Meritage looking to future, building green homes

In 2007 Americans saw the beginnings of the housing crisis. Too many houses with too many bad loans created a hardship from which America is still trying to recover.

 

The city of Maricopa, which 10 years ago was a small farming community, was the poster child for the housing boom and the hard-hitting recession.

 

“It exploded faster than what any normal city could handle,” said Tim Austin, sales associate for Meritage Homes in Province. “Like everyone else, we were building homes until the down turn.”

 

As the city still struggles through economic turbulence, the real estate market hasn’t seen prices this low in decades.

“Throughout Maricopa, houses are being sold at rock-bottom prices and those that bought at the top of the boom are left holding a large mortgage payment,” Austin said.

 

Prices for 1,172 to 2,419-square-foot energy-efficient homes range from $122,900 to $214,900. Province is a 55 and older active adult community that offers a variety of fitness activities, such as basketball, tennis and swimming, and has a partnership with the Duke Golf Course, located in the nearby Rancho El Dorado subdivision.

 

Meritage Green Homes surpass all Energy Star requirements,” Austin said. “Our new homes are being built with the future in mind and we want to remain attractive as a community.”

 

The Meritage homes come with a variety of features including energy-efficient appliances, thicker walls, ceiling space that is insulated with spray foam and attics that circulate air flow to reduce trapped heat. They also have programmable thermostats with zone controls, so that if one part of the house is occupied and there a few empty rooms, the system can be programmed so energy is concentrated in occupied areas of the house.

 

The heating and air-conditioning system can yield a cooler home at about half the cost of older units. Installed on the roofs of the homes are panels with photovoltaic cells that generate electricity. According to Austin, a Meritage home use 70 to 80 percent less energy than a standard code-built home as a result of these features.

 

“On the surface, there are homes being sold out there that seem like great deals,” Austin said. “Over time though, their home won’t hold the same value as the ones we are building. Everything is still kind of slow right now in the general market, at least enough so that peoples’ recent investments may not have risen in value or it will take some time to see a true return. Sadly, if you think about maintenance and yearly upkeep, some people that bought before the housing crisis may never see their home at the original value.”