pests. have a chance to germi• Water the sod every Using sod to establish nate. other day unless the a lush lawn is a fast, albeit Sodding a lawn is a ma- weather has been very more expensive, option to jor investment. Dependwarm. After four weeks sowing seeds. After a few ing on the size of your you can generally go weeks the lawn will be lawn, this can be a costly up to five days without thick and secure.
How much sod will you need?
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Sod can create an instant lawn, but it still requires certain maintenance measures to get it firmly established.
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Innovative Style Photo by William Lesch
Winning kitchen and bath designs from 2016 NKBA Design Competition
Best Kitchen Lori Carroll Lori Carroll & Associates; Tuscon, Arizona
Small Bath
Photo by Mark Lohman
Laurie Haefele Haefele Design Santa Monica, California
The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) announced the winners of the 2016 NKBA Design Competition earlier this year. Over 30 individuals earned top honors across six main kitchen and bath categories and eight specialty categories. “The NKBA Design Competition offers a unique opportunity for our members to demonstrate their design abilities and stand out in the industry,” said NKBA CEO Bill Darcy. “With an emphasis on innovative concepts and creative expression, this competition communicates the value of professional design to consumers and the industry at large.” Lori Carroll from Lori Carroll & Associates in Tuscon, Arizona, won the Best Kitchen award for her stunning large kitchen design. In addition to this award, she was named the winner in multiple areas including the Powder Room category (First and Third Place) and the Large Bath category (Third Place). For her Best Kitchen design, Carroll incorporated clean, crisp lines and a mixture of materials and finishes that punctuate her clients’ sense of polish and style. In order to portray the homeowners’ outgoing personalities, Carroll included light and airy materials, adding a touch of luminosity and sparkle. Tanya L. Woods, AKBD, from XSTYLES in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, won the Best
Bath award. Woods emphasized the clients’ spirituality and love for the color purple in her design. This large bath is contemporary and linear, but is softened by the sensuous floral curves and arced shower wall. Cassandra Nordell-MacLean from Wiliam Standen Co. in Sarnia, Ontario, won the Green Design award. The project was created around the tenets of social and ethical responsibility, and the clients’ love of nature and greenery. Bonnie J. Lewis from 55+ TLC Interior Design LLC in Scottsdale, Arizona, secured the Universal Design award. The homeowner sought a beautiful master bathroom and a larger wardrobe closet. The designer created a space plan compliant with ADA code and used techniques and materials that would make it safer. In addition, Lewis used light, bright and contrasting finish colors to aid the client’s visual impairment. Laurie Haefele from Haefele Design in Santa Monica, California, won first place for the Small Bath category This bath is shared by two rooms in the house — one, a custom-designed, super-sleek and contemporary home theater, and the second, a chic chanel-esque guest bedroom. Theatrics is the theme in this bathroom — high contrast and drama are attained by the use of color, shape and pattern.
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Best Bath
Photo by William Standen Co.
Photo by Marlon DeCastro
Photo by Beth Singer Photographer Inc.
Tanya L. Woods, AKBD XSTYLES; Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Universal Design Bonnie J. Lewis 55+ TLC Interior Design LLC.; Scottsdale, Arizona
Green Design Cassandra Nordell-MacLean William Standen Co.; Sarnia, Ontario
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BUYING A HOME
Landscape design: Identifying your garden preferences (MS) — Landscaping adds to a home’s curb appeal and can add as much as 28 percent to overall home value, say landscaping experts. The vast array of plants and flowers available from all over the world can turn anyone’s yard into a melange of functional spaces. When designing a garden, it’s important to know where to begin. Much like decorating the interior of a home, how a garden landscape is executed depends on various factors.
Climate and conditions The foremost consideration when planting a garden is the climate where the garden will be located. Planting items that are not conducive to growing in certain conditions can be counterintuitive and a waste of money and effort. Prospective gardeners must become familiar with the hardiness zones of their region prior to making any plans. This will help you to determine which types of plants will thrive on your landscape. Once this is determined, examination of the soil and conditions on the property is also helpful. Taking this step will help identify any plant deterrents, such as poor soil quality and pH as well as any pests that may impede plant growth. If you live in a hot, sandy location, lush tropical plants may not thrive. Therefore, even if you desire a Mediterranean look, you may have to settle for something that works better with your landscape conditions.
Style of the home Landscaping designs often tie into the architectural style of a home. For example, an extensive Asian-inspired garden complete with koi pond and bonsai may look odd in front of a log home. Keep architecture in mind when planning a garden so the look of the home is cohesive and fits with the community.
Design preferences Are you a free spirit who doesn’t follow others’ ideas nor conform to convention with firm boundaries? Or are you someone who likes order and things in their place? Knowing what makes you tick will help you to choose a gardening style that will be easier to maintain and make you feel comfortable. For example, prairie-style planting or wildflower gardens are dramatic ways to create natural points of color over a large area. Most plants are allowed to grow as they may.
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Landscape for your enjoyment, knowing that your efforts are also a good investment. Those who like a dreamy ethereal feel to their gardens may be inspired by cottage designs, where generously filled borders overflow into a flower and foliage paradise. If you are more inclined to follow the rules and like an orderly landscape, a parterre, or formal planting bed, may be more your style. When carefully pruned, box hedging can show off symmetry and geometry in your space. Some people are more focused on the accents in their gardens than the plants themselves. Modern architecture pairs well with a contemporary style that blends minimalist accents and easy-to-maintain plants.
Although you can change plants in your garden, investing in a garden that will keep you happy for a long time is a costly venture. You may want to consult a landscape architect or local nursery to find the plants and trees that fit with your design and lifestyle. These experts can also instruct you in how to maintain all of your hard work and when to expect the full impact of your new landscape to take form. Homeowners can collect ideas for gardens they’ve seen, but ultimately it will be up to their personal design preferences and the climate where their Courtesy home is located to determine which Beautiful gardens are an essential garden will look and grow best. element in a home’s curb appeal.
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Choose flooring that best suits your lifestyle Choosing the flooring that is right for your home interior might seem like a daunting task, but identifying your needs first will help simplify the overall process. Here are some important things to keep in mind as you decide on flooring various rooms in your house.
dence, a rental property or are you remodeling for resale?
combine that with Stainmaster cushions with odor guard the benefits are further enhanced • Choices because the product has a Some people like the comfort breathable moisture barrier of carpet, others love the look that keeps pet accidents from of wood and still others prefer soaking through the cushion.” tile. Often, a home can include If you are thinking about a all three. wood floor and have big dogs, There are many products that Carnino recommends that you perform very well these days consider luxury vinyl plank • Budget for active families with children flooring. Determine and/or pets. “These products look so realyour budget. “If you want istic sometimes you have to get Considering the something down on the floor and touch resale value of the • Design warm and soft, the product just to see if it’s home is important as Do you have carpet is the real wood or not,” says Carnino. you make your seleca style preferbest choice,” “This product is also great from tions, says Stan Gardner says Penny ence or is there a maintenance standpoint with Berkshire Haa look you Carnino, director because it’s warmer underfoot would like to of operations than wood, and the dog’s nails thaway HomeServices achieve? with Grigsby’s won’t scratch it like they will Anderson Properties. Carpet, Tile & real wood.” Always consider choos• PerforRug Gallery. You can also find a lot of tile ing the latest trends. mance “Stainmaster Pet that looks like wood. What is your Protect offers Choosing a floor is a big family lifestyle? Are you single, built-in stain protection that decision, but with planning and married, with children and/or resists difficult pet stains, and talking with experts, you can pets? Do you have any special the fiber easily releases pet create the home environment needs? Is this your primary resi- hair during vacuuming. If you that will best fit your lifestyle.
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This luxury vinyl flooring has a waterproof core that allows you to use it anywhere and never worry about a water leak. Courtesy of Floorte
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Do your homework before you choose your home builder Choosing which builder to construct your new house is a major decision. That’s why you need to do some homework in advance so you don’t have to work on your home after it has been built, making costly repairs or modifications. Here are four major things to consider before hiring a builder:
from those experiences. They’re able to apply those lessons so they can help future customers avoid similar problems.
2. Quality
“Everyone’s looking for the best deal and the best quality,” says Chuck Schwartz of Magnolia Homes. Take a look at houses the builder has constructed. If you 1. Experience“Consistency can, talk to homeowners who and longevity can be very hired that builder and ask if important when choosing a they ran into any problems after builder,” says Robert Kleven of they moved in. Concept Builders. “A company “Look for quality features that has a solid background in the builder’s construction and history will help ensure rather than lots of flashy trim,” a smoother and more timely adds Kleven. “It’s easy for a project.” builder to try and build a home Builders with extensive expe- as inexpensively as possible by rience have “been there, done circumventing important and that” when it comes to dealing often more costly features that with conflicts that can arise dur- improve energy efficiency, proing the construction process. vide proper drainage around And the best builders learn the house and lower the main-
This is the Martine design by Concept Builders. Spec homes can be modified at the customer’s request, but it’s important when you’re working with any builder that you know up front what’s included in the standard pricing before any changes to the construction plan are made. tenance cost of your home’s exterior.” Kleven says to beware of being drawn to the interior “wow factors” such as extra trim, beams and cabinet features that cause you to overlook the overall quality of the home’s construction.
3. Flexibility “You need someone who will
steer you in the right direction,” Schwartz says. “You need someone who will tell you what to do — and what not to do.” That’s true of either custom or spec homes. Changes to the original design are inevitable — even more so with a customdesigned house. “Everything in a house has a cause and effect,” Schwartz says. The customer may say, for
example, “Let’s just move this wall 2 feet.” That’s fine, Schwartz says, as long as the builder is aware of all the other things that will be affected such as structural support, ceilings and electrical wiring. Moving that wall will require other changes as well. You need a builder who understands that, Schwartz says. That’s where experience and longevity come in handy. “There’s a lot more to it than most people realize,” he adds.
4. Price
Chuck Schwartz of Magnolia Homes has more than 30 years of experience building homes such as this River’s Edge house. It’s important to choose a home builder who has experience.
If you’re building a home on certain specifications, be sure to find a builder who is transparent with the features that come standard in the company’s pricing, Kleven says. Hidden costs or cost overruns can be one of the greatest sources of trouble for home buyers. “You don’t want to get to the end and find you can’t afford the house you just built,” Schwartz says. “You want to be happy with the end product.” Kleven says that’s another area where choosing an experienced builder really pays off. “The buyer is more likely to get a more thorough price in the beginning with an experienced builder as opposed to big surprises when items go over budget.”
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Architectural guide to a few popular home styles American house styles are varied with some architectural details borrowed from classical design and others unique to the New World. Here are a few of the most popular:
Art Deco Towers and other projections above the roofline enhance the vertical emphasis of this style, which was popularized by Hollywood movies of the 1930s. Flat roofs, metal window casements, and smooth stucco walls with rectangular cut-outs mark the exteriors of Art Deco homes. Facades are typically flush with zigzags and other stylized floral, geometric, and “sunrise” motifs. By 1940 the Art Deco style had evolved into “Art Moderne,” which features curved corners, rectangular glass-block windows, and a boat-like appearance.
Georgian Bungalow These narrow, rectangular one and one-half story houses originated in California during the 1880s as a reaction to the elaborate decoration of Victorian homes. The style then moved eastward to the Midwest in the early 20th century, where it remained popular until the Great Depression.
Befitting a king — the style is named for four King Georges of England — Georgian homes are refined and symmetrical with paired chimneys and a decorative crown over the front door. Modeled after the more elaborate homes of England, the Georgian style dominated the British colonies in the 1700s. Most Georgians sport side-gabled roofs, are two to three stories high and are constructed in brick. Georgian homes usually feature row of five windows across the second story.
Craftsman Popularized at the turn of the 20th century by architect and furniture designer Gustav Stickley, the Craftsman-style bungalow reflected, said Stickley, “a house reduced to it’s simplest form ... its low, broad proportions and absolute lack of ornamentation gives it a character so natural and unaffected that it seems to ... blend with any landscape.” The style featured overhanging eaves, a low-slung gabled roof, and wide front porches framed by pedestal-like tapered columns. Material often included stone, rough-hewn wood and stucco. Many homes have wide front porches across part of the front, supported by columns.
Prairie In suburban Chicago in 1893, Frank Lloyd Wright, America’s most famous architect, designed the first Prairie-style house, and it’s still a common style throughout the Midwest. Prairie houses come in two styles— boxy and symmetrical or low-slung and asymmetrical. Roofs are low-pitched, with wide eaves. Brick and clapboard are the most common building materials. Other details: rows of casement windows; one-story porches with massive square supports; and stylized floral and circular geometric terra-cotta or masonry ornamentation around doors.
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