Saturday, May 31, 2008

Showcase of Homes


The Retreat at Jordanelle is proud to announce their entry into the Park City Area Homebuilders Association Showcase of Homes! The Showcase of Homes will be on the weekends of August 23,24, 30, 31, & Sept 1, 6, 7. 10am to 7pm We are so EXCITED to be participating in this event and look forward to seeing you at the Showcase...for more details, check out the website www.pcshowcaseofhomes.com or email me!

Monday, May 26, 2008

It's Memorial Day!



Well, I woke up early this morning to rain at our cabin in Midway which really was a bummer. For a moment I saw our plans of attending the Midway all you can eat Pancake Breakfast down the drain. By the time I dragged my husband and dog out of bed the rain had subsided and we were crossing our fingers that breakfast was still on.

Sure enough they had set up for breakfast inside the town hall and I definitely ate my $5.00 worth of pancakes! There were so many volunteers there it was very impressive. It helps that I was the first person in line waiting for the first flapjacks to come off the grill at 7:05 am, I had been up since 5:30 with visions of syrup in my head.

Midway is only 20 minutes away from the Retreat at Jordanelle. The town is most famous for it's Labor Day Weekend celebration of "Swiss Days" which is not to be missed if you are around. For more information check out their website at www.midwayswissdays.com

At this point in my holiday weekend I am crossing my fingers for sunshine and hoping to see you at our sales center here at the Retreat!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Interesting Article!


Compliments of the Park City Environmental Task Committee and TheDailyGreen.com:

The housing market remains stagnant across most of the country, and analysts are worried about rising interest rates as well as widespread subprime mortgage lending. Some observers are beginning to ask if a beacon of light may be found in the burgeoning field of green building.

In green construction, designers and builders commit to minimizing waste, improving a building's efficiency in terms of energy and water use, using sustainable or recycled products, and protecting indoor air quality. Green features may help homeowners stand out from the competition. People definitely value energy efficiency, especially as utility costs continue to go up, it becomes greater value.

More than 97,000 homes have been built and certified by voluntary green building programs around the country since the mid-1990s, according to the National Association of Home Builders, representing a 50 percent increase from the group's 2004 survey. Further, more than half of NAHB's 235,000 members (representing about 80 percent of homebuilders) reported that they expect to be employing at least some green building practices by the end of the year.

A number of realtors around the country have reported increasing buyer requests for green homes. Many MLS’s are adding search options to include green features which is being driven by consumer demand.

Many new developments are now including green products and building as a standard feature in order to build a better and more marketable home. Many builders are building with green features and don’t even realize they are.

Owners of green homes tend to be happier than when they lived in more conventional built homes. Another interesting fact is that almost 40 percent of Americans who recently renovated their homes did so with some green products.

Now is the time to invest in energy efficiency and green improvements around your house. Start with little things like changing your light bulbs to CFL’s and using reusable grocery bags. Then, gradually add things like tankless water heaters, green flooring, low or no VOC paints and so forth.

Happy Greening!

PS. All the Villas at the Retreat are both Energy Star Rated and Build Green Utah Certified! Email me for more information...nikki.keye@raineyhomes.com

Monday, May 19, 2008

WOO HOO!!!


Recently Rainey Homes received the "Best of State" medal for Residential Construction!

Curious myself, I checked out the website to understand what exactly does winning a best of state medal mean...So, here you go:

CRITERIA

The Best of State Judges are looking for individuals, businesses and organizations that:

Excel in their endeavors
Use innovative approaches or methods
Contribute to a better quality of life in Utah
Each of the three criteria will be used to judge Best of State candidates:

(50%) Achievement in the field of endeavor. Best of State candidates have demonstrated achievement and excellence in their fields of endeavor and have produced superior results and outcomes. Evidence for this achievement may include - but is not limited to - recognition from peers, development of superior products, growth and expansion of their enterprise, and previous awards and competitions won.

(30%) Innovation or creativity in approaches, techniques, methods or processes. Best of State candidates have achieved superior results and differentiated themselves in positive ways from others within their field through innovation or creativity in approaches, techniques, methods or processes.

(20%) Contribution to improving the quality of life in Utah. Best of State candidates have made Utah a better place. Community service, charitable contributions (financial or goods and services), family-friendly employment policies, environmentally sound practices or policies, increased employment opportunities, community beautification, education, contribution to a strong economy, and cultural contributions are just a few ways people and organizations make Utah a better place to live and work.

PROCESS

The judging process is one of the most important dimensions of Best of State. Our goal in designing the Best of State judging process was to make it as fair and objective as possible.

When all applications are complete or at the end of the application deadline, more than 100 judges review the nominations. Each nomination is judged on its own merits and is not ranked against each other by the judges. Unlike many older judging processes, the Best of State judges perform their assignment(s) individually, away from the possible comments, persuasion or lobbying of other judges. This process is carefully overseen by the independent certified public accounting firm Gilbert & Stewart, P.C. who collects and tabulates the scores for accuracy.

After reviewing each nomination, judges assign numerical scores for each of the three judging criteria. Each nomination is judged on its own merits, and judges do not rank the applicants against each other.

The paper ballots are mailed directly to the official Best of State accounting firm, Gilbert & Stewart, CPA, where scores are tabulated and the results are triple-checked for accuracy.

Winners from each category will receive a Best of State medal. Best of State winners also receive the right to display the Best of State logo and year of award on business correspondence, their website and other promotional materials.

Medal winner nominations are then resubmitted to the judges and scored again. The highest scoring entry from each of the ten general categories is selected to receive the BOSS (Best of State Statue). BOSS awards will be presented at the Best of State Awards Gala in Salt Lake City.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Affordable and Green!

Courtesy of the Park City Board of Realtors and HGTV...enjoy this article on 8 green myths!

There are hundreds of studies have proven the financial advantages of green buildings from reduced construction costs to lower operating costs. Green building is proven effective.

Myth #1: Green building is too expensive.
A lot of the high-profile green projects that get builders' attention are very high-end, and that's one reason this myth is still around. The fact is, there are plenty of strategies for inexpensive green building, from right-sizing the structure to optimal value engineering to reducing waste.

Myth #2: Green building is all about material selection.
Many think of green building as using "green materials" such as those with recycled content, low embodied energy, no VOCs, etc. While these are an important part of constructing a green building, it is still a small part of the big picture. Site selection, the building envelope and energy performance are very important as well.

Myth #3: Green building products don't work as well.
New green products work as well if not better than traditional products, they are made/built to last much longer than products of the past.

Myth #4: Green Products are hard to find.
Some green products are not manufactured nationwide and can be hard to find/purchase in some areas. More and more, stores like The Home Depot and Lowe’s are carrying more ‘eco’ friendly lines of many products. The number of green products and systems that are available has grown exponentially over the past few years.

Myth #5: Green homes are "weird" or "ugly."
You don't have to build a dome-home, yurt or a home built out of straw, and, have a farm of solar panels or wind mill towers to be green. Many of today's green homes look like other "typical" homes. And if you do want solar power, there are many ways to integrate solar panels that are attractive and effective.

Myth #6: Building a green home is too complicated.
It can be complicated if you are using a contractor that doesn’t understand the fundamentals of green building. Make sure to use a contractor that knows and has experience in building green. You should also educate yourself as much as possible so you understand the fundamentals making it less complicated for you personally.

Myth #7: To get into green building, you have to sign up for some sort of program or third-party certification.
Builders don't have to get your home certified to build green. These programs like LEED and Build Green Utah provide a checklist of items that score points toward the certification process. The homes can be built to the same standards without the certification. Some believe the certificate will increase the homes overall value. Green building is really about the builder and homeowner working together to make better choices.

Myth #8: It's an all-or-nothing proposition.
There are plenty of builders and homeowners using green technologies and techniques and they may not even know it. There are so many aspects to a home, and with many of the latest improvements in building, many of these new products and practices are actually green and energy efficient without the builder and homeowner making a conscious decision to build it green.

Here is a recent flyer I created showing just a few aspects of our green building...all available for less than $200 per square foot!


If you would like more information...just email me at nikki.keye@raineyhomes.com or call 435-658-2300!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

We've gone PINK!






In honor of Mothers Day and Breast Cancer Awareness we are going pink for a few weeks...On Saturday Rainey Homes put together a team to walk in the Race for a Cure at the Gateway in Salt Lake City! We have done this for the past 4 years now...but this year was by far our best turn out with 18 in our group! Enjoy the photos and Happy Mothers Day!

Friday, May 2, 2008

Our Hideaway & Escape Villas!

Check out this slide show! Things are really coming along on our 2 newly under construction villas! These villas have a slated completion date of June and will feature fantastic finishes...granite countertops, stainless steel, 5" hand scraped hardwood flooring (just to name a few!)



These homes feature very spacious layouts and provide an opportunity to live at Retreat for under $200 per square foot! Please email me for pricing! nikki.keye@raineyhomes.com