Home Values Rise

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Home prices are up for the first time in 5 years, and McKee Builders is having an awesome year! Read the fantastic news!

Hello Spring!

This weekend I HAVE to work on sprucing up our porch, deck and patio. They are looking raggedy.

So, let's do it together!

Start with a good scrubbing. Sweep the floors and take a broom or dust brush to swipe off spider webs and other gross things from bannisters and "underneaths." Hose down what you can. Quickly windex door side lights, and sliding glass doors.

Once everything is scrubbed and shiny, take covers off of furniture, or take furniture out of storage. Give it a good cleaning! I like Simple Green, or plain old dishsoap.

Add some greenery. Take out your pots, or invest in some new.

Hot tips to personalize:

1) Go to a Paint Your Own Pottery store and put your initials, address or whatever you like on a ceramic pot to have a one-of-a-kind message. On my front step, I am going to have one that says "Welcome" and on my back deck, I might just have one that says "I HEART BBQ" as a little reminder to my husband. That or "WATER ME", as a little reminder to myself.

2) Get a Stepping Stone kit and let your artistry really shine. I like the ones from Midwest Products.

3) Make a unique planter out of your favorite chipped ceramic casserole dishs and display on an old serving cart or bookshelf.

4) Reupholster your deck furniture cushions in a fabric that feels totally you. I like the yellow print below.

 That's all for now. Here is top hoping that I actually get any of this done!
  

Phillies Hot Dogs!

McKee Builders participated in a Meet The Builders Celebrity Chef event for trade partners a couple of weeks ago. Set up by the Delaware Home Builders' Association, the event brings together builders and associates to meet, greet and socialize. Each builder picks a theme and serves up tasty food to go with it!

This year, McKee did Phillies Game Day! Here is our table all set and ready to go!

Ed Goddard and Laura Ryan serving hungry customers.



The McKee team (from l. to r.) Mick Kenney, Vice-President of New Homes, Debbie Seavey, Assistant to the President, Ed Goddard, Sales Manager at Champions' Club, Jessica Berstler, Sales Manager at The Village of Cecil Woods, and Laura Ryan, Sales Manager at Spring Arbor.

Meet Ed!

Ed Goddard, our Sales Manager at Champions Club, writes,

'Working with The McKee Group is a pleasure. Frank McKee is on the side of our Homeowners, making it possible and affordable for us to work together to turn a house into a dream home. After working in custom building for over ten years, it is important to me to work for a company that gives us the freedom to make changes to the home so that our customers can get the home that really works for them.

I truly enjoy what I do for a living and believe that our customers know that. Working with the 55+ age group is just plain fun. This is the time of like when everyone brings something different to the table. The people that we meet, our customers, their knowledge and stories that I get to be a part of every day, is a joy.

Having also worked in property management for fourteen years, custome home building, and now 55+ communities with my wodnerful wife of 28 years by my side, I could not be happier. We too are empty nesters and I'm okay with that - visit my sons, visit often, love you, now go home (my wife may not agree!).

Coming from North Baltimore we would make the annual trek through Dover to the beach every summer with our boys, but we never imagined that we would be living here. We quickly found that we had been passing through a gem called Magnolia, centrally located to Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington and a quick 40 minute drive to the beach and the Rehobeth beach outlets.

Come visit us in Magnolia, Delaware. See our homes, tour our clubhouse, meet our Homeowners and you too will fall in love. If not now, when? Enjoy the next chapter in your life with good friends and neighbors. 55+ is not a limit, it's a lifestyle!

Champions' Club - Trudie's House

The Harrison Movie II

New Building Layout

The final Villas building at Foxfield is unique among its sister buildings. The garages are located on the first floor instead of on the lower level. I think it looks really nice and there is definitely an added convenience factor so I have included pics of it here.



And an up close shot. Pretty style-y!

The Harrison

A sneak peek of the newly decorated model of the all new floorplan, The Harrison.

Building 5000

The FINAL BUILDING at Foxfield is up and ready for move-ins! Join us this weekend, February 18th and 19th, for the GRAND OPENING featuring our all new model, The Harrison. Pics to follow.

If you purchase a home this weekend, Sales Manager, Frank, has a bonus package and a surprise treat in the kitchen! But, more importantly, this is your final opportunity to build a home at Foxfield.

I especially do not want our blog readers and Facebook followers to miss out - let me know if you plan on attending so I can alert Frank. jmckee at mckeegroup dot com

Love, Jenni!

Meet Donna!

Donna Johnson from The Courtyards at Brandywine writes,

I am a lifelong realtor licensed in both PA and DE for the past 30 years.I have experienced many changing markets in my career as a realtor. With those changes comes the constant challenge to fuel the passion that brought me into the business in the first place. I am passionate about assisting people fulfill their wants, needs and wishes. It is so rewarding to hand someone the keys to the front door of their new home. Like a new baby, a new home is a fresh, new start and I am always honored to be part of the experience.

New construction is in my blood. I have always loved to take things apart and build them anew. Since you can only do that so many times in your personal life, it just made sense for me to focus on selling newly constructed homes. Oddly enough, my first new community that I ever sold was Hidden Forest in Downingtown, PA for Frank McKee, Sr. The fact that I am back with McKee Builders makes perfect sense. I am very particular about the builder with whom I associate with. Integrity, sound construction and consumer friendly reputation are crucial to a successful building company and McKee fits the bill perfectly.

My family is forst and foremost my most treasured accomplishment. My husband Larry and I have been married for 34 years. We have two sons, a daughter-in-law (who I adore) and as of January 16, 2012, a precious graddaughter, Lila Wren.

Besides making dreams come true for my clients, my other passions are mountain biking, hiking, gardening and cooking. I especially love to cook what I grow. My respect for all things in nature is at the core of who I am as a human being!

Meet Laura!

Laura Ryan has recently started selling homes at The McKee Group's Spring Arbor community in Middletown, DE. She had been selling homes in our Foxfield community in Garnet Valley, PA for the past three years. Prior to joining the McKee Group, Laura worked in Middletown, DE for Craftmark Homes. Her first new home sales position was in Smyrna, DE for Brenford Homes.

Laura enjoys going to work each day, her favorite part of her job is when the new homeowner is able to reach the goal of moving into their new home. Oftentimes, our buyers have never purchased a brand new home or some have been in the same memory-filled home for 20 plus years. Laura understands that building a new home can be very exciting, but also can be stressful. Her goal is to minimize the stress and make every step fun for her buyers.
Laura married her high school sweetheart Fran in 1984. She is proud to say that she has been able to support all three of her children through college. "Jessica, Rocky and Taylor are great young adults that bring a smile to all they encounter," Laura beams.

Laura writes, "The Delaware beaches are a hot spot for our family! I haven't missed a summer on the beach since I was a kid. We love kayaking, crabbing, and surf fishing! We really enjoy just being with family and friends and a good book on the beach. I do have to say that winning a trip to Cancun from WOGL Oldies 98.1 was a highlight of my year last year! If you haven't entereted to win, you are missing out! I am also looking forward to cashing in on the hot air balloon trip for two that I purchased for my husband's recent birthday. We are usually a boring couple, and this has surprised even our kids!"

Meet Jessica!

I am a lifelong resident of North East, Maryland and as any one who visits my community knows, I am a huge fan of our quaint, small town charm! Growing up, I spent summers at my family's summer house in Fenwick Island, Delaware and consider it to be my second home. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have three amazing children, ages 12, 10 and 5. After studying Marketing Communications at Cecil College, I attended the Mid-Atlantic School of Real Estate and received my real estate license in 2005.

I enjoy spending time with my family, reading and attending my children's sporting events. I am also an active member of the North East Chamber of Commerce, serving as past Treasurer and was honored as Coordinator of the Year in 2009.

I love sandy beaches and the ocean! I'm always up fpr travel if sand and sun are involved. The coolest thing that I have done would have to be snorkeling in the Gulf of Mexico. The clear water of the Gulf, the beautiful sea life and amazing reefs were breathtaking. The craziest thing I have done would also be in Mexico when I went parasailing which consisted of little more than a boat, a lawn chair tied to a rope and a parachute. I have never been happier to plant my feet on solid ground!

I love my job!! My favorite part of the job is my clients. I truly enjoy helping them find a home that suits their needs, and assisting them in personalizing their home colors and finishes to their taste. For many of my clients, after living in a home that they had chosen for the needs of raising a family, this is the first time that they will have a brand new home to personalize as they wish. For the first time they have the opportunity to choose everything based on their wants and desires alone. It is a very exciting time and I love being a part of it. In all honesty my least favorite thing is working weekends! But... a close second would be preparing reports and paperwork! I am a people person. I like to be interacting with people and showing my visitors why the Cecil Woods lifestyle is so wonderful!

Meet Frank!

Frank McKee Jr is my brother and the Sales Counselor at the Villas at Foxfield. He has worked at The McKee Group in some capacity since he was old enough to sweep a floor. From construction labor to marina services, he has gained perspective on many aspects of the Company.

Frank started working full time at the Company in Business Development and Acquisitions immediately after receiving his bachelor's degree in Business from Drexel University. Once he obtained his Real Estate Sales license, he jumped into sales at Foxfield and The Courtyards at Brandywine.

Frank says his favorite part of his job is seeing the joy on his customers' faces when they make the decision to change their lifestyle, and their lives, by moving into a McKee community. As Frank says, "Once my buyers become residents, that joy turns to excitement and fulfillment of moving to a new stage in life. This is a truly unique job because my emotions are so affected by the journey of our customers. That is what I truly love about it, especially when they are so happy that I get a great big HUG. The connections I make with such wonderful people fuel my growth as a Sales Professional and individual."

Frank says his least liked part of sales is working on football Sundays. He also struggles with real estate professionals who might not work as hard for their clients as he wants them to.

His interests and hobbies include skiing, boating, flying and travelling. One of his more rewarding projects is serving as the Vice President of Board of Directors at the Delaware County SPCA. Frank recently shared the SPCA's wish list of donations with the very generous Villa residents and now receives donations every week to deliver to homeless pets at the shelter.

Meet our Sales Counselors!

Hello Readers!

Many of you have come to know your Sales Counselors very well. However, I thought it was time to really embarrass them by outting their shiny new pictures on my blog! Yayy!

Stay tuned.

Jenni

PS. Can you guess who will be first? If you guessed, my little brother then you are correct!!