new home or remodel

EERE Consumer's Guide: Designing and Remodeling a Home Search Help More Search Options Search EERE Information Center Professional Services Find an Architect American Institute of Architects Federal Government Resources Energy-Efficient Rehab Advisor U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Related Links A Construction Technology Showcase Homes Across America Energy & Environmental Building Association Decisions for Environmental Buildings Green Tree Green Building Home Guidelines National Association of Home Builders Research Center Reading List Related Publications Printable Version Designing and Remodeling a Home Before you design a new home or remodel an existing one, you should consider investing in its energy efficiency. You'll save energy and money in the long run. It's also a good time to invest in a renewable energy system that will provide your home with electricity , water heating , or space heating and cooling . If you'd like to design an energy-efficient home, no matter what type of design, you should use what's called the whole-house systems approach . If you're remodeling a home, conduct an energy audit to help you determine what energy efficiency improvements should and can be made to your home. Learn how to optimize energy efficiency with the following home designs and construction techniques: Advanced House (Wall) Framing Techniques Reduce lumber use and waste—improving energy efficiency—in the construction of a traditional wood-framed house. Earth-sheltered Homes Incorporate earth into their structure and design for durability and energy efficiency. Log Homes Use wooden logs to provide structure and insulation. Manufactured Homes Feature energy-efficient options for new homes and improvements for older homes. Passive Solar Homes Take advantage of climatic conditions, especially the sun, for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. Straw Bale Homes Use straw bales to provide all or part of their structure and insulation. Zero Energy Homes Produce more energy than they use. You should also explore your options for financing an energy-efficient home or improvements . Printable Version Skip footer navigation to end of page. Webmaster | Security & Privacy | Consumer's Guide Home | EERE Home U.S. Department of Energy Content Last Updated: September 12, 2005

Buy Property

Homes for Sale, Foreclosures, Real Estate Listings :: Buy a House, Sell Your Home at House.com -- "Thank you for all you did to help us get into our new home" -The Meyer Family House.com Sections Find an Agent Foreclosure search -- Check House Value Tips for Buying a House Apply for Mortgage -- Agents Sign Up Here -- Current Rates 30-year fixed: 5.78 % 15-year fixed: 5.18 % 1-year ARM: 4.06 % -- House.com is the 2nd Most Visited Real Estate Site* We are the Nationwide Leader in Connecting You to Top Real Estate Agents. Getting Started 1. Select below a state you want to buy or sell a house in. 2. Fill out our simple form to find top real estate agents. This service is absolutely free with no obligations . Click here to find an Agent » Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming We are a Licensed New York State Real Estate Broker. Home | About Us | Contact Us affiliate program --| Privacy Statement | Terms And Conditions | Jobs | Agents Glossary | Site Map | Press Releases | Exclusive Leads | Census Utah Real Estate | Salt Lake City Real Estate Utah Real Estate Agent | Salt Lake City Real Estate Agent *ComScore Media Metrix Report, week ending September 26, 2004

Florida Real Estate Florida

South Florida Real Estate - Property for Sale in Broward and Palm Beach Counties including new construction and preconstuction homes and condos Select One... Featured Homes Communities Country Clubs Equestrian Pre-Construction Condominiums Complete Property Search Rentals Waterfront Coming Soon... to Florida luxury living. From family communities to beachfront condominiums; from tree-lined fairways to waterfront estates; from active, amenity rich developments to quiet neighborhood homes; Florida Homes Online will find your special home in the sun. We invite you to search for your dream or investment home right here or call us Toll Free at 800-330-1924 or email: info@floridahomesonline.com for personal service. South Florida Real Estate Florida Homes Online 4613 University Dr. #355 Coral Springs, FL 33067 phone: (800) 330-1924 phone 2: (954) 344-6799 fax: (954) 344-8012 mobile: (954) 263-6080 info@floridahomesonline.com At floridahomesonline.com you can search all preconstruction condos and homes and multiple listings for all of Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami Dade Counties. You will find Home Buyer info, Home Seller info, Free Relocation information, South Florida Links to entertainment, government, and all important websites Search the South Florida MLS - Multiple Listing Service, E Trade Mortgage, Search East Coast Florida Family Communities, Search Golf and Country Club Communities and more! Florida homes online.com is a South Florida real estate web site offering Florida real estate, condominium, and home listings, Information on South Florida homes in the cities of Coral Springs, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Parkland, Weston, Wellington, Caloosa, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Loxahatchee, Miami Beach, Port St Lucie. Extensive Buyer and Seller Information Guides, Complete Guide to mortgages along with mortgage calculators, Free Relocation information with Links to Florida Schools, South Florida community guides, Free Market analysis, the ability to Search for Properties in Palm Beach County and Broward County, search Equestrian properties, search mortgage information, credit information, a complete guide to Golf in Broward County and more!

Land Loan Tools  

-- Indymac Bank Construction Lending Indymac Bank home   |   about us   |   contact us   |   privacy   |   ID notice   |   security   |   careers    1-800-HCL-LOAN (425-5626)   HCL for Individuals   Main Page   Get To Know Us   Get Started Now!   My Project Application   My Loan Information Loan Products   ·   Construction-to-Permanent Loan   ·   Remodeler Loan   ·   Bridge Loan ·   Lot/Land Loan Tools   ·   Line Item Budget Calculator Find A Builder --   ·   Cost To Build Calculator -- Event Calendar -- Help   ·   FAQs   ·   Glossary Customer Service --   ·   Contact Us Lot/Land Loan Found the perfect location to build your dream home ...and now you need the perfect loan? Our Lot Loan is the right loan if you're looking to purchase a residential lot to build your primary residence or second home. Once you have purchased your land, you will have time to design your new home and choose a contractor. Best of all, Indymac Bank will fund your Construction-to-Permanent Loan once you're ready to build. · Loans to $500,000. -- Frequently Asked Questions Check to view all answers. Q. How do I know where I should build my home? A. Location may be one of the most important factors to consider. Although many people have a geographic location in mind, some are open to alternatives. It's important to consider your lifestyle (and those you'll be living with) as well as the cost. If you're planning a family, schools will be important. If not, you may want to consider other factors such as proximity to work, or accessibility to the beach, the mountains or leisure activities. Q. What is a "finished lot"? A. A "finished lot" refers to a portion of land that already has road access and utilities in place to the lot boundary. Additionally, it has been approved by the city or county as a separate parcel of land on a parcel map. Q. Can I buy a piece of land that is not a finished lot and save some money? A. While it may be possible to purchase an unfinished lot, generally this is not advisable for an individual building their own home. The costs of bringing roads and utilities to the first lot in a new area are usually very high. Typically, the first person to build pays for others who will build later. There are land developers who specialize in preparing lots for building (this may include zoning and/or soils issues, as well as bringing roads and utilities to the site, and creating a building pad). Often, these lots are in a planned community. Q. What do you mean by "planned community"? Aren't all communities planned? A. No, many older communities were not planned; they evolved. Certainly, as a city has grown, plans have taken shape. But in many cases the nucleus of a community was started many years before the community or city planning existed. In many instances, it is this unplanned characteristic that gives a community its charm. A planned community, in contrast, generally offers a specific style and certain amenities at a package price. Depending on the size and location of the community, these amenities may include greenbelts, landscaping, biking trials, swimming pools, even schools and shopping centers. Some amenities, such as the community pool and greenbelts, are paid for through a homeowners' association. Others are paid through taxes or mello roos. Still others are design enhancements intended to encourage potential buyers to purchase in an area or to attract more commercial business. Many of the more costly amenities included in a planned community may not be affordable for a homeowner on an individual basis. However, some of these amenities may not be important to you. After all, priorities, like lifestyle, vary. If you select a home in a planned community, you'll generally have a more structured community where decisions are made jointly rather than by the individual homeowner. These community decisions include individual home design and landscaping. While some homeowners may consider this an acceptable trade-off to ensure an attractive environment, others may consider it an infringement on their rights. It's important that you know how you feel before selecting the type of lot you want. Q. Can tax bases differ within the same community? A. Yes, they can. While some cities already have parks, schools, and streets, newer communities built within the same city may have special assessments that cover the costs to develop or maintain new or existing parks, schools, streets, etc. These assessments may be for a prescribed period of time or may continue indefinitely. A little research goes a long way. Here again, a good real estate agent or title company officer can often provide you with this information. Q. I've found the perfect location, but I'm not ready to build my dream home. Can I obtain financing for the land only? A. Yes, you can obtain a Lot Loan. Typically, this is short-term financing for the purchase of a residential lot suited for future construction. This loan allows you time to select an architect, builder, and design your dream home. IndyMac Bank's Lot Loan program allows you to finance up to 50 acres. And when you're ready to build, we offer a one-time close Construction-to-Permanent Loan. ^ back to top Still have questions? Call toll-free 1-800-HCL-LOAN (425-5626) to speak with a construction loan specialist, or downloada copy of our booklet (pdf) that answers the most frequently asked questions about building your own home. Information Center · Glossary · FAQs -- FAQs · Get To Know Us · Building Your Dream Home Magazine (pdf) · Owner Builder Guide (pdf) Consumer Guide to Construction Financing (pdf) Did You Know A Construction Loan Is A Reimbursement Loan? (pdf) subscribe now -- Get Started Now! Apply online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and get a loan approval in minutes! get started -- e-mail/mail us | 1-800-HCL-LOAN (425-5626) Licensing | Terms of Use | Site Feedback -- Licensing | Terms of Use | Site Feedback Licensing | Terms of Use | Site Feedback -- Licensing | Terms of Use | Site Feedback -- ©2005 IndyMac Bank, F.S.B. Registered trade/service marks are the property of IndyMac Bank, F.S.B. and/or its subsidiaries.

New Homes Features of

New Homes Partner Locator : ENERGY STAR What is ENERGY STAR? | Newsroom Search What are ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes Features of ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes Benefits of ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes Homebuyer Resources New Homes Partner Locator For Residential Building Professionals PRODUCTS HOME IMPROVEMENT NEW HOMES BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT PARTNER RESOURCES -- Home > New Homes > Partner Locator -- -- New Homes Partner Locator Find home builders and developers that build ENERGY STAR qualified new homes, lenders that offer energy efficient mortgages, utilities that offer special incentives to buyers, builders and developers of ENERGY STAR qualified new homes, and home energy raters that can verify the energy efficiency of a home. Find a Site-Built Home Builders and Developers constructing traditional or systems-built (Modular, ICF, SIP) homes on site Manufactured Home Builders providing factory-built, HUD code-based homes Home Energy Raters verifying the performance of ENERGY STAR qualified new homes Utilities/Sponsors providing assistance to ENERGY STAR home buyers and builders Lenders offering special financing for ENERGY STAR qualified new homes State All States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut D.C. Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Links to Partner Web sites and independently-operated regional Web sites with local information about ENERGY STAR qualified new homes are provided where available. EPA and ENERGY STAR are not responsible for content provided on external Web sites. Refer to Minimum Requirements for Maintaining Active Builder or Verification Organization Status for our policy on listing only active partners, and to our Web Linking Policy for maintaining Web links to Partner Web sites. Products | Home Improvement | New Homes | Business Improvement | Partner Resources Newsroom | Privacy | Contact Us | Site Index EPA Home EPA Search DOE Home DOE Search