There is good news for families in the market for a new home. Mortgage rates are trending downward, with many considering the advantages of small-town living.
Royse City, home to the Creekshaw a master-planned community is a fast-growing northeastern suburb of Dallas. Moving to this ideal location is perfect for homeowners who prefer suburban living, but still want to maintain access to all the extras that Dallas can offer. In addition to miles of curated landscape and many resort-style, upscale amenities Creekshaw’s premium builders offer residents home designs that meet every style and satisfy every budget.
Rates Are Going Down?
Every generation of home buyers contends with the financial costs when purchasing a home, but recently the tide has turned, and mortgage rates are coming down. According to a recent article by CBS news, average mortgage rates have fallen by half a percentage point, and the Federal Reserve is poised to cut rates even further this fall.
What does this mean to prospective buyers? Lower mortgage rates are beneficial for all home buyers. Here’s why:
Affordability: Homeownership is more accessible when mortgage payments are lowered. This is especially true for first-time home buyers who may have a tighter budget or for older homeowners who are looking to downsize because of a fixed income.
Increased Purchasing Power: When interest rates are lower, homebuyers can buy a more expensive home with more features in a better location for the same monthly payment amount.
Downsizing Opportunities: Older couples looking to downsize from a traditional family home can benefit from lower interest rates when securing a new, smaller home.
Qualifying with Ease: It can be easier to qualify for a mortgage when the rates are lower.
Refinancing Options: Lower rates give homeowners the option of refinancing, decreasing the cost of monthly payments, and freeing up capital for other expenses.
Building Equity
Building equity is the difference between what a home sells for and what is still owed. Equity grows as the homeowner pays down the mortgage.
Over time, more of what is paid each month goes to the balance on the loan rather than the interest, building more equity. Owning a home provides a greater degree of economic stability – even in an unstable economy!
Buying and Selling
According to real estate platform Redfin, “a late summer decline in mortgage rates has edged mortgage payments downward for the first time in four years.” Most market analysts expect this downward trend to continue into the fall. This means that potential homeowners will now pay less and dropping rates could also stimulate the market as it becomes advantageous for sellers as well.
For many, life changes precipitate a new home. For example, a move might come because a family is expanding, an empty nest couple is downsizing, or a family is relocating because of a new job. All these important life changes can influence homebuying decisions.
Buying a home, particularly when mortgage rates drop, is a solid financial decision. Historically, the biggest advantage to owning a home is long-term financial security.
Once a homebuyer is pre-approved for a mortgage, it’s time to start looking. The real estate platform Zillow surveyed potential home buyers to find out what they most looked for when purchasing a new home. Some of the top features to consider are the following:
Safety: 83% said a feeling of safety was very important
Proximity to shopping, services, and leisure activities: 58% of buyers said they wanted conveniences and easy access to recreational activities
Optimal commute to work or school: rated very important to 53% of buyers
A sense of community or belonging is rated very important to 51% of buyers
Close to family and friends: rated very important to 50% of buyers
In a preferred school district: rated very important to 50% of buyers
All-in-One Destination
Creekshaw checks off every one of the top feature requirements for potential homebuyers. The community is safe, as well as close to shopping and services.
Recreational activities are walkable, built right into the community design. Royse City ISD is a preferred school district, ranked among the best in Texas. Commuting to work in Dallas is a snap. At Creekshaw, neighbors become your friends.Extended families may even decide to live in the same neighborhood, thanks to a wide variety of available homes and floor plans that serve the needs of every homebuyer.
Seeing is Believing
When mortgage rates drop, it’s time to shop! If you’re in the market for a new home, why not seize the day? At Creekshaw, premium builders have constructed various model homes for prospective buyers to tour.
Everyone knows that seeing is believing. Tour model homes by Highland Homes, David Weekley Homes, K. Hovnanian Homes, and Impression Homes. Schedule to tour one of the new townhomes by Impression Homes that will be coming soon. A New Phase is coming to Creekshaw! There will be plenty of home designs that can work with any kind of budget.
Purchasing Power
Whether you’re a first-time buyer looking for a forever home or an empty-nester ready to downsize, lower mortgage rates mean greater purchasing power! Come to Creekshaw and find the home that you’ve been looking for. Call to schedule an appointment today!
Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent or work outside of the house, you will need a go-to list of everyday summer activities for kids to keep them busy—and learning—during summer vacation. Left to their own devices (pardon the pun) summer free time may turn into too much screen time.
At Creekshaw master-planned community, children can take advantage of so many fun summer activities. Just because summer can be less structured, doesn’t mean that learning ends. Parents can be role models for their children by showing them what it means to enjoy learning new things, whether in the classroom or through spending family time together making real-life memorable.
Stop the Summer Slide
At the beginning of the school year, many teachers expect to review last year’s material and reteach children the skills they’ve forgotten. Educators refer to this as the “summer slide,” or summer learning loss, but don’t feel the need to set up a classroom in your dining room just yet.
Parents can prevent the summer slide by being aware of it and finding opportunities to add an element of learning to summer vacation activities. Make time for having fun but also make it enriching by including some reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Here’s How
Weekly Storytime: The educational benefit of reading to children can’t be overstated. Reading aloud helps young children build language skills, learn about the world, and develop emotional awareness and empathy for others. Since Creekshawis in Royse City, a charming small town north of Dallas, the C.F. Goodwin Public Library is ground zero for summer fun and reading. This excellent library has a weekly story time for little ones. For older kids, sign them up for a summer reading challenge.
Bring Math into the Real World: Statistically speaking, math is the subject that suffers the most from the summer slide. One fun way to include math in summer fun is to cook recipes and have the kids help to measure and add ingredients. Another practical way is to have kids manage some money, a real-world application they must master. Younger children can be taught one-to-one correspondence by having them set the table.
Spend More Time Outside: Apply sunscreen, grab a water bottle, and get outside. Children need nature and physical activity. Take your kids to the pool at the Creekshaw Amenity Center or take a meander along the hiking and biking trails. Make a playground visit in the morning while it’s still cool or take a nature walk and have the kids identify (and count) the different plants and animals they see. Let children run, play, and explore, and watch the learning happen naturally.
Take a Day Trip: Royse City boasts an array of day trip destinations, like taking the kids to visit Shangri-llama, where they can interact with the inhabitants, a herd of gentle llamas. Other must-see places in Royse City include City Lake Park, Futuro House, Robert Smith Family Park, and more.
Take a Road Trip: It takes under an hour to get to Dallas fromCreekshaw. Once there, enrichment opportunities abound. Take a nature stroll through the Butterfly House in Fair Park, visit the Dallas Aquarium or Zoo, or the Perot Museum of Nature and Science – a hands-on museum with many interactive displays.
Staycations
Families that live in the master-planned community of Creekshaw enjoy upscale resort-style amenitiesthat make a compelling argument for planning staycation activities with the kids. For example, go to the catch-and-release fishing pond and use that time to have conversations, make plans, tell jokes, and yes, teach. There are many ways to add skill-building to daily life during a summer break.
Staycation ideas to spark summer enrichment might include:
Backyard Camping: Creekshaw homeownerstake pride in their backyards, creating spaces that offer a relaxing and entertaining environment. Take the kids backyard camping this summer. It’s the best of both worlds and can lead to learning opportunities about planets and stars while sitting by the fire ring.
Begin a Fitness Routine: Invite other neighbors to join in a Mommy& Me fitness class in a shared community space. Challenge the kids to participate in sports. Check out the Royse City Sports Complex, located footsteps away from Creekshaw.
Make a Family Journal: Encourage the kids to participate in creating a family journal. Writing encourages meta-cognition and self-reflection. Deciding what to put in the family journal encourages collaboration. Kids can take photos and draw illustrations. Young children can dictate their ideas.
School and Community Partnership: Royse City ISD
Niche,a highly respected school rating service, ranked the Royse City Independent School District far above average among other districts in Texas. One of the reasons for this is the priority on forming a partnership between the school district and the community, working together to help local children succeed.
Royse City ISD, in partnership with the YMCA, offers the community a summer camp for children 5-12 years old, five days a week, from June through August. Campers are provided 2 snacks a day and will enjoy theme-based enrichment opportunities, outdoor learning opportunities, arts, fitness, field trips and more.
One sure-fire way to avoid the summer slide is to have a plan in place. Make a calendar that includes family goals and individual goals. Brainstorm with the kids about the places they’d like to go, what they may want to do or learn, and any new things they may want to try. Summer provides the flexibility of more free time, more outdoor recreation, and less stress which equals more quality family time. Who knows? You might learn something new along the way.
Slide into Summer Fun! To learn more about the Creekshaw Community and all the opportunities it offers for spending quality family time, schedule a visit today.
Real estate “experts,” which can include both buyers and sellers, have long extolled the “three most important words” in the industry. They are location, location, and location! Combining small-town charm with big-city convenience, Creekshaw master-planned community is a 30-minute drive east of downtown Dallas on Interstate 30. Its location offers its community residents a robust economic climate and enhanced employment opportunities, as well as access to a variety of amenities found in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
However, its prime location is only the beginning. An experienced team of premier builders has curated the manicured neighborhoods and developed detailed floor plans that will appeal to today’s most discerning homebuyers.
With miles of hiking and biking trails, inviting green spaces, and upscale amenities, there is something here for every member of the family. For example, residents can drop a line in the catch-and-release ponds on a lazy Sunday or relax with the kids at the Amenity Center swimming complex. Plus, the Royse City Sports Complex is adjacent to the community. Convenience has been built right into Creekshaw’s community design.
Homes Transformed
What do buyers want in 2024? Recently, Creekshaw’s construction pros listed some emerging trends that are most requested by today’s prospective home buyers.
Innovative Homes: According to David Weekley Homes, new construction trends run the gamut from innovative, versatile room design to the latest in interior design concepts. Transformational design adds functionality and adaptability as families, and their lifestyles, grow and evolve. DWH offers models for touring or prospective buyers can schedule a 3D virtual tour from the comfort of their own sofa with the company’s LifeDesign™ feature. In 2024, trends include clear sight lines, traffic pattern room placements, and an emphasis on windows and light. Visit their website for additional interior design inspiration and ideas.
Smart Technology: Highland Homes has a passion for architectural design that employs new and energy-efficient construction methods. In fact, they have earned the Excellence in Energy Performance Award for exceeding Energy Star expectations.
Smart technology accessible from a mobile phone is integrated into each home design. Features include electronic deadbolts, video doorbells, outlets that include USB ports, smart thermostats, WIFI garage doors, and high-speed WIFI routers. Appliances are energy efficient, and homes are “future-proofed” with eco-friendly options focused on long-term sustainability.
Highland Homes offers buyers an assortment of floor plans that will suit the individual needs of the homeowner and an inspiration gallery to “try before you buy.” Look at the Interactive Room Visualizer function on their website to get a feel for design combinations and available finishes for people to choose from.
Future Forward Design: Premier builder K. Hovnanianis introducing Tacoma II, its newest floor plan for the Creekshaw community. Upscale kitchens and spa-quality bathrooms are representative of the growing self-care trend in 2024.
The pandemic reminded us of the truth in that old adage: your home is your castle. Families today want homes that come with all the comforts they enjoy. For example, flexible spaces for workouts or hybrid work-from-home offices continue to be desirable, as do fully functional outdoor spaces that invite nature inside. To streamline the process even further, check out the Looks function on the builder’swebsite. Interior design professionals at K. Hovnanian have curated four inspirational home design palettes that orchestrate harmonious interior design options with available add-ons and finishes.
Coming Soon: Creekshaw has partnered with Impression Homes to offer community residents a townhouse option that is now in the planning stages. Community amenities are desirable whether purchasing a large family home or a smaller starter home. Check back at Creekshaw.com for updates. Impression Homes offers a Home Photo Gallery and other valuable information on their website for first-time buyers who want to familiarize themselves with the home-buying process.
Point and Click
When considering new construction, the amount of decision making involved can occasionally feel overwhelming. Each one of Creekshaw’s construction teams seeks to streamline the process for prospective home buyers. One sure-fire way to do that is to provide interactive features that can demonstrate all the exterior and interior possibilities available with the click of a mouse.
A 2024 trend towards interactive features is also the latest in the construction industry. Builder sites include mobile-friendly, user-friendly functions, since mobile devices account for a sizable portion of web traffic. Interactive elements offer users an engaging design experience that encourages exploration and authentically demonstrates what is possible, without the fear of making costly, irreversible mistakes. Users can experiment, undo changes, and change their minds again to make informed decisions when the time comes to build.
Reality vs. Virtual Reality
As popular and engaging as interactive design has become, there is still nothing like seeing a place firsthand. Creekshaw is in Royse City, where visitors can stop by and see the Futuro House, an architectural wonder that was considered truly innovative back in the day. Designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen in the late 1960’s, Futuro House resembles a flying saucer made from reinforced plastic. Perhaps innovation, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder? At Creekshaw, our builders still place a high premium on their timeless designs.
Visiting a place allows us to immerse ourselves in the environment, experience the neighborhoods, and assess the availability of essential services and amenities. Come and see for yourself what today’s innovative homes have to offer. Click here to schedule a tour today.
Finding just the right home, one where you see yourself living happily for many years to come can be a daunting task. According to Realtors, buyers are looking for much more than the perfect house. Homebuyers want to belong to a thriving community that exemplifies the lifestyle they seek.
How can a new homebuyer know if they’ve found the right home? Here are the top 10 essential factors to consider.
Demand and Desirability
Location is a top priority when purchasing a new home and will significantly influence demand and desirability. In the case of Creekshaw, it is about a 30-minute drive northeast of downtown Dallas. Combining the small-town charm of Royse City with the big-city convenience of the Dallas Metroplex, the builders at this charming community offer residents a striking variety of well-crafted, quality homes.
Money Matters
When building a new home, a key factor in arriving at a budget is establishing non-negotiable priorities, from style and function to finishing materials. Is the house you plan to buy comfortably in your price range? A budget isn’t about restricting what a person can spend. It permits them to spend without guilt or regret.
Tailor Made
Understanding both the lot size and house size is essential for property valuation and planning. Lot size refers to the total area of the land parcel where your home is situated. Property size refers to the total area within the home itself, often calculated in square footage. Families are not “one size fits all.” For example, some families prefer a single-story home while others prefer two stories. Some families plan on a bonus room to accommodate changing space requirements moving forward.
Feature Attractions
When purchasing a new home, a variety of available floor plans ensures a layout that works well for your family. Spa bathrooms are becoming equally as important as functional, upscale kitchen layouts for adding to the quality of daily life. Upscale amenities attract potential buyers. Creekshaw has hike-and-bike trail systems that connect neighborhoods with pocket parks, open spaces, and a catch-and-release fishing pond. The community also boasts a resort-style amenity complex, with a large swimming pool, an event pavilion, lounging areas with a shade cabana, and plenty of lawn space for gatherings. For added convenience, the Royse City Sports Complex is located adjacent to the community.
Save Your Energy
Energy costs make up a large portion of a homeowner’s monthly bills. When shopping for a new home, it’s important to learn about a prospective home’s energy performance before you buy. In addition, a home that has been “future-proofed” for the impact of climate is a major selling point for climate-conscious consumers. The premier builders at Creekshaw construct eco-friendly homes with energy-efficient designs and sustainable materials to ensure the highest quality energy performance.
Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
When it comes to purposeful house hunting, a high-quality public school system plays a critical role in the decision-making process. Not only important as institutions of learning, but good schools also shape the surrounding communities, impact economic development, and influence home values. Students that live at Creekshaw will attend Royse City ISD Royse City ISD is highly rated by the Texas Education Agency.
First Impressions
Buyers are looking for houses that make them feel comfortable, inspired, and at home. If they walk into the house and begin mentally arranging the furniture, it’s a good bet the house could be the one. A good vibe begins at the curb. Look for appealing entryways and attractive landscaping. If the home checks most of the boxes, consider making an offer. If you can imagine living there for the next 5 to 10 years, you’ll know the house is probably a good fit for you.
Outdoor Oasis
Since the isolation of the pandemic, families have a renewed appreciation for inviting outdoor spaces in their backyards. Some must-haves include porches, fences, patios, and decks. Creating a private outdoor oasis has never been more desirable or returned more in dividends. If you’re a potential homebuyer, the essential considerations include how much space you need (lot size) and how you intend to use it. When buying a home in Creekshaw, a personal oasis extends outward to include the community at large, with ample opportunities to enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
For many prospective home buyers, safety is an essential consideration. Creekshaw is designed to be safe and functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. Neighborhoods are well-lit and have monitored access points. The thoughtful design concept of “live, play, and work” ensures that upscale amenities are in walkable range to resident’s homes, reducing traffic risks and providing greater peace of mind. Homes are typically outfitted with surveillance systems for an added layer of security. Common spaces throughout the community make it easier to congregate with neighbors and friends.
Are You Appreciated?
One essential consideration not to underestimate is property appreciation. When investing real estate dollars in a master-planned community like Creekshaw, families are investing in a potential upside potential. Homes in these communities usually bring about a 10% pricing premium due to the attractive amenities and lifestyle features they offer.
It All Adds Up
These 10 factors add up to a great formula for building a “forever home.” If you are seeking a new home that fits your family’s active lifestyle, you can find exactly what you’re looking for at Creekshaw.
Seeing is believing! Why not schedule a visit today? Click here and let’s talk.
For families considering buying or building a new home today, the opening sentence from Charles Dickens’ classic historical novel, “Tale of Two Cities,” resonates just as strongly now as it did when it was first written. With the evolution of the residential building “art and science,” the options have never been better. Amazing locations, amenities that before now were only found in expensive resorts, utility-saving engineering, spectacular architectural options, and the rise of master-planned communities such as Creekshaw, located in Royse City between Garland and Dallas, it is clearly the “best of times” for homebuyers.
However, buyers are rightfully concerned about the economy and its effect on the financial aspects of sharing the American Dream of homeownership. While it is understandable to be concerned, historically, this is certainly not the worst of times to be buying or building a new home. As home buyers for many generations have learned, all it takes is a good plan of action.
The Best of Times
Let’s start with the good news. Master-planned communities have fundamentally changed the value proposition of building a new home. Communities such as Creekshaw, conveniently located north of Dallas in Rockwall County, are a great example of why now is a great time to make the decision to build a forever home today.
Creekshaw is located in one of the oldest towns in Texas, Royse City. The award-winning downtown area offers a charm that is simply not available for most communities. The developers of Creekshaw recognized this warm, small-town vibe and designed a master-planned community that has become a part of this quality of life.
State-of-the-art amenities such as the immaculate Creekshaw amenity center, with its massive pool and meeting spots, is surrounded by the luxurious walking and biking trails of Creekshaw. These paths have been created with the gently rolling terrain in mind and this eco-therapy is a great way to recharge.
The schools are also top-flight. The Royse City Independent School District is far above average among other districts in Texas. It boasts a student-to-teacher ratio of 15 to 1, which allows for more individualized instruction. The graduation rate for students in the district is an impressive 96 percent. The Royse City ISD is among the top 500 Best School Districts in Texas.
Meeting the Mortgage Rate Challenge
Every generation of home buyers has had to grapple with what appears (at the time) to be tough economic headwinds. Of course, with regard to mortgage rates, things have been better, but they have also been much worse.
As of the end of July 2023, Forbes reported, “The average Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for the benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 7.33% today from 7.27% yesterday. This time last week, the 30-year fixed APR was 7.32%. Meanwhile, the average APR on a 15-year fixed mortgage sits at 6.60%. At this same time last week, the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage APR was at 6.57%. And the average APR on the 30-year fixed-rate jumbo mortgage is 7.18%. Last week, it sat at 7.07%
Here’s how this impacts a family considering buying or building a home:
LOAN TERM
INTEREST RATE
APR %
MONTHLY P&I per $100,000
30-Year Fixed
7.40%
7.33%
$687
15-Year Fixed
6.63%
6.6%
$876
30-Year Jumbo
7.23%
7.18%
$677
The experts at Forbes add, “Expect the Federal Reserve’s ongoing monetary policies to continue to put some upward pressure on mortgage rates, with the Fed signaling that it will slow rate hikes, a downward shift in mortgage rates may soon come. While mortgage rates are directly impacted by U.S. Treasury bond yields, the Fed’s actions to contain inflation by hiking the federal funds rate tend to push mortgage rates upward.”
This suggests that NOW might be a good time to apply for a mortgage. Even if this relatively lower rate window is missed, other real estate experts see lower mortgage rates on the horizon. Reported by Forbes:
William Raveis Mortgage regional vice president Melissa Cohn says, “Mortgage rates will follow inflation rates in the next few months. If the rate of inflation continues to drop, mortgage rates will follow right along. In addition, new job creation and consumer spending will impact mortgage rates—if we see that fewer jobs are created and consumer spending declines, slowing the economy, then mortgage rates will drop.”
National Association of Realtors (NAR) deputy chief economist and vice president of research Jessica Lautz adds, “The 30-year fixed interest rate for mortgages has remained stubbornly high. The expectation is that the Fed will see the ease in inflation and there will be a ripple effect to the mortgage market. By 2024, NAR anticipates the 30-year fixed rate will be at 6%, which will be a welcome relief to potential home buyers.”
Tips on Getting a Good Mortgage Rate
Of course, lenders decide a homebuyer’s mortgage rate. However, the editors of Forbes note, “There are some proactive steps you can take to ensure the best rate possible. For example, advanced preparation and meeting with multiple lenders can go a long way. Even lowering your rate by a few basis points can save you money in the long run.”
Here are some other ways you can improve your chances of getting the best deal:
Take stock of your financial situation. For instance, start by looking at your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio—aka your total monthly debts against your monthly earnings—to determine how much home you can afford.
Review your credit score. Lenders look at your credit score to evaluate the risk you pose as a borrower. Paying down balances, limiting new credit cards and loans, and checking your credit report for errors can all work towards raising your score.
Meet with several lenders. Don’t go with the first lender quote you receive. Shop around to get the best deal—research various mortgage lenders and different loans you might qualify for to put yourself in a stronger position once you are ready to buy a home.
Crunch the numbers with a mortgage calculator. Once you know which type of loan you qualify for, you can estimate your monthly payments by punching your numbers into various mortgage calculators, such as a 30-year fixed mortgage calculator or mortgage amortization calculator.
Save money now. The more you put down on a home, the less you’ll need to borrow from a lender.
Now Is a Great Time to Move Up to Creekshaw
Having a glorious home in the master-planned community of Creekshaw can be in your future with a little planning. Now is the time to begin the process. It starts with making a short drive to this idyllic small town and seeing what so many people have discovered about Creekshaw. It’s true. You’ll know when you’ve arrived!
