Front Door Décor Tips

Your front entryway should be the central focus to the exterior of your home. It’s probably the most commonly used door at your house and is often overlooked. Check out these front door décor tips to add curb appeal to your new home in St. George.

Even though it’s not the holiday season, add a wreath to your front door. Colors like pink, yellow and blue are perfect for the summer season. Don’t forget the bow for extra pizzazz.

Create symmetry to your front door with potted plants, flowers or trees. This is sure to add a welcoming appeal for you and your guests.

Speaking of guests, allow them to enter your new home in St. George to music. Hang wind chimes to the front door or door handle.

With a fresh coat of paint or repainting the door a bold color, you are sure to liven up you front door. Select a color that flows with the rest of the décor. You can complete the look by adding a welcome mat and a vintage doorknob or handle.

Enhance the front door by putting your family’s monogram on your doorknocker. It’s quick and easy but is a lovely addition to your front door décor.

We hope these tips will give you some ideas for front door décor. For more information on our new home in St. George communities or other properties, call us at 855-580-1900.

Foyer design and decorating trends for new homes

Your foyer is the gateway to your home. It’s the first thing guests’ notice when they walk through your front doors and the last impression they have of you when they leave. Foyers should be inviting, reflect your personality and set the tone for the rest of your home. Get inspired to create a wonderful space by these foyer design and decorating trends for your new home in St. George, UT.

Transform your foyer into a welcoming place. Paint your foyer a warm color but select a different color from the surrounding rooms for contrast.

Lighting is essential for any foyer but you don’t want to overdue it by making it too bright. You can add flair to your foyer by putting in a chandelier. Just make sure you leave enough headroom for those tall family members and guests.

A classic foyer design has always been hanging a wall mirror above a table. A current trend is leaning a long mirror against the wall. A mirror comes in handy for checking out your appearances before you step outside, reflects the surrounding features and adds to the décor of your foyer.

Next, add seating. Make sure it’s conducive to the space in your new home in St. George, UT by size and proportion. Seating is multifunctional and can be used as a place guest’s wait, as a seat to remove footwear and outerwear or event o place the mail, magazines or newspapers. Good seating options include an ottoman, bench or accent chairs.

After you’ve selected your seating, designate a place for footwear. Even if you don’t require shoes to be removed before entering the rest of the house, some guests may prefer doing so. A shoe rack or rug may be a great place to put the shoes and comes in handy during inclement weather.

Don’t forget to add a personal statement to your new home in St. George, UT foyer. This can be anything from seasonal flowers in a vase, to family portraits, a collection, artwork or sculpture. It’s a great way to tell your guests a little bit about you and is a great conversation starter.

Online New Home Shopping Tips

The days of only looking at the classifieds or getting a homebuyer magazine to search for your new home are over. Technology has made shopping for a new home convenient and more efficient. So whether you’re looking for specific home builders in St. George, UT, a certain type of home or desired location, check out these tips for shopping for a new home online.

Know your budget – Before setting out on your online new home journey, know how much your can afford. Check out online mortgage calculators and don’t forget to factor in homeowners insurance and taxes.

Filter your search – Many home builders have options for you to narrow down your search on their site. Ence Homes, one of the reputable and elite home builders in St. George, UT, offers this. You can filter your new home from price range, square footage, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms and garages to the state and move-in ready homes.

Map it out – Use Google maps to figure out the distance between the office, kids schools and the perspective locations of your new home.

Use apps – If you have an iPad or smartphone, there are plenty of apps to assist you while shopping for a new home online and after you’ve purchased your home. Some are free to download while others cost. Mortgage Calculator Pro by Eamonn and Ian LLC, available on iTunes for $1.99, allows you to calculate mortgage payments for a loan, calculates the monthly costs of home ownership and even the total cost of buying a home. Another cool app to check out is, Photo Measures. It’s available on iTunes for $4.99 and allows you to save measurements on your photos that you can take photos on tours and plan your space with measurements you can refer to later.

Ence Homes website – View the Ence Homes website to check out the various communities, floor plans and Energy Star features of the home builders in St. George, UT. If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to chat with an Ence Representative online on the website.

Tips to begin the search for your new home

House hunting is never an easy task. But going into this process with a game plan can help you out tremendously. Here are great tips to help you begin the search for your homes for sale in St. George, UT.

  1. Make a list of your wants and needs. This includes everything from the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, floorplan layout and features.
  2. Research and review your desired area (school district, shopping centers, commute to your job and crime in the area). This will help you get a better feel of where you’ll be living.
  3. Know your financial situation ahead of time. There is nothing worse than falling in love with a home you can’t afford.  Contact a lender to see how much you qualify for and get pre-approved for a loan.
  4. Just because you qualify for a certain amount doesn’t mean you have to spend that much.
  5. Save your money to put down a larger down payment on your homes for sale in St. George, UT, pay closing costs and to furnish your new home.
  6. The homes you’ve viewed may start to blend together after viewing many properties. Document this process by taking notes and snapping pictures to remember the specific features of each home.
  7. Patience is key. This process may take some time, but never lose sight of your end goal.
  8. Don’t rush into buying your homes for sale in St. George, UT. This is a big deal and major investment so remember, don’t settle.

Ence’s Simple Home Buying Process

You’ve been thinking about buying a new home. Now is the time to stop thinking about purchasing that home and taking the necessary steps to own a Southern Utah homes for sale. With Ence Homes the process is easy.The first step is to connect with an Ence Representative who will introduce you to the various floorplans you can choose from. Once you pick your floorplan it is time to secure your loan and sign a purchase agreement. An Ence Representative will assist you during this process and they’ll be with you from concept to completion of your project.

The next step is to customize your home to select all the right features for your Southern Utah homes for sale with the help of the Ence Homes Design Center.

Once you have your homes design locked down it’s time to build your home. From there a community specialist and project manager will keep you in the know of the home building process. They’ll be on standby to answer any questions you may have and will send pictures to update you on the various stages of building.

After your home is complete it’s time to close on your home and get ready to move into your new home. A Homeowner Orientation meeting is available to acquaint you with the ins and outs of your home from warranty coverage to maintenance. You’ll sign the title papers and get the finances transferred during a closing appointment. Finally, keys will be handed over to make you the official homeowner.

As you can tell Ence’s home buying process is simple. So, contact a Representative to get started on your Southern Utah homes for sale today.

Top 10 Reasons to Build an Ence Home

Here are the top 10 reasons you should build an Ence Home.

  1. Experience – Jay and Quentin Ence founded Ence Homes with a dream of building quality new homes. Since their founding in 1957, the Ence family has been creating quality homes for sale in St. George, UT andMesquite,NV. We pride ourselves on being family oriented, honest and possessing great value.
  1. Quality construction – Ence Homes takes satisfaction in quality construction of your home from the materials used to construct your home to the subcontractors hired to help build them to ensure your home lasts a lifetime.
  1. Choices – Ence Homes offers a wide range of choices with their floor plans to suit the needs of your family from their custom homes to move-in ready home.
  1. Open communication – Communication is essential to any relationship. With Ence Homes you’ll know what’s happening throughout every step of the way.
  1. Customer service – We’ll listen to our customers throughout the home building process to ensure building an Ence Homes will leave you with the home of your dreams the exact way you envisioned it. We serve to please our customers from conception to completion of your home and beyond.
  1. Warranty – Committed to our customers, each home also comes with a 10-year warranty.
  1. Energy efficient – From water-efficient, energy-efficient, resource-efficient to indoor air quality features, Ence Homes are Green Homes. Your homes for sale in St. George, UT is at least 20% more energy efficient than those built to the 2004 International Residential Code.
  1. Innovation – Ence Homes has always been a trendsetter and were amongst the first homebuilders nationwide to build their homes to the standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program.
  1. Customer satisfaction – Ence Homes customers are satisfied with the process of building their home and the results of their beautiful homes for sale in St. George, UT and Mesquite, NV. Click here to view testimonials from customers.
  1. Awards – Ence Homes is a recognized leader in homebuilding and has been winning awards for over a decade. In recent years, Ence Homes has been awarded: the 2011 winner of the ENERGY STAR Leadership in Housing Awards, 2010 recipient of the Builder Member of the Year and 2009 Builder’s Magazine Biggest Builder award and ENEREGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award.

Energy Saving Tips for Winter Months

Here are ten energy saving tips that you can use during these winter months at your St. George new home.

  • Maintain your heating system by cleaning it and getting it inspected yearly. You should also clean or change your furnace filters once a month. Doing these things help your units run more efficiently and can help save you money on your heating bill.
  • Set your thermostat to 68 degrees when you are at your Ence Homes and to about 60 degrees when you’re sleeping or gone for the day. Wear a sweater or use throw blankets to keep warm as well.
  • Allow the sunshine to radiate your St. George new home by opening your curtains and shades. Remember to close them at night to keep the heat in.
  • Position your furniture and drapes away from your vents so your rooms are being heated to the fullest.
  • Turn off the bath fan to make certain the heat doesn’t get sucked out of your residence after you’ve taking a bath or a shower.
  • Install in a low-flow showerhead to save your heated water. You may also want to cut back on your shower time.
  • Turn down your water heater to 120 degrees to save money on your energy bill.
  • Plug your electronics into a power strip and turn the switch off on your power strip when those electronics aren’t in use.
  • Install motion sensors, dimmers and automatic times in your home to help conserve energy.
  • Close the doors in your home to ensure you aren’t heating unoccupied rooms.

Hopefully by following these energy saving tips you’ll be able to save money, stay warm and enjoy the winter months at your St. George new home.

 

Now is a Great Time To Buy

With a population of 138,492, picturesque views, walking trails, pools, plenty of golfing, low crime rates, an excellent school district and just a thirty-minute drive to the Zion National Park, St. George, UT is a fabulous place to live and raise a family. Over the next two years, the housing market is expected to turn around for your home in St. George, UT neighborhoods. This projected bounce back makes now a great time to buy a home.Now is the ideal time to purchase or custom make a home because as the market recovers, there’s an anticipation of a rise in property value. Prices of your home in St. George, UT are expected to increase 7.9% from the second quarter of 2011 to the second quarter of 2012. Right now mortgage rates are also seeing historic lows. This is great news for prospective Ence Homes customers of the St. George, UT neighborhoods who are looking for a reason to buy. Buying a home is also more economically beneficial than renting and the unemployment rate is currently at 9.6%, which dropped from the 10.6% it was back in January 2010

The housing market recovery means excellent opportunities for you and your family by buying home in St. George, UT. Consult the Ence Homes to schedule a tour of one of their move-in ready homes or to build your home

Fall Home Maintenance Tips

With football season in full force, the days getting shorter, temperatures cooling down and leaves changing colors that only means one thing, fall is right around the corner. On September 23rd autumn begins. As you prepare for the change in season, Halloween, Thanksgiving and other happenings during the next few months, Ence Homes suggests you keep these fall home maintenance tips for both inside and outside you new home in Mesquite, NV.

1. Do a full cleaning sweep of your fireplace. It’s recommended that you bring in a professional to inspect your fireplace and chimney if you plan on using it a lot.

2. Examine your gutters for debris. Getting rid of anything that doesn’t belong will help with water drainage and limit any standing water that can possibly freeze.

3. Check your roof out to make sure nothing is damaged and if there are any damages get them repaired.

4. Store your temperature susceptible materials, like your patio furniture, in a safe place.

5. Remove your garden hoses from outdoor spouts and drain it thoroughly as well as your outdoor faucets.

6. Test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors throughout your new home in Mesquite, NV and replace the batteries if necessary.

7. Dust the ceiling fans in your home. You’ll want to reverse the ceiling fans to have the warm air pushed down from the ceiling. This may help you save money on your heating bill.

8. Hire a HVAC technician to check out your heating system.

9. Look around your house for damaged window screens, broken or cracked glass and
air leaks that may be around your doors or windows.

10. Though it’s not springtime, do a fall cleaning of your new home in Mesquite, NV and don’t forget to remove hair from your shower, bathtubs and sink drains.

Following these fall home maintenance tips will help maintain your home throughout the fall and prepare it for the winter.

 

Rent vs. Buy (Why buying a new home is the better option)

Deciding whether or not you should rent or buy a new home? When you look at the pros of homeownership it really isn’t a hard decision to make. Ence Homes lists out several reasons why buying a new homes for sale in St. George, UT is the better option.

Gives you more control – Homeownership gives you one thing renting can and never will be able to give you, control. When living in your own home you are able to do whatever you want compared to having to abide by the rules of your landlord. You can customize your home with an Ence Homes Representatives to fit the needs of you and your family. You’ll also be able to decorate it however you’d like compared to having restrictions from a landlord.

Long term plans –Buying a home is the better option when wanting to stay in your homes for sale in St. George, UT long-term. There is nothing like planting roots in a home that is your own. You can watch your kids grow up in your home and create everlasting memories. You’ll find comfort in befriended your neighbors and having a sense of community with your Ence Homes neighbors.

Lack of increase in payment – Eventually you’ll pay off your homes for sale in St. George, UT mortgage and won’t have to pay anything to stay in your home. On the other hand, a landlord can increase your rent making the cost of staying in their home increase.

Security – Not only can your rent increase, but also at anytime your landlord can decide to sell the property or move back in it. Homeownership provides you with the stability to make your house a home and keep it that way by not worrying about if you’ll have to move out at any moment.