New Wedding Venue in Mandeville

In 1990 both Mandeville City Hall and St. Tammany Parish governments agreed to split taxes that came out of the City of Mandeville. The catalyst for this tax sharing agreement was from annexation growth. As of November 2016, 6 1/3 acres of land that sits on the east side of Mandeville has been annexed into the city limits. The land will be the future home of The Greystone, an events hall and

gardens. The city and the parish will split all sales tax revenue that is generated by The Greystone.

Currently under construction, The Greystone is located at the intersection of Florida and Clausel Streets and is slated for completion March 2017. The main structure will be approximately 11,000 square feet which will include a 5,500 square foot grand ballroom and banquet area.  There will also be an outdoor ceremony area, a complete kitchen and a private bridal suite.  The remaining grounds will include gardens, gazebos, flowers, ponds and a rocky creek.

Owners Keith and Lynda Young, who also own Keith Young’s Steakhouse and The Crabby Shack in Madisonville, plan to use the site for corporate events, conferences, seminars, other large events and weddings. The Greystone will be able to hold 350 guest and Young hopes this will attract couples and organizations who want a larger venue to stay on the northshore and not venture to the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.   “We’re very excited about how this is turning out,” Keith Young said. “It’s a great piece of property with a great layout for weddings or any large event.”



Click Here for the Source of the Information.

Archdiocese of New Orleans Has Built a Unique Senior Living Community

When it comes to the bustling population of a community, senior citizens are often over looked but the 55 and over make up a good portion of the St. Tammany population.  With this in mind, the Archdiocese of New Orleans has built a unique senior living community in Covington called St. Anthony’s Gardens. The community is located on 24 acres and sits approximately 100 yards from Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church. The $40 million dollar community will rent the apartments on a monthly basis with no large cash buy-in required making it the only private pay senior living community on the Northshore.

St. Anthony Gardens can be compared to a resort with its many resort style features and amenities.

The Garden Center Commons area has it all.  As with any resort, there is an elegant dining room and private dining room. Residents can stay fit and healthy in one of the multiple exercise rooms, cardio and strength training rooms,walking paths and Wellness clinic with medical exam room.  They can stay busy at the theater, library with resident business center, beauty salon, barber shop, and arts and crafts studio.  For solitude and reflection there is also an On-site chapel and covered porch.

Archbishop Aymond said, “There is a great deal of growth that continues on the northshore, and we, as church, realized there was a demand for a senior living facility. It’s important for the church to reach out and create a home for its citizens.” There are three new home residential options.  According to Ken Swartzfager, asset manager for the project, “This is considered a Continuous Care Residential Community (CCRC), where you can easily transition from one stage of life to the next.”
The first option is “Independent Living” where residents can enjoy a healthy, active independent lifestyle along with the amenities and services provided by St. Anthony’s Gardens.  Residents will be provided with housekeeping, lawn service, 24-hour concierge service, complimentary transportation to scheduled events, basic cable, HDTV digital audio/video output, high-speed internet, free local/National long distance calling and home repairs.  The 120 independent living units (studio, one bedroom or two bedroom) feature 9 ft. ceilings with crown molding in living and dining areas, gourmet style kitchen with island and breakfast bar, full-sized kitchen appliances plus washer and dryer, generous walk-in closets and best of all they are pet-friendly.

The second option is “Assisted Living” which consists of 57 studio, one bedroom or two bedroom floorplans.  According to the community website, residents are “Home but Never Lonely.”  The assisted living residents will enjoy a kitchenette, 24-hour security and emergency call system, individual heating and cooling controls and plenty of storage space in each unit.  The residents will be provided with assistance with activities and daily living, medication management, weekly housekeeping and linen services, three meals daily in restaurant-style dining room or room service, transportation to (medical care, stores and community services), and social and recreational activities.
The third option is called “Memory Care” and is dedicated for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias.  The 36 spacious suites include 24-hour security and emergency call system, three meals a day served family style or room service, medication administration, weekly housekeeping and linen services, daily activity programming, physical and occupational therapy, and a full calendar of resident activities. This area not only has full time loving care staff, but also keeps their special residents in mind with dedicated secure walking areas, scheduled transportation and specialized activities in the craft room.

John Eckholdt, former chief executive officer of the archdiocese says, “It’s state of the art and very safe. There’s a nice neighborhood and a major hospital almost within walking distance. The church is there. And, the fact that the archdiocese’s name is attached to it is a sign to people that it’s going to be well-done and people will be cared for.”  Those that are looking to downsize from a larger home and live on the Northshore now have a new residential option. In fact, Covington’s new development already has its first resident.  Stanley and Frances Bridges have moved into an independent living home and feel blessed that they are able to stay in the community they have lived in.  Stanley Bridges grew up in Covington and retired as a pharmacist at Herbert Drugs. When asked about his new home, he said, “It’s fantastic – they treat you like royalty.” The development is not only a great place for Northshore senior citizens but will also be a hub for employment for Northshore residents. “When the community is fully occupied, St. Anthony’s Gardens should employ nearly 100 people”, Swartzfager said.



Click Here, Here and Here for the Sources of Information.

New Mandeville Subdivision Near Archdiocese Land

Brentwood Land Development LLC of Mandeville plans to build a new subdivision off Sharp Road near Mandeville.  The new community is slated to bring 103 new homes to the area.  The 104-acres, just south of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, is under contract and is presently owned by the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

The land is currently zoned A-1 but a request has been approved by the St. Tammany Parish Zoning

Commission to change the zoning to A-2 with a Planned Unit Development (PUD) overlay in place.  A-2 zoning will allow one home per acre and the PUD overlay will sanction for smaller lots with 25% of the land used as green space.  The developers plan to keep 66% of the tract green space which honors the New Directions 2025 land use plan. The new project proposes one home per acre which is less than most subdivisions which are built along Sharp Rd. Brentwood Land did a study that revealed the density in 450-acres of subdivisions in the area is two homes per acre.

Traffic and drainage, two issues that have many residents concerned over, have been addressed by Brentwood Land. The drainage from the new community should be 25% less than what is currently draining from the site. Attorney Jeff Schoen, who represents the archdiocese and Brentwood Land, supports that the home builder’s drainage report is currently being completed and the traffic study which was completed this summer support that the subdivision would not have a huge impact on these two concerns.  “This subdivision should have a place along Sharp Road,” Schoen said.
This new community will have a great impact on the New Orleans area real estate market.  The builders plan to construct 36 new houses on estate-size lots that are priced from $400,000 to $450,000, 17 smaller new homes priced from $350,000 to $400,000 and 50 new construction garden homes priced from $325,000 to $350,000.


Click Here for the Source of the Information.

Supply & Demand Drives Home Pricing

One of the key factors to success in any kind of business is supply and demand. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) agrees that this principle has boosted home pricing in the current housing market. NAR’s chief economist Lawrence Yun believes the housing market is still going strong because of the lack of inventory even though data shows a modest growth rate reduction.
Yun states,”…with homebuilding activity still failing to keep up with demand and not enough current homeowners putting their home up for sale, prices continued their strong ascent – and in many markets at a rate well above income growth.”
In the second quarter of last year the peak existing single-family home price was $229,400, this year however, the second quarter single-family home price has risen 4.9% with a median single-family home price of $240,700.

According to NAR findings, new construction cannot keep up with the demand for new homes.  In the second quarter this year 40% of the listings sold over their listing price. “Many listings in a majority of markets – and especially those in lower price ranges — had multiple offers and went under contract quickly because of severely inadequate supply,” Yun added.

This coupled with low mortgage rates have many potential home buyers wanting to purchase a new home now.  In the Northeast region there was a 7.6% increase in existing homes sales and the median home price increased to $273,600. The Midwest, though not as high of an increase, was 10.4% in total existing-home sales with a median price of $191,300. The West came in next with a 1.4% increase in total existing-home sales with a median home price of $345,500.  The South came in last with a 0.3% increase with a median home price of $214,900.

Whether you are in the market to sell a home or purchase a home, now is the right time.  The housing market is holding strong and is a great investment for your money.  Locally in St. Tammany Parish, Ron Lee Homes, a new home builder in Covington, Louisiana, is building new homes for sale as well as completely custom homes designed completely from your vision of how you would like your new home to be.  We have been keeping a steady pace of new construction for the past 2 years, and we are constantly meeting with new custom home buyers as well as buyers who are looking for homes to buy immediately.  If you are interested in building or buying a new home, Contact Us at 985-626-7619 or E-mail Info@RonLeeHomes.com.


Click Here For the Source of the Information.

Land in Louisiana Still Available for Building One-Story Homes

New Orleans is a big city with many surrounding suburbs, and even though it is a populous area, there is still a lot of land in Louisiana on which to build.  The area is less dense than many cities across the country with very little land constraints.  No wonder the US Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) reported that in 2015 that single-story new construction homes in Louisiana were the highest in the nation.

The SOC is a monthly and annual report that is organized by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) that surveys important information corresponding to the homebuilding industry.  Examples of data gathered include start and completion dates of new homes for sale, new homes sales prices, square footage of new houses and the number of bedrooms in new homes built. The SOC is an important factor in determining where the country’s economy stands.

Nationwide the data found that 58% of new construction houses built in 2015 were two or more stories and 42% were one story.  The country is divided between ten divisions, Pacific, Mountain, West North Central, West South Central, East North Central, East South Central, New England, Middle Atlantic, and South Atlantic. In the Pacific division 69% were two or more stories, in the Mountain only 47% were two or more stories, in West North Central 52% were two or more stories, in West South Central only 45% were two or more stories, in East North Central only 49% were two or more stories, in East South Central 58% were two or more stories, in New England 84% were two or more stories, in Middle Atlantic 80% were two or more stories and in South Atlantic 66% were two or more stories.

The Northeast had the largest number of two or more stories being built in 2015 due to high density with little land which made lot prices very expensive.  Luckily Louisiana which is in the West South Central division has reasonable lot prices making it an attractive place to buy a lot and then build a new home.  If you happen to live in St. Tammany Parish in Southeast Louisiana, Ron Lee Homes, a new, custom home builder, designs and builds new homes to your specifications on lots that we own, lots that you own, or lots that you may be interested in buying.  Land in local subdivisions is plentifully available for new home buyers interested in building their own home.  We can even make recommendations as to where you might want to build depending on your life situation, finances, and housing requirements.  Contact Us Today to get started talking about building a new, custom home on a local homesite.  Call 985-626-7619 or E-mail Info@RonLeeHomes.com.


Click Here for the Source of the Information.

NAHB Works with Congress to Help Low-Income Housing Laws

Without the help of the country’s federal government, many Americans could not see homeownership in their future.  The National Association of Home Builders worked with the House of Representatives and the Senate to pass a bill in Congress that would facilitate the chance for low-income Americans to become homeowners.  On July 29, 2016, the President signed The Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act which consists of several reforms which will increase access to affordable rental housing, provide assistance to low-income renters and facilitate homeownership.

There are many facets to the bill which is now a new law.  In the past voucher holders had no chance in competing with market-rate renters.  Because of red tape in the inspection process, voucher holders were not able to move into a multi-family unit such as an apartment or condominium immediately.  Now with the new law inspection requirements in the Housing Choice Voucher Program are more efficient and allow a quicker approval.

The contract terms of HUD’s Section 8 Project Based Housing Choice Voucher program is now 20 years instead of 15 which enables project-based vouchers to be used with the Low Income Housing Tax Credit residences.  Voucher holders will now be protected from economic influences that are out of their control, which means that when the market rental rate goes up, voucher holders will not have to be displaced because their payments are not high enough.  This also allows property owners to preserve respectable renters.

The Rural Housing Service Single-Family Guaranteed Loan Program will also be updated to compete with other government loan programs.  This will allow more low-income renters to actually be able to get a home loan.

FHA regulations that are enforced on existing condominium projects have been reduced.  This means that the purchase of a condo will be less stringent in terms of required owner occupancy for the buyer.  Buyers will now find it easier to purchase multi-family units for rental purposes, creating more rentals in the market.  Also, condo owners who are able to sell will then be able to move up to a single family detached home, if they would like.

Click Here for the Source of the Information.

NAHB States Homeownership Is One of the Highest Investments

According to over 80% of Americans surveyed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), homeownership is one of the highest and best investments in not only a financial future but also an emotional and mental future as well.  Home provides security in investment, security in living (the physical walls of the home), security in family (many couples dream of owning a home to rear their children), and security in equity in the future.  Homes are one of the largest financial investments that can be made that will absolutely return money to a homeowner in the form of equity loans that can be taken out of the house.

Most everyone has heard of the “American Dream” and Leonard Boswell, former U.S. Representative, described it best when he said, “The American Dream is one of success, home ownership, college education for one’s children, and have a secure job to provide these and other goals.” The (NAHB) believes this still holds true in today’s current housing market.   According to a polling done in July on over 2,800 registered voters “…..most Americans believe that owning a home remains an integral part of the American Dream and that policymakers need to take active steps to encourage and protect homeownership,” said NAHB Chairman Ed Brady.

The polling was done to explore the American peoples’ perspective on homeownership, housing production, and government programs that assist in homeownership.  Four out of five Americans still factor homeownership into the “American Dream’” believing it is still a worthy investment.  The key outcomes of the study were as follows: 82% of Americans feel that owning a home is the highest of investments, 81% of 18-29 year old Americans are planning to purchase a new home, 72% agree that the government providing tax incentives help fuel homeownership, 46% feel that now is a good time to purchase a new house and 36% of the Americans surveyed planned to purchase a new home within the next three years.

So with that said, homeownership is still a big part of the “American Dream” and to end with another quote, Maya Angelou describes homeownership as this, “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

Click Here and Here for the Sources of the Information.