Post Recession Recovery in New Home Sales

The National Association of Home Builders projected approximately 511,000 new homes would be sold during 2015, and the new home sales numbers surpassed that prediction by a small landslide bringing in 544,000 new home sales on a seasonally adjusted basis in December, 2015.  This was welcome news for home builders showing a recovery in new home sales numbers.  The increase was a 10.8% increase year-over-year, and this also heralded the best year for new home sales since 2007, just before the housing market crash.  In the South region specifically, new home sales were up 17.6% – the second highest percentage in the nation.
In addition to an increase in sales, new home inventory also increased during the month of December by 2.6% to 237,000 available homes for sale. 

However, the combination of the sales rate and the available inventory shows a trend in supply and demand that is on the rise.  The monthly supply of new home inventory fell from 5.5 months to 5.2 months with the building and selling of these new homes.
The prices of homes being sold are also encouraging.  First-time home buyers have yet to take a strong hold in the market, but second and third-time home buyers are making purchases of new homes in the $200’s – $400’s, which means that they are able to “move up” from their existing homes into their next home.  This also indicates the sale of existing homes for sale, which shows a well-rounded, moving real estate market.

Another positive trend that has emerged is the sale of pre-sold homes.  These are homes that builders are advertising before they ever break ground on the new construction.  The rendering and floorplan, as well as the lot layout may be all the new home buyer has to go on to sign a contract to buy the home, but with the reduction in available inventory, the increase in unused building permits and new home starts, the only explanation is that builders are able to sell their homes before they start building them.  This trend was prevalent during the early 2000’s and shows that the housing market seems to finally be on its way to a full recovery.

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2015 Real Estate Market Statistics

With the housing market being such an important part of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) keeps a constant eye on the real estate industry, taking specific measurements of all vital statistics that will keep industry professionals aware of housing trends either before or as they are happening.  There are many ways to measure the growth or shrinkage of housing by just looking at the numbers.  Some of the statistics that are measured monthly include housing permits, housing starts, housing contracts, pending sales, existing home sales, new home sales, and many more.

During the month of January, numbers were complied for housing statistics during the entire year of 2015.  The NAHB reported that housing permits and housing starts were up significantly for the year 2015, compared to 2014.  Year-over-year increases for housing permits were up 12% to 1.18 million permits.  Single-family home building permits were up by 7.9%.  Specifically, December, 2015, saw an increase of 1.8% in building permits compared to November, 2015.

For housing starts, the percentages were also significantly high for 2015 compared to 2014. Total single-family housing starts in 2015 rose 10.4% to 715,300.  At Bedico Creek Preserve, a masterplanned community in the Greater New Orleans area, the completion of 2 more neighborhoods during 2015 with developed lots ready to build has accounted for the significant increase in construction of new homes on our lots.  We have also seen a surge in lot sales to individual owners interested in building a new home on their lot.

With 16 new home builders from which to choose, our home buyers and lot buyers have a selection of styles, quality, and floorplans to begin building their dream home or you can buy a new home for sale that is ready to move in.  If you are interested in a new home community that takes you away from it all with a natural setting and wildlife habitat with quality new home construction, Visit Us at Bedico Creek and Choose Your Lot Today.  Contact Us at 985-845-420 or E-mail Info@LiveBedico.com.

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Builder Confidence in St. Tammany Parish

For 30 years, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo has been measuring builder confidence based on 3 factors of new home building – current new home sales, projected new home sales, & new home buyer traffic.  The survey is called the Housing Market Index (HMI), and builders nationwide are selected and surveyed by the NAHB each month.  The result is a gauge of how confident builders are in the housing market and the future of the housing market.  Post Recession, these numbers stayed low for many months, even years, but in the past 2.5 years, builder confidence has been up.

Nowhere is that more evident in our own backyard than at Bedico Creek Preserve, a master planned, Conservation Community in Madisonville, Louisiana, in St. Tammany Parish.  Builder confidence in St. Tammany Parish is definitely up in our community.  We have had a record high amount of 18 builders all building new homes in our subdivision at one time.  Currently, we have a list of 16 qualified and quality new home builders that offer lots to be built, as well as new homes for sale in the 9 available neighborhoods within our new home community in Southeast Louisiana.

Two of our Neighborhoods focus solely on the new homes built by exclusive builders that have purchased the lots in the neighborhoods to build established floorplans to maintain an inventory of new spec homes for sale.  These two neighborhoods are Cypress Crossing and Deer Park.  Other builders have individual Homes for Sale that are located throughout the other 7 Neighborhoods.
Builder confidence nationwide in January had a score of 60.  Any score above 50 is considered optimism from new home builders.  Broken down, the builder confidence rating scored as follows: current sales conditions rose two points to 67, projected sales conditions dropped three points to 63, and current buyer traffic came in at 44.  In St. Tammany Parish, the new homes at Bedico Creek have been selling as fast as builders have been framing them.  Many of our new homes for sale are available on our website for just weeks before they are under contract.  If you are interested in living at our new home subdivision, you may want to meet with one of our 16 builders to discuss purchasing a lot in your selected Neighborhood and then building a new home for you and your family.

Contact Us Today to Make an Appointment to View Our Lots at 985-845-4200 or E-mail Info@LiveBedico.com.

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Single-Family Home Construction Available on the Northshore

New Urbanism is alive and well in the Greater New Orleans area with Mixed-Use Developments being built where previously housing projects had stood.  Many developers are tapping into the multi-family construction industry, building apartment housing in popular neighborhoods.  Single-family home construction is taking a backseat to these types of developments as well as multi-family condo and townhome construction also in the city of New Orleans.  Because of this, people relocating to the New Orleans area as well as young people graduating from college and moving out are finding it harder and harder to find the traditional “first time home buyer home.”

Surprisingly, Millenials, according to the National Association of Home Builders, tend to want to live in single-family homes in the suburbs.  According to the NAHB’s survey, 75% want traditional new homes, and 66% prefer to live in the suburbs with only 10% choosing urban living, such as living in downtown New Orleans or the outlying areas.  While nationally this is a trend, the migration of Millenials may very well benefit the Northshore of the lake because in St. Tammany Parish, there are plenty of new homes for sale as well as lots for sale.

Since the Recession, home pricing has been somewhat unreliable, but now housing prices seem to have stabilized, so it is less difficult to acquire housing finance for new home buyers looking to buy their first, second, or even third home.  Another factor that may drive new home buyers to the north shore is the fact that inventory in popular, safe neighborhoods in New Orleans such as the Garden District, Bywater, Uptown, etc., is very scarce, prompting bidding wars among home buyers.  Young home buyers may get priced out of the market with competitive pricing being higher than normal.

Regardless of where the Millenials in the Greater New Orleans area choose to buy their new, single-family home, Bedico Creek Preserve is “ready” for any type of home buyer with 10 Neighborhoods from which to choose new homes for sale and lots for sale.  Lot pricing at Bedico Creek starts in the $40’s, and new home prices start in the $240’s.  If you are ready to view a lot for sale or new home for sale, Contact Bedico Creek at 985-845-4200 or E-mail Info@LiveBedico.com.

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Available Construction Jobs on the Rise

Well over half a million builders are getting ramped up with the renewal of the real estate market nationwide and are very much now hiring employees as the number of open construction jobs increased in May.  In fact, the number of available construction jobs in the United States has been on the rise since 2012 along with the constant increase of new home sales and new home inventory.  May’s employment increase logged in as one of the 4 highest months of increases since 2012.

Almost 1.8 million contractors, sub-contractors, and trade companies also made up the number of businesses employed in the home building / remodeling categories of the total U.S. employment in June, 2015, bringing the total number of construction employed jobs to 2.442 million.  Now that new homes are being built on lots developed for sale in more and more numbers, the construction industry has gained almost a half a million jobs since the low point of the Great Recession.

In 2015 alone, approximately 127,000 jobs have been added in the U.S. nationwide.  In fact, since hitting the ceiling during 2010, the unemployment rate for builders and construction has dropped from 22% unemployed to 7% slightly higher than the national unemployment rate.  In fact, many builders are facing a shortage in employees as they try to build new homes for the buyer demand as quickly as possible in new home communities that once stood dormant during the Recession.  This increase in demand for construction employment has only been a boon for the real estate industry’s recovery overall.

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Lot Sales, Home Sales, Good News for New Home Buyers

St. Tammany Parish now has one of the fastest growing, fastest selling new home communities on the Northshore at Bedico Creek Preserve in Madisonville, Louisiana.  Lot sales and home sales are setting a record pace for 2015.  This master planned subdivisions has, this year alone, opened up three new Neighborhoods within the community – Lakeview, Heron Point, and Heron Lake – with plans for 2 more neighborhoods to come online in 2016.  Located off of Hwy. 1077 and Hwy. 1085, .Bedico Creek is just over 3 miles from Interstate 12 and an efficient commute to Mandeville, Covington, Slidell, and Hammond, as well as the Southshore.

Close to 6 miles away lies the existing and new shopping districts of Highway 21 featuring mall box stores such as Kohl’s, Lane Bryan, Belks, and Best Buy, and multiple popular restaurants such as Longhorn Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Cracker Barrel, and Texas Roadhouse, just to name a few.  The area also features many small boutique shops and restaurants as well as grocery shopping at Winn Dixie.  All of this approximately 5.8 miles from the entrance to our Conservation Community.

Bedico Creek was specifically designed to be a nature habitat that just happened to have houses.  The community design offers green spaces, water features, and 500 acres of walking and biking paths as well as walking and hiking trails through a wildlife preserve.  Lot sales at Bedico Creek are happening quickly, so if you decide to buy, you will not only be able to choose from among 14 quality St. Tammany Parish builders, but you will also get to enjoy 500 acres of natural beauty, peace and privacy.  Many of our lots are also waterfront lots in that they are located around the many lakes and ponds throughout the community.

New homes are built and available to buy at Bedico Creek with a selection of different sizes and prices perfect for your family.  If you are interested in picking out your “view,” you can select your exact lot from a variety of Neighborhoods throughout the community.  Lots come in many different sizes and shapes with cul-de-sac and corner lots also available.

This new home, master planned neighborhood also features both natural and “man-made” amenities with a community swimming pool, Pavilion, dock / fishing area, disc golf course, and even a place to enjoy a fire on a chilly fall winter night where you have an uninhibited view of the stars.  We have a map of our parks and trails system throughout the community, and we encourage you to bring your camera to catch shots of all of the local wildlife.

Bedico Creek has it all lot sales, home sales, good news for home buyers. To take a peek at this amazing new subdivision in St. Tammany Parish, call one of our onsite sales representatives at 985-845-4200 or E-mail Info@LiveBedico.com.

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Premier St. Tammany Parish Master Planned Community

Bedico Creek Preserve, a premier master-planned conservation community in Madisonville, is nestled among nearly 500 acres of green space, lakes and ponds. Preserving and caring for the natural environment and wildlife is a top priority here. Life moves at a slower pace and there’s a healthy respect for the innate beauty of land and water. More than 200 acres of parks, 20+ acres of lakes and water features, a 375-acre nature preserve, and many natural amenities make it a thoughtful choice for discriminating homebuyers.

Driving into the community, the well-appointed main entrance is accented with twin sugar kettle waterfalls on either side and a wide thoroughfare crosses a quaint wooden bridge over Bedico Creek. Passing the gatehouse into the community, even the casual visitor will notice a careful cultivation of the atmosphere of the Northshore of yesteryear.

Inside the community you’ll find a collection of neighborhoods surrounded by thoughtfully planned, man-made amenities. The Rod & Paddle Club complex overlooks a sparkling lake and features the community swimming pool, a large party pavilion, a picnic area with colorful wind sails, a quaint fishing pier, a nine-hole disc golf course and an outdoor fire pit at Sunset Point.  It’s an ideal place for outdoor entertaining, leisurely paddling a canoe on the lake, or spending time with family and friends.
A rustic trail system for hiking within the wildlife preserves of the community and 3.5 miles of lovely paved walking/hiking/biking trails gracefully meander through the surrounding neighborhoods.  These trails connect parks, lakes, ponds and nature preserves to the neighborhoods, making it easy and convenient for homeowners to enjoy their natural surroundings.

Bedico Creek is not just another typical subdivision. It’s a community comprised of beautifully designed new and custom homes, located in individual neighborhoods that range in price from the $230’s to more than $1 million. Multi-generational families will find neighborhoods that suit first-time homebuyers just starting out, growing families, or retirees looking for a low-maintenance, carefree lifestyle.

Deer Park offers smaller lot sizes and square footage homes from the $230’s to $260’s. Courtyard and Garden feature low-maintenance garden homes that begin in the $290’s.  Larger lot neighborhoods like Cypress Crossing, Lakeview, Longview, and Preserve are made up of single-family homes for growing families from the $300’s to the $500’s. Heron Point (just opening this Spring with its own gated access), Estates and Manors were created with upwardly mobile families in mind. These homes start in the $480’s and exceed $1 million.  Two new neighborhoods, Nature Walk and Heron Lake are slated to open later this year. All of them have water or nature views available. Most offer the availability to invest in a lot and build on it in the homeowner’s time frame.

Building a new home is a very important investment of time and money. Every one of the recommended builders at Bedico Creek Preserve has gone through a careful screening process to ensure that buyers are going to get some of the best, most qualified builders in the area. These preferred builders are ready to design and build homes on a lot purchased by the homeowner, or homeowners can use their own plans and builder in most neighborhoods, with approval by the Architectural Control Committee.

Located on Highway 1085 in Madisonville, in the booming I-12 Corridor, Bedico Creek is just minutes from shopping, restaurants, entertainment, and healthcare facilities, with more being added each year.  Homeowners with children have access to some of the best public and private schools that St. Tammany Parish has to offer.

Bedico Creek is a David Waltemath development. During the past twenty-five years he has created many extraordinary Gulf South communities, including English Turn, The Estates of Northpark, Highlands of Santa Maria, and Green Trails in Baton Rouge.  His track record of success and commitment to the community speaks for itself.

Several stunning new homes will be showcased at Bedico Creek Preserve in this year’s Northshore Home Builders Association Parade of Homes. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore this exceptional community, its stunning homes and beautiful neighborhoods.  See for yourself the value of building your future at Bedico Creek. Bring your Realtor, if you like; they’re always welcome.  More information is available about this fast growing, premier St. Tammany Parish master planned community by e-mailing Info@LiveBedico.com or calling 985- 845-4200.

New Home Building Project in Covington Back on Track

As the job market gets stronger, so does the housing market.  Building supply retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement have seen a huge spike in sales in building materials and accessories this spring.  According to New Orleans City Business, “Homebuilders broke ground on more houses and apartment complexes in April, a sign that they’re gearing up for more sales. The annual pace of housing starts jumped 20.2 percent from March to 1.14 million, the highest rate since November 2007, a month before the recession began. There was also a 10.1 percent increase in

approved building permits, which suggests that construction levels should continue to improve.”
With an upward turn in the housing market, a new home building project which was put on hold during the market crash in 2008 is now resurfacing. The Oak Alley Meadows development in Covington, LA near the intersection of Orchard and Dominic Drives went before the Covington Zoning Commission May 18, 2015 and was approved.

Lonesome Development is the developer which is interested in annexing the land in North Covington for the neighborhood development project.  The 87-acre tract of land under discussion will include both residential and commercial new construction.  Plans for this new subdivision in St. Tammany Parish include 205 single-family lots and two commercial sites. The developer will use 80.4 acres of the land for homesites to build new homes and 6.7 acres of the land for the commercial development. The plan is to build the development in four phases.

Even though it is adjacent to the land that is currently in the final phases of lot development at Oak Alley Subdivision, the new Oak Alley Meadows development is a separate community from the current Oak Alley.  DSLD Homes is building the final new homes for sale in this community and once it is completed, there will be a total of 300 newly built homes.


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