29th Annual Christmas Extravaganza Arts and Crafts Expo, December 5-7, 2014
29th Annual Christmas Extravaganza Arts and Crafts Expo
Covington Fair Grounds
600 U.S. Hwy 190 North
Covington LA 70434
December 5-7, 2014
The event is one of Louisiana’s biggest arts and crafts events with over 500 booths, 20 Southern food booths and numerous children’s activities.
The three-day show runs each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m
For More Information, Call 985-898-0080 .
Tammany Trace Holiday of Lights , December, 2014
Tammany Trace Holiday of Lights
Lafreniere Park
21490 Koop Drive
Mandeville, LA
Dec. 5, 2014
Dec. 6, 2014
Dec. 12, 2014
Dec. 13, 2014
6PM-8:30PM
Live Entertainment, Santa and Rides.
Click Here for More Information or Call 985-867-9490.
Custom Home Starts Increase Almost 14% Year-Over-Year
St. Tammany Parish is an “odd duck” when it comes to new home builders. In larger metro real estate markets, builders tend to build inventory or spec homes for sale which are homes based on several established floorplans that are built the same every time but offer home buyers selections such as cabinetry and countertops, flooring, and paint colors. Many mid-size to large home building companies will build in multiple subdivisions and have floorplans that already fit the “footprint” of the lot sizes in these neighborhoods, so that when a home buyer visits a specific community, they know that the already built spec homes and model homes that they tour will be much the same as the home that they are going to buy.
While there is nothing “wrong” with this approach to home building, builders in St. Tammany Parish are a little bit less “assembly-line” builders and very much more creative and custom builders. Our parish does not necessarily trend with the rest of metro areas in that most of the builders on the Northshore in the Greater New Orleans area build a smaller number of homes, and the homes that they build are definitely more custom. Because of this, during the Recession, building companies in St. Tammany Parish that had been established in the area for many years and had a good “word of mouth” base for advertising were able to continue to work in the industry they loved by building custom homes. According the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), this trend has continued post Recession: the number of starts of homes built on an owner’s land, with either the owner or a builder acting as the general contractor was at 48,000 during the 2nd quarter (a record high) and at 47,000 during the 3rd quarter.
This was a nationwide study, so it shows that the trend of building semi-custom and fully custom homes may have “caught on” a little during the lean times. Production builders are still a vital part of the real estate industry as they are able to offer first-time home buyers and 2nd time home buyers a quality-built product at an affordable price. However, it seems that custom homes are holding onto a part of the market that is larger than it was before the Recession.
At Bedico Creek in St. Tammany Parish, we have many of those semi-custom and fully custom home builders building new homes and new custom homes right in our master planned community. With the real estate market starting to be very active again, builders are able to follow their creative path in designing gorgeous floorplans of all shapes and sizes on the unique and view-filled lots that are sprinkled throughout our Conservation Community. If it is your dream to live amongst nature but still be able to enjoy shopping, dining, and entertainment of a regular city (Covington, Louisiana), Visit Bedico Creek to learn more about our convenient location with a variety of lots and homes from which to choose. Call 985-845-4200 or E-mail [email protected].
Credit Becoming More Available According to NAHB Survey
There are a lot of factors that go into the overall funding of a real estate venture. If you are a developer and are looking to build a new subdivision out of raw land, you not only have to get all of your survey and engineering plans approved (and in Louisiana, get a wetlands permit from the Army Corps of Engineers), but you also have to go through the rigorous hoops that lending institutions will put in your path in order to ensure that you will have a return on your investment and be able to pay back your loan. In the case of a master planned community, you may have to secure lease agreements with potential commercial businesses in order to obtain the money to develop your land both commercially and residentially. Even if you are “only a builder,” lending institutions now require a litany of paperwork and verification in order to obtain a construction loan. During the heart of the Recession, builders and developers were up against very tight credit conditions that pretty much stifled growth of housing and urban development. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), credit conditions started easing up and getting better in the middle to end of 2012. The way that the Association gathers a lot of its statistical information is by surveying its members based on their industry, price point, amount of volume and other factors.
Based on the AD&C (Acquisition, Development, & Construction) survey conducted by the NAHB regarding tightening credit restrictions, during the 3rd quarter, the overall net tightening index went down by 27% from -22.7 to -31 (the lower the score the less tightened credit conditions are). Less than 15% of respondents report credit conditions worsening in the third quarter based on the three response areas below:
- Availability for credit for land acquisition – 38% surveyed said it got better
- Credit Conditions for single-family construction – 43% surveyed reported better conditions
- Credit available for land development – 44% surveyed said it had gotten better
Also, the NAHB reported that this is the highest number of participants who have had a positive credit experience in all three AD&C categories since the survey was inacted in 2005. At Bedico Creek Preserve in St. Tammany Parish, we have had 5 new builders purchase new lots and begin building either custom or spec homes since August, which is a high number to join “all at once.” At this time, we currently have 17 active builders in our master planned community, so in Madisonville, it seems as if it is becoming more feasible to acquire a construction loan to purchase lots and begin building. To view our homes for sale by our Bedico Creek builders, come visit our subdivision. For sales office hours and directions, Call 985-845-4200 or E-mail [email protected].
Abita Springs Cajun Dance, Saturday, December 13, 2014
Abita Springs Cajun Dance
Abita Springs Town Hall
22161 Level St.
Abita Springs, LA, 70420
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Dance Times:
Lessons: 7:00PM to 7:30PM
Band Plays: 8:00PM to 10:30PM
Featured Band: Jonno
For More Information, Call 504-583-8603 or E-mail [email protected].