Posted by Tod on July 6, 2010 | 
When purchasing a new home, most builders such as Rancho Santalina Homes, include front yard landscaping, but what about your back yard. Designing your rear yard can become time consuming and expensive. Here are some tips to help you with your landscape designing;
Drive around your neighborhood and take pictures of yards and plants you like.
Decide your budget and how much hardscape, planters and grass you want. It’s important to think of how you are going to be using your yard space. Do you do a lot of entertaining? Do you have children, pets?
Trees & Shrubs
The biggest and most important things added to your landscape are trees and shrubs. It’s important to do your research to see what trees grow best in your area and also see if there are any restrictions in the community CC&R’s from the homeowners association if there is one. Pick out trees you like and that you will enjoy watching grow over the years. Keep in mind how big the trees will get and make sure not to plant them too close to your home. The roots can travel and damage your foundation if planted to close to the house.
Perennials are great to plant in your flower garden. You can have plants that bloom every season if you plan it just right. Bulbs are also easy, low maintenance and attractive for your flower beds.
Finally, seek help from someone you know that has experience in landscaping or that has done their own yard or an avid gardener. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or call your local garden shop, they are usually glad to help. You will be surprised at some of the great ideas you will get from them.
Good luck and happy gardening!
Posted by Tod on June 26, 2010 |
Families are starting to buy homes again after the slow down in the local Real Estate market. Home buyers are carefully evaluating what their needs are, being conservative in their choices and selecting new homes and features that best fit their family’s lifestyle. Today’s New Home buyer is looking for cost-effective smaller homes with floor plans that focus on space, storage and energy efficiency. It’s all about family togetherness and casual living, entertaining and flexible usable spaces not rooms.
Here are the most popular features Buyers are looking for in today’s New Homes:
- Large Kitchens that open up to the family room. An island in the kitchen is also a popular item.
- Bedroom and Bathroom downstairs for visiting relatives and guests.
- Home office/Study or Loft for flexible extra space.
- Energy-Efficient Homes and Appliances. High-Efficiency Insulation and High Window Efficiency are what buyers value most.
- Two-Car Garages are the new requirement for buyers today where not to long ago three-car were the request. The third bay is more often used for storage than a third vehicle.
- Walk-In closets, not only in the master suite but in the secondary bedrooms.
- Open Space, Walking Trails and Recreation Areas for the children. Forget about golf courses, swimming pools and clubhouses, buyers prefer space around them, hiking trails and areas their children can play.
- Exterior Elevations, brick and stone are the request from buyers, and if they have a choice, that would be a bonus.
The key for New Home Builders is finding the balance between what buyers want and the price point. Rancho Santalina Homes in San Marcos seems to have found this balance. Make sure you check out other Southern California New Homes from Fieldstone Homes.
Posted by Tod on June 21, 2010 |
Hello, I’m Tod from Rancho Santalina Homes standing here at Rancho Santalina. I would like to invite you on the 26th of June, Saturday from 12:30 to 2:30 pm to come out and join Radio Disney. Lots of excitement with our re-grand opening of all the models. There are 6 models to choose from at Rancho Santalina between the Haciendas and Vistas. There will be lots of fun, music, and giveaways.
So, come on down 12:30 to 2:30 on Saturday, June 26 to see the new Rancho Santalina re-decorated models. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
- North County Location
- Cool Ocean Breezes
- Beautiful Open Spaces
- New Single Family Homes
- 3 – 6 Bedrooms
- 2.5 – 4 Bathrooms
See ya there!
Rancho Santalina Homes are built new award winning new home builder, Fieldstone Homes. Fieldstone has been building new homes in Southern California since 1981 and has built more than 25,000 new homes.
Posted by Tod on June 18, 2010 |
Green is the popular color today, its everywhere. Everyone is talking about going green, in the news, on the internet, home builders, businesses, food, fashion
…your head will spin! What is green and how can I help, you ask?
The fact is, every single thing we do every day has an impact on the planet. The good news is that as an individual you have the power to control most of your choices. Ease into being green, start small and change just a few things in your life and you will have a global impact.
Here are a few tips to get you started.
- EAT FRESHER
Eat seasonal, local, organic foods. Shop at your local farmer’s markets. Buying local means supporting the local economy and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions required to get food from its origin to your plate.
Sprouts Farmers Market-San Marcos, 149 S. Las Posas Rd., San Marcos, Ca 92078 (760) 208-6041
- ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION
Anytime you choose to walk, ride a bike or take public transportation, you reduce the carbon dioxide and particulate emissions created by driving a car. Not to mention the health benefits to you with the exercise.
Sprinter – www.GoNCTD.com
- RECYCLE, RECYCLE, RECYCLE
Make proper use of your recycle bin, reduce the amount of stuff you consume and find constructive uses for waste materials. Nothing is ever just thrown away; it all has to go somewhere. By recycling and reusing, we reduce the amount of waste that sits in landfills. Recycling materials also saves energy compared to using virgin materials to create new products.
EDCO – Waste Collection & Recycling
- PLANT BASED SKIN PRODUCTS
Your skin is the bodys largest organ and absorbs up to 60 percent of the products you put on it every day, from soaps to shampoos to sunscreens. Choosing green personal care products often means using plant-based ingredients in place of petrochemicals.
- WATER IS NOT A RENEWABLE RESOURCE
Clean water is perhaps the planet’s most precious resource. Being water conscious helps reduce strain on municipal treatment systems and ensures there’s enough H2O to go around. By shifting away from bottled water, we can reduce global greenhouse gas emissions (from shipping), the energy required to produce (petroleum-derived) plastic, and the volume of waste trucked to our landfills (from empty bottles).
- BUY A NEW HOME
Part of going green is being energy efficient. Southern California New Homes today are built much more energy efficient than older homes. For instance, the new community of Rancho Santalina in San Marcos includes many energy efficient features such as energy-star appliances, dual-glazed (low E2) windows, radiant barrier roof sheathing, energy-efficient water heaters with insulated lining, water-saving toilets and shower heads, just to name a few.
So let’s make an effort and start today to save our beautiful planet together. Going Green is cool!
Posted by Tod on June 17, 2010 |
The Builders Preferred Lender
When purchasing a New Home the home builder will recommend a lender, which is typically called a preferred lender. There are many reasons your home builder will have a preferred lender. The most important reason is that they want to recommend someone reliable. Financing of your new home can be detailed at times and it’s important that the lender be able to communicate the process so that you can understand. For most people, their home is the biggest investment they will ever make. Reliability is important to you so that you don’t end up with a bad experience. Deciding to purchase a New Home in Southern California can be a very rewarding experience for your family.
Creates Smooth Home Buying Transaction
As the home builder and preferred lender work together more often, the procedure and communication process can become more streamlined, which in turn allows the home buying transaction to be smooth. This really helps so your new home will close escrow with no surprises. When buying a new home, dealing with the builder’s preferred lender is very important. This is because there are a lot of moving parts involved in new homes that do not exist when buying resale. If you “shop” around to find your own lender, you may end up with someone who quotes a great rate and is great with refinances or resales, but has no experience with new homes. This can lead to problems, delays or even worse, not closing your escrow.
Ask Questions & Do Your Homework
Never automatically disqualify a home builders preferred lender, but be sure to ask all your questions and be educated on the interest rates of the market. Start right now by reviewing New Home Specials in Southern California.
Posted by Tod on June 14, 2010 |
Recent statistics show an increase in housing prices in North County (San Marcos) and through-out San Diego. The “great deals” once available have evaporated as the housing market finds its way back to normalcy. There are a lot of people out there looking to buy houses and a lack of available homes to buy is the common denominator, and that pushes the prices up. The increase in the number of prospective buyers started in February and is continuing to grow. Included in the search for a home are first time home buyers, young couples once priced out of the market, relocation families, retired couples and even some investors.
Home builders in Southern California, such as Fieldstone Homes, have restarted dormant projects, such as Rancho Santalina Homes to relieve the pressure. The demand of the market is being met. This is exciting and great for the economy to see construction going on again and people at work!
With housing prices still greatly reasonable and mortgage rates low, it’s a super time to find your dream home this summer! Read more about San Marcos Mortgage rates or articles.
Hurry before yours is gone!
Posted by Tod on June 7, 2010 |
The San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD) is one of the largest school districts in San Diego County and is arguably one of the best school districts in the County and even in the state of California. It serves more than 17,800 students in San Marcos, Carlsbad, Vista, Escondido and some unincorporated areas of the County.
SMUSD offers diverse educational programs for students from kindergarten through adult education. There is an academic partnership between the San Marcos Unified School District and California State University San Marcos which is created to focus students on college at an early stage, prepare them for the rigor of college work and guarantee them admission to Cal. State San Marcos.
The three schools currently in the district for Rancho Santalina Community are Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary School (The Jaguars), San Marcos Middle School (The Crusaders) and San Marcos High School (Excalibur Knights). Joli Ann Leichtag is the newest elementary school to the district, which opened fall of 2008.
Posted by Tod on June 4, 2010 |
San Marcos, CA – Jewel of North County
I don’t know of a more central location in North San Diego that has as much to offer as San Marcos. With a population of about 84,000, San Marcos is quickly becoming known as the educational hub of San Diego North County with its award-winning school district, Palomar Community College and California State University San Marcos. Take a moment to view the schools around Rancho Santalina Homes.
The city is located along Highway 78 that connects Highway 5 by the coast and Highway 15 inland and has an excellent transportation network with the Sprinter commuter rail line and great bus service.
Amenities
It’s known for having some of the best restaurants including Old California Restaurant Row which features a large concentration of restaurants offering a variety of cuisines. San Marcos features several golf courses, notably Lake San Marcos, which itself is a recreational venue.
There is new mixed with old in housing and shopping with quality centers like Creekside Marketplace, Nordahl Center, Grand Plaza and plans for thoughtful future developments like the San Marcos Downtown Creek District.
The city has two big festivals a year, The Grand Spring Festival in April and The Grand Fall Festival in October. Land prices are still lower compared to other North San Diego County cities. It’s hard to beat the mild, year-round climate with an average summer temperature around 72 degrees.
Check out San Marcos……you will love it!
Posted by Tod on June 2, 2010 |
New Homes are soon to be built in San Marcos!
Rancho Santalina is a beautiful New Home Community opening for sale this month. This is great news for the community, the area and the current home owners that live there now. Rancho Santalina is quietly nestled in the hills of San Marcos with ocean breezes, open space and is located conveniently to the 78 freeway. There are 6 distinctive floor plans to choose from, ranging in square feet from 2,238 to 3,516. The six models are currently getting a face lift and should be open very soon.
Why Rancho Santalina?
Besides a great location in Southern California, only around 12 miles from the sparkling Pacific Ocean and Carlsbad beaches, close proximity to the Coaster and the new homes are built by Southern California Home Builder, Fieldstone Homes. There are spectacular mountain and hillside views, a community park and seven acres of preserved natural space.
You will love the three beautiful architectural styles of the homes in Rancho Santalina and the feel of the neighborhood. The elegant interior designs of Fieldstone homes include spacious gourmet kitchens, large secondary bedrooms and many energy efficient features.
Welcome Home!
When purchasing a new home, most builders such as Rancho Santalina Homes, include front yard landscaping, but what about your back yard. Designing your rear yard can become time consuming and expensive. Here are some tips to help you with your landscape designing;
