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If you’re in the market for a new home or simply want to see this year’s hottest home designs, you get the chance to do both at the upcoming Parade of Homes Fall Classic 2020. Parade-goers can tour nearly 115 homes — including nine built by Landmark Fine Homes — when the nine-day event kicks off Sept. 19.
Hosted by the Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association, the annual open house event (now in its 75th year) allows attendees to create personalized self-guided tours of homes in developing neighborhoods across central Oklahoma. Even those who aren’t house hunting get a kick out of the event, said Elisa McAlister, COHBA’s senior director of operations and events.
“Of course we have people who are out to buy a house, who are in the midst of the homebuying process or just starting it,” McAlister said. “Then you have home remodelers who may be revamping their own house and want to see new, up-to-date designs, whether it’s popular trends in paint colors or tile or outdoor living ideas. Then we have lots of people wanting to go out and look at the homes because that’s something they enjoy doing.”
First time attending? No problem. COHBA has made it easy to plan your parade route. Every OnCue gas station in the OKC metro area will carry free parade guidebooks starting in mid-September. Those guidebooks will walk you through all open house locations you can visit during the event, which runs 1-7 p.m. each day from Sept. 19 to 27. Click here to find an OnCue location near you.
In addition to perusing the guidebook, parade-goers can create their own login on the Parade of Homes website to assemble their self-guided parade route. Just navigate to the homepage, click “Login” in the upper righthand corner, then “Not a Member? Register.” Registering will enable you to sift through all the home listings, “favorite” those you’re interested in touring, and order homes in whatever sequence you want for a route that makes sense for you.
Rest assured organizers have kept COVID-19 precautions in mind. Because several homebuilders are involved in the parade, each is responsible for precautions at their own open houses. Safeguards might include wearing a face mask or covering inside each home, applying hand sanitizer upon entering homes, and minimizing the touching of any surfaces inside the homes. See the Parade of Homes’ FAQ page for more information about COVID-19 safety.
When you arrive at a home, you’ll see large real estate signs in front of each house to signify it’s a parade house. Many builders will have the house staffed to answer any questions or show attendees through the homes. Other builders open their homes for self-guided tours.
You can reap several benefits by attending the event. For starters, you’re able to tour homes of all price points, starting at around $200,000 and capping at about $900,000, which allows you to see what types of homes fall within your budget.
In addition, you get to discover this year’s top trends, giving you a good idea of what style of home you prefer or what design and decor elements (yes, some homes are staged) you can implement in your new home.
“The farmhouse trend is still pretty solid right now,” McAlister said. “I also think some people are bringing in more transitional styles to mix with the farmhouses. Everything used to be shiplap and all white, but now people are starting to bring in pops of color and mixing materials like wood and metals.”
McAlister added that home offices and recreational rooms are trending this year due to families quarantining at home, and working from home, to avoid exposure to COVID-19. Homebuilders have taken notice of that desire to be safe inside the home and enjoy the areas around the home since, for many, travel is limited.
“Because of that, a lot more people are wanting an area for their home office or for homeschooling or virtual schooling,” she said. “You’ll also see a focus on the outdoor living space because everyone is staying home and enjoying their patios, pergolas, etc. The popularity of swimming pools has just been unreal right now, too.”
Bear in mind, most, but not all, of the homes are for sale. Some might have sold just before the start of the parade, while others might be a model home that will give you an idea of what else the homebuilder can accomplish for you. No matter the status of a home, attendees are encouraged to connect with the homebuilders to learn more about their available options.
Parade-goers will also get the chance to tour the COHBA Project House, featuring donated and discounted products, in Waters Edge at Stone Mill in Yukon. Once sold, proceeds will help continue the work of the association within the new home construction industry and community, plus its advocacy work, for years to come. The association monitors code and regulation changes locally, always with the homebuyer in mind.
“If a city or municipality starts implementing more codes or regulations, those most likely increase the cost to the builder to build the house, which then increases the price the homeowner pays for the house,” McAlister said. “At COHBA, we keep a pulse on what’s going on at the city level to make sure the cost of living remains affordable for our community. ”
In addition to Landmark Fine Homes, the event is sponsored by Stone Mill, Timberland Creek, Metro Appliances & More, Samsung, OG&E, McCaleb Homes, SWM & Sons Custom Homes, and Silver Stone Homes.
Want to get a headstart on your Parade of Homes house hunt? Look through the available homes on our website to get an idea of what you’ll see in person come Sept. 19!
Wanting to add some character or sophistication to your living room but don’t know where to start? Easy. Look to the room’s center of activity: the coffee table.
Between all of the different styles and decor ideas that exist, you can create thousands of combinations with just a few coffee table decorations. While all of those options can be overwhelming, they don’t have to be!
The key to decorating your coffee table is to keep it simple. Pick a style or one staple and build the rest of your design from there. Simplicity will help create a cohesive design that ties into the whole room. Coffee table decorations are important because they help complete a room. They’re more than just a coffee table tray or a candle — they’re the finishing touches that add personality and style to a room.
Are you still overwhelmed by the idea of putting together your own coffee table arrangement? To help, we’ve compiled five easy-to-follow tips that will act as a guide for simply decorating your coffee table.
Geometric sculptures or antique decor serve as perfect conversation starters! A statement piece can provide visual appeal while also serving as a base for your other coffee table decor choices. A statement piece can say whatever you want it to. Whether that’s a statement about your home, family, history or even style choices, let the piece do the talking.
Items like coasters or small storage boxes can be placed on coffee table trays to provide usefulness to your table. These items serve unique purposes like eliminating clutter, providing a place for a cold glass or a soft candle to freshen the scent of a room. Regardless of the intended purpose, make your coffee table useful for you.
Create layers by adding differently sized and shaped items to your coffee table. Plants allow you to bring a bit of the outside in and add a variety of height to your coffee table decor. Choosing items that vary in height or shape will also stagger your eye and add layers of attractiveness.
Coffee table decorations don’t have to be from a matching set. Picking differing textures like wicker baskets or ceramic vases can add variance and opulence to a simple table. Coffee table books or fresh flowers bring in pops of color that can be neatly matched to other areas of a room.
While you may find comfort in piling your coffee table with vases, books, plants and other things, be sure to leave room on your table. Undesigned space gives you a place to prop your feet up or set a book down for a bit. Leaving space for life will create a neatness and intentionality within your coffee table design that is priceless!
With these five tips, you’re sure to decorate a coffee table that you’ll love. Remember to keep it simple and focus on items that provide value or beauty. All of these tips will help you pick coffee table decor that enhances your home. After you’ve put your extravagant ensemble together, consider sprucing up another area of your home by creating an audio room!
Imagine a room where you can escape all of life’s distractions and just listen. A room where you can sit, breathe, and be embraced by the sounds of your favorite podcast, playlist or album.
2020’s latest interior design trend, audio rooms, makes all that possible.
These rooms combine the worlds of music and interior design in a way that maximizes the listener’s enjoyment in their home. Read on to see if you and your space could benefit from one of this year’s biggest home trends.
An audio room, or listening room, is a room that’s designed for you to create, listen, and enjoy music in. Essentially, it’s a room or nook that is reserved for all of your ideal listening enjoyment. As many people are searching for ways to increase the value of their homes, audio room setups are gaining popularity. In fact, this unique concept has sparked an increase of searches for “audio rooms” by 803% on Pinterest this year.
Audio room design isn’t just another fad. They can be a lasting solution to a room with no purpose, adding tangible value to your home. They allow you to step away from all of the distractions in your home like the humming of your refrigerator or the buzzing of your air conditioner. These eclectic rooms are places where you can peacefully appreciate the sounds of jazz or your favorite crooner. When all of your sources of entertainment have run their course, your audio room will allow you to sit back and listen.
These rooms have the potential to add a new talking piece to your home while also allowing you to carve out a special place for yourself. This space can be a place where you let the music and light in.
Whether you’re ready to dedicate an entire room or just a small nook, there’s plenty you can do to achieve the audio room of your dreams! Here are a few ways to personalize your audio room setup:
The possibilities for audio room design are endless. Regardless of the style you choose, your audio room is meant to be a place in your home where you can enjoy yourself. Let relaxation and tranquility guide you as you explore your audio room setup.
If you’re looking for other unique ways to add value to your space, consider adding a garden room to your home (another 2020 trend!)!
Relocating to a new state is exciting, but it brings with it a unique set of difficulties that you avoid simply moving down the block or across town.
Moving out of state means you’re finding moving companies to make the long haul, figuring out the logistics of towing pets hundreds of miles, eventually filing for new driver’s licenses, applying for updated license plates, possibly switching banks or credit unions — and the list goes on and on.
Plus, if you’re moving to a home in a new state, and constructing that home from the ground up in the meantime, well, that can complicate matters even further.
Those who’ve worked with Landmark Fine Homes know we not only welcome newcomers to Oklahoma with open arms, but we make building a home from out of state as easy as possible. Homebuyers continuously trust us to get it right, even if they can’t physically be on site to watch their new home take shape.
Read on to see how we keep out-of-state homebuyers in the loop every step of the way during their homebuild.
Landmark homebuyer Tom Webber, 77, commended his homebuilder’s consistent availability when recalling his recent move from Kalamazoo, Michigan, to Norman, Oklahoma. Tom, a retired pharmaceutical industry executive, relocated to Oklahoma at the end of 2019 with his wife Janis.
“A lot of the success of this was just having access to them when you had questions or concerns,” Tom said. “So I would call or text, one or the other, and we did a lot of business like that.”
Landmark professionals consulted with the Webbers on everything from the home style (of which there were eleven options for the Springs at Green Leaf Trails), floor plans and location of the lot before construction kicked off in June 2019. The communication didn’t end there. Landmark took note of every deviation from the original plan, making sure to give the couple a larger window in their back living room, extend Tom’s study out 2 feet and execute other requests.
“The personnel? Fabulous. The quality assurance people? Fantastic,” Tom said. “They’re all very, very helpful. I still go back and forth to them on certain things and they’ve always been readily available to help. I can’t say enough of their followup on that.”
It’s a homecoming of sorts for the Webbers, who are originally from Oklahoma and moved away in 1976 for Tom’s job. His career took the couple everywhere from California to Kansas to Michigan. The recent move brought them back to a state where many of their family members still reside.
The two landed in the Springs, one of a handful of Landmark-developed communities geared toward Active Adults like themselves. While the Springs features a community pond, pool, fitness center and walking trails, the couple was particularly attracted to the community’s proximity to medical facilities and the homes’ smaller square footage as they were downsizing.
Moving to Norman from out of state meant the Webbers couldn’t physically be on location during the homebuild. However, that’s nothing new for Landmark. The company often encounters this situation, with homeowners moving most frequently to Oklahoma from California, Michigan and Minnesota.
To set homeowners’ minds at ease and keep them clued in every step of the way, they have access to a construction management app powered through Buildertrend. This app provides customers with real-time, 24/7 access to the project and serves as another communication tool between them and the construction team.
Essentially, the app allowed the Webbers to access information in one centralized location and check in on the build from nearly 1,000 miles away.
“Every day you can look on that app and they can show you what progress has been made,” Tom said. “If they did flatwork, they would take a photo of it and send pictures of that flatwork. Same with cabinets, tile, flooring, drywall, windows, bathrooms and countertops. That was very helpful.
“We could be with our friends in Kalamazoo and show them, ‘Here’s our house — see the framing?’ The app showed us whenever they did the grading on the lot, the roofing, the whole thing. That was a nice touch.”
Although the Webbers are no strangers to living in Oklahoma, they knew they wanted homebuilders who take into account all the unique circumstances you encounter in the Sooner State. For the Webbers, that meant having a particular kind of storm room to seek shelter in during inclement weather.
“We fought traffic in California, storms in Kansas City, snowstorms and blizzards in Michigan, and we knew down here in Oklahoma we’d have tornados and hot weather,” Tom said.
The couple knew they wanted easy access to their shelter, so they consulted with Landmark on a 4-foot-by-6-foot “interior stand-up shelter” located inside a closet or room.
“We actually got the idea from them,” Tom said. “We were thinking about a storm cellar at first, but now they have these steel storm rooms that go inside or under the house or under the garage. Janis can’t do steps well, so we put it in the house right off the utility room so, need be, you just pop right in there.”
The Webbers found everything they needed for their new homebuild with Landmark Fine Homes. Are you also looking to make a move to Oklahoma and need a homebuilder to construct your dream home? Let Landmark make it easy on you. Contact us today to learn more.
Building or purchasing a new home is a milestone decision — one not many take lightly.
And rightfully so. Homebuyers embark on a series of high-stakes constructing and financing decisions and trust their time and hard-earned money to homebuilding professionals tasked with creating their dream home.
Thankfully for Landmark Fine Homes, the company’s sales manager, Jason Underhill, understands the importance of getting it right. He knows the decision isn’t only about money, location and time investments. It’s ultimately about the family calling this new house their home.
“Landmark Fine Homes is truly a family. We understand when people come into our model homes it’s a big decision that will take some time,” Underhill said. “It’s a process, and we want to be there for those families and do whatever we can to put them at ease with the decision and know they’re going to be blessed in the end.”
Underhill, who is a family friend of Landmark Fine Homes owners Dan and Amy Reeves, got his start picking up trash on job sites and helping with general home repair duties when the company was founded in 2000. After earning his business degree from Oklahoma City University, he became Landmark’s full-time estimator, drawing up budgets for homebuilding plans. During this time, Jason also built several homes, helping him expand his knowledge in construction science.
As the company continued to grow, the need for a sales manager became evident and Underhill rose to the occasion. He now supervises eight new-home consultants.
You’ll typically find Underhill in the Landmark offices; however, he does spend some time out in the field. His main role is to support the sales staff, so he often accompanies his team members when they sit down with clients. He uses the knowledge he’s gained from working in each area of the company over the past 20 years. Continuing education is also important to him. That’s why he leads weekly coaching and training sessions with his team.
His team is successful because they genuinely care about and love people. In fact, this is what Underhill believes sets the company culture apart.
“They take the time to get to know our customers’ families, their pets, you name it — if it’s important to them, we want to know about it because we want to design the home to fit each family’s needs. They take that extra time to ask the right questions and figure out the motivations behind why the family is thinking about moving. We understand moving into a new home can be stressful, and there’s a lot of moving parts. We want to be there to stand beside them and walk them through the hurdles they have to jump through to get into their new home.”
When Underhill isn’t working, he’s attending church, hunting and spending time with his wife, Michele, and daughters, Charlotte, Hazel and Evelynn.
Landmark Fine Homes is dedicated to building great homes for great people. If you’re interested in scheduling a home tour, or have questions about the homebuying or homebuilding process, contact us through our website and we’ll be in touch!
Think about the last Zoom video conference call you were on from home.
What did your clients or colleagues see behind you? If you’re recalling a messy living room or a blank wall, you might think about giving your at-home workspace a little attention.
While the coronavirus makes its way through the U.S., many Americans are avoiding their places of employment and instead hunkering down to work from the safety of their homes. While some are blessed with home offices already decorated to their liking, others are making do with their couches and coffee tables, or they’re transforming their dining room tables and kitchen countertops into makeshift work desks. Needless to say, we’re all doing the best with what we have.
If you’ll be working from home for the foreseeable future, or just want a space ready for an impromptu work-from-home day, consider our simple tips for creating the ideal space for your Zoom calls. We bet the transformation will not only boost your spirits but garner some compliments from your fellow Zoom call attendees.
If you already have bookshelves, paintings and plants in your home and don’t want to shop around for more home decor, consider relocating some of your existing decorations for the time being. If you don’t see yourself needing the Zoom space for too much longer, try out minimally invasive hanging methods, like damage-free sticky hooks and strips, for your picture frames and paintings.
In addition to adding some vibrancy to your background, greenery is a proven mood booster. It’s been known to substantially improve creative performance and problem-solving skills as well as reduce stress and anxiety.
Have some fun deciding which books to put on display. It’s a chance to let your acquaintances get to know you a little better while also adding an air of professionalism to your space. Be mindful to not display anything potentially offensive or not-safe-for-work in the background (if you wouldn’t display it on your desk at work, leave it out of your Zoom background).
Whether you’re in a home with lots of natural light, or a heavy reliance on light bulbs, you can put your best face forward in your Zoom calls by tailoring the lighting to your setting.
If you’re able to use natural light, take your Zoom calls near a north-facing window. We loved that tip from the Boston Globe, along with “follow the cat.” “If you have a cat, pay attention to where it curls up, because that might be the prettiest, warmest light in your living space,” wrote the Globe’s Meredith Goldstein. Remember with natural light, you don’t want your back to the window because this will backlight you, causing you to look like a shadowy figure on the video call. Try facing the window or have it light you from the side.
With overhead lighting, you have to be mindful of casting shadows on your face. If you have the means and desire to buy new lighting, try three natural, soft light sources: two behind your webcam on the right and left side, and one right behind you.
Many people on a video conference call might be working from laptops, which can be convenient for finding the right angle to frame yourself properly. You want the camera at eye level, so prop your laptop up on flat, sturdy items like large, hardback books or cardboard boxes. This will prevent your clients and colleagues from peering down at you, or worse, looking up your nose.
If all else fails, upload a high-quality image as your Zoom background. You have many options to choose from online, but one of our favorites has been West Elm’s backgrounds that make your living space look polished and pristine, featuring sophisticated furniture, house plants and modern color palettes. The backgrounds might even give you some interior design inspiration for your own home.
Looking for more home design inspiration? Check out one of our latest blog posts about the garden rooms trend and see if doubling down on houseplants might be your next home improvement project.
Picking your home floor plan can seem like one of the most exciting and fun parts of homebuilding. But with so many different choices, how can you determine the best floor plan for your needs?
Working with an experienced home builder who will work to understand your particular wants and needs is important. The right builder will work alongside you to guide you to the best floor plan design for your perfect home.
Here are some tips to get started with narrowing down your choices.
Start with the interior — how many and what type of rooms you will need — before selecting the exterior finish. Most architectural styles can be applied to just about any floor plan, so design around your practical needs and desires inside before thinking about the outside.
Landmark offers a variety of house designs and floor plans, with different characteristics based on each owner’s wants and needs. Detailed building floor plans offer an opportunity to truly understand the size and shape of each room. Visualize yourself moving from room to room in the home. Share your wants and needs lists with your builder so they can begin to match them to floor plans you’ll love.
This is also the time to start getting specific with architecture. Tell your builder if you only want to see floor plans for ranch-style homes, or if you have your heart set on a cute, two-story Cape Cod. They’ll share detailed descriptions and images, along with available options and customization strategies that make your home unique.
Here are a few of Landmark’s most popular floor plans:
Preston: One-floor living at its best, with plenty of space for entertaining, the Preston plan includes over 2,500 square feet of space, including three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage. This open floor plan has the owner’s suite tucked away in a corner and a great flex space.
Kirkland: Popular for its flexibility in one-floor-living design, Kirkland offers multiple exterior options and almost 1,900 square feet of customizable space, with three bedrooms, two full baths and a two-car garage.
Ellie: One of Landmark’s newer plans is also one of their most popular. Ellie’s one-floor living features a whopping 3,355 square feet of available space, including a porte cochere for maximum driveway space, a large master bedroom (three total bedrooms), two full baths and one half bath, and a three-car garage.
Chloe: This brand new floor plan offers an amazing 3,134 square feet of space, with four bedrooms, two and a half baths and a three-car garage (optional four- or five-car). Spacious one-floor living with an open concept and oversized pantry, Chloe’s welcoming, expansive farmhouse design is ideal for entertaining and larger families.
Contact a homebuilding expert from Landmark Homes today to let us help you find the perfect home. Landmark Homes is a former “America’s Best Builder” award-winner, and we are proud of our dedication to quality, custom-built homes.
We're excited to have 7 homes featured in this year’s Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association Fall Parade of Homes. Landmark Fine Homes looks forward to nine days of home tours in September beginning on the 8th and running through the 16th. From Edmond to Norman and Yukon to South OKC/Moore Schools this years Parade is set to be one of the best yet.
Recently, we were named the 2017 Builder of the Year and are excited to show you the quality and design that helped us earn that prestigious award. We can’t wait to see you at the 2018 Parade of Homes Fall Classic. Homes are open from 1:00-7:00 daily.
Click here to view all of our model homes.