2012 BIA MAME Award Results

On May 18, 2012, the Central Ohio building community came together for the 25^th Annual BIA (Building Industry of Central Ohio) MAME Awards (Marketing & Merchandising Excellence).  Castlestone Homes was the recipient of 6 awards for the evening. This was made possible through hard work by all that are involved with Castlestone Homes on a daily basis.

Castlestone Homes - Chateau Lafite’

Bill Creekbaum, Castlestone’s President, was both thrilled and shocked by two of the awards.  “I so wanted to repeat with the best new home design in Central Ohio following last year’s top design award.  Our designs are one of our biggest strengths and one of the greatest factors that separate builders.  We knew that our model in Pinnacle, the ‘Chateau Lafite’, was an extraordinary design, I just didn’t know if it would stand up against this year’s competition for a second consecutive win.  And I’m extremely happy for Greg Miller of New Avenue Architects & Engineers for the vision he brings to all of our designs!  The shocker was when we received the top honor, the Grand Marketing Award!  I know that we have a solid marketing program but I never in a million years would have expected to win an honor like that!  That award almost always goes to a national builder or large local builder with a massive advertising budget.  I really don’t have words to describe.”

Will Creekbaum, Director of Operations, stated, “I was extremely grateful for the awards, more importantly, I was happy for our hard working trades, contractors and homeowners.  Success at any level reaches everyone related to the company.  I want to give a personal thanks to Rob Napier and Lone Wolf Media Design for working with us to create an effective marketing campaign that has, and continues to, grow our company.  These awards inspire me to continue to push the company hard in the direction of innovation and attention to detail.”

 

In a business that has had more than its fair share of uncertain times in the past number of years, Castlestone Homes is truly humbled by the recognition and positive feedback that it has received. We are excited about the awards and are now looking to the future.  We believe that our core values of honesty, accountability, and selflessness are what move our company in a positive direction.  We again want to thank our customers, craftsmen, suppliers and staff and in 2012 Castlestone will continue building dreams of all sizes.

Awards Achieved on May 18, 2012:

• Most Unique Logo for a Builder
• Best Outdoor Marketing for a Builder
• Best Blog Experience for a Builder
• Best On-site, Outdoor Signage for a Builder
• Best of the Best New Home Design by a Builder (Priced $250,000-$500,000)
• Grand Marketing Award for a Builder

Castlestone Featured on Columbus' 10TV

On the eve of the 2012 Central Ohio BIA MAME Awards, Castlestone Homes received some early recognition. Columbus TV station 10TV ran a story tonight featuring Castlestone Homes and the new home construction boom going on in Grove City Ohio.

Click on the video below to watch.

Tomorrow night is the 2012 Central Ohio BIA MAME Awards. Castlestone is up for several awards including Design of the Year. Check back soon to see how we did.

New Home Focus for Future Resale Gain

In the building industry we hear all the time customers asking what is the best way to gain equity quickly and see a nice return when a home is sold in the future. These are important questions and ones that builders quite frankly like hearing. These types of questions are not only buying questions but signal a buyer who wants to make a smart and educated decision. It also means that they trust their builder and their builders input. The easiest way to figure out how to see a resale gain is to start by focusing on areas of the home that are the most important to you but also future buyers. According to a recent survey three rooms have taken to the forefront for prospective home buyers 

The first and most important room to most buyers in the KITCHEN. This is a room where family gathers, holidays are celebrated, and where that home cooked meal from your mother was made. It is and always should be a focal point to the builder and buyer.

The second important piece to a new home is the MASTER BEDROOM/BATH. This is a room that is a retreat or at least should be built and presented in such a manner. This room can have great impact for re-sale. The simple things like a double vanity, soaking tub, or steam shower can make a homeowner see themselves in the house and comfortable with the home as a whole

The last area is not a room but rather a gateway to the outdoors. OUTDOOR LIVING is a must at this point in the industry. If you are building homes at some point you will have to move towards and address outdoor living with your customers. Even models that builders are constructing are calling for in the very least a paver patio. This area flows with the kitchen and with the beautiful spring and fall weather who wouldn’t want to enjoy a patio with an outdoor fireplace.

 So I hope our readers have a little more insight into what is making buyers buy and, as always, we welcome more input from you the consumer. Follow us @CSHOhio on twitter and tell us what makes you fall in love with a home!

 

MARKET WATCH April 22nd, 2012

Here’s the news for this week…

Interest rates held steady.  A “Construction – Perm” mortgage (one that is a construction loan during construction and then automatically converts to a permanent fixed rate loan upon completion of your new home) held steady this week at 3.975% on a 30 year mortgage. To those who follow us, you’ll remember that the 40 year average (“Normal Market”) is 8.81%.  Rates are at a once in a lifetime opportunity level.  Oh, and a 15 year fixed is at 3.225%!!!

We’re facing construction material price increases starting in August.  At this point the August increase, after tabulating all the various increases, will amount to about $8,000 per house on average.  We are blessed with trades who will lock the construction costs for those customers that commit to build before the increase takes effect even if the actual start of construction falls after the increases.  Please call us if you have a need to build your dream.

Oh and here’s a good one for Columbus… a REALLY BIG ONE!  Read the Grubb & Ellis article on the recovery.  This is why the Central Ohio economy and the custom new home markets are thriving and the resale markets improving! 

Where the Jobs Are, Redux

Every few months, it’s good to check the health of the labor markets in different parts of the country. One way is to compare how fast different areas are recovering the jobs they lost during and after the Great Recession – the recovery rate. This graph shows the percentage of jobs recovered in the U.S. and the nine Census regions. As of February, the U.S. has recovered 46 percent of the jobs lost, meaning that, since employment hit a trough, the U.S. is 46 percent of the way back to its prior peak. Only two regions are beating the U.S. average: West South Central (Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas), which has surpassed its prior peak thanks to the booming oil industry, and Middle Atlantic (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania), powered by a strong recovery in New York City. But every region has its overachievers:

• In the Pacific region, it’s San Jose with a 71 percent recovery rate. Bakersfield and San Francisco also have above average recovery rates.

• In the Mountain region, Salt Lake City leads with a recovery rate of 83 percent. Denver is also outperforming.
• Columbus, Ohio leads the Midwest (the East North Central and West North Central census regions) at 66 percent followed by Grand Rapids, Mich.
  
• In the Southeast (East South Central and South Atlantic census regions), Nashville is ahead of the pack with a recovery rate of 83 percent. Other markets with above average rates include Charleston, S.C., Raleigh-Durham and Louisville.
• In the Northeast (the Middle Atlantic and New England census regions), New York City beats all other markets with a recovery rate of 133 percent, meaning that it is well past its prior peak. Washington, D.C. also has set a new peak while Pittsburgh is close.
  
• And finally, in the West South Central region, it’s tough to find a market that isn’t outperforming, but Austin stands out with a recovery rate of 184 percent; the recession was shallow in Austin, and it recovered quickly.

Of course, there are laggard markets as well, but – since this is Good News Friday – we will save those for another time.