Model Homes

Home Builder Introduces Summerwood and New Wyngate Model Row

April 29, 2012

Thanks to Rodrock Homes, Overland Park homebuyers now have one more option for luxury-living close in to the city.

The builder and developer’s recent acquisition of the Summerwood community, located just steps from 159th and Quivira, represents more than just another expansion in the company’s already substantial south Overland Park footprint.

For buyers, it means more and better home site choices than ever before.

In addition to its sought-after location and proximity to Blue Valley’s newest award-winning schools, Summerwood features something other nearby communities don’t: extended and estate-sized lots surrounded by an unprecedented abundance of green.

Summerwood Community“Summerwood’s unique in that it gives homeowners the best of both worlds,” says Rodrock.

“It’s both a hub and a haven,” he explains. “It’s located next to Blue Valley’s top schools with quick access to Overland Park amenities, and yet homeowners say it feels like a sanctuary.”

Perhaps that’s because the majority of Summerwood home sites back to undisturbed fields dotted with native grasses and trees.

Serene and expansive, the sites make picture-perfect settings for the sprawling open home plans, covered decks, patios, and outdoor fireplaces that today’s buyers crave.

And while the number of large home sites available for purchase within the Blue Valley school district are dwindling, prices remain within reach.  Estate-sized sites and homes in the neighborhood’s exclusive Summerwood Estates can be purchased for $750,000 and up, and Summerwood homes and sites begin at $450,000.

With nineteen homes in Summerwood Estates already occupied, a limited supply of just sixteen estate-sized sites remain.

In Summerwood, construction of twelve showcase homes is ongoing with more sites available for purchase.

Still, potential homebuyers may want to hurry. Despite its plentiful green space, only 212 total residents will get to call Summerwood home.

But fewer residents doesn’t mean Summerwood homeowners won’t get to enjoy the large scale, community-building amenities Rodrock Homes is known for; to the contrary, the planned zero-entry pool, luxury clubhouse, and looped walking trail will rival those found in more populous neighborhoods.

The value of Summerwood’s amenities, wide open spaces, award-wining schools and a locale close-in aren’t lost on Kent Welch, the Graham-Welch Co-founder who recently signed on with Rodrock Homes to promote the community.

“Summerwood’s Overland Park location, its Blue Valley schools, and its green space—you put all those together and it’s a recipe for success,” says Welch.

But because Rodrock Homes measures success in terms of customer satisfaction, the company is offering its customers the option of another nearby neighborhood in which to build the home of their dreams.

Which is why—less than a mile west of Summerwood along 159th Street—Rodrock Homes is also giving buyers a choice to build in Wyngate.

Also developed by Rodrock Homes, Overland Park’s Wyngate community is similar to Summerwood with its luxury amenities, close-in locale, award-winning Blue Valley schools, and starting home price of $450,000.

And while Wyngate home sites aren’t quite as expansive as those in Summerwood, the community’s kids enjoy a luxury their Summerwood counterparts don’t: the freedom to walk to school.

In addition to amenities like a swimming pool, clubhouse, and sport courts, Wyngate features a paved neighborhood nature trail connecting its community to Cedar Hills Elementary and Pleasant Ridge Middle School.  From it, Wyngate children and parents can reach their schools within minutes.

Similar and yet different, Summerwood and Wyngate present Overland Park buyers with a sweet dilemma: the task of choosing between two great options.

“You’ve got two of the best new home communities sharing the best schools virtually along the same [159th] street,” says Rodrock, who’s built his business by giving clients plenty of options.  “Between the two, you’re likely to find what you’re looking for,” he says.

But how to choose?

Jeff Reglin, Rodrock Home’s Chief Marketing Officer, suggests seeing for yourself.

“The bottom line is that folks need to come out and take a look at both neighborhoods and tour our furnished homes in Wyngate’s new model row,” says Reglin.

Industry watchers say the expanded model row, which opened just this spring and features homes available for immediate construction in both Summerwood and Wyngate, offers new home seekers one-stop shopping at its best.

“In recent years buyers haven’t had the choice to tour this many furnished homes at one time,” says Rosemary Vitale, Vice President of New Homes for Reece & Nichols, Wyngate’s chosen realtor.

“In Wyngate’s model row you get to see all the hottest design trends, latest floor plans, layout features, and creative uses for materials that provide maximum functionality and beauty,” Vitale says.

Decorated by Kansas City’s award-winning Twigs Interiors design firm, the homes showcase the latest in both architecture and decor.  Outdoor fireplaces, European double showers, wine closets, and paneled great rooms are adorned with the latest materials including river rock, grass cloth, silvery faux paint, and even tangerine-hued leather.

Undoubtedly, the fresh-faced homes will give potential buyers visiting Wyngate and Summerwood a lot to think about. “When you see it all together, it’s always exciting,” says Vitale, who adds, “Sometimes you have to see it, feel it, and touch it to be convinced.”

Builder Expands Model Home Inventory

April 1, 2012

In a bold move virtually unseen in the new home market during the last four years, Rodrock Homes is expanding its inventory of furnished models for buyers to browse.

Windsor Plan Dining Room“Choosing a builder shouldn’t require a leap of faith,” says Rodrock Homes’ CEO Brian Rodrock.  “Buyers want to see before they believe.”

With up to ten furnished homes open for viewing in Overland Park, Olathe, and Lenexa, the company is using its financial strength to give new home seekers what they want most in a home: see-it-and-believe-it proof of the builder’s quality, selection, and value.

“Rodrock has always been a frontrunner,” says Kathy Koehler, CEO of Reece & Nichols’ Koehler Bortnick Team.  “Most builders pulled back on their spec and model home inventory back in 2008, but Rodrock understands you have to spend money to earn a buyer’s trust.”

The builder says expanding its number of furnished homes in communities like Overland Park’s Wyngate and Olathe’s Prairie Point is well worth the cost.  It’s a strategy backed by realtors and real estate experts alike.

“People want to see what kind of refinements have occurred since the last home the builder built,” says Dan Whitney, President and Owner of Landmarketing, an independent new home market research company.  “For buyers who might be hesitant about coming back into the market, it gives them that extra bit of reassurance,” says Whitney.

And because buyers have withheld from the marketplace over the last several years, Whitney cites a “tremendous pent-up demand” for new homes that he predicts will continue to grow throughout 2012.  “We’re already seeing that the number of new home permits in January and February is twice what it was last year,” says Whitney.

Koehler also notes her team’s transactions have doubled since last year.  She expects the lowest interest rates in 40 years coupled with unseasonably warm weather in March to push those numbers even higher.  “Because of the weather, the spring home market is beginning about 40 days earlier this year,” she says.

For new home seekers, that means shopping time is now.  “It’s a good thing we’ve readied our homes early,” says Rodrock Homes’ Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Reglin, who notes that shoppers can see the most furnished new models in one place in Rodrock Homes’ Wyngate community.  “We’ve got three new homes in Wyngate’s model row plus additional furnished homes open for viewing throughout the neighborhood,” says Reglin.

Located in Overland Park near the intersection of 159th and Grant, Wyngate’s model row is impressing shoppers in terms of both quantity and quality.  Placed one after another, its models showcase highly evolved versions of the builder’s best homes, featuring carefully crafted luxuries like custom crown moldings, stone and stucco exteriors, designer-tile double European showers, and covered decks and patios with fireplaces.

Wyngate Sold Sign“If a buyer can see the portrait a builder has painted in a finished a model and the quality of the workmanship, it makes them feel much better about entering into a contract,” says Koehler.

In addition to top-notch quality, Wyngate model-row visitors are seeing something unexpected in the homes they tour:  inspired, innovative interior design.  Thanks to a partnership with Kansas City’s award-winning design firm Twigs’ Interiors, shoppers are walking away with fresh ideas in décor.

“We try to push the envelope as much as we can,” says Lisa Mermis, Owner of Twigs Interiors.  “Visitors will see things like more trim detail than ever before, stone walls, iron newel posts plus spindles, and items influenced by travel.”

Case in point is Wyngate’s Lancaster III, a traditional 2-story where modern luxury reigns.

Described as “collected and unafraid,” the home’s interior design is a meld of styles, says Mermis.  While the kitchen’s mosaic Mexican tile archway and turquoise beaded chandelier are inspired by exotic locales, touches like crisp-white wainscoting and lamp-shaded sconces reflect a more buttoned-up glamour.  Other elements like floor-to-ceiling stone walls and river rock entry floors incorporate the textural beauty of nature.

“We’re fortunate to have a developer in Rodrock Homes who’s willing to bring a fresh design perspective to Kansas City,” says Mermis, who recently incorporated 2012’s hottest color, Tangerine, into one of the homes on Wyngate’s model row.

“People want to see our model row,” says Reglin, “because it’s a traditional row with some non-traditional decor mixed in.”

But even if buyers don’t find the design of their dreams amidst the furnished models and in-process homes awaiting them at Overland Park’s Wyngate, Olathe’s Prairie Point and Maple Brook Park, or Lenexa’s Bristol Ridge and The Reserve, Rodrock Homes’ Chief Operating Officer Jeff Gifford says there are still more options.

“We’ll sit down with you and redraw an existing home plan to meet your needs,” says Gifford.

Yet chances are, most buyers will discover what Maple Brook Park homeowner David Everett did when he first walked into the model that would ultimately become his home.  “This place just bit us,” recalls Everett, “we knew we had to have it.”

Wyngate Community, the Latest Development

March 23, 2011

The single-family residential builder/developer is acquiring Wyngate, the 2007 Kansas Community of the Year, located in Greater Kansas City’s fastest growing area. Rodrock Homes will be building a full array of their award winning Energy Star floor plans in a neighborhood with all the benefits a new homeowner desires.

 The top echelon of all championship caliber sports teams are consistently on the lookout for the player which will make them even better. The Yankees, Lakers, and Patriots, although perennial favorites to win it all each year, believe there is always a person available which will make their strong team even stronger. Rodrock Homes is implementing that same philosophy when locating additional new home communities for the family owned residential construction company. Wyngate, the newest addition, joins 8 other new home communities throughout Johnson County, Kansas where Rodrock Homes is building their award winning plans.

Brian Rodrock, president of Rodrock Homes, has adapted the popular real estate phrase “location, location, location” when evaluating the criteria he looks for when considering leading the company into a new community. “We look for new home communities with the best schools located in or near the neighborhood. The best locations also include family-friendly amenities as well easy access to shopping and dining,” said Rodrock.

 The Wyngate community appears to be designed with Rodrock’s checklist in mind. A proposed walking trail within the neighborhood will allow students to walk to Blue Valley Schools from the first day they go to school until they graduate from high school. Those schools earn some of the highest marks possible as ranked by the nationally recognized Great Schools website.

The amenity package that is already put in place includes: swimming pool with a slide, a clubhouse outfitted with exercise equipment, swings & playground sets, and basketball and sand volleyball courts. Wyngate also has a 9.5 acre park which could be used for family picnics or flying kites. The community is suitably located in Johnson County’s prime residential and commercial corridor, allowing for convenient access to all a family’s shopping and dining needs.

Rodrock Homes has 6 different floor plans currently under construction ranging in size from 3,000 to 3,500 square feet. The two-story, reverse, and story and a half plans include the Larsen II and Ashton EX , recently recognized in Kansas City Home and Garden Magazine’s 2011 Home of the Year Awards.

This newest single-family community marks another time Rodrock Homes will be operating in the dual role of builder and developer. This provides a continuity of vision for the homeowner which is not always possible in other communities. In his role as the developer for Wyngate, Rodrock will work to ensure the protection of property values, maintain the family-friendly environment, and the upholding to the high construction standards for the neighborhood. He continued, “With the Blue Valley schools, the community amenity package, and homesites starting in the low $80,000’s, I believe Wyngate provides the best opportunity for a family purchasing a new home in Johnson County.

Second Model Home Opens in County’s Best Selling Community

February 28, 2011

The residential single-family builder’s latest furnished model home is now available for viewing in Wilshire Farms, Greater Kansas City’s fastest selling new homes community. The Larsen II floor plan joins the Ashton EX for Rodrock Homes in a neighborhood with treed & walkout homesites, family-friendly amenities, and close proximity to award winning schools.

There is a big difference between a friend telling you about the great new restaurant in town and going there and experiencing it for yourself. Seeing the latest Oscar-winning movie on your own is much better than relying on the review from a family member. When it is time to select a new home, walking through the actual plan is better than trying to imagine it by looking at a flyer or handout.

Rodrock Homes, recently recognized as one of the Top 3 builders based on home sales in 2010 by the Kansas City Business Journal has developed a complete portfolio of floor plans to meet the varied needs of homeowners looking for a new home. Currently the family run construction business has 15 furnished model homes in 7 different new home communities throughout Johnson County, Kansas. Any of these plans are also available to be built in other communities or a homesite already owned by the buyer.

The newest model, The Larsen II is a two story plan that has something for everyone. There is a separate hearth room and office on the first floor. Each of the 4 bedrooms upstairs has its own bathroom. The model in Wilshire Farms is being shown with a complete bar and media room in the basement.

Wilshire Farms has plenty to offer the family looking for a place to live in Overland Park, a bedroom community of Kansas City. The Junior Olympic size pool with slide, tennis and basketball courts, along with the sand volleyball pit will keep the kids busy most of the year. Blue Valley is a nationally recognized school district that has an elementary, middle, and high school, each within a mile of the community.

Brian Rodrock, President of Rodrock Homes believes his company’s philosophy of using a furnished model fits perfectly to the needs of those looking for a new home. “It helps the decision making process when the potential homeowner can actually visualize how their dining room table or bedroom set will look in the home,” said Rodrock. The concept of having furnished models is not one shared with many other home builders. Rodrock continued, “The number of furnished models in our area has been reduced, but it will be something we will continue to provide.”

Latest Model Home Earns ENERGY STAR Designation

October 13, 2010

The single family residential builder understands homebuyers are looking for more energy efficient options when selecting their next new home. Rodrock Homes is being recognized for achieving those desired results by having its latest model home earn the ENERGY STAR designation.

Rodrock Homes has designed a model home which combines the beauty of a sports car with the energy efficiency of a smart car. The Ashton EX plan, a fully furnished home available for viewing at Wilshire Farms in Overland Park, has received the Energy Star award. The Energy Star Qualified New Home program mandates stringent energy guidelines for new home builders.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Energy Star program for new homes in 1995 to reward those residential builders creating homes with reduced energy consumption. To earn the Energy Star distinction, a home must be at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC) rules. An independent third party verification is required to document the savings a homeowner is going to enjoy.

Rodrock Homes president, Brian Rodrock thinks those in the market for a new home will take notice of the potential reduction on their energy bills. Said Rodrock, “If it comes down to comparing two similar homes, a savings of 15–20% on monthly energy bills may be the deciding factor.” He continued, “We strive to have functional floor plans while maintaining energy efficiency.”

Tim Baldridge of NSPJ Architects, the firm responsible for the testing to confirm the energy savings for Rodrock Homes, believes the Energy Star program should have an influence in the selection process. “A new home is a major capital investment for the home buyer. It’s time to pay attention to all parts of the building practices,” said Baldridge.

Selecting an Energy Star home allows the new home owner the benefit of lower ownership costs, better performance, maintaining its value, and even increasing a potential resale price. Depending on the square footage of the floor plan, energy savings are estimated to be between $200 to $400 per year. These homes will have immediate and future energy savings.