A better way of showing you the value of a new home

Home Creations constantly seeks to build quality and affordable energy efficient homes for families across Oklahoma. Our state’s climate and environment affect our construction methods and the type of energy rating system we use.

Each of our homes are certified energy efficient; backed with the Home Energy Rating System Index (HERS® Index) developed by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). The HERS rating is recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy as official verification of energy performance.

Similar to how MPG tells you the fuel efficiency of a vehicle, the HERS Index indicates the energy efficiency of a home. A typical new home has a HERS Index of 100 and the lower the number, the higher the savings for home owners. Home Creations floor plans have HERS Indexes between the upper 50’s to 70’s. Make sure to ask for the HERS rating when looking to purchase a new home. See some examples of Home Creations HERS rated homes on the left.

Click here for more examples.

2011 in REVIEW!

Sometimes it’s good to reflect on the past year and laugh at the memories, be amazed at the accomplishments, and learn from the mistakes. At Home Creations, we had a busy year. Our marketing team has reflected on the past year’s events, the ones that were a huge success, and the ones we could do better. It’s an important responsibility to spread the message of home ownership to all Americans and make sure every one gets the opportunity to make a wise investment. As we reviewed the past year we reflected on some of our favorite times!

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The January Home and Garden Show (giving away Home Creations t-shirts is fast and furious!)

The Spring and Fall Home Buyer’s Seminars (making new friends and feeling like you answered people’s questions is rewarding)

Winning the Energy Star Partner of the Year for 2011 (receiving the award in Washington DC made us proud!)

Producing new commercials (the kids on “I’m So Happy” were fun to work with)

Filming the HGTV show (still amazed at how awesome the homes turned out and how many people came in 100 degree plus weather)

Tulsa House Beautiful Show and Parade of Homes (we are proud of our Tulsa team and their efforts)

Grand Opening of Apple Village 3 (Great organization and planning)

Our Online Contests (Halloween contests, Trivia contests, Decoration Contests, and Jingle contests proved to be great fun for our fans)

Being Proud Thunder and Sooner sponsers! (enough said…)

Having the Thunder Girls at a Show Home for an Open House (the pics were especially fun for the guys)

Business After Hours (the “text my phone” was a great give a way idea)

Our 30^th Anniversary Party at the Petroleum Club  (the cake was creative, the banner was BIG, and the event was well attended)

The Affair of the Heart… (great place to meet new friends and people who needed a home)

Realtor Appreciation Luncheon (always a fun event and a great time to say thanks to our Realtor friends)

Christmas Party (always a chance to get to know our co-workers better…Karaoke was fun!)

In addition, we were involved in multiple fund raising events for The American Cancer Society, United Way, American Heart Association, and The Food Bank, among many others. We hosted a myriad of Brokers Opens, breakfasts, and meetings with Realtors. We were also featured in three articles in the Daily Oklahoman, and in four national magazines. We won first place in two categories of the Reader’s Choice awards, and participated in a number of festivals, workshops, and exhibits at other events in our communities. We attended educational and motivational classes and are committed to becoming even better employees in 2012.

It was a great year, we sold well over 400 homes and had fun doing it! Thanks to all our customers who shared in the Home Creations experience in 2012.

Celebrating the Season at Home Creations 2011

Ugly Sweater Contest

What a fun time to be an employee at Home Creations! All work and no play makes a dull work place, so during the holidays, we spiced up life! The office staff had a Secret Santa exchange the past few weeks! Gifts appeared from “no-where” and everyone tried to guess who their Secret Santa was. Many of our vendors and suppliers brought treats to the office and there were emails and over head announcements daily of candies, berries, cupcakes, sandwiches, etc. in the break room “for all.”  There was an “Ugly Christmas Sweater,” contest, a “Baby Picture” contest, and on Dec. 23^rd, we had a brunch all morning with everyone bringing their favorite recipe to graze on. The sales staff had their annual Holiday dinner together at my home, and the Holiday company wide party was voted the best ever!

The most rewarding events, however, were those done to help our community. The sales staff collected toys for needy families in Norman, the office staff collected food for the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank, and monies for United Way. Many of our staff helped as well providing clothes and food for needy families throughout the metro through their places of worship and other civic organizations.

As employees, we are refreshed, encouraged, and thankful.  We are ready to begin a new year helping Oklahomans find their dream of a new home!

Home Creations Open Floor Plans… Great for Holiday Entertainment

When planning for holiday parties or family gatherings, having enough room to comfortably entertain is always a concern. Home Creations’ floor plans are designed with entertaining in mind. With little wasted space in their floor plans, Home Creations homes have more functional living area than many larger homes. Their designs make people sense a spaciousness to the home, even though the home may not be huge. The 10 foot ceilings and large windows help as well. There is a lot of light and open flow to the living areas. Many of the kitchens have a viewing area to the living/dining space, and this allows the hostess to be a part of the festivities while preparing food.

“I live in a Home Creations home,” says Anita Wagoner, Director of Sales and Marketing at Home Creations, “and my family and guests love my Home Creations floor plan. I can work in my kitchen and still converse with my guests. The way the rooms are open to each other allows for more people to mingle and enjoy each other’s company. The caststone fireplace makes the living room look very luxurious. We all love hanging stockings and singing carols around the fire.”

With interest rates at a 40 year low, a new Home Creations home will fit in your budget. Plan for next year’s holiday season now by visiting a Home Creations’ show home, and checking out your new home possibilities. Show homes are open seven days a week in over 20 locations. Go to www.HomeCreations.com for more information.

Happy Holidays from Home Creations!

Anita Wagoner
Sales & Marketing Director
Home Creations

Holiday Table Decorating

Today we have a post from Melissa Barnett, Home Creations sales consultant in Sonador/Montague and paper crafter extraordinaire.

For me, paper crafting isn’t just a hobby.  It’s my passion.  I determined this when I realized it’s the one thing I can do where I forget to eat and can go without sleep.  I get lost in my projects and don’t want to stop.  It’s also cheaper than therapy.

This year I accepted a challenge to decorate a table for our company Christmas Party.  I was on vacation when the email came through so I wasn’t thinking logically.  If there is one thing I am not, it’s a decorator.  However, I am highly competitive and there are prizes involved – SIGN ME UP!  I figured I could turn to my passion of paper crafting and make something work.

I started with an idea I saw in a magazine for a centerpiece.  Here is my version:

Simple, yet elegant.  Just cut some flowers out of varying colors of paper and adhere to a foam cone.  Easy enough, I thought, right?  Well, it took quite a few flowers and lots of debating on where to put which bloom and whether to texture it or not, etc.  (The perfectionist in me comes out while crafting).   About 5 hours later I was done…did I mention this is just the centerpiece?

After a trip to my favorite hobby store, I had the tree topper (every tree needs a topper) and a tree skirt (who would have thought a tree centerpiece needed a skirt) but this IS a competition. And did I mention prizes were involved?

Now that the centerpiece was done, it was time to move on.  I’m going with a silver and white elegant theme here but figured it needed a splash of color.  I designed some super cute Santa napkin ring holders and stockings.  Although I wasn’t sure what I would use the stockings for, I quickly realized they would be perfect silverware holders!

Here is the test table at my model home.  The actual table will have a white table cloth on it and will be twice as big (seating 8).  I would value your input.  Hopefully I will win bonus points for everything being hand made.  Wish me luck!

-Melissa Barnett

(Editor’s Note: Our company holiday party was this past weekend.  We’ll be sharing a recap of our holiday party and pictures of the various table decorations next week.  Check back to see which table won!)

3 Holiday Recipes from our Kitchens to Yours

What better way to beat the cold than with some delicious holiday cooking?  We have so many talented cooks disguising themselves as accounting staff, construction support staff, sales staff, and more, so from our kitchens to yours – here’s a sampling of some of our staff’s favorite holiday recipes.  Get cookin’!
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Broccoli, Cheese & Rice – Crystal Hawkins, Accounting 

• 1 lg. pkg. frozen broccoli
• 1 sm.  can Milnot (canned milk product)
• 1 sm. can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 sm. can ceam of cheddar/cheddar broccoli soup
• 2 ½ cups minute rice
• 2 ½ cups water
• 1 block Velveeta
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbs. worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbs. onion flakes
• Salt & pepper to taste 

In a large pan cook 2 ½ cups of minute rice with 2 ½ cups of water and 2 tbsp. butter (until rice is tender).  Add Milnot, cream of mushroom, cream of cheddar/cheddar broccoli Soup, 1 tbs worcestershire sauce & onion flakes and salt & pepper to taste.  Preheat oven to 350.  Cook broccoli until soft.  Add broccoli to large pan.  Cut Velveeta into cubes and add to large pan mixture.  Place large pan mixture into a buttered casserole dish.  Top the mixture with slices of Velveeta.  Put in the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes.  Top layer of cheese should be melted and slightly browned.
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Caramels – Rebekah Koller, Office Clerk 

Makes 1 dozen caramels

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into three one-tablespoon pieces
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel (a type of sea salt sold at most health food stores and specialty food markets)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Special equipment: parchment paper*, candy thermometer

Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment.  Bring cream, butter and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.  Boil sugar and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel.  Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248 degrees on the candy thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into baking pan and cool for at least 2 hours.  Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting the two ends to close. Caramels will keep for up to two weeks in an airtight container.

* Parchment paper or wax paper is a must for wrapping the caramels; they will stick to anything else.

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Rock Road Candy – Melba Harris, Construction Support

• 1-12 oz. pkg semisweet choc chips
• 1/8 cup butter
• 1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 ½ c. dry-roasted peanuts
• 1-16 oz. pkg miniature marshmallows

Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with wax paper. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate and butter until melted.  Stir occasionally until chocolate is smooth.  Stir in condensed milk.  Combine peanuts and marshmallows, stir into chocolate mixture.  Pour into prepared pan and chill until firm.  Cut into squares.

A Few Winterizing Tips

Winter seems to be here!

While we can’t cover everything you may need to do to your home to prepare it for winter, we can certainly give you a head start!  See below for some basic tips.

1. Check your weather stripping around your doors – it may need to be replaced.
2. Check the outside of your home for any caulk that needs to be replaced – sealing those cracks and gaps can help with energy costs.
3. We don’t always open our blinds on all our windows – be sure to check them to make sure the glass isn’t cracked.
4. Be sure to unhook your hoses from your spigots before we reach freezing temperatures.  If you don’t , you run the risk of bursting your pipes.
5. Change your air filter regularly.
6. Be sure to test your furnace ahead of dropping temperatures. Waiting until you need the heat could cause delays in service due to demand. It’s like having a spare tire don’t wait until you have a flat to find that the spare doesn’t have air in it.
7. If you let your dryer vent get clogged your dyer will not work as intended. Your clothes will take longer to dry and your dryer will stay on longer. Keep ’em cleaned for better service and drier clothes.

Here’s to a warm and safe winter!

Our Annual Realtor Banquet

One of my favorite events every year at Home Creations is hosting the Annual Realtor Appreciation Banquet. We strive to express our appreciation to Realtors who have brought us clients throughout the year and worked together to help many folks find a new home. This year we let some Realtors share their funniest experiences selling Real Estate. The best story involved a Realtor, who upon arriving at the home read a sign that said, “Please keep cat inside.” The cat was not inside. So, they chased down the cat and locked it back in the house when they left….only to find out later, it was not the home owner’s cat!

Realtors work hard, and so we attempted to give them a little time to laugh, reflect on their year, and enjoy each other. Our staff always enjoys planning this event, and since we are celebrating our 30^th year of building, we carried out an 80’s theme; complete with a skit about Realtors in the 80’s, an 80’s fads trivia game, and name those 80’s songs!

Just a few interesting facts we discovered planning the 80’s theme…

Gas was $1.50 in the 80’s
Air conditioning units were 8 SEER (now we install 14 SEER)
Realtors used car phones not cell phones
Realtors carried big MLS books to find listing
Houses were decked out in mirrored walls, flocked wall paper, paneling, and brass chandeliers
And the average house cost $80,000.

The food was great, the Realtors had fun, and we celebrated another year of partnership with the most professional people in town!

-Anita Wagoner, Sales & Marketing Director

Good Food…Good Info!

Helping people gives me the most joy in life! And that’s how I felt after the Home Buyer’s seminar held at Home Creations last week…Helpful! As we were leaving, I heard people say, “That’s what I needed to know,” “That was very informative,” “Now I know what I need to do to buy a home.”  We were able to answer people’s questions about employment requirements, bond money, VA requirements, improving your credit, out of pocket costs, and many other questions people have when they buy a home.

We had people from all walks of life at the seminar. I met folks who were retired, new arrivals from out of state, people getting married, singles, and young families who needed a home. Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to own a home, but the general consensus was…everyone was tired of renting. We made some new friends.

Owning a home is still the American dream. And it is still possible. We will help over 400 different home owners close homes this year at Home Creations. Some of the folks who attended the seminar have some steps to take before they can qualify for a home. But, at least now, they know what steps to take.

If you have questions, contact us online at homecreations.com.  We’ll answer your questions and help you get started on the best investment of your life. Interest rates are the lowest EVER and home prices are stable in the Oklahoma market.

And, oh yeah! The food was great too!

-Anita Wagoner, Director of Sales & Marketing

Home Creations: A Kickball Tournament Story

Sore, sore, sore… my legs are still sore! Last Sunday I joined my Home Creations teammates on the field to play some kickball! We had a great time utilizing our mad skills to raise money for United Way. My fellow co-workers and I volunteered to join the team we called HC Warriors and although we came from different departments here at Home Creations, it didn’t take us long to become a formidable team of sure footed, confident kickers. During our first game we played an experienced group that challenged us to see the great potential of the “bunt” technique- in which you barely tap the ball near home plate. I struggled with this strategic move since my first inclination was to kick the ball as hard as possible in hopes it would sail over my opponent’s heads! Well, we lost that first game by a small margin…did I mention it was windy and we were playing with an oversized, egg-shaped version of a kickball? Well, no excuses!

We had a great time and more importantly it was for a great cause. The United Way funds many programs that help those in need in our community. I’m glad I got to be a part of this event because it is all too easy to become consumed by my own life and fail to see the sorrows of others. Each day we have a choice to either be a blessing or a curse to someone else, and I hope to be a blessing.

-Liz King, CAD Specialist at Home Creations