It’s always nice when a small builder like Landed Gentry is mentioned in the news.  We were so excited to learn that Brian is featured on the front cover of this months Skagit Business Pulse talking about the green building practices Landed Gentry implements on a daily basis.  The Business Pulse did a prominent article titled, “Built Green Homes, Quality construction with less ecological impact.”   In addition to Landed Gentry, they interviewed other local builders and how they are implementing the “Built Green” trend that reaching Skagit and Island counties.

The majority of our homes at Landed Gentry, whether officially certified “Built Green” or not, qualify for a two star rating.    Being good stewards of our environment while still providing affordable homes for our community is important to us…it was great being able to share our concept with the readers of the Business Pulse.

Brian Gentry showing how permeable asphalt works at our Oak Street Community in Burlington.

Kendra Gentry-Decker walking through the front door at our model home at Montreaux in Mount Vernon.

As I mentioned last week, I’m really proud of our team at Landed Gentry and the way our staff contributes to the community. Well, for the second week in a row the contributions of our team made the news! Jeremy Fogle and Mike Anshutz got some great recognition for their contributions to a project at the Help House in Oak Harbor. This food bank makes a real difference in the lives for many families on Whidbey Island. Several of our trade partners contributed to the project as well. Great work guys!
More great press on how the people at Landed Gentry are making a difference in the lives of people our region. Way to go Jeremy and Mike!
Read the article from the Whidbey News Times here:
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt/news/85109207.html

Barb Adams presenting the $25,000 donation to Friendship House in Mount Vernon.

I’m really proud of our team at Landed Gentry and the way our staff contributes to the community.  It’s not often that the things our team does becomes front page news.  Barb Adams, our transaction coordinator/warranty administrator/ general right-arm for Brian won prize through Wells Fargo that allowed her to designate a $25,000 gift toward the Friendship House, a homeless and transitional housing shelter in Mount Vernon.

Well, this act did become front page news.  Great press on how the people at Landed Gentry are making a difference in the lives of people our region.  Way to go Barb!

Read the article from the Skagit Valley Herald here:

http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/fundraising_major_donation_puts_friendship_house_back_in_the_black

What a gorgeous sunny day we had today!  I snapped a few pictures when I was walking around our Montreaux neighborhood this morning that I thought you all would enjoy.   Have a wonderful week!

Kendra

Two young deer passed through Montreaux this morning. They must like the sunshine too!

Mount Baker was so bright and crisp this morning...I had to take a picture

The trees are getting ready to bloom...I can't wait!!!

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”

- Alexander Graham Bell

My daughter Bella Kate showing us how well she can focus at her recent birthday party.

Concentration and focus seem elusive.  Soon as the craziness of the holidays is past, many of us take the time to vision what we see for ourselves in the new year.  It appears good, often a stretch, but attainable.  Now here we are a few weeks into the new year and all the normal demands of life are upon us.  Those visions of the hope and promise of the new year seem much tougher then we thought.

These past few weeks, we’ve chatted with dozen of couples and individuals who are trying to see what this year holds for them as well.  Often when they come see us at Landed Gentry it is all about fulfilling or exploring that vision of getting into that more manageable, newer and efficient home.  The home that fits the lifestyle they want and maybe need to live.  It’s can be a big shift for some, others don’t hesitate to take make the changes they need to make.  We helped two families purchase new homes in the first week of the year.  They see effort worthwhile.  Good interest rates (even if they are just looking at bridge financing), the unprecedented $6500 Federal Tax Credit for existing homeowners, and pretty amazing pricing for new homes. 

For me the personal demand of life are never ceasing; from being part of building the family business, working with our customers, to helping my wife Alexis manage a home and a growing family, to just taking the time for self care.  Each of those segments need attention, the best attention I can provide.  So I need to focus and concentrate upon the work at hand.  When I do, I am generally impressed with results.

That vision you had a few weeks ago of how you saw your life this year, it’s still there, it’s still worth the effort. Make the time to focus on the goals, they things that are important to you.  You might even impress yourself.

I had a really great Christmas weekend. It was the first time in quite some time that I had a taken a group of days off and took the time to really enjoy my family and friends, work around the house, do the little things that I don’t always make as much time for as I would like. The major holiday of the year is past us, now we are closing in on the end of the year. By its nature this is a reflective time of year where we look at where we have been and where are we going. I want to finish well.

My daughter asked for a tractor and farm animals for Christmas, not what I was expecting, but Santa got the message. Thanks Auntie Kendra for the delivery

For me part of finishing well is making time for setting goals in the New Year. As we enter into this last week of the year there is always talk of New Years Resolutions. Resolutions are great, but I think to really gain perspective they have to be evaluated goals. Where have I been? Where am I at? Where am I going? These are the questions I try to ask myself. There are a lot of aspects of my life that I make part of this process: personal, spiritual, relationships, physical and business.

While we don’t always know what the future holds, having some targets to shoot for has been key for my personal development. In spite of challenges or other impediments, what I do really want to achieve? What is the life I really want to live? Where can I find the resource to get me started heading in that direction? I think we should all be asking ourselves questions like these.

Even our dog, Winston, got into the Christmas spirit. Note the plate and glass in the foreground. He decided to be Santa’s helper. Winston decided to help out by eating all the cookies off the plate while we were out of the room… I guess he kind of deserved a little treat.

Looking at 2010, there will be challenges and there will be opportunities. It’s been said that life is not a sprint, it is a marathon. As you come around this corner that we call the New Year take the time to evaluate this leg of the race, finish this section well and map out where you are going.

This quote by Benjamin Franklin really struck me the other day and I thought it timely:

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.”

Merry Christmas! Brian is taking a week off from blogging so I decided to take a stab at contributing to our Landed Gentry Blog. I’m not nearly as poetic or profound as Brian, so I will be sharing several photos from our holiday celebrations this month including our company Christmas party.

We had such a wonderful time getting together last week to celebrate Christmas with our LG team. We held a potluck at the office Thursday night. We enjoyed great company, fabulous food and drinks and had a blast playing some fun games. To mix things up we held a “home” building contest using Legos. We split up into 3 teams and each team had to construct the best home possible within a 15 minute time frame. I was amazed at what they came up with…the most creative and ingenious house designs ever! Take a look at the pictures below…one even included an airplane landing zone.

Steve Baughn showing off his teams masterpiece from the home building contest!

Everyone hard at work designing and constructing the best home.

The Gentry Ladies - Kendra, Alexis and Nancy

Alexis and Brian memorializing the festivities with his new flip recorder...maybe we will post some live footage?

The entire Landed Gentry team - Barb Adams and Nancy Gentry aren't pictured.

Some of the other activities we have enjoyed this holiday season are the Skagit Young Professionals Christmas party as well as the Leadership Skagit Holiday Celebration. Both were held at Skagit Valley Gardens amidst the beautiful decorations and Christmas Trees. Brian’s little girl, Bella, joined us and had fun playing around in the winter wonderland…I think Brian had some fun too!

Brian and Bella being silly at the Skagit Young Professionals Christmas Party.

Miss Bella...Isn't she cute!

I was also honored to be invited by the homeowners at Big Fir Active Adult Community to join them for their 2^nd annual Christmas party last week. It was a lovely event held at Hillcrest Lodge in Mount Vernon. I must say…that bunch knows how to throw a party! I truly enjoyed spending time with everyone and getting to know them a little better…what a wonderful group of people.

Taking part in these festive celebrations reminds me how much friends and family mean to me. Taking time to relax and to enjoy these incredible people in my life and my family’s life has been a true joy. I encourage you to take time out of your hectic day to enjoy the ones you love and care about this holiday season too!

Kendall, Nancy, Brian, myself and the team at Landed Gentry wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas!

All our best,

Kendra

Kendra Gentry-Decker is Vice President for Landed Gentry Homes and Communities.  She serves as the Sales and Marketing director as well as the primary community relations contact for existing Landed Gentry neighborhoods.   You can reach Kendra at Kendra@LandedGentry.com.

Each year I begin to I appreciate Thanksgiving more. Not only the holiday in and of its self, but I have come to really value the spirit of gratitude that surrounds it. This is such an amazing time to simply reflect on our blessings, to let gratitude be on the front of our heart and mind.

This past weekend I attend an “early Thanksgiving” family event that one of my aunts held at her home. It was great fun seeing many of uncles, aunts and cousins and their kids, but the best part of the day was to listening to my 95 year old grandmother say the blessing. It no accident she is named Grace, her prayers are exceptionally reflective, in part because I believe her advanced age gives her a perspective that many of us will never know. She has seen a lot in her lifetime. I know enough about her life to know some of the pain and rough roads she has traveled. Yet this past weekend, when I listen to her words and listen to the passion in her voice, I hear the heart of a woman whom is truly thankful for her blessings.

While my lifetime has been just a fraction of hers, this is such a great week to reflect on what we truly are blessed with. For some of us our material things have changed over the years, things we once counted as blessings are no more or have become burdens in our life. That said, I am looking at my life and thinking about all I do have and am truly thankful for. I also appreciate the opportunity to show gratitude through our efforts. At Landed Gentry we are still here serving people. While we may not be building and selling the same quantity of homes that we once were, our quality and commitment is still there, helping people make their new house a home. It’s truly rewarding watching the individuals and families as they get to move into their new homes, there is the extra excitement of building memories inside of their new place as the holiday season sets in.

Over the past few weeks our Landed Gentry team has been able to be part of gratitude in action. I see it as I watch a couple with there two young boys who are moving into a custom home we just completed, or the naval aviator who has the opportunity to spend a few nights in her first new home before she is deployed oversees, and in the empty nester couple who is excited to enter retirement. In each of those people, I see and hear thankfulness. Not so much for what we have done, but gratitude for the opportunity they have to live in home that at one time was distant vision and now is a reality for them.

Personally, I am thankful for my family, I’m thankful for the amazing team of people whom I get to work along side of, and I’m thankful for the people we get to serve. It is my hope that our spirit of gratitude shows in our all our good work and efforts. Each of us has something to be thankful for. This week, I would encourage you take a couple minutes and simply think about your blessings and reflect on how you have been able to show gratefulness to others.

May the spirit of gratitude fill your life and home this Thanksgiving.

I suppose I would be remise as a housing industry professional to not at least mention the new $6,500 tax credit for existing homeowners that was part of the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, signed by President Obama.

According to the Washington Realtors, over 60 percent of current / existing homeowners will be eligible for this new tax credit. Basically, if you’ve owned and lived in your home five consecutive years over the previous eight years you may qualify for a tax credit of up to $6,500 if you purchase a home by April 30, 2010. Purchase, for this credit, is defined as having a mutually accepted purchase agreement signed, and you have up to up to July 1, 2010 to close. This is especially helpful if you are looking at new construction.

The past tax credits have been focused on the first time homebuyer, and the $8,000 first time buyer tax credit was extended as part of this new bill. Homeownership has been considered part of the American way of life and the Federal government has supported these initial home purchases for years. The basic premise is to continue to maintain and build our society of owners. By getting people to own their own home there have been a variety of social and economic benefits that we have all benefited from. Traditionally there is a trickle down economic theory associated with this policy.

Existing homeowner sells their home to first time buyer, seller buys larger home that works for growing family or general needs, the purchaser ends up buying new or buys an existing home of another person, this new seller needs to find a new home that better needs their lifestyle. This home may be a home they will live in as they enter into retirement or just looking for lower maintenance. Each of these transactions along the way is an economic generator and meets societal needs for all of us. Generally, it all starts with the first time buyer and that is why the focus is traditionally on them. Well, in this previous round of tax incentives it didn’t play out quite that way.

With the economy such as it has been, here is what we saw. As opposed to a family selling their starter home and purchasing a move up house, or people move out of their long term home and move across to a home that better suited their current needs, we saw was people just sitting tight and not making any changes to their lives. There was little reason to do so with all the uncertainty in the world. The first time buyer has been finding their homes in the bank owned and foreclosed properties, short sales, etc. We have noticed in some of the submarkets we work in, that a third to over a half of all homes sold have been bank owned or short sales, and under the $250,000 mark. Candidly, they’ve done a good job of sucking up that excess inventory at the lower price points.

Here is where I think the new tax credit is closer to getting things right, compared to what has happened with the more recent tax credits. It rewards the responsible. There are some great homes to buy out there right now. With interest rates still at historic lows and pricing is pretty amazing. Part of the great news is if you are looking at new construction. This gives many homeowner / homebuyers a brief window of opportunity to get the home they have wanted built. Given building schedules and cycle times home builders need to work through, now is the time to act to have your next home tailored to the way you live.

Simply put, this is an unprecedented opportunity. As the great management leader Peter Drucker famously said, “opportunity favors the prepared mind”. If this is interesting t you, I’m sure you have a lot more questions. There are some details we should all understand. If you wan to know more about the new tax credit, here is a good website to look at: www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com or you can always reach me by email at Brian@LandedGentry.com or stop by one of our communities, our team at Landed Gentry wants to be a resource for you.

 Last week I attended the memorial service of a person who was a true leader in business and in our community.  His was a life well lived and I find these type of events cause me be reflective on my own life.  Thinking back on this past year, I can’t help but look at all the changes that have occurred in the economy, in business, in government… the world around us is different.  Well, how am I different?

Like most people, we’ve had to adjust to the economy.  I’ve modified my personal budget, not just monetarily, but I’ve tried to focus on how I budgeted my time. I try make more time for my daughter, my family, and other people who have made a difference in my life.  The funny thing, is I find that to be a reoccurring theme we people I talk with.  For some it’s been about experiences.  Taking that trip of a lifetime. Maybe they aren’t staying in the 5-star hotel that they would have a few years ago, but they are finding camping on the beach to be just as rewarding.  What most of us really want is to live the lifestyle that reflects the person we are at our core.

At Landed Gentry getting down to our core is something we have focused on too.  Over the years we have always tried to focus on is lifestyle, and understanding that a home should facilitate the way you want to live your life.  We’ve gone to the drawing board and reevaluated most of our communities.  Do the homes we offer and the features we include truly reflect what our today’s homeowners are looking for?  In many cases it was yes, we are doing things right. In other situations, we fine tuned things to better reflect what today’s buyers tell us they are looking for.  We’ve added some new products, (custom homes, all ages neighborhoods, special projects), adjusted included features, added a few new home plans and modified pricing. 

It’s a work in progress, just like each of us.  So follow us on our blog, online and in the real world too.  Feel free to stop by one of our neighborhoods, the office, or just drop us an email to see what’s new.  Things are different, but with some reflection and thought, different can lead to the “new and improved”.  New and improved can lead to life well lived.

Brian Gentry is a third generation builder.  Currently, he serves as the President of Landed Gentry Homes & Communities, a regional land developer, home builder and real estate consultant in Washington State.