Avoid The Money Pit!

There are many advantages to purchasing a newly built home rather than buying an existing 20 to 50 year old home.

It is easy for a buyer to think he, or she, is getting a deal when purchasing a existing home, but there can be many hidden defects one might not see, such as repairs that could start costing money as soon as you move in.  It can become a money pit, draining you and your family of precious dollars. On the other hand a new home is like a new car; you get a home with a new home warranty including you’re a/c and other mechanicals. Not only do we cover most everything for the first year living in the home, you also get a 10 year structural home warranty for peace of mind. After all, you have more to do with your life then to be a slave to your home.  American Housing Builders makes it easy for you to own a new home allowing you to go do the things that you and your family enjoy. Now is the time to buy a new home because prices are low and with prices this low, the only way prices can go from here is up.  Call us now for great prices and great rates and own a new home now. Call American Housing at 727-546-6611 for more information on how to own a new home today.

Homeownership is still the American Dream!

The American Dream!

American Housing is very involved in community projects and recently partnered up with the City of St. Petersburg, Florida and Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County in order to build a new home and fulfill the dream of homeownership for a local family.

At a small home dedication ceremony celebrating this achievement, Clarence Scott, St. Petersburg City Council Member, welcomed many from the community, including Lee Kretzer and Carla Slicker from American Housing, to the “Presenting of the Keys” to the new owner, Mr. Jones. Ron Spoor of Habitat Pinellas opened with a prayer. “We gather to celebrate the commitment and determination of Mr. Jones and to thank all of the people who worked together to turn Mr. Jones’s dream of homeownership into reality. May this home we dedicate today become a beacon of hope for him and others. Together we pray. Amen.”

The New Home Dedication by Clarence Scott, III

American Housing Builders, Inc., through the City of St. Petersburg Neighborhood Stabilization Program, recently built this beautiful new home for Mr. Jones and his family. This achievement was celebrated at the home site on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 with members of the City of St. Petersburg City Council, members of the City’s NSP Program and members of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County.

At the ceremony, there were gifts for Mr. Jones and his family. A Habitat volunteer provided Mr. Jones with a “symbolic” Habitat for Humanity hammer to take care of those small jobs around the house. City of St. Petersburg Council Members Wingay Newton and Bill Dudley gave the proud new owners an American flag and Kevin Klucas gave a “Welcome” mat. David Fornek offered Mr. Jones a new Bible for him and his family.

Clarence Scott, City of St. Petersburg Council Member, then gave Mr. Jones the keys to his new home. A proud Mr. Jones then proceeded to thank the City and American Housing for helping him and his family achieve their dream of owning their own home.

Finally, the Reverend Daryl Sey from the St. John Missionary Baptist Church blessed this new home for Mr. Jones and his family.

Mr. Jones Entering His New Home

For more information on the City of St. Petersburg NSP program, you can go to their website at http://www.stpete.org/nsp/program_information.asp or call us for more information at 727-546-6611. American Housing is located at 6580 72 Avenue North in Pinellas Park, Florida.

Lots Reduced For Fast Sale!

“All offers will be considered.”

Will Sell Individually or as a Package!

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Mick McKenzie, an owner and officer of American Housing, welcomes you to their online Website.

American Housing is located Pinellas County, Florida and has been building quality homes in the Tampa Bay area for over twenty years. Mick is a third generation Home Builder, was licensed in the State of Florida in 1978, and has been Building New Homes and Room Additions for over thirty years.

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Many Tax Benefits for Homeowners!

FloridaRealtors.org is a great source to find useful information for Realtors and homebuyers alike when it comes to selling and buying and homes in Florida. They always have great articles of interest pertaining to what is happening in the Florida Real Estate market.

In a recent article, dated Feb. 9, 2011, it was noted that while renting a home may seem like a more economical way of living, in reality, renting a home offers no tax benfits to the home occupant at all. It went on to explain how buying a home today offers many tax breaks that actually help make homeownership even more affordable than ever before.

It outlines a few of the tax benefits that you can take as a homeowner, such as deducting the mortgage interest you pay on your home, deducting the property taxes you pay on your home, and if you live in your home for two of the past five years can will not have to pay income taxes on the majority of the profits you make on the sale of your home up to $250,000 for single homeowners and $500,000 for married homeowners who file jointly.

That is a whole lot of savings. Contact American Housing at 727-546-6611 for more information on the many tax advantages of home ownership.

Click here to read this entire article.

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We Are Not There Yet, But We Are Getting Closer!

American Housing has been building throughout the economic slow down and have recently seen an increase in activity. Many people have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for things to bottom out and it appears we may have finally gotten there. With that said, things are not going to change overnight, but they are getting better.

According to a recent article by the NAHB, housing will see a gradual improvement throughout 2011. New-home sales will begin following employment gains, reaching 405,000 for the year, up from an estimate of about 320,000 for 2010. Price increases are already occurring in some local areas, which will attract prospective buyers who have been procrastinating until they see prices hit bottom. The time to act may be right now.

For more information on American Housing Homes, call 727-546-6611.

Click here for full article.

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Santa quits the North Pole. Heads to Florida!

After a thousand years, Santa Clause has finally decided he has had enough of the snow, the blizzards, and the cold weather and is moving to sunny, warm Florida. Asked why he was making this sudden move, his response was “Ho, ho, holy winter white out, it was cold and snowy this past winter at the North Pole and I am getting tired of having to dig my sleigh out of the snow every time I have to run up to the 7-11 for more eggnog.” He said that he had been considering making this move ever since “grandma got run over by that reindeer.” It appears Rudolph’s nose was on the blink that particular night and it was during one of those nasty blizzards.

Mr. Clause said he will be moving his entire workshop to Florida and relocating all of his elves to the Tampa Bay area. His only comment on why he chose this particular area was “Arrr, I couldn’t help it, I just love those Buccaneers.” Asked what he will do with his flying reindeer when he moved, he said he would get back to us on that as soon as he could. “But Mr. Clause, what about the reindeer?” The concern for the reindeer was left unanswered as Mr. Clause headed out into the Gulf of Mexico on his new boat for a fun day of fishing. As he was leaving though, he did wave to those left behind on the dock and yelled “and please, you can call me Santa.”

Now, it seems Santa and Mrs. Clause love their new hometown. Reporters from all over the world converged on the Tampa Bay area in hopes of getting an exclusive scoop on why he and Mrs. Clause made this move. The problem was that every time they tried to ask him a few questions he was always on his way out the door. “Sorry, but Mrs. Clause and I are going to play a few holes of golf at Mangrove Bay,”  or “Sorry, but we are running to Tyrone Mall to do some shopping,” or “Sorry, but we are meeting friends at Outback Steak House for dinner,” or “Sorry, but we are on our way to Ruth Eckerd Hall for a concert.” Just so many things to do and so little time to do it. In fact, one day he was found sitting under a palm tree at the beach by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, where he told paparazzi “Come on fellas, even I like to relax once in a while.”

So, once Mr. Clause, I mean Santa, had made his decision to move to Florida, he knew he had to find a builder to build him and Mrs. Clause their new dream home, along with a new workshop for his elves. So, the first thing he did was to get on the internet and start researching Florida builders. It didn’t take long before he decided on exactly which builder to use. After browsing through their website and making a few inquiries, he knew there was no real choice in the matter and that American Housing Builders was definitely the New Home builder for him. He remembered the owners of American Housing from when they were children and remembered how good and honest they were year after year. He fondly remembered how they always managed to somehow end up on the good list. Because of that, he knew they could be trusted to build him a quality new home and the perfect new workshop for his elves. In fact, they built the elves a workshop right next door to the Home Shopping Channel. Like they say in Real Estate, “It is always about location, location, location.” Santa’s final comment on choosing American Housing Builders was “they are the ones for me because I know they build quality homes and I need to know mine will still be here in another thousand years.”

So Santa and Mrs. Clause, like so many others from the cold north have done, including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and other areas of Canada, chose to pack up their bags, including his giant toy bag, and move to Florida in order to take advantage of its warm weather and sunny beaches. “No more digging out of the snow on those cold winter mornings for me” he said. So, if you are like Santa and are tired of the snow and cold weather and are considering moving to Florida, or even considering buying a second home in Florida to spend the winters,  be sure to contact American Housing Builders to be your new home builder. Santa knows American Housing Builders is a name you can trust and we know that you cannot ask for a better referral than Santa Clause himself. Ho, ho, home sweet home.

By the way, Santa says the reindeer are all living happily in a little Alaskan village where all of the townspeople are vegetarians.

CANADIAN REALTORS

American Housing Builders has an ongoing Referral program: 1% of the sale price for all home referrals that result in the purchase of a New or Refurbished American Housing home for Canadian, out of state and foreign Realtors. For more information on this program, please contact Lee Kretzer, an owner of American Housing Builders, at 727-546-6611 or email him at Lee@Amhousing.com

These new construction mistakes as illustrated in the gory photos from the article you referenced below are errors in judgment that should have been stopped in the blueprint stage. These mistakes would be funny if they weren’t so expensive to repair and so easy to avoid in the first place. With over 100 years of combined experience in new construction and remodeling American housing builders pledge to you that photos of your new house details will never end up in a rogues gallery such as the one we present here.

I could wax on and on about how important home inspections are for new construction,especially if the builder tells you that a private home inspection isn’t necessary, but I’ve found that photos are far more convincing than anything I could say. I took all of the photos below at homes in Minnesota that were either new construction or only a couple years old; the issues that you’re seeing are all ‘original’ issues; they weren’t created after the homes passed their final inspections by the city.

Click on any of the photos for a larger version.

Read The Whole Story Here
Via:
Thanks: Reuben Saltzman,

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It isn’t just foreclosed, distressed or drastically devalued existing homes that are fantastic bargains in the Tampa Bay area; new construction homes are no exception to the general scheme.

Buying a new home is a daunting task under any circumstances, but buying a home in this economy can be downright frightening. The process can be quite intimidating, especially if you don’t know if you want an older home or a new home. New homes are a great investment, even during an economic downturn. Many builders are selling homes for pennies on the dollar, just to break even. Add this to the fact that many builders are offering free upgrades, and it’s a win-win situation for both the buyer and the seller. The builder avoids foreclosure on the property, and the buyer can customize to his heart’s content.

Read The Whole Story Here
Via:
Thanks: Paul Amos

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Homeowners insurance in Florida is a less competitive field than it might be in other states. Still, the industry survivors compete with each other, and before you go out in earnest search of homeowners insurance in an Pinellas, Hillsborough or Manatee counties, you can prepare yourself with an online survey in the comfort of your own home.

Your home in Florida is one of the biggest purchases you can make. You want to protect with insurance, but without great expense. Where can I obtain from the Florida owner insurance quote cheaper?

The answer is no farther than your computer. You can go online to Web sites and get insurance quotes fast Florida owner. On many sites, you can complete your information once and insuranceget fast quotes from many different insurance companies

Read The Whole Story Here
Via:
Thanks: admin

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Home Town Heroes Program

American Housing Builders, Inc. is very aware of the many sacrifices the heroes of the Tampa Bay area make for their communities. These heroes include teachers, hospital workers, policemen, firemen and military personnel. We are proud of what these people do for the community and are very happy to be able to try and assist them in any way we can in helping them obtain the American Dream of owning their own home.

For more information, call American Housing at 727-546-6611.

What is the real cost and what are the real returns when you buy new construction as opposed to an older house? The answers to these questions are necessarily speculative, but certain principles apply universally; and local Florida subtropical conditions, like insects, heat and humidity and occasionally dramatic weather add another dimension to the calculation.

Calculating your true home buying budget.

Did you know that purchasing a high-quality custom home can actually save you money? It’s true. And it’s also true that the
great deal you think you are getting on an existing home in a buyer’s market may not be such a great deal after all.
Why is that? Because so many home buyers don’t add repair and remodeling costs to the price of their new home. But this is
a figure that really must be considered, especially when a home buyer is purchasing a Florida home that is more than twenty
years-old. Homes of this age and older often have repair costs that are not easily seen or predicted, even during a professional home inspection.

Of course, the older a home is the more potential problems it may have, but even homes built twenty years ago are at risk for wood rot and termite infestation. Plus, older homes are often smaller as far as actual square footage. Rooms are
smaller, closet space is limited, and kitchen and bathroom remodeling is a common need. There are many more potentially
expensive problems that come with an older home, but even the few things mentioned above can cost the home buyer thousands of dollars.

Read The Whole Story Here
Via:
Thanks: admin