Great Numbers for January!

Despite the bad weather and poor economic predictions, January's new home sales reached its highest level in more than 5 years!

Consumer confidence remains stable, home prices are increasing as inventory decreases and interest rates remain at historic lows.

Economists predicted a 6% drop in new home sales for January and were pleasantly surprised to see the increase especially after some brutal snow and ice storms kept many people home.

The south experienced a 10% increase in new home sales. See the chart below for more detail on the rise and fall of home sales and the upward trend we are pleased to be on!

Energy Saving Tips

As the weather continues to fluctuate and cold temperatures have you pushing up your thermostat, you may wonder if there is anything you can do to keep your home energy costs low.  The answer is yes! Even as winter continues on, there are simple things you can do around your new home to help balance out your energy usage.

Here are a few tips:

• Use your dishwasher! It takes less water to run the dishwasher than wash by hand. Make your dishwasher more efficient by running full loads then let the dishes air dry instead of using the dry setting on your dishwasher.
• When washing and drying clothes, make sure you always clean the lint trap in your dryer. Dry consecutive loads to take advantage of built up heat from the previous load.
• Lower your thermostat at night and during the day when you aren't home. Reverse your ceiling fans to help circulate warm air from near the ceiling.
• Check the temperature on your water heater. Lowering this temperature a few degrees can help save on energy costs.
• Allow foods to cool before putting them in your refrigerator. Putting warm or hot items in the refrigerator cause it to work harder to maintain a cool temperature.
• Replace regular light bulbs with more energy efficient LED or CFL bulbs

What do you do to keep energy costs low?

Celebrate The Olympics in Style!

The winter Olympic games have begun and in honor of this event here are some ideas on hosting your own Olympic themed viewing party! You don't have to be at the games to really get into the spirit. Let these snack ideas inspire your Olympic-sized ambitions!

The Olympic Torch

 Fill ice cream cones with cheddar flavored popcorn.

Gold Medals

Use Golden Oreos and roll out fruit snacks

Olympic Rings

Give cups of hot chocolate a dusting of colored sanding sugars for a real Olympic treat!

What ideas do you have for hosting an Olympic-themed party?

Now Is A Great Time to Buy

Mortgage rates are at historic lows. To get a better idea where mortgage rates have come from and why now is a great time to buy - take a look at this infographic created by Zillow.com.

Winter Prep for Home

Although most of us saw our first dusting of snow this past week and may be ready for warmer weather, spring is still a few months away.  Weather conditions in the south can often swing from one extreme to another so here are some tips to keep your new home protected from another wintry blast.

If you were impacted by the winter storm, walk around your home and do a thorough check for any areas that could be leaking water. Clean up fallen branches or debris. Inspect for cracks along window sills and doorways.

Going away this winter? Make sure your home thermostat doesn't go below 55 degrees. Ask neighbors to check on the home after any winter precipitation.

Protect your pipes from freezing and causing water damage. If the temperature is expected to dip especially low, run a trickle of water to help relieve pressure in the pipes. Keep cabinet doors open to allow the heat in - just be sure to hide away any chemicals that could be dangerous to children or pets.

Always have an emergency kit on hand. 

This should include:
Flashlights
Bottled Water
Batteries
Non-Perishable Food
Blankets
Phone Number of Utility Companies
and First Aid Materials

Hopefully Old Man Winter is on his way out of the South but it pays to take precautions just in case. What do you do to prepare your home for winter weather?

Come See Us!

Come see Paradime Construction this weekend at the Home Building and Remodeling Expo!

Home Show Location: 
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

1101 Lincoln Street Columbia, SC 29201

Home Show Hours:

Friday 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Saturday 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sunday 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Paradime - Booth #507, second booth on the right after the main entrance.

See you there!

Understanding High Performance Homes

 

What features give the best benefit to High Performance Homes?

Air sealing is a key component to the High Performance Home to insure that you are not heating and cooling the outdoors. Zip wall system, silicone caulk, and specifically placed can foam sealant really give the most benefit in creating a tight home.

What features do customers feel are a must in High Performance Homes?

Clients really respond to the lower energy bills and the improved indoor air quality. There are many features that go into getting results in both of these categories but showing how you do insulation differently than what the code requires is always interesting to clients.

What do you see as the 2014 High Performance items?

Most clients don’t want to spend extra money to make a home perform better. But the clients who do should look into energy monitoring devices that can help them modify the ways they interact with their home, to save money and live better.

What do you look for when buying a High Performance Home?

First it would be the CHIP Logo Sticker on the electric panel. This will tell you that the home was built above code and inspected by a third party. Next it would be the HERS Score. This will tell you how well the home performs against homes built to code.

What makes a home High Performance?

A High Performance Home is a system of parts that are all working together to give the occupants a better, less expensive home environment. You cannot look at only upgrading one part of the home because the other parts won’t perform at the ideal level. One quick example is, if you modify your insulation package and still put in the same size HVAC system then this system will not perform well and actually create harmful effects on the living environment. This is why a qualified third party inspector is required for High Performance homes – to make sure all the systems are working together and harmful effects are avoided.