Mark Johnson Custom Homes Blog

In a recent Realty Times article by Kenneth R. Harney, Harney discussed the passage by the House last week extending the $8,000 home buyer tax credit next year for military, diplomatic and intelligence personnel serving overseas. As a Jacksonville, NC new home builder, Mark Johnson Custom Homes is excited about the possibility of not only building for military personnel but also the chance that Congress will extend or expand the tax credit program. Below is an excerpt and to read the complete article, click here!

“Congressman Charles Rangel, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, sponsored the one-year extension of the credit for military and other personnel serving overseas, and is reported by aides as favoring an extension for the entire program.

The White House has not publicly committed to an extension, but has confirmed that the President is seriously examining that option.

An unexpected development that emerged following last week’s White House meeting was the possibility of opening up the credit to a broader group of buyers next year – people who sell their current homes and buy a replacement home.”

Jacksonville, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes utilizes an Internet-based tool to keep clients up-to-date on the progress of their home building via an electronic concierge. To view the Client Progress Portal of our Energy Star home in Wilmington, NC, click here and enter the Username 51 and Password 2009.

Mark Johnson Custom Homes, a family-owned and operated business, takes an innovative approach to the complex process of home building. The company’s Internet-based tool, the Client Progress Portal, allows homeowners to log on to the company’s website to receive full access to the progress of the building of their home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This client-focused website, developed in collaboration with Provis Media Group, LLC, serves as an electronic concierge to homeowners and prospective clients.

“We are very excited about our Client Progress Portal,” said Mark Johnson, President and Founder of Mark Johnson Custom Homes. “We believe that the tool’s innovation and creativity will set the experience of building a new home with our company apart from other builders. Our company relies on the efficiencies of technology to keep our customers and trade partners up to speed on our progress. In our dynamic industry, change is constant and updates need to be communicated to the homeowners. Streamlining the vital aspects of the home building process will keep our projects on schedule.”

At the start of the building process, MJCH clients receive a unique user ID and password to access the Client Progress Portal, allowing them to be involved in every step of their new home or renovation project. The Client Progress Portal provides pertinent information to the homeowner, including construction schedules, current photos of the client’s home, change orders, site plans, plan design and a customer care request form.

Mark Johnson Custom Homes’ commitment to their clients does not end at the closing table.  Homeowners can continue to access the Client Progress Portal for warranty requests, documentation, and tips for home maintenance well after they have moved into their new home.

Dr. and Mrs. Richard Mahfood had this to say in regards to the Client Progress Portal: “The Client Progress Portal on Mark Johnson Custom Homes’ website was extremely valuable in the construction of our home.  Residing in Ohio and not being able to travel to Wilmington frequently, the website enabled us to see the continual progression of the house. Mark Johnson Custom Homes’ investment in the Client Progress Portal made the construction process a very enjoyable experience.”

In a previous blog post, Jacksonville, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes introduced our readers to The Energy Detective and explained its role in tracking the energy efficiencies of our LEED Platinum home in Landfall in Wilmington, NC. Now information technology giant Google has signed up with Energy Inc, the maker of The Energy Detective, to make tracking the energy usage of your home even easier. Below is an excerpt from a recent article on BusinessGreen.com and to read the complete article, click here. To get The Energy Detective installed in your own home in Southeastern North Carolina, contact Electronics 2 You, Coastal Carolina’s finest home audio establishment, at (910) 397-0953 or visit their website!

“Aimed at consumers, the TED 5000 home energy usage monitoring device uses a gateway device that connects and stores energy usage data from a residential electrical panel. This data can then be beamed wirelessly to a display that can be carried around by the user, providing individuals with a constant reminder of how much energy they are using.

The system can also connect to a network, so that its data is also transmissible to Google’s servers. Google PowerMeter can then display a residence’s energy usage using a chronological chart, while also rating the house against other residences, so that users can tell how well they are doing compared to the average PowerMeter user.”

Jacksonville, NC Green home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes understands that building Green facilities and homes has more benefits than simply being eco-friendly and a lower utility bill – it’s also a healthier and more comfortable environment for their occupants. A recent study from the University of San Diego’s Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate and property developers CB Richard Ellis found that employees in Green office buildings not only took less sick leave, but also had a higher productivity level. Better indoor air quality, plenty of natural light and better ventilation are all key components for a more sustainable building for employees. To read the complete article, click here.

When Jacksonville, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes tackled their first Green project, a LEED Platinum home in Wilmington, NC, they learned a very valuable lesson: although a client may not specifically ask for Green features, the features of a Green-built home are an obvious benefit. Every homeowner wants to save money on utility bills and live in a safe home to keep their families healthy and comfortable. Online for EcoHome’s Chief Editor Jean Dimeo interviewed Sam Raskin, the national director for Energy Star for Homes, on this very subject and the article was very insightful. Below is an excerpt and to read the complete article, click here!

“’You don’t know someone’s willingness to pay until you have the value proposition in hand,’ Raskin said. Energy Star for Homes provides builders a relatively easy way to offer buyers dwellings that are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC) and that include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20% to 30% more efficient than standard houses. But Energy Star-qualified houses are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to green building. That’s why EPA’s Climate Choice program seeks to accelerate market adoption of cutting-edge technologies.”

Jacksonville, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes understands that it could be an excellent time to invest in real estate – IF you are well prepared. A recent Realty Times article outlined the National Real Estate Investors Association’s suggested items to address before you take the plunge. Below is the list and to read the complete article by Broderick Perkins, click here.

• Buy your own home first.

• Go back to school.

• Educate yourself.

• Learn your investment market.

• Develop an exit strategy.

Jacksonville, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to pass along this valuable information regarding the prevention of water damage in your home.

• Check for hidden leaks by turning off faucets, all water-using appliances, and not flushing toilets for one hour. Record the water meter reading. If the flow indicator (triangular or diamond-shaped rotating button) is spinning or the meter reading has changed while no water is being used, a leaking pipe may exist.
• Know where the main water shut off valve is located in your home and check it frequently to make sure it is operational.
• Disconnect garden hoses from all spigots before the start of winter.
• Fill in any low spots around the house so water drains away from the foundation.
• Inspect caulking around windows and doors and replace as needed where cracked or deteriorated.

For many more tips on detecting water damage and preventative measures, click here.

Courtesy of: statefarm.com

Jacksonville, NC home remodeler Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to pass on this extremely valuable information. Courtesy of Sapona Green Building Center in Wilmington, NC, the brochures below outline the possible tax incentives and rebates your home could receive should you decide to “Go Green” for your next remodeling project! Mark Johnson Custom Homes is a Green builder that has built a LEED Platinum home in the Landfall Community in Wilmington, NC. Let us remodel your home to create the ”Green” home of your dreams! 

In a time where 20 million Americans are on Twitter, over 55 million have Facebook accounts, and 35 million are on LinkedIn, it’s easy to see how social media is changing the way we live. Companies utilize social media as an effective marketing tool, individuals use it as a way to keep in touch with loved ones and it is an excellent networking device. But when your personal life becomes public, caution should be taken with what and how much information you post on the internet.

Status updates on Facebook and Tweets on Twitter are a quick and easy way to post information, such as a website link or a YouTube video. But what is most common are the answers to “What’s on your mind”, which is on your personal Facebook home page, or “What are you doing”, which is on Twitter. Publicizing where you are or where you plan to be has had some dangerous results as the popularity of social media has grown.

Some homeowners have found the consequences for making their lives more public via social media have been rather devastating. After Tweeting that he was going to be out of town, a Mesa, Arizona man came home to find his home had been burglarized. Thousands of dollars worth of computer equipment was stolen and because so many people had access to this information on the internet, finding the culprit is nearly impossible.

Jacksonville, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes, Inc urges you to be wary of what information you choose to post. When leaving your home for an extended period of time, opt to wait until after a trip to say where you went and what exciting things you did.

Courtesy of Dan York, www.disruptiveconversations.com

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Jacksonville, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes is among the 2008 winners of the National Association of Home Builders’ Safety Award for Excellence. Mark Johnson Custom Homes was recognized with the Single-Family Builder Safety Program Award, kept safety regulations at the forefront of their educational efforts and has maintained a workplace free from serious injuries for 41 consecutive months. “Safety is one the most important factors when considering the overall success of a project. If our trade partners and jobsite visitors don’t make it home in the same condition they arrived, we have failed them as managers,” said safety coordinator Kevin Johnson.