The 2019 Tommie Awards (which will henceforth be known as The Okanagan Housing Awards of Excellence) celebration last weekend in Kelowna at the Delta Grand Hotel was so much fun! The finalists for all the categories built some truly stylish, innovative, breathtaking living spaces. We had an absolute blast celebrating our company’s success this past year.

Parsons Family Homes were so happy and proud to receive Silver Awards in the following categories:

Excellence in Outdoor Living Space New or Renovation- Okanagan Cabana which you can see at https://parsonsfamilyhomes.com/portfolio/lake-country-cabana

Excellence is Urban Infill Residential – The Elms on 33rd, which you can see at https://parsonsfamilyhomes.com/portfolio/attainable-housing-mortgage-helper

Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $475,000-$1,000,000 – The Lakehouse, which you can see at https://parsonsfamilyhomes.com/portfolio/west-coast-contemporary/

Excellence in Certified Home – Custom – Whisper Ridge, which was a Step Code 3 Certified home we built and you can see it at https://parsonsfamilyhomes.com/about-us/step-code-builder

What a fantastic way to top off a busy and rewarding year of doing what we love. A huge shout out to all of our employees—we can’t do any of this without you guys and we are so proud of the work we all do together. You can see all the award finalists below:

If you’re thinking of renovating or building a custom home, give Taylor a call at (250)306-0310 or email him at taylor@parsonsfamilyhomes.com

Should you build a new home or buy an existing one?

Choosing between building a custom home and buying an existing one can be an overwhelming decision if you don’t know the right questions to ask or where to start. Parsons Family Homes has been custom-building houses for a long time, so before you decide to build or buy, we have some solid insight to offer you on our take between the two choices.

Energy efficiency! New homes, especially custom builds, offer the opportunity to zero in on the type of energy-efficient details that keep your energy bills low and your house running at maximum efficiency. While many new homes have a certain level of energy-conscious aspects, with a custom build, you have the freedom to dictate how high you want your BC Energy Step Code (formerly Energy Star) rating to be (which is not only good for the pocketbook, but also GREAT for resale value). Not only that, but retrofitting the energy aspects of a home can potentially be pricey.

Parsons is a certified EnerGuide builder and we work hard to ensure all of our homes have high Step Code Level 3 (or higher) ratings.

Rebates! The higher the Step Code rating, the higher the rebate from Fortis BC (for both gas and electricity). You can read more about these rebates at https://www.fortisbc.com/Rebates/RebatesOffers/NewHomeConstructionPre/Pages/default.aspx
and read all about the new BC Energy Step Code mandates at https://energystepcode.ca/.

Technology, baby! Nowadays, energy-efficient homes go hand-in-hand with the ability to integrate modern technology into the hard-wiring of a house. Custom builds allow you to automate light and heating systems, smart appliances, and even audio/visual systems that can all be controlled from your smartphone, even when you’re not at home. This furthers your ability to save money on energy and also deters thieves when they see lights going on and off in different rooms or hear music playing while you’re away. Here at Parsons, we use state of the art technology and extremely knowledgeable technicians to wire up our builds.

No unexpected repair or maintenance costs. Let’s face it, a house is a huge investment already without incurring the unexpected maintenance or repair costs that often come with purchasing a existing house. Simple really: If you custom build a brand new house, everything is going to be new, warrantied, and running right, so any maintenance costs are going to be expected and minimal.

Make it “you”! How many homes have you lived in or visited where you say things like, “This place is great, but I would change…”? Quite simply, if you custom build, you choose the layout and all the details so your home ends up EXACTLY the way you want it. Want high ceilings and an open concept? Done! Want an ensuite off of every room? Done! Want an automated porch that rotates around the house depending where the sun is? Cool! So do we! Let us know when you figure out how to do that! 😜
If you buy a place, you may love the house, but, guaranteed, after you spend some time living in it, you will find yourself wishing a room was larger or a wall could be removed or a bathroom extended. Build it custom and do it right for you the first time! We also do renos, so we run into this sort of thing ALL THE TIME and, while we enjoy a good reno, we’d much rather build it right for you right off the hop.

If you are curious if you can make a new home build work, give us a call at (250) 306-0310 or email us at taylor@parsonsfamilyhomes.com. We can help!

You can see some our latest custom homes here!

Renovate or Sell?

Every year we hear from people all over the Okanagan who are wondering whether they should renovate their existing homes or put them on the market and then buy or build something new.

We always start by asking these questions:

1. Do you like the neighbourhood you live in?
2. What would your reason be for selling your home to buy or build another?
3. Does your home need an upgrade? Do you need more space? More light? More energy efficiency? A more modern look?

If you’re on the fence between selling and renovating, we can help you decide.

Here are some rad reasons to renovate:

1. It’s all about comfort and enjoyment. Perhaps you bought your house because you love the neighbourhood and amenities or you love the spacious yard, but the house has never quite felt like it was “you”. Renos can take your house and, with some simple changes tailored to your ideas, make it into your home.
2. Family and location. If you love your location and want to stay there because the schools are fantastic or the neighbourhood has lots of other kids, developing the basement will be a great way to give your kids a space of their own to hang out with their friends…and give you some peace and quiet upstairs. Or, perhaps you’re now empty nesters and it’s high time you expanded the master bedroom into one of the kids’ old rooms or turned the basement into a hobby cave—complete with a theatre room, of course!
3. Let’s talk money, honey! New mortgage rules in Canada stipulate that people cannot switch lenders when it’s time for renewal UNLESS they pass the Stress Test. This means you have to be able to prove that you can keep up with your debt payments even at an interest rate that is HIGHER than what the bank is offering you. If you CAN’T pass that stress test, you can still renew your mortgage, but you can’t switch lenders and it limits your ability to negotiate a new rate. On top of that, new buyers (even those with a down payment of 20% STILL have to pass the same stress test. Therefore, it’s a safe bet that it will be easier for you to obtain financing for a home upgrade than to sell your home and buy another.
4. Moving. Nobody enjoys moving (even professional movers…haha). Why? Because it is TOTALLY STRESSFUL! Packing up everything you’ve accumulated over the years (and purging all that “stuff” that you don’t use and really don’t need) is time-consuming and can become really overwhelming for some people. Not to mention transporting everything and then unpacking at the new place and setting everything up.
5. Energy Efficiency Upgrades. If your home is a bit outdated and you want to take a more cost-effective approach to reduce heating and cooling bills, adding in some efficiency upgrades is a brilliant idea! Simple fixes such as replacing windows, adding insulation, and changing your heating system can save you a lot of money in the long term.

Regardless of your reasons, the pros at Parsons can help with all of your renovation needs. Check out some of our renovations projects at https://parsonsfamilyhomes.com/portfolio-category/renovations/

You can call Taylor at (250)306-0310 or send us an email here.