Building Forward

Category: News

S & A Homes news

  • Building Energy-Efficient, Eco-Friendly Homes: The S&A eHome

    Building Energy-Efficient, Eco-Friendly Homes: The S&A eHome

    S&A eHome HERS Score and Energy Efficiency

    At S&A Homes, we understand that the investment you put into your new home is significant. That’s why we implement the best practices to stay ahead of the curve and remain building forward. As an energy smart builder, we approach every step of the homebuilding process with an energy-efficient mindset and include the industry’s newest cutting-edge technology within every eHome. Fuse that with superior, award-winning performance standards and you can guarantee that S&A Homes will deliver an optimal home for you and your family.

    Ensuring protection for your investment, family and the environment, the S&A eHome is designed to be eco-friendly, energy efficient and overall healthier without sacrificing the home’s value. 

    While many home buyers believe that all new homes are built to the same standards, S&A Homes incorporates advanced performance standards in each and every home we build. Such advanced standards include a poured wall foundation and 2×6 exterior construction for exceptional structural stability, Ultra Low-E glass windows for increased efficiency, and an engineered floor joist system. 

    Our eHomes also feature Energy Star Certified products, low VOC paints, tightly sealed ductwork, 90% LED lighting, R-410a refrigerant, recycled carpet padding and more to ensure a healthier, Earth-friendly home.

     

     

    Finally, we use the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index to determine our HERS score to make it simple to see just how energy efficient our homes are. Provided by a third-party verification service, Resident Energy Services Network (RESNET), HERS is a set standard used by industry professionals to measure a home’s efficiency details and energy score. 

    For a home to receive a HERS score, a certified RESNET HERS rater must assess how much clean energy the home creates through its energy sources and how much energy is needed for the house to operate efficiently. With HERS, a low score indicates the home is designed and built to maximize energy efficiency and lower utility costs. In contrast, a high score suggests significant waste rates and expensive utility costs. 

    Included in the HERS energy rating are utilities that significantly affect the utility costs, such as:

    • Exterior walls
    • Unconditioned floors, including garages and basements
    • Ceilings and roofs
    • Foundations, attics and crawl spaces
    • Doors, windows, vents and ductwork
    • Thermostats, water heating systems and HVAC systems
    • Heating and cooling distribution systems

    With the average HERS score for S&A Homes being lower than the typical code-built homes, it’s proof our homes are more energy efficient than most.

    S&A Homes' HERS Rating

    To learn more about S&A Homes and our energy-efficient new homes, visit www.sahomebuilder.com/life-in-a-sa-home .

  • Mortgage Interest Rates and Your New Home Purchase

    Mortgage Interest Rates and Your New Home Purchase

    interest rates

    At S&A Homes, we’ve recently heard a lot of questions from homebuyers about mortgage interest rates. Here is some info that may help, and a few reasons why today’s rates should not discourage you from buying your dream home!  

    How do interest rates affect your home purchase?

    If you’re borrowing money to purchase your home, the interest rate you pay will affect your monthly mortgage payment and will impact the price of home you qualify to purchase.

    Mortgage payments are typically comprised of four factors, referred to in the industry as PITI – principal, interest, taxes and insurance. The principal pays back the money you borrowed. On the most common loans, the amount starts out as a small percentage of your payment and grows each month.

    The interest is your cost to borrow the money. A lower rate means a lower cost. In most cases, the percentage of your payment that goes toward interest diminishes over time.

    Taxes and insurance in each monthly payment are 1/12 of the annual cost of your homeowner’s insurance and real estate taxes. These are usually paid into an escrow account.

    The amount of money you can borrow is determined by how much your payment and other monthly debt payments will be relative to your monthly income. Most lenders want to see this percentage at about 42% or lower. Higher interest rates can push up your monthly payment amount. You won’t be able to spend as much on principal each month, which means you will qualify to buy at a lower price point.

    Here are 4 reasons today’s rates should not discourage you:

    Interest rates are not forever. When rates come down in the future (and according to history, they will), you can refinance into a lower rate.

    Interest rates are still low by historical standards. Back in the early 80s, interest rates on a 30-year fixed rate loan reached 19%! That tells us rates could get higher before they drop again. And they may never drop as much as they did during the pandemic. Rates that low had never been seen before!

    Options for lowering your payment exist. Adjustable-rate mortgages and buydowns are just two of the safe options that exist for rising rate cycles. With a hybrid ARM, you start with a lower rate for a set period of time before it adjusts to a fixed rate. With a buydown, you pay fees up front to lower your rate for a set amount of time.

    Low- and no-down payment or down payment assistance options are available in some scenarios. These allow you to redirect money toward a buydown or paying down other debt (increasing the amount you qualify to pay toward a home payment each month).

    And here are 3 reasons to act now.

    Avalon home plan

    If you wait to buy:

    • The home you really want may not be there tomorrow.
    • You will spend more time and money paying rent (your landlord’s mortgage payment), rather than building your investment in your own home.
    • You may postpone the opportunity to get your kids in the school you really want, establish friendships in the neighborhood you want, or start living the homeowner lifestyle.

    If you have questions about today’s market, please check out our Financing Solutions page or contact us directly at www.sahomebuilder.com/contact-us.

  • New State College Townhomes Coming Soon at Canterbury Ridge by S&A Homes

    3-story Alexendria Townhome front exterior renderingA brand new townhome community is coming soon to State College! Canterbury Ridge by S&A Homes offers stunning views of Mt. Nittany and the Centre Hills Golf Course and a low-maintenance lifestyle in a prime location just 3.5 miles from Penn State and downtown State College. (more…)

  • S&A Homes Receives Avid Gold Award® for Highest Customer Ratings in Northeast U.S.

    Avid Gold Award Logo S&A HomesPennsylvania-based home builder S&A Homes was recently named winner of the 18th Annual Avid Gold Award for Highest Customer Ratings in the Northeast United States. With customer service at the forefront of its mission, the S&A team is proud to receive such a prestigious recognition. (more…)

  • S&A Homes Partners with UTour for Self-Guided Tours

    UTour self-guided toursDelivering on its mission to constantly Build Forward, S&A Homes recently partnered with UTour, an on-demand interactive self-tour experience for homebuyers. This new technology allows home shoppers to visit and tour model or inventory homes on their own time after normal sales hours. (more…)

  • New Townhome Design Coming Soon at Canterbury Ridge

    3-story Alexendria Townhome front exterior renderingS&A Homes is proud to offer a variety of floor plan options to accommodate families of all sizes, and a new townhome design is coming soon to Canterbury Ridge in State College! The three-story Alexandria townhome offers a thoughtful, open-concept layout with uptown-inspired features, an array of personalization options and included eHome technology exclusively from S&A Homes. (more…)

  • Reasons to Call State College, Pennsylvania Home

    Reasons to Call State College, Pennsylvania HomeHome of the Penn State Nittany Lions, State College is an excellent place to call home for several reasons. While the area is known for being a college town filled with students in blue and white jerseys, the area is also a diverse and vibrant community ideal for families seeking a place where they can truly live, work and play. (more…)

  • New Shippensburg Homes Now Selling at Deerfield by S&A Homes

    New Shippensburg Homes Now Selling at Deerfield by S&A HomesHome shoppers have new homesites to choose from at Deerfield by S&A Homes! Located in Shippensburg, PA, Deerfield offers the ultimate in both location and value.

    Situated just 2 miles from downtown Shippensburg and close to I-81, Deerfield boasts home options for a variety of homebuyers including traditional two-story designs with oversized backyards and main-level owner’s suite options, as well as easy-to-maintain ranch plans with minimal lawn work. (more…)

  • FAQs When Building on Your Land

    FAQs When Building on Your LandThe option to build on your land is one that many are choosing to take advantage of when buying a new home. In addition to building quality new homes in sought-after Central and South-Central Pennsylvania locations, S&A Homes also builds custom new homes on buyer-owned land through its Build on Your Land program.

    With so many new homebuyers interested in building on their land, the S&A Homes sales team answered a few of the program’s most frequently asked questions: (more…)

  • New Port Matilda Townhomes Now Selling at Grays Pointe

    New Port Matilda Townhomes Now Selling at Grays PointeS&A Homes recently announced its next phase of new Port Matilda townhomes at Grays Pointe are now selling! Situated just 2 miles from I-99 and minutes from the Penn State University Main Campus and Downtown State College, this community of single- and multi-family homes offers an unmatched combination of value, amenities and energy-efficient designs crafted with homebuyers’ needs and lifestyle in mind. (more…)