Builders Are Enthusiastic With the Upturn in the Housing Market

Builders are enthusiastic with the upturn in the housing market and are seeing more new home buyers as the economy rises. The stronger job market caused by the addition of 3 million jobs in the U.S. has encouraged more people to become new homeowners. In fact, nationwide single-family homes sold for close to full asking price!
After a low sales report in March due to the harsh winter weather, it is encouraging to see an increase in standing inventory of new homes and new homes under construction. According to the current data release from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau newly built home sales rose 6.8% in April. Regionally, new homes sales increased by 5.8% in the southern region. The new homes sales pace is expected to raise the amount of new homes for sale on the market creating a 4.8 month supply of new home inventory which is crucial to the housing market recovery.

“Sales are moving forward and our builder members are telling us they are starting to see more activity as more buyers get off the fence and enter the marketplace,” said NAHB Chairman Tom Woods.

At Bedico Creek Preserve, our master planned development in St. Tammany Parish had much to celebrate during the 1^st four months of 2015 achieving 22 new home sales for a total gross sales volume amount of $7,671,150. Bedico Creek, a collection of neighborhoods inside of a Conservation Community, offers a variety of new homes in a selection of price ranges both for lots for sale as well as new homes for sale. In one of our exclusive neighborhoods, one of our top St. Tammany Parish builders sold a Spec Home for a record sales price of $1,025,000 which comes out to $241 / per square foot.
In addition to the high volume of new home sales in 2015, Bedico Creek Preserve also had a phenomenal sales volume of $250,000 in lot sales in the first 4 months of the year. To keep pace with the increasing demand for local home buyers in the Greater New Orleans area, Bedico Creek Preserve opened two exclusive new home neighborhoods – Cypress Crossing and Deer Park – and the subdivision now offers lots for sale in Lakeveiw Neighborhood and Heron Point Neighborhood as well. Site plan (plat) approvals for new future Neighborhoods are also currently underway.

If you are in the market for a new home or considering purchasing a new home, Visit Bedico Creek Preserve today to discover our new homes for sale or learn more about building a new, custom home on one of our quickly selling lots! Contact Us Directly at 985-845-4200 or E-mail Info@LiveBedico.com.


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Outstanding Patient Experience Award Goes to St. Tammany Parish Hospital

Covington and Mandeville should not only be proud of their big city culture and small-town charm, but now they can also boast about their cutting edge medical care and medical facilities.  St. Tammany Parish Hospital ranked in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for patient experience and quality.  Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, gave St. Tammany Parish Hospital the 2015 Outstanding Patient Experience Award for giving patients a positive experience during their stay as well as exceeding their expectations with their patient service.

Healthgrades does extensive research for this honorable distinction, and the standards that are to be achieved in order to receive such high recognition are thorough and very high. A 27-question survey is given to a group of patients that focuses on their overall hospital experience.  Question examples range from how they were treated by the doctors, cleanliness and noise levels of their rooms, pain management, would they recommend the hospital to friends or family and the overall responsiveness from doctors and nurses to the patients’ needs.

In addition to the recognition by Healthgrades, the hospital also received 4 stars in a Medicare patient experience survey which also happened to be one of the state’s highest scores.  St. Tammany Parish Hospital was ranked among the nation’s top community hospitals – the top 5% in hospitals nationwide – by U.S. News & World Report and WomenCertified.  This national recognition solidifies the reputation of healthcare facilities in St. Tammany Parish which has some of the most sophisticated and advanced medical tools and practices.

St. Tammany Parish Hospital’s President and CEO Patti Ellish said, “We are honored to be singled out in these ways.”

St. Tammany has a large selection of medical facilities and hospitals parish-wide both in East St. Tammany and West St. Tammany Parish. There two major hospitals, just 5 miles from each other, Lakeview Regional in Mandeville, and St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington as well as two additional major hospitals in the East, Slidell Memorial and Ochsner. In the business district of Covington, Louisiana, there are numerous, specialty medical clinics that offer medical services for specific ailments such as sleep disorders, dermatological, and orthopedics.

This is great news for St. Tammany and makes moving into this Northshore community that much more appealing.  More than ever, consumers’ opinions about anything and everything are leading factors in one of the most important decisions home buyers will make – where you and your family can move and live comfortably with all of the lifestyle conveniences you need to raise a family.   Moving to Bedico Creek Preserve will make it so that you have access to award winning medical care and that you do not have to drive too far to have access to great hospitals and specialty medical facilities.


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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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Habitat for Humanity’s National Women Build Week in Mandeville

Habitat for Humanity’s National Women Build Week is an annual event held every year the week before Mother’s day where women across America join together to help build new homes in poverty stricken communities. The women’s comradery and the blessing of each other’s company made this week’s event a huge success. Since the program began, more than 2,300 homes have been built with

the help of National Women Build Week. This year, Habitat for Humanity was joined by the local St. Tammany Parish Lowe’s Home Improvement which donated close to $2 million to the week-long event.

You do not have to be a builder to volunteer. Both Habitat for Humanity and Lowe’s encourage women to volunteer for a day to not only gain new construction skills but to make a difference in the lives of new homeowners living in St. Tammany Parish. These volunteers impact the lives of many families by providing them the chance at owning a newly built home. Volunteers are not only giving their time to a good cause, they themselves are learning the ins and outs of new home construction which gives them new confidence in being able to handle small construction projects on their own utilizing their building education. Lowe’s’ how-to clinics also assist in giving women the opportunity to learn the necessary skills for the volunteer jobs.

As a “life skills” learning experience, as well as an achievement and self-confidence booster for the new homeowners who get to live in the homes built by Habitat for Humanity, the construction of their new home offers a valuable life lesson as well. The project requires that they take pride in their new home by putting in their own time, energy, and effort into the building project. New homeowners are required to put in 300 – 400 hours of time in not only building their own home but also other Habitat for Humanity homes as well. During National Women Build Week, the focus is on the challenges and obstacles poverty-stricken women face when trying to reach the goal of home ownership.

More than 15,000 women volunteered during National Women Build Week May 2-10 across America. Of those 15,000 women, more than 25 volunteers, along with Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West, and Lowe’s Home Improvement (which contributed financially with a $5,000 Lowe’s gift card to Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West) helped with the building of seven houses in the Mandeville affordable housing community just north of Florida Street in Old Mandeville. The seven new homes under construction will be dedicated to the home buyers in June and October of 2015.

Parish President Pat Brister, who was among those that volunteered, said, “Over 400 children have grown up and/or are currently living in Habitat St. Tammany West homes. That’s 400 children that now have a safe and stable home to grow up in.” This new home construction project brought life changing education as well as shelter for residents of Mandeville, Louisiana, in St. Tammany Parish.


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A Taste of Covington Celebrates its Fourth Annual Food and Wine Event

Covington Business Association is proud to announce the Fourth Annual “A Taste of Covington” happening April 9th through April 12th in Covington, Louisiana. A Taste of Covington celebrates its fourth annual food and wine event in and around downtown Covington and the historic district.  Chairman Cliff Bergeron created this family event to showcase downtown Covington’s restaurants and shops. The four-day event boasts numerous activities for local residents’ food & wine experiences.  Organizers so far are pleased with the response to the fourth annual event which they predict will be even bigger than the sold-out 2014 event.

Thursday begins the event with the Vintner’s Dinner, a four-course meal with expert wine pairings at top local restaurants. The participating restaurants include Annadelle’s Plantation, Dakota Restaurant,

Del Porto Ristorante, English Tea Room & Eatery, Gallagher’s Grill, Mac’s on Boston Street, Pardo’s, Ox Lot 9 and Seiler Bar.

The Grand Tasting takes place on Friday, April 10th under two tents at Acquistapace’s Wine Warehouse. Here you can enjoy approximately 75 different wines, along with dozens of cheeses. The tents can accommodate up to 400 people and will adjoin the wine warehouse where wine will be displayed.  There will also be room for more activities.

The Festa Del Vino Wine Tasting, presented by the Town of Covington’s Mayor Mike Cooper, will be at the Southern Hotel in the Historic District of Covington, Saturday afternoon, April 11th.  The featured wines will be premium wines donated by some sponsors of the event with exclusive attendance for only 100 connoisseurs to this high-end tasting.  Most of these wines are not found on the shelves in the local St. Tammany Parish stores.

On Saturday evening, April 11th, St. Tammany Art Association’s “Spring for Art” fills downtown with art, live music, food, shopping, a fashion show and more. Chairman Cliff Bergeron explains, “In each block of Columbia Street there’s going to be a loosely formed group of amateur chefs. It’s called

the ‘Ancient Order of Southern Gourmets.’ These Chefs will sell food samples to passersby as they make their way from one shop to the next during this evening of art and entertainment in downtown.”
“A Taste of Covington” wraps up April 12th with Sunday’s Champagne Jazz Brunch at Ox Lot 9. The fine dining experience will be created by Chef Jeffrey Hansel and accompanied with live entertainment from Steppin’ Up.

This year’s presenting sponsor is the Southern Hotel, while wine sponsors are Champagne Beverage Company, D&E Fine Wine Group and Acquistapace’s Supermarket. Grand sponsors are The French Mix and First Castle Credit Union, Festa Del Wino sponsor is Covington Mayor Mike Cooper, and five star sponsor is the City of Covington. Volkswagen of Mandeville will provide grand cars as the grand tasting sponsor; Music, food and spirits sponsors are Rosemary’s Closet, Stone Title and Mountain Valley Sparkling Water; and media sponsors are The Slidell Independent, Tammany West, New Directives, Covington Digital, WWNO, High 5 Studio, The New Orleans Advocate, Lake 94.7, the St. Tammany Farmer and Country Roads. A part of the proceeds from A Taste of Covington are donated to the St. Tammany Art Association.

For details and ticket information, visit www.atasteofcovington.com. For other inquiries, contact Cliff Bergeron at 504.439.2543 or email info@atasteofcovington.com.

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Beginning Construction on Northshore Technical Community College at Tamanend

The new STEM building, the first phase in the construction of the Northshore Technical Community College headquarters, will begin soon and is set to be completed in Spring of 2016.  A ground breaking announced the beginning construction on Northshore Technical Community College at Tamanend in St. Tammany Parish.  The new site is part of a plan which also includes a new

Emergency Operations Center, and a commercial/residential development in Lacombe off of Highway 434.  The overall community development will encompass an 850 acre tract owned by Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Development Company which donated 53 acres for the Northshore Technical Community College construction.

Along with St. Tammany’s reputation as the best schools in the Greater New Orleans area, the new 30,000-square-foot facility will play a vital role in the future growth of St. Tammany Parish; making the area attractive for relocation.  Conveniently located within a short drive to Mandeville, Slidell and Covington, the new planned development will make the area the center for economic expansion and the hub for workforce training.

Construction bids for the $10 million project will commence shortly. The construction will be financed through $9 million in state bonds and 12.6 acres contributed by St. Tammany Parish government which equates to $1.8 million.  The college plans to use $4.7 million in grant money provided by FEMA because of the destruction by Hurricane Katrina of the original college campus which operated in Slidell, LA.

Northshore Technical College is part of a master planned community named Tamanend which will have approximately 182 homes on estate lots for sale, 622 single-family homes for sale on smaller lots, 148 garden homes for sale, 108 townhomes for sale, and 210 apartments to be available for lease.  There will also be a retail and commercial section of the master plan.

Officials and educators are encouraged by the proximity of the new campus which is located in the center of St. Tammany Parish. They believe that the new state of the art facility will boost the reputation of a community college; making it easier to attract those local high school students whom previously believed they must attend a four year college for a successful future.

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Consumers are Optimistic About the 2015 Housing Market

There are many factors that predict a great housing market is to come, and consumers are optimistic about the 2015 housing market.  Job growth, coupled with low mortgage interest rates, and easier credit access can only mean one thing – a busy housing market this year.  Many houses are still quite affordable and prices are rebounding which makes for an industrious real estate market.  Why are consumers so upbeat with the housing industry?

Foreclosure inventories are on the decline and home sales are closing the gap for a normal market. Inventory is at approximately 4.5 months which is “normal” for any real estate market.  It is a tremendous opportunity for builders to “dive into” the housing market and start building because inventory will get tight. Now is the time for home buyers to get out there and purchase a home.  Lower inventory means lower prices.

Lower prices will not last. After 13 straight months of price increases, the real estate market has now stabilized nationwide in pricing, and prices are growing at a normal rate.  However, home prices will continue to rise making it a seller’s market vs. a buyer’s market.  Now would be a good time as a buyer to buy a new home while prices are average, and interest rates are low.

First-time buyers are finally able to see the light!  These potential home buyers have been kept out of entering the market because of limited employment for college students, combined households, and credit difficulties. In today’s market, lending standards and down payment requirements are easing making it a perfect lending opportunity for first-time home buyers.  Young adults are getting back to work, and that will drive household demand.
Speaking of lending, both home buyers and builders are able to get loans a little bit easier than before because of lending standard changes. The increase in interest rates, though hindering some, will not be so drastic as to “lock out” parts of the real estate market to certain buyers. Borrowing costs which are traditionally the highest in residential lending are lowering as firms compete for potential finance customers.
According to Thomson Reuters Data, “In the first quarter, 70 percent of mortgage lenders are reportedly expecting stronger loan demand over the next three months.”  If you want to lock in a low mortgage rate, you still can — but don’t wait, because rates will ultimately rise this year.

Wage increases have also finally come to fruition and this leads to solid job growth which will strengthen the housing demand, making it a big catalyst for homebuilders. With the increase in the minimum wage and the first increase in regular wages seen since 2007, wages are going up which means buyers will be able to afford more home for their money. Buyers who feel more financially secure will form new households and transition from rental to ownership.

All of this indicates it is the right time and opportunity to purchase a new home.  At Bedico Creek Preserve, a master planned subdivision in St. Tammany Parish, we have seen a phenomenal demand for lots, homes, and building custom homes.  Our clients are eager to invest in our community with one of our neighborhoods selling out in just over 1 year.  Bedico Creek has since developed lots ready to build in, one of which is a builder-exclusive neighborhood of homes for sale called Cypress Crossing.

At Bedico Creek Preserve, we not only sell new custom homes, but we also sell a unique lifestyle just minutes from shopping, dining, and entertainment in the mall district of Highway 21 and easy access to downtown Covington, Louisiana.  Our Conservation Community is developed so that our new homes built as well as our amenities are nestled among and around the green spaces, waterways, and natural habitat.  We have designed and built hiking and biking trails that wind throughout a wildlife preserve so that when you move into our subdivision, you get to enjoy all that nature has to offer while being able to easily get to your place of work or even downtown New Orleans. If you have not had the chance already, come Visit Our Community or Contact Us at 985-845-4200 or E-mail Info@LiveBedico.com.

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