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“The builders that do it in 100 percent of their homes are the true believers,” said Peter Brown, director of residential services for Earth Advantage Institute. “They want to build the best home possible, and Stone Bridge Homes NW is one of the largest companies to make that 100-percent commitment to Earth Advantage.” Even better, Earth Advantage has a new Energy Bill Guarantee, where it predicts the annual utility bill of every certified home and will refund the difference of any costs that exceed the estimate. (Visit www.earthadvantage.org/ebg for more information).

Earth Advantage Institute is a locally based, non-profit organization that designs tools to create better buildings. Its staff does so through three main activities: certification, education, and research and consulting. Its Home Certification program educates builders to help implement sustainable building practices and promote healthier living environments for buyers of new homes. The program educates builders on responsible land-development practices and various ways to limit wasted materials, water and other resources, providing a third-party green certification. According to Earth Advantage Institute, about 20 percent of new homes built in Portland are Earth Advantage certified. To date, the institute has certified more than 13,000 homes across southern Washington and all of Oregon.

“As a company, we always want our homes to be as good as they can be,” said Kelly Ritz, president of Stone Bridge Homes NW. “By the nature of the beast, it’s best to standardize the sustainable features so you can deliver a home that’s more cost-conscious.” For Stone Bridge Homes NW, that meant bringing its construction managers up to speed on the Earth Advantage model through the institute’s Sustainable Home Professional classes. This rigorous, detail-oriented six-month course allows the managers to learn how things such as jobsite recycling, selective landscaping, energy-efficient appliances and low-VOC indoor paint, all of which make a difference for both the environment and the health of the homebuyer.

Over the course of a few years, Stone Bridge Homes NW has become a statewide leader in Earth Advantage building. “One thing that has set Stone Bridge Homes NW apart is how they have everybody on board from the top down,” Brown said. “They are constantly innovating and have become a market leader.” Such was the case at the 2012 Street of Dreams, where Stone Bridge Homes NW demonstrated the benefits of Earth Advantage building on a large scale with its entry, “The Oregon Dream,” the first-ever Street of Dreams home to be certified platinum by the Earth Advantage Institute. “Huge homes like those at Street of Dreams are sometimes not thought of as sustainable, but why shouldn’t these homes be efficient, too?” Brown said. “These homes can potentially use more recycled products than a smaller home.” “This fits our philosophy. We want well-built homes,” Ritz said. “These standards help us always be a little bit above code. Whether it’s an 1,100-square-foot ranch or a Street of Dreams house, we want them all to include energy-saving features that will benefit our buyers.”

Original article: oregonlive.com

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The Earth Advantage Institute is so convinced our Earth Advantage GOLD certified homes will perform efficiently they’re willing to put money on it! Our new homes now come with a three year energy bill guarantee from Earth Advantage, learn more here.

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With its small-town feel, close proximity to the local tech corridor and views of the Coast Range mountains, Forest Grove has become an attractive destination for new-home shoppers looking for a little more elbow room. In recent years, Stone Bridge Homes NW has made the city an even more attractive choice by offering a wide selection of home styles and sizes in its two Forest Grove neighborhoods: Pacific Crossing and The Parks at Forest Grove. Homes in the two neighborhoods start in the mid- $300,000s.

“Forest Grove gives you a little bit more space, and a lot of character,” said Kelly Ritz, president of Stone Bridge Homes NW. “And the price point is much lower. It’s a really nice place to live, especially if the big city’s not your thing.”

Forest Grove is probably most famous as the home to Pacific University, a private institution with an enrollment of about 3,200 students. The town and university grew up together, both having been established in the middle of the 19th Century. Several historic homes in town date back to the 1850s, and Forest Grove features 10 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

Located on the western edge of the Portland metropolitan area, Forest Grove still has expansive natural areas and farmland and has avoided much of the dense growth that has become common in neighboring communities. “It’s Mayberry esque,” Ritz said. “It’s a great location because it’s not very far from Intel and Nike, but it still has that small-town feel.” New-home shoppers who make the trip to Forest Grove can tour one of Stone Bridge’s largest floor plans in the Pacific Crossing neighborhood. Located at 934 Goff Road on lot 140, the 3,645-square-foot home features two master suites, including one on the main level.

Luxurious appointments — such as Silestone countertops and a full tile backsplash in the kitchen, solid maple hardwood floors and a master bath with a soaking tub and separate shower display the value Stone Bridge builds into its high-end homes. With five bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a great room, formal dining room and oversized garage, the home is listed for $428,880. It’s an example of the way Stone Bridge is answering the call for plans that will accommodate large or multi-generation families.

Buyers also can work with the team from Stone Bridge to build a semicustom home by tweaking any of the floor plans the company offers. “The thing I like about working with Stone Bridge is they allow you to move the plan around to accommodate the individual’s needs,” said Eric Shepherd, broker and construction liaison for Stone Bridge. Stone Bridge Homes NW also is committed to energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. The Earth Advantage Institute has certified all of the homes the company has built for the last several years and will now offer a three-year energy bill guarantee on all Stone Bridge homes. “The builders that do it in 100 percent of their homes are the true believers,” said Peter Brown, director of residential services for Earth Advantage Institute. “They want to build the best home possible, and Stone Bridge Homes NW is one of the largest companies to make that 100-percent commitment to Earth Advantage.” “This fits our philosophy. We want well-built homes,” Ritz said. “These standards help us always be a little bit above code. Whether it’s an 1,100-square-foot ranch or a Street of Dreams house, we want them all to include energy-saving features that will benefit our buyers.” All Stone Bridge homes have a 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty, comprehensive coverage that covers workmanship for one year, systems for two, and structural elements for 10.

Original article: oregonlive.com

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We now offer the 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty to all our new Stone Bridge homes. The 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty offers homeowners the most comprehensive home warranty coverage available. The 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty includes:

• 1 year workmanship warranty
• 2 year system warranty
• 10 year structural warranty

To learn more about the 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty program view the flyer here or visit the website.

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There are plenty of “ooh and aah” design features in the new homes at The Parks at Forest Grove, a new subdivision being developed by Stone Bridge Homes NW. But it’s what buyers can’t easily see that really set these homes apart, said company president Kelly Ritz.

The homes are built extremely tight, meaning there are few drafts through cracks and holes in the exterior envelope. Everything from the windows and light fixtures to the furnaces and appliances are highly energy efficient.

That’s a plus not just in terms of saving energy — which equates to lower utility costs —– but also to being better stewards of the environment, said Ritz.
“It differentiates us from a lot of other builders,” she said.

Energy efficiency is becoming more and more part of the conversation in the home buying process, said Peter Brown, director of residential services at Earth Advantage Institute. Homes built to Earth Advantage standards can save a third or more in monthly energy costs compared to new homes built just to standard building code, he said.

Monthly savings can be as high as 50 percent when compared to older homes.
Knowing people often buy as much house as they can afford, that means they can get a little more square footage when they don’t have to pay as much for upkeep, said Brown.
New home buyers can check a home’s Energy Performance Score (EPS) to gauge their monthly utility bill. The score, computed by Energy Trust of Oregon, is based on the home’s size and design as well as energy-efficient features, such as insulation, windows, lighting, water heater, furnace and envelope tightness. A low EPS means the home is more energy-efficient and has a smaller carbon footprint.

The score is similar to the miles-per-gallon label on a new car, said Brown.
“It’s letting you know what you’re getting,” he said.

Stone Bridge offers a three-year energy bill guarantee to every buyer. Backed by Earth Advantage, it assures buyers that their monthly utility costs will not exceed the amount specified on the EPS score, or Earth Advantage will pay the difference.

For the buyer of a new 3,975-square-foot home at The Parks in Forest Grove, that means an assurance that their out-of-pocket for heating and electrical costs will be no more than $99 per month for the next three years.

Original article: oregonlive.com

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Many traditional neighborhood developments struggle with the depressed new housing market — but there are exceptions, including NorthWest Crossing.

This year sales in NorthWest Crossing, A 486-acre traditional neighborhood development (TND) in Bend, Oregon, are the highest they have ever been — even before the Great Recession. The community is on target to sell 107 houses in 2012, according to project general manager David Ford. A new phase of lots nearly sold out in early October in a single day, with 35 sales to approved builders.NorthWest Crossing has generally outperformed the market throughout the real estate downtown. While most other projects in the region were dormant, NorthWest Crossing has increased sales every year from a low point of 18 sales in 2007.

The median price is $372,950, well above the regional median of $190,000. Bend, Oregon, a relatively fast-growing city of 77,000 on the high desert 175 miles from Portland, has attracted new residents and technology entrepreneurs who are looking for an alternative and active lifestyle.Surveys show that buyers are attracted to the community design of NorthWest Crossing, which was well established as a TND, with a small mixed-use town center built, by the time the housing crash hit, Ford says. The location is advantageous — close to downtown on the east and adjacent to the urban growth boundary on the west. “There’s easy access to the outdoors and the activities such as hiking and mountain biking that people come to Bend to enjoy,” Ford says. An elementary school and high school within the project’s boundaries attracted families with school-aged children in the early years of the project. In 2007, 58 percent of buyers had children in school, while 42 percent were single or empty nesters. That ratio has flipped now, with 58 percent single or empty nester buyers.

In 2008, after the slowest sales year, Ford switched marketing tactics. Advertising in traditional media was eliminated in favor of staging events. On the last Friday of June that year, NorthWest
Crossing began hosting Hullabaloo, an annual free festival that attracted 10,000 people in 2012. A couple of blocks in the town center are cut off to traffic and a stage is set up with music, food
venders, and other activities such as a bicycle race.Throughout the summer months, every Saturday the development hosts the most popular farmer’s market in Bend — now with 50 vendors. These events drive people to NorthWest Crossing and boost sales, says Ford. “We have enough built now — it’s easy for to people to come here and say ‘wow, I like this.’ “The most successful sales have been in single-family houses.

An affordable senior living building also performed well. The project has other multifamily, townhouses, and live-work units. Several multifamily projects are in the works, targeted at the rental market. The town center has been hard to keep filled with tenants. “This has suffered because of recession,” Ford says. “By virtue of the design, we are not going to attract national or even regional retailers. Most are local, and in some cases newbies.” The town center currently has restaurants, a wine bar, a bank, professional offices, salons, and a few other shops. The longterm goal is to get a grocery store. The urban growth boundary is being expended to the west, which may bring an additional 2,000 housing units beyond NorthWest Crossing, he says.

Original article: PDF

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A bottomed out real estate market in Lane County coupled with an increase in demand from home buyers has tipped the housing market in favor of sellers and builders.

Kelly Ritz, the president of Stone Bridge Homes NW, recently sold a model home in southwest Eugene. She said that the shift has been in the works for quite some time.

“Everything has been very slow for a while. In fact, if you look at the Eugene market and Lane County, there are about 600 homes on the market right now … only 35 of those are new,” Ritz told KVAL News, before opening the doors to the model home for Stone Bridge Homes NW.

In just under two weeks, the Regional Market Listing Service recorded a market shift in the Eugene. With 500 homes on the books, 42 of them are listed as new home construction projects.

“The rest of them are used. They’re existing, they’re foreclosed, they’re short sales. It’s the existing inventory from 1902 until the crash of 2006.” said Ritz as she lead KVAL’s Ty Steele on a tour through the kitchen of the model home. Ritz has sold nine Stone Bridge Homes sold in the Timberline Hills of southwest Eugene.

That is the year Ritz said her company slowed down home building and focused on surviving the Recession. But now she said the market has bottomed out and is just reaching a tipping point for sellers and builders.

“I think I have the belief that things are going to get better,” said Ritz.

As the housing market starts to rebound, home prices have started to rise. The median sale price for a home in Lane County so far this year listed by the Regional Market Listing Service is $177,000. Last year’s median sale price for the same time period was $174,900.

Prudential residential broker Marcia Edwards said this market trend is good news for real estate agents and home builders.

“We’re shifting from a buyer’s market, where’s there’s abundant opportunity and supply and little demand with all the opportunities in the world as a buyer, to a seller’s market,” said Edwards, gesturing to a home she just sold on Vista Heights Lane in southwest Eugene.

Even with median home sale prices now on the rise, Edwards said low interest rates and flexible lending still makes it a good time to buy. Edwards added that the market has just begun this shift.

“As we see more people buying homes, putting more sub contractors to work, paying more fees to cities and counties, it all helps the economy,” said Ritz. “So, I think we’re on our way up.”

Original article: kval.com

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“Always be conscious of what is going on in the market and always strive to improve your product and service.”

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Stone Bridge Homes NW ranked #6 in the Portland Business Journal’s 2012 Book of Lists!

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