Simmons Homes

When you think of using technology to sell your home, what comes to mind? Likely it’s Craigslist, Zillow, or other online sites designed to help you sell and market your home. A recent article from MSN, however,  depicts a new way people are using technology to sell their homes. Video! That’s right, video! One of the most important steps in preparing to sell your home is the “staging”. During the staging phase, you update things, paint, and try your best to allow the potential buyers to envision themselves living in your home/neighborhood. But are they really getting the FULL view? Of course not!

The buyer will likely not see how great the community is, or how cozy the house is from YOUR perspective…. Or will they? Video taping your home and community is a GREAT way to let potential buyers into the day to day operations of the house you call home. I’m not talking about a family skit or anything of the sort.  In fact, it’s very simple. You make your video from the standpoint of a realtor, selling your home on it’s best features.

If you’re still weary of posting the luxuries of your private home on Facebook and other social media, you are not alone. In fact, the article speaks about a man who serves as a church outreach director and felt uncomfortable boasting about his home to friends and family on social media. The awkwardness was soon dissolved when, just moments after posting, he began receiving many responses to his video. Just one day after posting, he accepted an offer made on his home by a person whose agent had seen the listing via Facebook!

It’s not necessary for you to be in school for film directing, or and extravagant actor/actress to make your video. It need only be the simple details that you feel would stand out to a potential buyer. Include your favorite parts of the outside and inside of your home, along with a few snippets from around your neighborhood. No fancy software is required. You can take a simple video directly from your smartphone or, if you feel comfortable, use one of the many free video editing programs available online to make edits to your video. Either way, your video will stand out from others in web searches, and likely entice many more potential buyers than your listing alone.

A few months ago, we posted an article released in the Fiscal Times, reporting that Tulsa, Oklahoma was rated the second best city in America for Young People to find jobs!

The article boast how Tulsa has added over 10,000 jobs in 2011 alone, landing itself on the list of 10 Best Cities to find a a job! And guess what?!?! The good news doesn’t end there! Not only is Tulsa rated one of the best places to FIND a job…it’s also the best place to CREATE your job!

A few more statistics in the article were:

• Tulsa reported an unemployment rate of only 4.5 percent for people ages 25-34 years of age.

• Tulsa added over 10,000 jobs in 2011 alone, with 4,000 of these jobs paying salaries of  $50,000 a year or more!!!

In a recent article in Forbes Magazine, Tulsa was rated the No. 1 City for Young Entrepreneurs! The total of businesses per 100 Residents was reported as 10.7.

A common concern among parents is, “When is the best time to move to a new home?” There’s no solution that will work for everyone. It depends on the children and their ages and personalities.Moving in the summer allows families to settle into a new home during a less hectic time period. The kids can use their vacation months to explore the neighborhood and maybe take part in summer camps and activities where they can meet classmates.

But there’s also something to be said for moving during the school year. You automatically integrate your child into a school where they meet classmates the very first day—as opposed to sitting around the house or yard and feeling isolated because they’ve left their friends behind. By starting out your new home experience during the school year, your children also jump right into the many activities happening in this time—clubs, sports, scouts, and field trips. They quickly make friends as they settle into their new community and routine. A teacher will often take a little more time getting new kids acclimated in the middle of the year than at the beginning, when all students are new to her class. She might be more aware of a youngster’s unease and pair the child with someone else or encourage others to include the newcomer into their activities.

By moving when the most activity is happening, your child will make friends sooner and then have the summer months to build on those relationships.

Moving with children is always a challenge. If you have any tips or experiences about moving a family, we’d love to hear from you!

Spring is here, and many find this the perfect time of year to clean house. Your home is meant to be a place for you to relieve stress and decompress at the end of the day. Is your home feeling fresh and breezy?? If not, below are a few tips to help you out.

Organization is key

The change of a season is always a great reminder to get rid of clutter. Winter, especially, can bring lots of clutter into the home. If you are like most you say “If only I had the time!” Worry not. This does not need to be an entire weekend event. In fact, setting aside just 10 minutes each day to pick a room in your house and reduce clutter will prove to be a stress free way to tackle the task. If you’re open to suggestions, Martha Stewart has some GREAT IDEAS for organizing your home.

Add some green to your environment

Plants are a great way to reduce stress. It is actually proven that plants help to reduce blood pressure! If you missed out on the “green thumb” gene, worry not. There are plenty of very easy, low maintenance plants that are quite manageable. Check with your local greenery for recommendations on these plants targeted for your specific region.

Switch it up a bit

Inexpensive light dimmer switches and the use of lamps can help you switch from bright lightening to a more serene dim light at the end of the day when it’s time to wind down. This helps your body to jump into relaxation mode and unwind at the end of the day.

Freshen up a bit

It’s a proven fact that different aromas effect your body in different ways. Be sure to fill your house with an aroma that is both warm, inviting, and relaxing. While the smell should fit your preference, it’s a nice idea to choose something that isn’t to harsh or overwhelming to the senses for those that you live with, or who visit your home. Many times, if a sent is too strong it can have the exact opposite effect of soothing you!

The time is here!!! Once a year the people of Tulsa, Oklahoma have the opportunity to vote for Tulsa’s A-List! As in the past, the A-LIST will recognize Tulsa’s best businesses as selected by the magazine’s readers and others who complete the online ballot.  The voting results will be featured in the magazine’s June issue.

Be sure to take the time to vote Simmons Homes your favorite homebuilder! Not only does this help Simmons make the A-List, it also gives YOU the opportunity to win a few awesome prizes (see below)!

How to vote

Visit TulsaPeople.com/A-List/ , and select “Services” from the four categories at the bottom of the page.

Vote for Simmons Homes when voting on the “Remodeler/Builder” category (page 2), then be sure to enter your name and email address at the bottom of the page. Select “done” and there you have it! You should have see a screen that says your vote has been submitted (see below).

Perks of Voting

More than $1,500 in prizes will be awarded, simply for casting votes! Visit TulsaPeople.Com between March 1-31 to vote for your favorite business and you will be automatically entered into a drawing to win one of the weekly prize packages. If you vote in all four categories, you will be registered for the Grand Prize: A $500 Moody’s Jewelry gift card AND $500 Castleberry’s Ethan Allen gift card!

**You must vote for at least 50% of the categories in the “Services” section in order to be eligible for prizes. This is not necessary for your vote for Simmons to count, only to be entered into the drawing for prizes.

Remember: The ballots are only open March 1-31^st, so be sure to get your vote in today!

Click here to vote!

The reasons why people move vary greatly. It may be to relocate due to a new job, or simply to find a floor plan that better fits their family needs. People move due to additions to their families, and new marriages. According to the U.S. Census, however, the reason people moved the most in 2012, was simply for a New/Better home. See the list below for a break down of why people moved in 2012.

Housing Reasons

-New/Better Home 15.9%

-Other 14.4%

-Cheaper Housing 8.9%

-Wanted own home 4.7%

-Better neighborhood 3.4%

-Evicted or foreclosed 2.2%

Family Reasons

-Other 12.3%

-Start own household 10.7%

-Marital status changed 6.3%

Job Reasons

-New job 9.5%

-Easier commute 5.5%

-Other 2.1%

-Looking for work 1.8%

-Retired .5%

We expect that trends for moving in 2012 will greatly match those of 2012. Luckily, here at Simmons, it’s a GREAT time to purchase a new home. If you are still on the fence on whether or not to upgrade your home to a new, custom built home, give us a call and we can answer all of your questions and fill you in on the benefits to building new!

If you are looking for a home in Broken Arrow,OK  Simmons has you covered!! One of the notable communities Simmons has in this area is Oxford Court, a part of the Simmon’s Modern Classic Homes Collection. These are homes that we have created, based on direct feedback from our customers. They include sleek textures and finishes that express the character and living style of the people that live within them.

Simmon’s Modern Classic Homes are a wonderfully unique combination of traditional and contemporary styles. A few of these distinguishing features include rustic hued floors combined with modern glass and accents. These home promote a traditional family feel, with all of the amenities and perks of a brand new modern home.

Aside from just the beautiful homes themselves, Oxford Court offers residents a beautiful community with several amenities including a swimming pool, and neighborhood play area. In the heart of Tulsa County, it also provides quick access to premier restaurants and local shopping.  If you have never toured one of these homes, you should stop by and view one today! Oxford Courts has homes under construction NOW available as early as March 2013.

Lauren and Daniel Rew are self-proclaimed “big lookers”. They spent 6-7 months looking for a home, searching amongst used homes. The Rew’s soon found that used homes would not provide them with the exact details and amenities they craved for their new dwelling. They assumed building a home would be out of their price range…until they came across Simmons Homes that is.  Building a home with Simmons not only proved to be financially obtainable, but allowed them to choose the details that they wanted for their new home.

Lauren and Daniel describe they process of building as “extremely comfortable” and “a very pleasant experience from the very beginning”. They weren’t the only ones excited about their new home! Their 4-year-old son found it easy to transition, due to the help of a Simmons site manager. The site manager made a point to include their son in the visits, as their home was being constructed. Before the home’s construction was complete, their son had already become acclimated with where his new room would be, the bathroom, kitchen, playroom, etc.

“I feel like {the line of communication between the buyer and the builder} was always open, my questions were always answered in a timely fashion, and I was never left hung out to try with anything. I appreciated that”. Lauren Rew

Simmons Homes is proud to announce the newest member of our sales team, Joshua Sensintaffar. Joshua  was born and raised in Ponca City Oklahoma where he resided until he received his Bachelors in Marketing from Oklahoma State University. He moved to Tulsa Oklahoma in January 2007, and managed retail stores for many years.

In February on 2010, Josh made his debut into the housing industry where he started selling manufactured and modular homes for Oakwood Homes.  It didn’t take long for Josh to get into the groove of things, and by 2011 he was already receiving top performer awards! Josh’s favorite thing to do in his free time are hunt, fish, and wakeboard.

Josh has already began proving himself as an invaluable part of our Simmons Homes team. As a New Home Specialist, Josh serves as the first point of contact for potential clients.

Welcome to the team Josh!

At Simmons, we make a point of making your home buying experience easy and stress-free. One of the tools we use to accomplish this, is by keeping you armed with all information upfront. We want to ensure that you understand, and feel comfortable with, each and every step of the process. When beginning to search for homes, it is important to understand the associated terminology. Below is glossary of some of the most commonly used terms in the home buying and homebuilding world:

Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM). A loan whose interest rate is adjusted according to movements in the financial market.

Amortization. A payment plan by which a borrower reduces a debt gradually through monthly payments of principal and interest.

Annual Percentage Rate (APR). The annual cost off credit over the life of a loan, including interest, service charges, points, loan fees, mortgage insurance, and other items.

Appraisal. An evaluation to determine what a piece of property would sell for in the marketplace.

Appreciation. The increase in the value of a property.

Assessment. A tax levied on a property or a value placed on the worth of property by a taxing authority.

Binder. A receipt for a deposit paid to secure the right to purchase a home at terms agreed upon by the buyer and seller.

Cap. A limit to the amount an interest rate or a monthly payment can increase for an adjustable rate loan either during an adjustment period or over the life of the loan.

Certificate of Occupancy. A document from an official agency stating that the property meets the requirements of local codes, ordinances, and regulations.

Closing. A meeting to sign documents which transfer property from a seller to a buyer. (Also called settlement)

Closing Costs. Charges paid at settlement for obtaining a mortgage loan and transferring real estate title.

Conditions, Covenants, and Restrictions (CC and Rs). The standards that define how a property may be used and the protections the developer has made for the benefit of all owners in a subdivision.

Conventional Loan. A mortgage loan not insured by a government agency (such as FHA or VA).

Credit Rating. A report ordered by a lender from a credit bureau to determine if the borrower is a good credit risk.

Density. The number of homes built on a particular acre of land. Allowable densities are usually determined by local jurisdictions.

Downpayment. The difference between the sales price and the mortgage amount on a home. The downpayment is usually paid at closing.

Earnest Money. A sum paid to the seller to show that a potential purchaser is serious about buying.

Easement. Right-of-way granted to a person or company authorizing access to the owner’s land; for example, a utility company may be grated an easement to install pipes or wires. An owner may voluntarily grant an easement, or in some cases, be compelled to grant one by a local jurisdiction.

Equity. The difference between the value of a home and what is owed on it.

Escrow. The handling of funds or documents by a third party on behalf of the buyer and/or seller.

Federal Housing Administration (FHA). A federal agency which insures mortgages that have lower downpayment requirements than conventional loans.

Fixed Rate Mortgage. A mortgage whose interest rate remains constant over the life of the loan. The payments are not necessarily level. (See Graduated Payment Mortgage and Growing Equity Mortgage).

Fixed Schedule Mortgage. A mortgage whose payment schedule for the life of the loan is established at closing. The payments and interest rate are not necessarily level.

Hazard Insurance. Protection against damage caused by fire, windstorm, or other common hazards. Many lenders require borrowers to carry it in an amount at least equal to the mortgage.

Index. The interest rate or adjustment standard which determines the changes in monthly payments for an adjustable rate loan.

Infrastructure. The public facilities and services needed to support residential development, including highways, bridges, schools, and sewer and water systems

Interest. The cost paid to a lender for the use of borrowed money.

Mortgage Commitment. A formal written communication by a lender, agreeing to make a mortgage loan on a specific property, specifying the loan amount, length of time and conditions.

Mortgage Company (Mortgage Banker). A company that borrows money from a bank, lends it to consumers who want to buy homes, then sells the loans to investors.

Mortgagee. The lender who makes a mortgage loan.

Mortgage Loan. A contract in which the borrower’s property is pledged a s collateral and which can be repaid in installments over a long period. The mortgagor (buyer) promises to repay principal and interest, to keep the home insured, to pay all taxes, and to keep the property in good condition.

Mortgage Origination Fee. A charge by a lender for the work involved in preparing and servicing a mortgage application (usually 1 percent of the loan amount).

Note. A formal document showing the existence of a debt and stating the terms of repayment.

PITI. Principal, interest, taxes, and insurance (the 4 major components of monthly housing payments).

Point. A charge of 1 percent of the mortgage amount. Points are a one-time charge assessed by the lender at closing to increase the interest yield on a mortgage loan.

Principal. The amount borrowed in a loan, excluding interest and other charges.

Recording Fee. A charge for recording the transfer of a property, paid to a city, county, or other appropriate branch of government.

R-Value. The resistance of insulation material (including windows) to heat passing through it. The higher the number, the greater the insulating value.

Sales Contract. A contract between a buyer and seller which should explain, in detail, exactly what the purchase includes, what guarantees there are, when the buyer can move in, what the closing costs are, and what recourse the parties have if the contract is not fulfilled or if the buyer cannot get a mortgage commitment at the agreed-upon terms.

Settlement. (See Closing).

Shared Appreciation Mortgage. A loan in which partners agree to share specified portions of the downpayment, monthly payment, and appreciation.

Title. Evidence (usually in the form of a certificate or deed) of a person’s legal right to ownership of a property.

Walk-Through. A final inspection of a home before settlement to search for problems that need to be corrected before ownership changes hands.

Warranty. A promise, either written or implied, that the material and workmanship of a product is defect-free or will meet a specified level of performance over a specified period of time. Written warranties on new homes are either backed by insurance companies or by the builders themselves.