Payne Family Homes - Blog

Some of our Sales Team attended the annual Hot Tips seminar by the Sales & Marketing Council of the St. Louis Homebuilder’s Association yesterday, where they focus on financing, merchandising, social media, and sales updates and tips for the new year.  In the merchandising arena, it’s always interesting to see where the color trends will take us in relation to new home design.  So we thought we would share what we learned and discovered!

Sherwin-Williams ColorMix 2012 was introduced to the market in the fall and you can see how all of 2012′s trend colors are inspired by nature.  A combination of brights, cooler hues and neutrals, these colors are absolutely gorgeous and you can almost envision a home taking shape around these hues this year.  Sherwin-Williams grouped these colors into 4 categories-Reds, Blues, Greens, and Neutrals.  Check ‘em out below!

We're loving all of these nature inspired colors! We can't wait to try them out in some of our homes!

For more on these nature inspired colors, simply visit your your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams store or visit their website.  If you’re interested in incorporating these colors into your new Payne Family Home, just ask one of our sales consultants or request more information here!

Payne Family Homes has announced the acquisition of 157 additional homesites in two villages at Ohmes Farm, a 250-acre, master-planned community on Ohmes Road in St. Peters.

According to community sales manager Brooke Mayer, the decision was based on Payne’s brisk sales tempo in The Meadows at Ohmes Farm.  Featuring the builder’s newest and most popular single-family design collections, the 59-homesite village is already nearly half-sold.

“This is a great neighborhood in an outstanding location,” Mayer stated.  “St. Peters is ranked among MONEY Magazine’s Best Places to Live in America.  People want to live here – and we’re ready to accommodate them!”

In The Meadows, Payne Family Homes will continue to offer the Vision Series, starting from $179,900, and the Lifestyle Series, based from $204,900.  Both hot-selling portfolios were designed in response to customer requests and emphasize highly functional, adaptable living spaces, as represented by the “Meridian” display, a spacious split-bedroom ranch that is open for touring daily.

Now, however, buyers have the choice of 125 newly-added single-family homesites in The Crossings at Ohmes Farm.  Grouped around nine cul-de-sacs and ranging in size from 10,000 to 27,000 square feet, the lots have 80-foot frontages, and some are wooded or back to trees.

The Crossings showcases all 12 Lifestyle plans, plus the “San Marino,” an upscale ranch with enduring customer appeal.   Pricing starts from $229,900, and several characteristics will distinguish the homes in this fashionable village, including all-premium elevations and a standard 3-car front-entry garage.

The Crossings’ generous homesites also allow for a variety of unique garage configurations.  Purchasers can opt for a 3-car garage with one front entry and two side entries, and 4-car tandem garages are available, as well.

“Keeping up with demand for inventory homes has been a real challenge in this neighborhood,” Mayer remarked, “so we already have our first inventory home under construction.”  The wildly popular “Breckenridge II“, with four bedrooms and nearly 3,400 square feet of living space will be available for a Spring 2012 move-in.

There’s exciting news for buyers hoping to enjoy easy-maintenance living at Ohmes Farm, too!  Payne Family Homes is introducing detached villas in The Chateaux, a private, 42-site enclave located at the development’s northern perimeter.

“We’ve had tremendous success with villas elsewhere in St. Charles County, and buyers are going to be thrilled to find this lifestyle option now available here at Ohmes Farm,” said Mayer.

Payne’s all-new Chateaux collection is comprised of four free-standing ranches with wonderfully innovative floorplans with 2-3 bedrooms and 1300 to 1750 square feet on the main level.  Notable standard amenities include 2-car garages, handsome brick-&-stone elevations, architectural shingles, aggregate driveways and 4-foot-wide walks, and lawn irrigation systems.

Full basements allow for finished lower levels, and villa customers also have the unique option of adding an upper-level “eagle’s nest” on select plans.

The newly-designed “Hamilton” is under construction as The Chateaux’s display model and is projected to be open for viewing in early Spring 2012.

Here's a sneak peak of what the Hamilton Display at The Chateaux at Ohmes Farm is going to look like!

Payne Family Homes’ expanded offering is clearly the “pick of the crop” at Ohmes Farm, and Mayer encourages homebuyers to ask about special incentives currently in effect in all three villages.

For more information you can call Brooke Mayer at 314-713-0838, stop into our Sales Center located at 712 Magnolia Trails Lane, St. Peters, MO 63376, or visit us online anytime at www.PayneFamilyHomes.com.  You can also simply request more information by clicking here!

Wedding bells will be ringing for Joel Lester and Saretta Wade at the Jewel Box in Forest Park on October 7, with Saretta’s 9-year-old daughter Alexis proudly serving as junior bridesmaid.  (Correction! – that’s nine-and-a-half, according to this vivacious, articulate 4th-grader.) Joel is a native St. Louisan.  Saretta was born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi.  So, how did this stunning young couple meet back in 2008?  Silly question in today’s cyber-world! – on the Internet, of course.  And how did they find their gorgeous new Payne Family Home in The Pointe at Heritage Crossing?  Well, that story is a bit more complicated…

Saretta had already moved to the St. Louis area, where she’s employed as a labor and delivery nurse for St. John’s Hospital.  Joel is a Web and graphic designer for AT&T and a talented part-time photographer.  Once “matched,” the two found themselves going in opposite directions, each relocating to and from Atlanta at different times.  Eventually, though, they decided to marry and put down roots in St. Louis. Finding the right home for their family-to-be was at the top of the priority list.  But Joel was still in Atlanta, and Saretta was living in St. Charles.  So, Joel arranged for a local Realtor to do the legwork, then Saretta would tour the suggested homes.  Staying in the Francis Howell School District was important to mom, and easy commuter access was a must for this busy professional couple.

 From her first visit to the sales center at The Pointe, Saretta was impressed by the warm welcome she received from community sales manager Julie Jones and her staff.  And the two-story Breckenridge display was love at first sight!  “It was exactly what we wanted – big, open, and free-flowing,” Saretta recalls.  “From that moment on, nothing else measured up.”

 The couple made relatively few alterations to the basic floorplan, but were amazed by Payne Family’s willingness to personalize, saying, “Most other builders wouldn’t let us make any changes.” Joel flew in to finalize the contract on Valentine’s Day (symbolic?), and construction began under the meticulous supervision of builder Dave Wilcockson.  Once reestablished back in St. Louis, Joel visited the site every day.  Both he and Saretta appreciated the friendliness of Payne’s field personnel, who always invited them to inspect the home’s progress and quality, insisting, “This is your house!”

 When asked to describe the best aspects of their homebuilding experience, the pair chime, “The company’s timeliness, flexibility, and the personable treatment we received.  Even our Realtor was singing Payne’s praises!”

 ”We were very happy with Dave,” Saretta added.  “At the beginning, all we worried about was getting moved in before the wedding, but the house was actually completed ahead of schedule.”  And all three are delighted with every facet of their new home. One of the Breckenridge’s four spacious bedrooms serves as Joel’s office, the other as guest accommodations.  Saretta loves her second-floor laundry, and the unique kitchen flooring is a highlight for Joel.  Alexis has started school, found several neighborhood playmates, and is thrilled with the color of her room (a yummy shade of her favorite blue called “Dazzle”).

Just glowing in front of their new Breckenridge at The Pointe!

What amazing work Joel does!

So, all that’s left is to wish this lovely family a joyous wedding and every blessing as they begin their new life together.

Just two minutes from the juncture of Highway 94 and the Page Extension, The Pointe at Heritage Crossing is one of our most successful residential communities, featuring single family homes from $177,900 and attached & detached villas from the mid-$160s.  For more informatio

n on plans offered at The Pointe, please click here or connect with our Online Sales Consultant by clicking here.

It was a surprisingly quiet Saturday afternoon in the Siders’ gorgeous new Payne Family home at Ohmes Farm.  Thirteen-year-old Spencer was in his “man cave”; toddlers Maggie and Hayden were down for their naps; and cherubic, copper-haired Anna, age 3, cheerfully abandoned the cartoons she’d been watching to supervise the interview with her parents.

Mom and dad to these active youngsters, Mackenzie and Ben Siders are a classic example of two highly successful young professionals who found their ideal “match” on the Internet.  Ben is an attorney with the Lewis Rice law firm, specializing in technology litigation.  Formerly a senior project manager with Express Scripts, Mackenzie now devotes her considerable management skills to organizing their busy household.

 By last year, the Siders family had outgrown their West County house, and Ben and Mackenzie began an intensive six-month search that included both pre-owned homes and new construction.  Space was a priority, and the couple had a clear vision of the home they wanted.

 Ultimately, their real estate agent found the perfect floorplan – a “Breckenridge II” two-story, one of 12 designs featured in Payne Family Homes’ Lifestyle Series and offered in several of the builder’s communities.  The logical neighborhood choice was Ohmes Farm, an expansive multi-village development in St. Peters, where Mackenzie’s brother was already a resident and her father lived nearby.

 “Payne Family gave us the most home for the money,” Ben maintains, “and unlike many other builders, they were extremely flexible.”  In fact, the couple laughingly describe their home as a “guinea pig project,” explaining that this was the first time Payne had built the Breckenridge II with the modifications they requested. 

 Assisted by Payne’s community sales manager, the Siders’ adapted the plan to include six bedrooms, 3-1/2 baths, a loft, and a home office.  “It’s hard to put your dream together on paper,” Mackenzie noted.  “We’re reasonable but particular, and we wouldn’t have the same house if it weren’t for her.”

 Construction began the first week of January, with continual site inspections by one or both of the new homeowners.  “We rarely found anything amiss,” Ben recalls, “and anything we did find was addressed quickly.”

 Both attribute the smooth construction process to builder Bruce Wilson, and their assessment of his performance can only be described as glowing:  [He] “inspired tremendous confidence”; “was in charge”; “knew what he was talking about”; “got things done”; “definitely above and beyond.”  “The subs Payne works with are excellent, too – consultative and helpful,” Mackenzie added.

 Comfortably settled in their new home, the family celebrated with an open house in earlier this summer, proudly accepting enthusiastic compliments on the quality and styling from their guests.  But this excerpt from Mackenzie’s thank-you note to company headquarters may be the best summary of the Siders’ experience with Payne Family Homes:

 ”We’re trying to get all of our friends and family to move here!… We’re extremely pleased…  It didn’t matter what I asked for, you guys always tried to make it happen!… Service was great.  House is even better!”

Open daily, Ohmes Farm fronts Ohmes Road in St. Peters and showcases two of Payne Family Homes’ most popular single-family collections – a grand total of 20 home designs.  Pricing starts from $189,900, and details may be obtained by simply clicking here or by contacting Ashley, Payne Family Homes’ Online Sales Consultant. (click here)

Payne Family Homes is proud to annouce that we are 2011 Professional’s Choice Award Winners!  The Professional’s Choice Awards Program is sponsored by the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri and the homes are judged on construction quality by professional building inspectors.  Each year, homes entered into the awards program are judged in 10 specific areas including foundation, framing, exterior finishing, flatwork, finish carpentry, drywall, woodwork, floor coverings, and hard surface materials.  This ensures a comprehensive review of many of the major components of a new home.

This is the third year we have received this award from the HBA and we are aboslutely thrilled to have a 3rd party testiment to our commitment to construction quality standards.  A big thanks goes to our community builders, sales managers, and subcontractors who all play a crucial part in constructing quality built homes for our customers!

Feel free to stop by to tour our two winners:  The Bristol Display at Ashton Woods in Eureka, MO and The Meridian Display at Ohmes Farm in St. Peters, MO!  Again, a big hats off to the many people who have made this possible!

Courtesy of the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), we thought we’d share some positive news about the housing industry!  Nationally, single family housing starts posted a 9.4% gain to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 453,000 units in June, their best pace since November of 2010.  Starts activity improved across every region in country in June, with the Midwest posting a 25.3 percent gain. Great news!

To read the entire news release from the NAHB, please click here.

You may have noticed some changing faces in some of our communities.  We’re proud to announce that two of our seasoned Community Sales Managers, Brooke Bailey & Kim McIver, are settling into their new communities at Ohmes Farm, Tuscany, and The Enclave.  Brooke Bailey had great success selling our Tuscany & Enclave locations and we are excited about the momentum she is already building at Ohmes Farm in St. Peters, just off of Mid Rivers Mall Drive!  Kim McIver, has had equally great success at our Belleau Creek and Bordeaux locations, and we’re looking forward to having her customer centric, upbeat attitude at Tuscany and The Enclave, both conveniently located in St. Charles County near the Page Extension.  For those of you who might be homeowners curious about the new faces you’re seeing in our displays, pop in and introduce yourself!  Both Kim and Brooke are excited to get to know all of our homeowners that have chosen to call these communities “home”.  For those of you considering purchasing a new home, there’s never been a better time to visit these communities than now!  Offering a variety of plans from our Vision Series, Lifestyle Series, and Estate Series, these three communities offer the flexibility of selection, timing and location!  New Lifestyle Series displays have been built at both Tuscany and Ohmes Farm and we have a selection of Fast Move! Inventory Homes available at various stages of construction!  For more information, visit us Mondays 12-5, Tuesday through Sunday 11-5, or click here to request more information!

Buying a home is undoubtedly one of the biggest (if not the biggest) financial decisions you will make in your lifetime. Often associated both with excitement and uncertainty, it’s a decision that certainly requires significant amounts of time, effort and confidence (okay, and money). But as they say, the first step is always the hardest. So with the help of the Home Buying Institute, we compiled a short list of signs that will help you know whether 2011 is your year to buy.

You’re doing your homework. You have taken the time to research the local housing market for your current (or future) city. Was the market in the majority that bottomed out during the housing bust, or was it lucky enough to stay relatively stable? Keeping track of recent trends and current conditions will only help you try to predict how the coming year will play out and to find the home of your dreams.

You’re an expert at mortgage options. Okay, so you don’t have to be an expert—but you’ve assessed your short- and long-term plans and have decided whether a fixed or adjustable rate mortgage is best for you. If this home is to be yours for the long term, consider the fixed rate; if it’s a shorter-term investment, it may be worth the calculated risk of an ARM.

This is the right move. You’ve considered all other options, and the thought and logic behind owning your own new home is the best decision for you at this time. The thrill and excitement of owning your own home matches perfectly with the house you have chosen!

Again, there are many other signs that can help you decide whether 2011 is the right time to buy for you. Are you planning to buy in 2011? If so, what factors helped you make this decision?

So you just found out you’re playing host this New Year’s Eve for your neighborhood friends. But don’t worry—there’s no need to stress or panic. Of course you want to have a fun party with fun decorations, food and drink (and Ryan Seacrest). Well, thanks to Better Homes and Gardens, we’re here to compile a quick New Year’s Eve to-do list for you!

Keep convenience in mind. When you’re deciding what foods to get and where to set everything up, make sure you spread things out and make getting around easy for your guests. Stick with finger foods for the evening—the easier, the better! A fun touch can be creating a menu card that lists the foods available. A fashionable (yet inexpensive) menu card lets your guests know what you’re offering and adds a touch of décor to the buffet line. Also, keep the adult beverage tray off to the side, away from the food and sitting areas. Create as much space as you can.

Pick a color scheme. This can be quite easy—popular New Year’s Eve colors include white and silver. Sometime sticking with this mix is the best idea—silver and white balloons, stars, and other simple touches will give the party a nice ring!

The kids are alright. It’s one thing to entertain adults (sometimes all you need is the champagne and pigs in a blanket). But don’t forget to have activities on hand for the little ones—coloring, separate TV room, and mess-free drinks and snacks (if that’s ever possible). You can even have some of the adults work with them on creating party hats for the ball drop at midnight!

Give them something to remember. Party favors are always a hit for New Year’s Eve. Depending on your budget, consider glassware, personalized party hats, or small cards with the date and place of the party. Most importantly… have fun with it!

Are you hosting or attending a neighborhood or family party for New Year’s Eve? Let us know what decorations or plans you have in mind!

Fiscal conservation is all the rage these days, isn’t it? And as Old Man Winter begins to bear down on us, energy conservation becomes equally as important for homeowners whom are trying to save as much energy and money as possible.

Payne Family Homes knows how critical it can be to save even the smallest of amounts on your home heating costs. We want to share with you some conventional energy-saving tips that can make your bills more bearable and your holidays happier!

• 68 is your new favorite number. Setting your thermostat to 68 degrees will allow your system to use less energy by operating less. And as you leave the house or head upstairs for bed, don’t hesitate to turn the thermostat down an additional 5 degrees to conserve additional energy. There is no use in using the heat when no one is home or awake. You can also purchase an inexpensive programmable thermostat to automatically adjust your home’s temperatures when you are sleeping our out of the home.

• Here comes the sun. Little darling, take advantage of what Mother Nature has to offer—free sunlight. Open your south-facing window shades or coverings to let natural light in. At the same time, make sure those that cannot receive sunlight are closed. Close all the coverings at night to retain the heat and insulate from drafts.

• Something scary is in your attic. That would be the lack of insulation that’s haunting you in the wintertime. Insulating your attic is an investment, but it’s also one of the most cost-effective methods to save costs in your home. Depending on what you plan to insulate (walls, crawlspace, etc.), you may need a contractor for assistance or consultation.

• Payne can be a good thing! Payne Family Homes is working hard for our customers. Our Lifestyle Series offers an energy savings package which includes higher efficiency furnace and higher seer air conditioner, low-E windows, digital programmable thermostat, power cost monitor and higher r-values in the ceiling insulation. We try to practice what we preach, so feel free to contact us with any questions about our energy saving applications!

Of course, regardless of the home you’re in, there are other daily subtle changes that can help. Using cold water in your washing machine, running the dishwasher only when completely full, and closing the fireplace damper when not in use are effective and routine tasks that can save you money.

What are other ways you can save energy and prepare your home for the wintertime?