Our Facebook Community

1174859_10152279240831574_5564617463489738871_nAt Fulton Homes, we’re proud of our Facebook community. Well over a thousand of you have chosen to like our Facebook page. We work hard to develop posts that you will enjoy and value. From information on Fulton-sponsored local events to examples of the newest home products, we want our page to work for you.

We’ve also begun to add photos to our Facebook posts. Many of these are from our model homes and the Fulton Design Center. We constantly add photos to our collection as new models and communities open, so you have the chance to see the freshest efforts of our team.

Our most recent post asks you to let us know what kind of information you want from us. We’ve received requests for more information on our homes and communities. In the next few months you’ll see our response to those requests. Like our Pinterest site and these blogs, we hope you find many things of interest and use on our Facebook page.

If you have ideas for Facebook posts or some things you’d like more information on, just let us know. And we want you to know how much we appreciate your replies and likes when you respond to a post. If we provide something you find particularly interesting or valuable, we encourage you to share it on your page so your friends can benefit also. We look forward to your insights and feedback.

Pinterest as a Resource

10390905_10152277534276574_5215464937568786779_nHow often do you visit Pinterest? If you enjoy visual images and want a way to organize them, Pinterest is just the site for you. At Fulton Homes, our Pinterest boards are organized to make it easy to access information, ideas and images we think you will enjoy and value.

First, we have photos from our models, design center, and communities so you can browse through much of what we offer at home. Next, all of our blogs going back several years are listed by category on the appropriate boards. So if you’re looking for ideas about guests rooms, bathrooms or family rooms, take a few minutes to see if any of our blogs can help.

While you’re visiting, you may also want to look at rooms some of our designers have created as well as examples from other designers around the country. We are constantly adding pins that we think you will find useful.

Finally, we have Pinterest boards developed as a resource for you as a homeowner, homebuyer, or family member. Need tips to sell your home so you can buy one of ours? We have some ideas on that board that may help you. Want to get to know our state better? Check out our Arizona board for ideas. Planning your move and not sure where to start? Our boards help you plan, pack and settle in your new Fulton Home.

We also have ideas for family fun, celebrations and entertaining. If you would like to see other boards on our Pinterest site, let us know. After all, it’s there for you.

Fulton Homes Preferred Lenders

preferred-lenders1e know how challenging finding the right lender and program to enable you to buy your new Fulton Home can be. To help make it easier, we have three preferred lenders who will help you through the process. Since no two buyers are exactly alike, a choice of lenders and programs is critical to finding the best mortgage for you.

Fulton Homes is proud to offer our team of preferred lenders. Fulton Homes Preferred Lenders have a proven track record helping customers get the home financing which best suits their needs. We encourage you to explore your financing options with any or all of these lenders.

Q Financial, Inc. Phyllis Casillas, Fulton Homes Preferred Lender since 1992. Phyllis and her team bring a wealth of experience, knowledge and outstanding service. They will provide you with real-time updates on your loan’s progress. They are conveniently located on the first floor of the Fulton Homes Main Office

Academy Mortgage is Arizona’s 1st Choice for mortgage loans. They are a 27/7 service oriented lender with 30-minute loan approvals! They guarantee that your loan will close on time with the best rates and fees. Your entire loan process from A to Z is done locally in Chandler, Arizona.

Carisa Winklepleck and Mary Gardner at Homeowners Financial Group have been helping families finance their dream homes for over 10 years. Their passion for helping homeowners and unparalleled communication are just a few of the reasons why homebuyers know they can count on them.

For more information on our three preferred lenders, visit our website at: http://www.fultonhomes.com/preferred-lenders. Please feel free to contact any or all of these lenders to inquire about interest rates, mortgage programs, or to start the application process.

Our preferred lenders have a wealth of experience in new home sales. Now you can put this experience to work for you!

Fulton Homes Energy Star Program

energy_star_photosAt Fulton Homes we proudly support the Energy Star program and we continually work to enhance the energy efficiency of every home we build.

Energy Star is a joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and s latest building practices and technologies to ensure that your new home is energy efficient and comfortable.

Fulton Homes already surpass all current Energy Star requirements so that you can rest assured that you are doing the most to protect the environment as well as your pocketbook. And with all new Fulton Homes certified to EPA’s Indoor airPLUS indoor air quality standard, you are also protecting your family.

Some of these special features include:

  • Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) interior paints and carpeting – protects your family and the environment
  • Lousiana Pacific Tech Shield Radiant Barrier – deflects heat away from attic
  • 14 SEER Carrier Air Conditioner – excellent cooling and energy efficiency, plus a 10 year warranty on parts if registered online
  • Merv 6 Return Air Filters – helps A/C unit run more smoothly
  • Outside Air Exchange Fan – tight construction requires precise fresh air exchange
  • Foam Seal on All Exterior Doors – reduces air leakage
  • Gas Water Heater with .58 to .62 Efficiency Rating – saves on water heating costs

The Fulton Homes Energy Star Program is just one way we build homes that we’re proud of, and that you can be proud to buy and own. For more information, visit our website at: http://www.fultonhomes.com/energy-star-homes.

Questions you should ask before Buying a New Home

HRM1437Finding just the right home can be tedious and confusing. Regardless of where you buy your home, getting the answers to certain questions will help ensure you make the right decision. We hope it will make the process pleasant and simple so you can feel confident about your new home choice.

 

When you ask these questions – and any others you may come up with, look for straightforward answers and supporting documentation. Be cautious if the salesperson doesn’t answer your questions or is vague with answers.

 

Question 1: Who will be performing the final walkthrough on our home before we move in?

If a member of the same construction team that built your home also conducts the final walk-through, they may miss or avoid pointing out things. Look for a walk-through from a person or group that is separate from the construction team and that doesn’t answer to it.

Fulton Homes has a separate customer care department that accompanies you at the final walkthrough, giving you a fresh set of eyes to identify any issues with your home. This is a separate division of Fulton Homes that does not answer to the construction division.

Question 2: Do you have a Design Center?

A Design Center allows you to see flooring and other options for making your home uniquely yours. There are samples of your choices and a designer to help you create the perfect home for you.

Fulton Homes has a 13,000-square-foot design center located in Tempe. This is the largest Design Center in Arizona. The Design Center is staffed with highly trained professional designers who will help guide you through your selection process.

Question 3: Will you remain my primary point of contact throughout the entire process?

Some companies hand homebuyers off to other people or divisions as a home moves through the construction process through to completion. This can lead to mis-communication and a lack of accountability.

At Fulton Homes, each sales associate is considered a manager of their community, allowing them to resolve issues that may arise. All sales associates have direct access with the senior level management team of Fulton Homes, including Mr. Fulton himself. As a result, over the past 10 years, 96 percent of all Fulton Homes customers said they would recommend their sales associate.

Question 4: Can you give me a list of your builder’s communities that are 5 to 10 years old?

If you want to make sure your home will be part of a stable and inviting community for years after you buy it, the place to look is the other communities the homebuilder built in the past. Go visit one or more of these older communities to make sure your future neighborhood will still be appealing in five or ten years.

 

We encourage you to visit any of our established communities, which you can find listed on our website. As you visit the Fulton Homes communities, be sure to notice the neighborhood amenities and open spaces.

 

Question 5: Can you tell me the total price of my house BEFORE I sign the contract?

At Fulton Homes we will. Any other builder that will not or cannot tell you the total price of their homes before you sign the contract should make you suspicious.

These are just a few of the questions you should ask before choosing your new homebuilder. For more questions and homebuyer advice, visit our website at: http://www.fultonhomes.com/12-questions and download your free copy of our homebuyer’s guide.

Fulton Homes Trade-in Program

SONY DSCLooking for a new home with more space for your growing family? Or perhaps you are empty-nesters looking to downsize while adding all those features you can get with a brand new home. But with shifting buyer demand, you’re concerned about how to handle your current home.

It may be worth your while to take a look at Fulton Homes Trade-In Program. While not all buyers will qualify for one of our Trade In program options, many new homebuyers can find a solution that fits them.

Fulton Homes offers three Trade-In options:

  1. Trade In (Equity required): Fulton Homes agents will simply buy your home at a mutually agreed upon discounted price and you purchase a new Fulton Home.
  2. Listing Program: Fulton Homes and their agents agree to list your home at a reduced commission in order to purchase a brand new Fulton Home.
  3. Lease Program (No equity required): Fulton Homes and their agents set up guaranteed lease assistance for up to three years on your current home with no management fees, when you purchase a brand new Fulton Home.

At Fulton Homes, we have been selling homes in the Valley for over 35 years. We understand real estate and how to market and sell homes. Put our team to work for you. We’ve helped many people just like you trade in their old home on a brand new Fulton Home. Even with no equity in your present home, or even negative equity, we will help you explore all of your possibilities for free. We care.

Contact us through our website at: http://www.fultonhomes.com/trade-in-program or visit any of our sales offices and speak with one of our knowledgeable agents to see if you qualify for our trade-in program.

Tile with the look of wood

Design Center 015It can be difficult to choose between tile and wood flooring. Wood feels warm and inviting, and the look works with both traditional and modern homes. For many people, wood will always be their first choice. It may have been the flooring they grew up with, or the way wood works in a space fits their taste and style.

Others prefer tile. Particularly in our hot Arizona climate, tile makes a home feel cooler and is more comfortable for pets in the summer. Maintenance for tile – with the grout sealed – is easy. Little wet kid feet coming in from the pool or pet paws don’t damage tile, and a damp mop makes it look like new again.

One recent entry to the market combines some of the look of wood with the durability and ease of tile: rectangular tiles designed to look like wood. Minimal grout or grout in a similar tone can give you all of the benefits of tile while still appealing to the wood lovers.

The photo above shows just one finish available in this new tile. Others mimic the rich browns of cherry or walnut flooring and all provide enough variation to keep the same organic style you have with wood flooring.

For an opportunity to see the wide choice of colors and finishes in this tile, why not visit the Fulton Design Center this Thursday September 18th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for our browse night?

For more information, visit our website at: http://www.fultonhomes.com/design-center. We look forward to seeing you there!

Just the Right Neutral

Carpet Design Center 055Most people want neutral carpeting, but how do you choose the right neutral for your new home? Here are a few tips to help you define your best choice.

Choose carpeting later: There is such a large selection for neutral carpeting that you can find a shade and tone to work with any décor. So if your new home has an open floor-plan spend time first on those options that have fewer choices such as cabinetry or countertops. Then bring samples of your choices along when you select your carpeting.

004 carpetingNarrow your search: Select three or four samples of carpeting and pull them away from the rest. Your favorite may pop out at you once you see your selections together.

Look for contrast: Is your furniture dark? A lighter carpeting choice will showcase your décor more effectively. On the other hand, if you have light colors in your home, darker carpeting can add drama. Overall, balancing dark and light creates a more interesting look.

Pull a color out of your upholstery fabric: Are there any prints highlighted in your home? Look for a neutral tone that you could pull out to integrate your furniture with your flooring more effectively. Guests may not notice the connection consciously, but your home will feel more coordinated.

Connect your carpeting with your paint choice. When you visit the Fulton Design Center, you have an interesting selection of neutral palettes to choose from for custom paint for your walls, and you may find it easier to make a paint choice first and then use that tone to determine the best carpeting for your new home.

Kitchens made for Entertaining

002 super browseDoes your kitchen become the central location for every party you host? Then why not create a kitchen made for entertaining in your next home? This kitchen, from the Fulton Design Center, demonstrates how a kitchen can come alive during a party.

Use your island as buffet central: With its close proximity to the oven and fridge, you can easily refresh the food as needed. Take advantage of this to provide special piping hot appetizers fresh from the oven and even offer a hot drink such as mulled cider on the stovetop for winter events.

Add height to your buffet display: The open flat counterspace that your island provides makes for a great functional kitchen but it diminishes the punch of a buffet. Find ways to include height to make the display more interesting. Place some food on pedestal stands, and include candles and fresh flowers. Setting up the buffet this way also encourages guests to serve themselves on the side away from the kitchen. This keeps them out from underfoot while you’re working.

003 super browseSet up a drinks area: You can use a corner of the island, as shown in the photo to the right, also from the Fulton Design Center. Provide cups and cocktail napkins and place sodas and other drinks in the refrigerator for easy access, or keep wine chilled in an ice-bucket on one section of the counter.

Plan your lighting: This allows you to create several moods in different parts of your home. Want the kitchen to be the light and bright area? Turn on all of your kitchen lights. On the other hand if you want people to linger around the buffet but not in the main kitchen space, use only the pendant lights and keep all the other kitchen lighting off for the duration of the party. You can turn them back on when it’s time for clean-up.

Check out these and other kitchen vignettes at the Fulton Homes Design Center. Our open browse nights happen from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. For more information visit our website at: http://www.fultonhomes.com/design-center

Proud of our History

ira_fulton_bannerAs Arizona’s largest family-owned and operated homebuilder, it would seem that Ira Fulton was always destined to build homes. Actually he ended up in the homebuilding business by accident!

Ira Fulton has always been a success at whatever he tackled. At age 11, he started a paper route. It grew into a profitable venture that put him through Arizona State College, where he met his wife Mary Lou.

In the 1950’s he held various marketing positions and then launched his first entrepreneurial venture, a computer leasing company that automated several retailing leaders. This experience led him to buy his first retail establishments, two Eagleson’s Big and Tall Stores that expanded into a 35-store chain.

He then bought the Aston Construction company from his nephews, intending to phase it out. The company began to grow, so Mr. Fulton stuck with it. Under his guidance, Fulton Homes has grown from a small construction company to one of the largest, most profitable private homebuilders in the country.

There’s a reason for Ira Fulton’s success. He says, “Give people the best value, customer service and product within the industry, and you will always be the best.” All his business accomplishments aside, he finds the most gratification in “developing people,” not homes.

Fulton Homes donates over 60% of its profits every year to many worthwhile causes around the country. Some of the benefiting recipients of these investment dollars include Arizona State University, Brigham Young University, University of Utah, Huntsman Cancer Institute, as well as numerous local organizations in and around the Phoenix area.

Mr Fulton said, “When you look at history, you realize we are here for just a second, a twinkle of time and you learn we can do things to make the world a better place.”