Take Note

AWARDS

The 2010 Southeast Builder Conference (SEBC) kicked off its opening ceremonies at the Orlando Convention Center in July with some special guests. Florida Home Builders Association President Robert Parrish of The Parrish Group in Tallahassee was recognized for his work with the Future Builders of America during an event co-hosted by Ann Hagen of Bonded Builders Warranty and Chuck Fowke of Homes by John C. Fowke. Jim Deitch of Southern Crafted Homes gave a presentation on the special housing needs of returning veterans, with a special emphasis on those who received injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan. He recognized several organizations including Homes For Our Troops, Support Our Troops and Treats for Troops. Deitch is a 12-year veteran of the Marine Corps and served in the first Gulf War. “With the special skills, blessings and resources we have available to us we have the ability to make a significant impact on the lives of these returning veterans,” Deitch said in his speech. He was followed by 1st Sgt. Matt Eversmann, the real life hero from Black Hawk Down. Eversmann went on to lead special operations forces in Iraq before retiring from the Army. He gave a presentation on courage and leadership. Finishing off the morning was a speech from U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio.

Southern Crafted Homes has won the 2010 Aurora Award for Energy Efficient Design for its Brighton Plan in Devonwood. The home is certified green by the Florida Green Building Coalition and Energy Star. The home features low-e Argon windows, 14-SEER air conditioning, Greenguard-certified cabinets and countertops, core-filled foam common walls, R-30 ceiling insulation, Energy Star-rated appliances, light fixtures and fiberglass exterior doors, programmable thermostats, mastic-sealed ductwork, Owens Corning ductwork and housewrap, Boracare termite treatment, a TAEXX pest management system, recessed can rings, RainDial programmable irrigation clock timers and Florida-friendly landscaping.

NEW MODELS

Manatee County’s only Inland Homes model center has opened in The Woods of Moccasin Wallow—a wooded community near the junction of Interstates 75 and 275 —where the company plans to build about 100 homes on conservation and waterfront homesites. According to John Weston, president of IH Central Florida LLC—the Inland Homes franchise building in 
The Woods—the two-story 3,378-square-
foot Bordeaux model features five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a den, a bonus room and three-car garage. It’s priced from $295,000. Homes in The Woods range in size from 2,082 to 3,378 square feet of living space and are priced from the high $100s to the high $200s. Inland Homes offers an Extended Commitment Program with each new home. This includes lawn service and pest control for up to 12 months from closing and home alarm-system monitoring for up to three years. Moreover, every three months for the first year, an Inland Homes construction professional will perform basic home maintenance including changing air filters, performing leak checks and refreshing caulk lines around sinks and tubs.

EXPANSIONS

D.R. Horton Homes has been taking advantage of the downturn in the housing market to expand its presence in the Tampa Bay area while saving customers money, according to Darren Saltzberg, vice president of sales and marketing for the Tampa division. Saltzberg says the national builder has been buying homesites in a number of Bay-area communities, from Oak Creek in Pasco County to Palmer Oaks in Sarasota County. “All of the problems in the housing market gave us a great opportunity to purchase land at prices we’ve never seen before,” he says.