What is the Gothic Revival Style?

Gothic Revival

The influence of English romanticism and the mass production of elaborate wooden millwork after the Industrial Revolution fueled the construction of Gothic Revival homes in the mid-1800s. These picturesque structures are marked by "Gothic" windows with distinctive pointed arches; exposed framing timbers; and steep, vaulted roofs with cross-gables. Extravagant features may include towers and verandas. Ornate wooden detailing is generously applied as gable, window, and door trim.

American architects Alexander Jackson Davis and Andrew Jackson Downing championed Gothic in domestic buildings in the 1830s. Most Gothic Revival homes were constructed between 1840 and 1870 in the Northeast.

-Realtor Magazine-

What is the Georgian Style?

Georgian

Befitting a king--in fact, the style is named for four King Georges of England--Georgian homes are refined and symmetrical with paired chimneys and a decorative crown over the front door. Modeled after the more elaborate homes of England, the Georgian style dominated the British colonies in the 1700s. Most surviving Georgians sport side-gabled roofs, are two to three stories high, and are constructed in brick. Georgian homes almost always feature an orderly row of five windows across the second story. Modern-day builders often combine features of the refined Georgian style with decorative flourishes from the more formal Federal style.

-Realtor Magazine-

What is the French Provincial style?

French Provincial

Balance and symmetry are the ruling characteristics of this formal style. Homes are often brick with detailing in copper or slate. Windows and chimneys are symmetrical and perfectly balanced, at least in original versions of the style. Defining features include a steep, high, hip roof; balcony and porch balustrades; rectangle doors set in arched openings; and double French windows with shutters. Second-story windows usually have a curved head that breaks through the cornice.

The design had its origins in the style of rural manor homes, or chateaus, built by the French nobles during the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-1600s. The French Provincial design was a popular Revival style in the 1920s and again in the 1960s.

-Realtor Magazine-

What is the Federal Style of Home?

Federal

Ubiquitous up and down the East Coast, Federal-style architecture dates from the late 1700s and coincided with a reawakening of interest in classical Greek and Roman culture. Builders began to add swags, garlands, elliptical windows, and other decorative details to rectangular Georgian houses. The style that emerged resembles Georgian, but is more delicate and more formal. Many Federal-style homes have an arched Palladian window on the second story above the front door. The front door usually has sidelights and a semicircular fanlight. Federal-style homes are often called "Adam" after the English brothers who popularized the style.

-Realtor Magazine-

What is the Dutch Colonial style?

Dutch Colonial


This American style originated in homes built by German, or "Deutsch" settlers in Pennsylvania as early as the 1600s. A hallmark of the style is a broad gambrel roof with flaring eaves that extend over the porches, creating a barn-like effect. Early homes were a single room, and additions were added to each end, creating a distinctive linear floor plan. End walls are generally of stone, and the chimney is usually located on one or both ends. Double-hung sash windows with outward swinging wood casements, dormers with shed-like overhangs, and a central Dutch double doorway are also common. The double door, which is divided horizontally, was once used to keep livestock out of the home while allowing light and air to filter through the open top. The style enjoyed a revival during the first three decades of the 20th century as the country looked back with nostalgia to its colonial past.

-Realtor Magazine-

What is the Creole Style?

Creole


The Creole Cottage, which is mostly found in the South, originated in New Orleans in the 1700s. The homes are distinguished by a front wall that recedes to form a first-story porch and second-story balcony that stretch across the entire front of the structure. Full-length windows open into the balconies, and lacy ironwork characteristically runs across the second-story level. These two- and three-story homes are symmetrical in design with front entrances placed at the center.

"Creole French," a variation of the basic Creole design, came into vogue in southern states in the 1940s and 1950s.

-Realtor Magazine-

What Is The Craftsman Style Of Home?

Craftsman

Popularized at the turn of the 20th century by architect and furniture designer Gustav Stickley in his magazine, The Craftsman, the Craftsman-style bungalow reflected, said Stickley, "a house reduced to it's simplest form... its low, broad proportions and absolute lack of ornamentation gives it a character so natural and unaffected that it seems to... blend with any landscape."

The style, which was also widely billed as the "California bungalow" by architects such as Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, featured overhanging eaves, a low-slung gabled roof, and wide front porches framed by pedestal-like tapered columns. Material often included stone, rough-hewn wood, and stucco. Many homes have wide front porches across part of the front, supported by columns.

-Realtor Magazine-

Your Opportunity is Now Article.

Your opportunity is now.



Forget the negative hype about the housing industry. If you’re waiting to purchase your first home or to move up to an even nicer home, you should note that all of the conditions are favorable now. Consider these facts:



Kenneth R. Harney, who writes a nationally syndicated newspaper column on housing, said, “Despite the impressions you might get from the network news, the U.S. economy continues to churn out solid, even encouraging, numbers—and that’s important for anyone interested in real estate. Last week the federal government reported retail sales up by 1.2 percent in the past month, and strong growth in new jobs, exports and household incomes. These are the very economic fundamentals that create an underlying base for a national recovery in housing and real estate.”


David Blitzer, chairman of the S&P Index Committee, said, “People willing to hold properties for a long time could be well served by starting to look at potential purchases now, because over the long term, home appreciation usually pays off.”


Housing affordability in the Twin Cities metropolitan area has recently experienced a “massive upswing,” according to the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS ® (MAAR). The MAAR Housing Affordability Index (HAI) increased to 141, the highest rate in nearly three years and the healthiest December HAI figure since 2003.


Forbes magazine recently ranked our area the number one “Most Affordable Place to Live well” in the country. Forbes noted that the most important criteria in the number one ranking was our housing affordability.


As of Dec. 26, there were 28,651 homes for sale in the Twin Cities metro area compared to 25,020 at this same time last year, according to MAAR. That’s 14.5 percent more choice for home buyers!


There is a wide variety of well-priced, quality homes for sale in all communities of the Twin Cities. You can choose from new construction, existing homes, starter homes, luxury properties, condominiums, co-ops, townhomes, and lofts. No matter what type of house you’re looking for or what your budget is, you’re sure to find a home to fit your needs.


Interest rates on fixed-rate mortgages are at historic lows. Fixed-rate conforming home loans with no points are being offered by area lenders with rates near 6 percent for 30-year loans and in the mid-5 percent range for 15-year loans. Compare that to what the previous generation faced—an average interest rate of 9 percent in the 1970s and 13 percent in the 1980s.


Home prices are moderating in our area, which is good news for prospective buyers. Home sellers have a better understanding of the changing housing market and are being realistic with their original asking prices, as well as making positive adjustments to their original prices when necessary. Buyers who are interested in a house should make an offer and negotiate with the seller, or they may be disappointed to learn that the house was sold to another buyer.


With all of these favorable conditions, it’s clear that your opportunity to purchase a great home is now.


-cbburnet.com-

What is The Contemporary Style?

Contemporary

You know them by their odd-sized and often tall windows, their lack of ornamentation, and their unusual mixtures of wall materials--stone, brick, and wood, for instance. Architects designed Contemporary-style homes (in the Modern family) between 1950 and 1970, and created two versions: the flat-roof and gabled types. The latter is often characterized by exposed beams. Both breeds tend to be one-story tall and were designed to incorporate the surrounding landscape into their overall look.

-Realtor Magazine-

What is the Colonial Style?

Colonial

America's colonial period encompassed a number of housing types and styles, including For more information about Colonial styles, see Cape Cod, Saltbox, Georgian, and Dutch Colonial. However, when we speak of the Colonial style, we often are referring to a rectangular, symmetrical home with bedrooms on the second floor. The double-hung windows usually have many small, equally sized square panes.

During the late 1800s and throughout the 20th century, builders borrowed Colonial ideas to create refined Colonial Revival homes with elegant central hallways and elaborate cornices. Unlike the original Colonials, Colonial Revival homes are often sided in white clapboard and trimmed with black or green shutters.

-Realtor Magazine-

Whart is the Cape Cod Style?

Cape Cod-

Some of the first houses built in the United States were Cape Cods. The original colonial Cape Cod homes were shingle-sided, one-story cottages with no dormers. During the mid-20th century, the small, uncomplicated Cape Cod shape became popular in suburban developments. A 20th-century Cape Cod is square or rectangular with one or one-and-a-half stories and steeply pitched, gabled roofs. It may have dormers and shutters. The siding is usually clapboard or brick.

-Realtor Magazine-