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When you look through the ads in the real estate section you may see some builders advertising discounts on their homes. You will never see this in an Elite Homes ad for the following reasons:
- Our home prices have always been “discounted.” Our home buyers have found when you compare the subdivision, square footage, features in and quality of our homes, no one delivers more value for the money than Elite Homes does. This value has resulted in solid increases in our buyer’s equity and enhanced resale values. This assures the purchase of an Elite Home is a safe and reliable investment.
- A prominent local builder was recently quoted in a builder trade magazine that they raised the price of all their homes and then “discounted” the price back to the pre-existing levels – this is not a sales strategy we choose to engage in.
- We are not in the business to undermine our existing buyer’s equity in their home. I always wonder what the previous buyers must think when they open the paper and see the price of a home they just bought at what they thought was a fair price, has now been discounted $10,000; $20,000; or $30,000. Real Estate appraisers will use the lowest price on record when random discounting is used in a subdivision when appraising any home in the subdivision.
Despite what discounts are promised, the decision of which home to buy should be made after a comparison of the size, features, quality and location of the homes. Elite Homes has never advertised itself as the lowest priced home builder in the area – yet we believe we offer the lowest cost. What is the difference? Price is a one-time number - $280,000, $300,000, etc. Cost is the total of the monthly mortgage payment, the monthly utility bill and the annual cost of maintenance. We may be beat on price, but nobody beats us on the cost.
We have been using “green” building techniques since 1982 – long before the recent trend that has emerged. All our homes are framed in such a way as to add 200 sq. ft. or more of insulation to the exterior walls that would be impossible using standard framing practices. We use programmable thermostats on every house, do micro-caulking to eliminate air infiltration, spray apply cellulose insulation, use sill sealers, high-quality low"E" windows, energy efficient TRANE equipment, energy efficient light bulbs – the list goes on and on. A house with a utility bill that is $100 per month lower than another house is equivalent to a $14,000 reduction of the sales price.
After being in business for 32 years, we have the wisdom to select products for our homes based on price and durability. Oftentimes by paying a little more we can purchase products that may last 5 – 20 years longer. Let me give an example: There is quite a bit of caulking used in a house – as far as I know, no builder is specifying the type of caulking he will use. If you go to a hardware store caulking varies in price from about .70 cents a tube to almost $10 a tube. The .70 cents a tube caulking may last 1 year, just long enough to be out of warranty, and the homeowner may have to re-caulk his entire house after only 1 year. The more expensive caulking may last 10 or 20 years. Which caulking would you want your builder to buy? Even if it increases the price slightly up front, it will save on the cost in the long run. We use this same philosophy when we make decisions when purchasing windows, plumbing fixtures, shingles, furnaces, concrete, etc. In fact it is much more economical to invest extra money in the home, because the interest on the mortgage is tax deductible, utility bills and maintenance costs are not. The lowest price doesn’t always mean the lowest cost. At the risk of being repetitive – We may be beat on price, but no one beats us on the cost.
If you are currently looking for a new home, you owe it to yourself to talk to Elite Homes. We are a 32-year old, locally-owned company who has as our philosophy to treat people as we would want to be treated, exceed expectations and make our buyers dreams come true.
- Joe Pusateri
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