Barb - On Wednesday, we headed to Des Moines to look at various components required for the house. We did some browsing for furniture (just to see what's in style now - we haven't purchased anything for awhile!), area rugs, and fireplaces. In preparing our current home for sale, we've been moving some furniture around to achieve some different areas of living space. It seems that the best tips are "declutter" and "stage". We know what declutter means! We're working on the staging gradually - if not just learning about it.
Ed - We now have the paperwork from the lawyer on the home site and everything appears to be in order. We are just waiting for the developer to get home from south Texas so we can complete the deal and give him the check. Two days ago we met the ICF builder from Cedar Rapids at the site and walked it with him. The snow was still 12" deep so we could not see much. However, he was happy the site slopes to the northwest and the shape of the property will allow the house to face mostly southwest. After a 2 hour meeting and lunch, he still is thinking the cost will be in the $150 dollar per square foot range. Later that day I contacted the second ICF builder in Johnston and discussed the plans he is working on also. His prelimianry estimate is between $125 and $150 dollars per square foot - which is better. I also contacted the Amwood builder and he is still working on the costs also. I then sent an e-mail note to the builder in Altoona to see what has happened since our meeting 2 weeks ago. I have not had any response from him since our 2+ hour meeting in Altoona. He has the floor plan we like the most and we hope he can be a bit more competitive in pricing. If not I have a couple additional names of local home builders I can talk with. The problem is that these folks build a home at a time and will not have any purchasing power to speak of.
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