Parade of Homes
CIHA featured in 2005 Parade of Homes
Cook Inlet Housing Authority invites you to 301 Taylor Street in Mountain View, September 24-26 to tour our 2005 Anchorage Parade of Homes entry.
This beautiful 1470 square foot home offers an excellent example of innovative affordable home design and is one of 10 three and four bedroom homes in various stages of construction available for purchase as a part of Cook Inlet Housing Authority's neighborhood revitalization effort in Mountain View.
Cook Inlet Housing Authority Construction Manager, Bob Juliussen, designed and is serving as general contractor for this and five other new homes. This home is built in the craftsman style with cedar shake accents, trimmed exterior windows with grids and a natural fir front door with stained glass. In addition, this three-bedroom home offers an attached 2-car garage, 2.5 baths, radiant in-floor heat, a five-star energy rating, natural alder kitchen cabinets with crown-molding, double-closets in the master suite, a large laundry room with a sink, laminate flooring, nickel finished lighting and door hardware, 9 foot ceilings, a fenced yard and a complete landscaping package.
This and several other similar quality homes (four of which are being built by award-winning builder John Hagmeier) are currently for sale to qualifying families for $193,000 to $203,000, depending on the floor-plan. Payments may be as low as $912 per month with out of pocket expenses as low as $5,670, thanks in part to down-payment assistance provided by the Focus Community Initiative grant funds from the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation as well as funds from the Federal Home Loan Bank.
Last year Cook Inlet Housing Authority partnered with John Hagmeier to showcase "affordable housing" and Mountain View for the first time ever in the Anchorage Parade of Homes. Last year's entry was a part of CIHA's growing rental (and rent-to-own) housing inventory, whereas this year's entry is one of 10 homes being constructed for immediate home ownership to families earning a maximum of 80 percent of area median income ($58,000 for a family of four). An additional eight homes will be built in 2006.
These homes are the first ever designed and built by CIHA staff and this endeavor was undertaken with the intention of offering the community something new and different while offering our staff an opportunity to utilize and expand their talents.
"Our staff has been working in the homes of our clients for years doing emergency repairs, energy efficiency upgrades and minor home improvements. They've learned through experience where problems tend to occur, what works and what doesn't work to fix those problems," said CIHA President/CEO Carol Gore. "They've also learned what kinds of housing, floor plans, designs are available in the price range our clients can afford, and what family-friendly features are absent in these homes.
"We want to use our experience to offer new ideas for good design. We'd like to influence the quality of housing being built in our community in the lower price-ranges, and if we're going to ask local builders to consider new design concepts and new efficiencies we have to be willing to take the first step and give people ideas that have been tested and are tangible," Gore continued.
Gore notes that the key for Cook Inlet Housing is building homes that are not just affordable for families to move in, but are affordable for families to stay in. Part of CIHA's strategy is to invest in quality materials and workmanship up-front, saving on maintenance and replacement costs in the future. The homes also include blinds and all appliances which significantly reduces out of pocket costs for the buyer.
"It's important for us to consider what it costs a family after they own it," said Gore. "We're not just concerned about the purchase price. We attempt to minimize the families' costs for maintenance as well. By doing this we make the homes truly affordable and influence the long-term livability of the entire neighborhood."
For information on CIHA's new homes for sale in Mountain View contact Paul Hansmeyer at 793-3041. For information about CIHA's new rental properties in Mountain View call 793-3000.