US Census: Health of New Residential Construction Market

The new residential construction homes sold statistics indicate a high demand for single family homes. 

Looking for real estate services? If you, or a friend or relative is looking for a new home, commercial building or lease, have them give me a call at (714) 584-5509, or send me an email at frank@resusa.org. There are a variety of listed and unlisted opportunities for investors and first time home buyers alike. Let me know how I can help. 

Trendsetting Colors of 2016

Color plays a crucial role in your home's interior. Thankfully it's one of the easiest design elements to change, particularly if you select appliances and other permanent fixtures in classic hues. Is 2016 the year you repaint a few rooms? Here's a look at the latest color trends, as well as tips on how to incorporate them into your home. 

The Non-Color
Benjamin Moore's color of the year is white, or Simply White (OC-117) to be exact. This popular neutral can be tough to pull off, especially with hundreds of variations to choose from, many of which have blue, gray or even pink undertones.

Give your kitchen a fresh look by painting upper cabinets white and bottom cabinets a darker or more colorful hue. Or put together a serene all-white bedroom with contrasting textures like natural woods and linens against sleek ceramic or stone.

Pretty Pastels
Color expert Pantone includes pastels in the 2016 interior design color trend forecast. The Ephemera palette, one of nine highlighted color sets, includes soft hues like Tender Yellow, Wan Blue and Pale Peach.

Nervous about using pastels at home? First consider the natural light in the room throughout the day. South-facing rooms bring in bright midday light that heightens both warm and cool colors. West-facing rooms receive a warm evening light, while east-facing rooms have a bluish tint later in the day. Avoid using the same hue as the incoming light; no soft blue in an east-facing room, for instance.

Night Tones
Paint company Akzo Nobel is highlighting the night in response to growing research about the effects of light pollution. The new interest in darkness translates into colors like deep purple or midnight blue -- hues that mimic the tones of both dusk and dawn.

The bedroom is a great place for dramatic color. Incorporate lighter shades of your main hue for depth, bring in touches of white for contrast, and include a heavy dose of gold to evoke the light of the "golden hour" before dusk and after dawn.

Looking for real estate services? If you, or a friend or relative is looking for a new home, commercial building or lease, have them give me a call at (714) 584-5509, or send me an email at frank@resusa.org. There are a variety of listed and unlisted opportunities for investors and first time home buyers alike. Let me know how I can help. 

Spending on Luxury Kitchen and Bath Amenities Picks Up

Kitchens and baths are getting larger and more upscale, according to a panel of residential architects reporting to the Home Design Trends Survey. 

The fourth-quarter findings collected by the American institute of Architects (AIA) reflected a stronger market compared with the last quarter of 2012 as projects improved steadily over the past two years. Project back-logs also increased.

Among the popular kitchen features that architects are speccing for clients are LED 
lighting, integration with family space, larger pantry space computer area/recharging stations, wine refrigerator/storage, upper-end appliances, and drinking-water filtration systems. 

LED lighting also was the most popular bathroom feature followed by large walk-in 
showers, stall showers without tubes, accessibility/universal design, door less showers, water-saving toilets, hand showers, radiant-heated floors, and upscale shower systems. 

“Now that home prices have hit bottom and are beginning to recover, households are more willing to invest in their homes, looking for more features in new homes that they are purchasing, and willing to undertake higher-end home improvement projects,” says Kermit Baker, chief economist for AIA. “Kitchens and baths tend to be the areas that household first look to when they want to upscale their home a markets improve, just as they remained a high priority even during the depths of the downturn.”

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