Spring is the perfect time of year to spruce up your home and curb appeal is a great way to start. Whether your home is new or old, the winter months tend to add a drab look to your homes exterior. Check out this blog post from Better Homes and Garden to discover some easy and affordable ways to welcome spring with your home. CLICK HERE John Houston Custom Homes model homes are also a great way to get ideas for your existing home or to discover your dream home.

Home design trends come and go but there are some features that remain timeless and desired throughout the years. At John Houston Custom Homes, we offer beautiful floor plans and elevations that are current and modern but also have features that can stand the test of time. Here are a few features that many of our plans offer that we feel help to make a house feel like a home today and in the years to come. Open concept floor plans are a staple in our homes. While currently very popular in housing design, these types of floor plans help to create a home environment that is conducive to gathering and bringing people together. Shown here is our Providence model in The Grove in Midlothian and our Sandstone Ranch model, The Titus in Waxahachie.

Waxahachie. What a name! I recall the first time I saw the name on a map thinking, "how on earth does one pronounce that!?" I later learned after moving to Waxahachie and receiving a lesson from the locals that it is pronounced like "wa(l)ks-a-hachie, and now you know too! Waxahachie is a city rooted in history and tradition and full of friendly people and great schools. John Houston Custom Homes is proud to currently be building in 10 communities in Waxahachie all of which have a little something different making it easy to find the perfect home for you in this growing town. Just a short 30 minute drive from downtown, Dallas, Waxahachie has many of the conveniences of a larger city with a small town feel. Here are 5 great reasons that I have found to call a John Houston Custom Home in Waxahachie home.

At John Houston Custom Homes we love Burleson, Texas and are proud to build in and be a part of the communities in and around the area. We recently ran across an article in the Star-Telegram that stated, "...Burelson was deemed the healthiest housing market in Texas and No. 2 in the nation, based on four factors: stability, affordability, fluidity and risk of loss." We can see why Burleson is such an attractive option to home buyers and why the market is growing over the years as we have been building and continue to build there. Burleson features beautiful rolling hills and tree lined landscapes with quiet country enclaves conveniently located near major highways, Ft. Worth and premiere shopping and restaurants. The area offers exemplary schools and parks and bike trails throughout. Recently made famous by the film, Miracles from Heaven, Burleson is a great area to call home.

Most everyone makes resolutions at the beginning of the year. Most of those resolutions have to do with self improvement which is an awesome thing to incorporate into your new year. But here at John Houston Custom Homes, we aim to serve others daily and throughout the year. If you'd like to resolve to better serve others in the new year, here are some great ways that you and your family can make serving part of your 2017.

The New Year is almost upon us...can you believe it!? If you're like me, you'll be spending New Year's Eve at home with your family and staying clear of all the craziness that often accompanies this holiday. But New Year's Eve can still be fun and exciting from home! Check out these 4 fun ways to ring in 2017 at home with your family from us here at John Houston Custom Homes. 1. Netflix Countdown: I'm leading off with my most favorite thing...the Netflix Countdown. This is just a genius idea! Netflix has multiple family friendly characters that will do a countdown to the New Year at any time of night when you push play. If bed time is 9:00pm, let your kids feel like they are staying up for the real deal with this fun little countdown they will love!

Most of us know and understand that North Texas is experiencing a housing market boom. Sure prices have gone up, but what is proving to be a more difficult situation for home buyers is the lack of inventory. In fact, most areas of North Texas have experienced record low inventory during this past year making securing your dream home a bit of a challenge. Building your home with John Houston Custom Homes is an awesome alternative to this dilemma if you have the luxury of time. If time isn't on your side but you would still like to experience all that a new home has to offer, look no further than our available homes from John Houston Custom Homes. We currently have many available homes that are move-in ready or soon to be move-in ready in various communities throughout North Texas. What's better is for a limited time we have some available homes priced with as much as $30,000 in savings! Two-story homes, one-story homes, large lots or small, we currently have something for everyone like the few that are listed here:

1. Building Lifelong Relationships Our team of builders, sales people, and architects understand that they are building more than just your home. It’s in our company DNA to not only want to build quality homes but to do life with our customers and the communities in which we build. While our homes may provide the foundation, it’s the relationships that make the difference. 2. The Style and Design You’ve Been Dreaming Of We offer a wide array of open concept floor plans with timeless features and current styles in mind. We have the dream home for you. Our plans offer something for everyone from new families to empty nesters and everyone in between. 3. Energy Efficiency We know that energy efficiency is important to you. That’s why we build our homes with the top energy standards including Low-E windows, radiant barrier, 15 seer HVAC, R44 Attic insulation, sprinkler system rain sensor and so much more.

Community. Defined as a group of people living in the same place or having a particular common interest is somewhat cold and vague compared to the community that we were witness to this past weekend in Waxahachie. Fellowship, purpose, history, and love could all be used to better define the community that came out in full force to support the Samaria Baptist Church this last weekend. What an honor it was to be a part of such an amazing cause right here in Ellis County, the restoration and revitalization of the Samaria Baptist Church of Waxahachie.

Moving your family across the country to a new state, city, community, while exciting, can be stressful. This was our situation 4 years ago when we relocated from California to Texas with our children who were then just 3 years old and 9 months old. While we anticipated the stress of the move we didn’t anticipate the peace that began from our very first encounter with our sales team at John Houston Custom Homes. Not knowing the area at all, we relied on our real estate agent who had told us about a beautiful new community in Midlothian called Texanna Ranch by a builder named John Houston that she felt would be exactly what we were looking for. She was right in so many ways. Our family had prayed and prayed for God to guide us to where He wanted us to be and where we would establish our roots here in Texas. We were immediately attracted to the quality and craftsmanship of the beautiful homes in the community. Then we met with one of the sales managers who was oddly from the same area that we had been from in CA and we immediately felt at ease as she spoke of what we were experiencing in this transition and related to us in a way that no one else could have. God no doubt put her there to give us peace and assurance in this process.

It may just be the first full week of fall but visions of sugar plums are already dancing in my head. Nothing says holidays like celebrating with family around a glowing fireplace. An open concept floor plan or formal dining room are perfect for hosting those family get togethers and holiday celebrations. If, like me, your envisioning a new place to carry on family traditions, look no further than a John Houston Custom Home. But how can I have a new John Houston Custom Home in time for the holidays you may be saying!? Well friends I have the answer!

Real estate is a hot topic these days in North Texas. If you aren't in the market to buy a new home, chances are that with the current state of the housing market, you have at least thought about buying a new home. If you are one of the many who has decided to buy, the next question is do you buy a new or used home? While there are definitely advantages to both, I have compiled a list for you as to why buying new is the way to go.

Action movies always place “the good guy” in a tough spot, a dangerous squeeze, a life-or-death situation that puts the audience on their heels and gets everyone’s hearts racing. The quick decision and perfectly executed maneuvers of the lead characters ultimately create an outcome where all works out for the best in the end. About a year ago, we were the lead characters in our own little action movie. After our prior house had sold incredibly fast, we were in our tough spot. We were transitioning from the Houston area to Midlothian, had no place to call home, all of our belongings in storage, and four energetic kids out of school for the summer. Granted, it was not a dangerous, life-or-death scenario, but with our little rascals, one might characterize it as a real mayday moment (and some of our family and friends did). We prayed and prayed and asked the good Lord to provide us with the strength and patience to maintain our and our kid’s sanity and happiness. We also asked for some direction to put us where we are supposed to be.

This week, many students throughout North Texas headed back to school. I for one, have always been a big fan of this time of year. As a kid, it was the new clothes, matching my binders to my pencils and my backpack....wait, you didn't do that? I know I can't be the only one that did that! #longlivethetrapperkeeper. Sorry, I digress. Now, as an adult, I love it because my own kids are back to school (I have become a lover of routine in my old age) and I can just smell the pumpkin spice everything from now through Thanksgiving.

A home begins with a creative vision. At John Houston Custom Homes, that creative vision typically originates in our in house architecture department. 6 years ago, that department began with a young staff architect and Texas A&M graduate, Rich Ean. While that department has since grown considerably and Rich is now our Regional Drafting Manager, the same ingenuity and quality is still the foundation of our home building process.

Building is booming in the South Pointe development. BY NICHOLAS SAKELARIS Special to the News-Mirror

At John Houston Custom Homes, building lifelong relationships is the foundation of all that we do. Read all about some of our newest #happyhomeowners, Marvy and Dude Washington below. Want to join them and #buildyourstorywithus? Visit our website today to learn more!

John Houston Custom Homes is proud to be building in Waxahachie's finest new master planned community, North Grove. The first phase of this exciting new community, The Cove at North Grove, is just minutes away from great shopping and restaurants and the highly acclaimed schools of Waxahachie ISD. With easy access to Highway 287 and I-35, this tucked away community is still very accessible to all that the area has to offer and is just 30 minutes south of Dallas.

Our mission at John Houston Custom Homes is to build lifelong relationships with our customers and the communities in which we build. Employees like Sales Manager, Rob Poole are our front line in that mission. Rob has been with John Houston Custom Homes for 11 years and still today, he says his favorite part about his job is, "Getting to meet and work with such amazing people. Getting to share life with folks."

I don't know about you but one of my favorite things to do is look through model homes. The beautiful lay outs, the fresh decor, and the latest home trends. I love it all! Even when I am not in the market for a new home, it's fun to look, dream and get ideas.