Author Archives: lifestylist

Salvation Army Hurricane 3

Doing The Most Good: Salvation Army

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Salvation Army Hurricane 6Salvation Army Hurricane 7Salvation Army Hurricane 1Salvation Army Hurricane 3It’s heartbreaking to watch the news today and see the devastation in Moore, Oklahoma. My sister and her family live in Edmond, OK and I have clients that have land lease communities very close to where the tornado touched down.

People always think that “trailer parks” or “mobile home parks” are the worst places to be during a disaster like this, but that just isn’t true. I was glad to hear that the Yes! Communities in this area only sustained hail and wind damage and no one was hurt. Their on-site managers made sure that everyone got to where they needed to be and are now busy helping them get emergency supplies and repairs. That’s one of the advantages of living in a well run land lease community – there’s always someone there to help.

If you would like to help the people of Moore that were affected by the storm, I encourage you to donate to the Salvation Army. They truly do the most good with every dollar that is donated.

Happy Mothers Day!

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Happy Mothers Day! I was reminded today as to why I became a Lifestylist® – my mother is the perfect example of who to live your life with style. We celebrated with homemade cinnamon buns and a cruise around their lake – how did you celebrate with your Mom?

YES! Communities Are a Great Place to Live

YES Team FEB 3

 

Land Lease Communities are such a misunderstood and undervalued type of community. As in every form of housing there are the good and the bad, but after touring some of the yes! communities in Oklahoma and Texas there is no doubt in my mind that this will be the housing of the future.

SE Homes of Texas has recognized for years how important it is to offer the right home for community living and I’ve really enjoyed working with them on this. Getting to see the finished homes and the people who live in them is such a delight – it’s rewarding beyond belief to this Lifestylist® to know you can help these families live in the home of their dreams. With SE Homes of TX being a part of the Clayton Homes family – the largest housing builder in the country- they have the resources to build and design homes that no other company can match.

What is a land lease community? This is where instead of having the burden of owning and taking care of the land your home sits on you lease it from the community owner who then is also responsible for keeping up the streets, common areas, paying the property taxes and making sure that the community is well maintained.  Communities can have a little or a lot of community areas, and most offer on-site management so there is someone there every day making sure the community is run properly. Many of them are in prime locations and can offer swimming pools, sports courts, walking paths, community gardens, and clubhouses. Leasing instead of owning the land your home is on it can save you thousands in property taxes and insurance which you can then invest into your home. You are responsible for your home, but the community owner pays  for everything else.

The advantage of this type of housing over apartments is that you can own your own home, plus you aren’t sharing walls or hallways with your neighbors. Each home is on it’s own lot giving you room to garden or enjoy outdoor living.

I have been visiting communities from coast to coast because I’ve become so interested in this, and the quality of living that the yes! communities provided was above and beyond the others in their areas. Every detail from how the landscaping was maintained to the signage into and around the community is taken into consideration, and even though it is still winter up here everything was spotless! Not a blowing piece of paper or unpainted fence to be found.

What really set the yes! communities apart though was the people behind the name and the residents that live in these communities. Saying (and meaning) yes is the approach this company and it’s people take and the difference this makes is seen throughout. Residents and staff are happy and are excited to be there because yes! has provided a wonderful quality of live for everyone involved.

What’s in a name? Everything when you are talking about a YES! community.

Finding The Right Contractor

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You would think that finding a contractor or designer to do work on your home would be easy, but take it from this Domestic Lifestylist® it’s not. When I decided to add a test kitchen to The Home Idea Factory I started thinking about having people in my home, and trust became even more important than the cost. Fortunately for me, I found Mike Clark and his team, and my test kitchen is closer than ever to being a reality.

Here’s some tips for hiring a contractor.

Kitchen Trends for 2013

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Thermador Oct 11 29t’s looking like this Lifestylist® is going to be spending a lot more time in the kitchen this year, and we couldn’t be more excited! Our test kitchen is coming along really well, and we have a lot of kitchens we are designing for clients which is always lots of fun.

January is going to be a month spent on the road. Besides working with all of our clients we have been invited to the beautiful Thermador flagship design center to see what’s new as well as work on new appliances for the future.

The International Builders Show will be taking place in Las Vegas, and it is always a great source of trends in home design.

We’ll have lots to talk about and share, and we are also anxious to know what you think about the new trend to brighter, whiter kitchens. Susan Serra, one of the premiere kitchen designers just did an article for Cultivate on Kitchen Predictions for 2013 that has lots of great information so we wanted to share. What do you think will be the top kitchen trend in 2013?

Finding Hope in 2013

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Another year is almost behind us, and I think most of us are looking forward to a fresh start in 2013.

Last year made it clearer than ever that nothing is more important than relationships. I feel so fortunate that I was able to spend time with my cousins I hadn’t seen in years, had some great sister time and what was most important, got to spend a lot of quality time with my kids and grandkids.

Being around the grandkids reminded me how wonderful it is to always be looking forward to tomorrow and the opportunities it brings. The amazement of what a fantastic job my kids are doing as parents, and how talented their Jr Lifestylists are keeps reminding me how important it is to spend time with family.

Here’s hoping that 2013 is filled with hope for all of us, and we remember what brings us joy.

Today’s Manufactured Home

Change can be a very scary thing, but when a company like SE Homes of TX – a division of Clayton Homes – can change people’s perception of manufacturing housing it’s exciting!

The recent home show that they had at their Ft. Worth, TX location shows why SE Homes of TX has emerged as a leader in design and lifestyle. All of the 5 Lifestylist® Designed homes were very well received, but the one that stole the show was definitely The Monarch. I’ve shared photos of this home with consumers living in very high end site built homes and with custom builders and developers, and none of them can believe that this is a factory built home.

I’ve never seen this floorplan before. It is perfectly in tune with today’s home buyer and the lifestyle they are hoping to achieve. It’s open, the master suite is in a separate part of the home and has access to the very cool patio that is enclosed on 3 sides and ships as part of the home.

The “pet parlor” has also been a hit – this space in the utility room featured a pet shower with hand held showerhead, and a feeding drawer that can be closed when not in use.

I’m excited about this positive direction for our industry, and think you will be as well. For more information, visit the SE Homes of TX website or email Ryan Blackburn at: ryan.blackburn@sehomes.com

Bob Vila Celebrates The History of Mobile Homes

 

 

There’s nothing we love more than a positive story about factory built housing, and BobVila.com has a wonderful article about the history of factory built housing.  Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber was honored to be interviewed and quoted in the story, and what is really exciting is that the author of the story – Jane Dagmi – was so intrigued about what this form of housing offers she’s continuing to learn more and visit communities on her own. I’m looking forward to more of her stories in the future.

One of the things that has always been a detriment to our industry was the perception the press has, so having writers not only like our homes but also want to know more is a step in the right direction.

Be sure to also take a look at the timeline that Jane did -it’s one of the best I’ve seen.

SE Homes Offers The Best in Island Living

There’s nothing I enjoy more than getting to go visit my kids and grandkids in Florida, and I’m always interested in what housing trends work for their lifestyles. My son-in-law made a great observation – they built a home that has a large open kitchen with an island, and he said they thought the kitchen was huge when they built it, now they wish it was larger – especially with a more functional island.

Factory built housing has been a trendsetter in this area for years, and the islands that you can find in a manufactured and modular home exceed what you find for the same value in site built homes. Besides being large they are functional and often offer seating, storage for small appliances, bookcases and enough countertop space to be able to cook for a crowd.

SE Homes excels in their island design, and the use of Formica’s new 180f/x® laminates look like you have a granite or marble countertop without the price. SE Homes of Texas now offer a backsplash in their homes that looks like tine ceiling tiles – and the mix of these metals with the dark cabinets and granite-look countertops is stunning.

Factory built housing is all about achievable design, and many of the kitchens you find in these homes make you wonder why you would have considered anything else.

We Appreciate Your Business

I just got back from working on a great new Lifestylist® Designed model home for SE Homes of Texas. It is at The Oakwood Homes of Channelview store, and I still can’t believe all of the features and details this home offers. I really enjoyed going down to Houston to merchandise the home, and one of the biggest things I immediately noticed was how well done the home center was, and how nice the home team was. They went out of their way to help me, and I noticed when they were walking prospective home buyers through the new model the team was very knowledgeable about the building process and really helped the buyers learn about the homes without pressuring them.

When you drove into the center, there was a huge banner that stated “We Appreciate Your Business” and I definitely got the impression that they did. The most valuable thing that all of have right now is our time, and it was great to know that this team wouldn’t be wasting mine. The center was beautifully landscaped, the homes were well merchandised and clean, and the minute you walked into their offices you were greeting by a professional that made you immediately feel at home.

Sadly, not everyone seems to appreciate our business, which makes how these Clayton owned sales centers treat their customers even more special. Coming home to missed appointments and being on hold for hours with the cable and internet companies made me appreciate even more the Oakwood Channelview experience.