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Real Talk with Sterling Real Estate Group is your go-to resource for all things real estate. In our episodes, we break down the latest market trends, share insider tips, and provide expert insights to empower your property journey. Whether you're buying, selling, building, or investing, we're here to help you navigate the dynamic world of real estate in New York's Capital Region and beyond. If you have any questions or topics you’d like us to cover in a future episode, we’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at info@sterling518.com.
Lisa (00:36)
Hi, welcome to Real Talk with Sterling Real Estate Group. Today's guest we have with us, Michael Caruso. And Michael is one of our agents here at Sterling Real Estate Group. And Michael is also the site coordinator at Aspen Hills in Johnstown. And it's our first modular community that we have launched. Welcome, Michael. So excited to have you here. Yeah, thrilled to be here. Thanks for having me. Yeah, we're super excited. First modular.
subdivision at Esmond Hills. So ⁓ again, really thrilled to be here and talk a little bit about it. Yeah. And it's taking off, right? It's doing well. Yeah. So we have seven home sites available, nine different plans. We already have three reserved. ⁓ Really just seems like everyone's lining up to learn more or get their home site. So really exciting stuff.
So we're talking about, now you said three reserved. I believe we have three sold. Excuse me, three sold. Yeah. So that's a difference, right? Yeah. I know it's been a long day for you. So yeah, three sold. One's already built and we have two more hitting production and I'd say within the month. Nice. Yeah. Excellent. So let's start off with, there's a lot of misconceptions out there. sure. Yeah. With a modular, a manufactured home, a trailer. Everyone thinks a modular home.
is a manufactured home or a trailer. So let's just get that out of the way and let's talk about the difference. So a couple things. So modular home is going to be ⁓ put on a permanent foundation, um meaning that it's real property. Now, a manufactured or a trailer, um they're built under federal code, meaning that they're able to be moved or replaced. So it is a different ballgame.
These are very high quality built homes, very comparable to stick built, onsite stick built. ⁓ So there is a major difference, ⁓ you know, in regards to real property and something that isn't real property. Right. And the quality control is much, I mean, it's built inside. It's out of the elements. Well, correct. Yeah. So it's built in a climate controlled factory. You know, before any of the wood is put to work, ⁓ you know, it's inspected.
They have a whole inspection process. They moisture test the lumber ⁓ not to exceed 19 % moisture content. If it does, they won't use it. And all the lumber comes in tarped from Canada by the truckload. ⁓ it has to be stamped, right? Well, yep. It has to be construction grade lumber. So we look at that too. ⁓ But yeah, there's a lot. It's very different ballgame once you get into modular versus...
you know, manufactured or mobile. completely different. Completely different. I was lucky enough to have a tour where the homes are being built and I was floored. I was floored. I mean, the quality of construction is amazing. And I think I told you the story. I had a client come in and she was at a price point ⁓ for new construction, which in this area you just could not find. And I said, what about modular? And he was insistent.
that a modular was a manufactured home or trailer and I could not tell him, no matter what I did, his mind was made up, he knew what he knew. And I said, let's go take a ride. Let's go look at a couple of houses. And I took him down to Northline, walked in the house, walked around, he's like, wow, this is really nice. I'm like, do you like this layout? He's like, this is great. So we go in the basement and I'm like, for sure, now he's gonna see the marriage wall, which if you don't, I know what it is because I was taught, but anybody else.
They're not going to know, but he's looking up and he's looking up. I'm like thinking to myself, here comes he's, he's going to ask. He didn't say anything. We get done. We, you know, go to the, to the second floor loves it. We get outside. I shut the door and I said, so what'd you think? Did you know, is this something you could see yourself living in? He goes, this is a great layout, but I don't need the second level. I said, that's fine. I go, you know, you're in a modular. His mouth dropped. he said, okay, you got me. He goes,
I really thought it was a manufactured home. He had no idea. And I got to tell you, he was impressed by that basement, nine foot basements, the egress windows. I mean, so. It makes all the difference. And it's over the past 20, 25 years, you know, it's really become a different thing. It's again, it's extremely comparable to onsite, onsite stick construction. So yeah, that's again, it's really different. It's really different ballpark.
Yeah, absolutely. And I know, you know, the owner of Billy Combs and that's the company building the Modulars out of Aspen Hills. I know when he took over the company, he even changed the building codes and went a few steps higher than what's mandated by the state. Yeah. Right. So I know that that was being done, which is nice. So just to add to that, basically.
You know, modular and again, just to add to that, but modular is built to region, state and local code. that's that again, that's just the difference. you know, manufactured or trailer is going to be built to federal. Right. Much different. Much different. So in your opinion, Michael, what's the biggest benefit of building a new home at Aspen Hills? Yeah, it's a, it's a couple of things. So we'll, talk about the land first. mean, everything is right there. Municipal water and sewer.
I mean, that's, mean, that's key. then, you know, underground utilities, natural gas, electric. So it's just a couple of those things that, you know, you look into something like this and it's already out of the way. As you know, you know, in new construction, you know, you look at different home sites and you never really know what's under the dirt. Right. Exactly.
All my clients ever worked with, you know let's do a perc test before, you know, we put in an offer. So again, it's all there. Right. It's all there for you. It's basically shovel ready. ⁓ The second thing is going to be the location. You know, your minutes from the town, Johnstown, Johnstown school district. The schools are close. You're centrally located. I mean, you're about an hour from Saratoga. You're 20 minutes from the Sacandaga Lake.
Yeah, very close. your minutes from I-90 and it's close to the Adirondacks. So, I mean, this is really just a perfect opportunity for anyone that's looking to get back to New York. Right. You know, anyone that works remotely, new home buyers, as well as downsizers. there's, again, the location's great. And then when building with Aspen Hills, you know, there's a
I know new construction can kind of be a little bit stressful. We make it a little bit easier for you. ⁓ One of the things that we do is, you know, once you found your home site, you know, you're moving forward. We've already designed your floor plan. ⁓ Next comes selections, exterior and interior. So you have a personalized design meeting with our design coordinator. And I know your design coordinator. She's fabulous. She's fantastic. So she does a great job. ⁓
Yeah, and that's I mean, if you don't know what you want, that's that could be very helpful. But if you know what you want, ⁓ that can also just make it that much more seamless. So and that's included in the price. It's it's included. It's a service that that the builder provides. Yeah, absolutely. So ⁓ I mean, again, I kind of went through down a few different avenues. Yeah, I think those are probably the biggest. So I know ⁓ at Aspen Hills.
You have your marketing packet and you have what seven plans. Yeah. If a homeowner came in and said, you know, I don't really like any of these plans. OK, are there there's other options because there's so many different things that that... Well right. So ⁓ just to be clear, all these plans are customizable. ⁓ You know, between layout, exterior, ⁓ you know, we can look at extending the module, right? ⁓
So there's a few different things at play. You can have a different grid pattern in your windows. We could look at adding a dormer. ⁓ So it's not fixed. You have options in that space. Several options, right. Well, right. So ⁓ yeah, that's also another great benefit of working with us. ⁓ You kind of have the freedom to design your home. And you can have a lot of fun with it.
Yeah. I mean, you're building, right? Your brand new home. You get to personalize it to what you want, which is nice. And again, your selections coordinator, a great eye for design. So that helps. takes a lot of stress off. ⁓ Let's talk about the price point because modulars are, I've seen some modulars that are very expensive. They're huge, but in Johnstown, it's affordable. And I know we all know what's going on in the housing market.
⁓ And a lot of new construction is not affordable for most people, but the modular becomes affordable. What's the starting price point at Aspen Hills? I believe $365k. Yeah. Which I mean, it's fantastic. Where are you going to find a brand new house? And what does that give you? What? Two to three bedrooms, right? Yeah. Three, three bedroom, two bedroom, two baths. But yeah, I mean, still. ⁓
Full basement, nine foot ceilings, finishable living space. Exactly. So again, this is just a really special opportunity ⁓ for anyone that wants to build new construction. ⁓ The opportunities are really endless. ⁓
Tell me, so if I was to go out and build, right? Go to a regular, you know, new construction community. By the time I get to permit, it could be anywhere from six to eight months. Some of our custom high-end builders can be 12 to 14, 16 months. What is the typical time from home site reservation to the home being done? Yeah, and there's a few things I could adjust the time, but.
If we're moving quickly, you can be in around four or five months. That's amazing. Production is typically eight to nine weeks. ⁓ There is some time that gets eaten up in engineering. ⁓ But yeah, it's pretty amazing. You can get in quickly. It's beginning of July now. You can argue if you're moving quickly, you can still have some time to get in while the...
you know the weather's still good. and being by the holidays. Well, right. so, it's about a, I mean, you could say it's a quarter or, you know, less than that, the time that, you know, an on-site stick project would take. Oh, yeah, yeah, much longer, much longer. So what does the process look like after someone gets a home site reservation? you're meeting with a client.
You walk all the different home sites. They land on one. You take a reservation. What's the deposit that they need to give for the reservation? so for the home site reservation, it's going to be $1,500 for the deposit. At that point, they're moving forward. So then we're going to go into designing of the floor plan, which is your CAD drawing. So our team works with Bill Lake Modular Homes to design the layout, elevation.
really get down the CAD drawing before we move on to a request for the prints, but also ⁓ selections with the design coordinator. So it's CAD drawing to selections. ⁓ And then there's ⁓ engineering work done with the prints. ⁓ And then after that, once selections are done, all additional pricing is considered. ⁓ We would go to contract. ⁓
And then after that, you know, it's production. That's your waiting time. Well, right. Yeah, it's production. then ⁓ the day of set, you know, I'm sure. Which is exciting. Well, right. And I've been to a couple and it's great. A lot of people from the community come out and watch because it's really not something you see every day. Right. It's unique. ⁓ And then after that, you know, once it's set,
The first thing they do in a modular set is they set the modules on the foundation. On the foundation. They have a set crew tie ⁓ in the marriage walls. Right. As well as install the roof. So everything gets set structurally first. And that's one day, right? It is one day. One day? Some sets, if it's a larger project, it'll take two. ⁓ But it's one day. And then after that, in the following weeks, they have your electrician come, ⁓ HVAC guy.
plumber, ⁓ just tying the utilities because all the rough-in for the plumbing and electric is already in the home through production. And then after that, it's really just ⁓ interior, exterior finish work. ⁓ So I know with the homes, not all the siding is able to be put on during production. So they'll ship that loose. And then it's a similar concept with the flooring.
So they can only put it in one half of the module and then they'll ship through the rest to be installed on site by your builder. So there are a few things that still need to be done. ⁓ But yeah, after that you're really not too far. But the kitchen is all installed, the granite, everything is. ⁓ Yeah, 85 % complete means your shingles are on. ⁓ I'd say about 70 % of the siding, ⁓ doors, windows, your granite or quartz countertops.
⁓ Which is included. Which is included. Yeah. I forgot. That's another huge benefit. Yeah. You know, all your cabinetry, bathroom and kitchen. ⁓ Carpet. Carpet. Carpet's installed. ⁓ So it's, again, it's a bunch of different things that are done. There still needs to be a little bit of button-up work. Right. Right. But again. You just don't drop it, set it, and move in, right? Well, right. Right. So. ⁓ So what's about the timeframe for when it's set? Yeah. I would say.
Depending on the amount of work. What's I would probably say I would probably budget six seven weeks. Okay. Yeah, okay. So ⁓ Yeah, I mean that's a typical that what I've seen right. So right. So Interesting. Yeah, so One day once the property once the house is set. Yeah Is that the same if it's like a Colonials right so a ranch comes in two, colonial comes in four
Yes. Right. Is that still about the same time frame or it's... Colonials, you know, ⁓ that's a set date that could potentially take two days. OK. You know, typically they'll set the first two and then there might, you know, might need additional work on another day. But typically they can get that done within a day. you know, ranches and capes all day. It's one day. And you talked about the roof.
So when I was at the factory, they were talking about the roof, how the roof folds down and then when it's delivered, it pops up. Yeah. it's a very interesting concept. I give kudos to whoever invented this, but it's a hinged roof truss system. ⁓ it's, I mean, it's collapsed during transit because you just have to go on the roads. And then once it's set on site, ⁓ there's crane work involved to pick up that truss and have it.
have it upheld. yeah, it's a very interesting concept. In the capes, you know, it'll be a 12-12 roof pitch. You you'll have the two-story living. will be unfinished. Unless you want it finished during. Yeah, that's an offering here at Aspen Hills. If you want it finished, you know, that's something we look into. And it's great because all the plumbing and electric is stubbed up to the second floor.
So, you know, it's there. Right. So someone who's handy could finish it themselves. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So before when you were talking about, you know, talking about the process and it goes like CAD drawings. Yes. Does that still happen if they pick a plan out of the marketing packet and say, no, this is exactly what we want? It does. It does. Yeah. So the CAD drawings still be drawn up. OK.
You're not going to look at any revisions though. You'll just go straight to the print request as well as selections. All right. So that speeds up the time a little bit, right? It does. Typically, turnaround for that is about a week to have it drawn up, which is pretty quick. But yeah, sometimes folks will spend a couple of weeks in design, which I completely understand because you want to get it right. you want to get what you want.
⁓ But others will be like, this is what I want and, you know, and that's what you're going to get. Yeah, right. ⁓ In your opinion, what do you think is the most efficient and cost efficient? What is the most efficient and cost efficient when building a modular? ⁓ What type of plan? Yeah, OK. Do you have a favorite plan or there's a couple out there? I know are really taking off, so I'll give I'll give you my favorite plan, but I'll also give you. ⁓
I'd say the most cost effective/efficient So we'll start with what's most cost effective. ⁓ It's going to be the cape plan. Most of the cape plans advertised are going to be two bed, two bath ⁓ with the opportunity like we just talked about to finish out the upstairs. You don't have to do it right away. ⁓ But if you do, it could add tremendous value to your home. Gives you another two bedrooms or another bedroom and bonus room. Right, exactly. And a full bath.
I mean, you can really frame it, you know, frame out the rooms however you want. You can have open living up there or you can make bedrooms like you just said. So there's, you know, it's kind of a free canvas up there for you to do what you want and get another full bath. I mean, at that point, at that point you have two beds, two baths, base in the plan. Now you have a four bedroom, three bedroom house. And let's say you did a, you know, a nine, again, the basement,
You know, it's a, there's a lot of opportunity. I also think it allows, you know, the end user to grow into the home. Again, if they don't want to do it right away, they have the opportunity to do it further down the line by themselves or hire someone. So I'm really big fan of the Cape, just flexible plan. My favorite floor plan out of, out of the nine is going to be the Rosemary. It's ⁓ a 1400 square foot ranch, a little over 1400. It's got a two car garage, three bedroom, two bath.
⁓ I just think it's a very versatile plan, open living. ⁓ Two of the bedrooms are on one side and then you have the primary on the other. Right, which is nice for privacy. Which you're seeing a lot of people tend to like nowadays, I think. ⁓ And Jeff had said that's a fairly new plan and he had told me a couple weeks ago he had named the plan after my mother. You know that. Yeah. Or maybe you didn't know that. Does it make sense now? No, he did tell me that. Yeah.
Yeah, all the I know most of the plans he was telling me, you know, are based off of friends, family and dogs. Yeah, the Cynthia. love the Cynthia plan, which is named after his wife. Yeah. Yeah. So I think that, you know, that that's ⁓ special how how he did that, which is really cool. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's great. Yeah. So you like the Rosemary. Yeah. Talk about the Joshua. I know that you have a different set of specs for even more affordable. Yeah. Yeah. So
⁓ There are, first of all, Joshua comes in a ranch floor plan as well as a cape. ⁓ So again, do you have the option to go either or. ⁓ It's 1,245 square feet, three bedroom, two bath. That's amazing. Yeah. And again, with the cape, you can get, you can almost get up to 3,000 square feet in that cape house. you, you know, you go with a full foundation and you finish out the upstairs. ⁓ So again, you can, cape.
Very, very big fan of the Cape. ⁓ Now it was value engineered ⁓ to drive the costs down. So it is an economical plan. ⁓ We have all the plumbing and electric in one ⁓ module, lack of better terms, boxes. They are built in boxes. So all the plumbing and electric is on one side of the home. ⁓ A majority, pretty much all the materials, ⁓ your interior features, like your LVP, ⁓ your quartz, your...
your Fabuwood cabinets are a higher end, they're better than Merillat. So really what this plan is, it's an attainable floor plan for anyone that may be looking for something economical. But what happened was all the materials, interior and exterior, were purchased in bulk so we can drive down the cost. So it's a really great opportunity.
You know, I know there's definitely an appetite for that type of home out there. And we're really excited about it. Yeah. I got to tell you, I love that floor plan. One of our agents here, you know, right, sold the Joshua. Yeah. And I mean, you walk in the living room, great space, all open to the kitchen, a separate seating area. Yeah. Kitchen, I mean, comfortably you could fit a table, six, right? Expanded to eight.
you have your washer and dryer on the same level. So for someone who's right sizing, that's great for them. Everything is on one level. right. And the other thing I love about that plan is that the exterior door is on, it can be either on the right or left side, but you have an opportunity to maybe put a small garage, one car, or even if you want to put something bigger, two car garage there, just have it stick framed. I know the factory can panelize it as well. ⁓
panelizing, they can build the walls as well as you know, pre-build the walls and the roof. ⁓ So yeah, great opportunity. ⁓ The primary bedroom has its own bath. Right. Primary bedroom has its own bath. It really is a sweet layout. And again, I keep going back to the nine foot basements because you get down there and you're just like, and especially in a ranch.
Absolutely. You got 1245 square feet and a basement of finishable living space. You put your egress windows in and if somebody wants two egress windows, obviously you guys can do that as well. Can absolutely accommodate for that. Talk to our listeners about the regular poured cement foundation versus, and I just drew a blank on the superior wall system.
I don't know why I drew a blank on that. ⁓ Regular pour is really the traditional way to do it. ⁓ Superior walls, it's such an interesting concept, but they are kind of in the same ⁓ business as modular. It's a precast foundation wall. It's developed in a factory. ⁓ The walls are already insulated. They show up on, typically it's two trucks. I actually went to a set for it it was...
It was really, I've never seen anything like it. ⁓ But basically they picked them up on a crane, they set them, and they're done in four or five hours. It's insane. Yeah. I was very fascinated concept. Yeah. And I understand like the house could be set right after those walls are set. Well, right. Yeah. Yeah. It's, I mean, that's definitely been a discussion before. Yeah. ⁓ So yeah, they're...
very, very interesting concept and product. Right, it's amazing. You have to let us know when they're going to set out at Aspen Hills the next. Oh, I absolutely will. Yeah, so we can get a bunch of us and go out there because it, you So tell our listeners, how can people get ahold of you? know, you obviously, you know, you're a licensed real estate agent, you're also a site coordinator at Aspen Hills. How can they get ahold of you? And when they call,
If they're interested in the modular, are they able to get to the factory? Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Okay. So couple, a couple of things. Well, firstly, yeah, you can reach me at 631-953-5002 is my cell. You know, you can look, go on the website for Sterling, you know , it'll have Aspen Hills, more information about that, but give me a call. You know, we can go out to the site. Please, we encourage you to come out to the factory. It's something you.
really haven't seen before. ⁓ And should I add the email as well? Yeah, sure. michael32caruso@gmail.com . So now we know. And just so our viewers know, we're going to have Michael's information embedded into our show notes as well. But I encourage our listeners, if you're local, give Michael a call. Set up an appointment to get to the factory. ⁓ I really think they're going to be blown away. I know I was. I went twice.
I'd love to go again. you know, so, um, then just come on out. Yeah. Seeing the home set is, is fun. So sure. All right. Well, Michael, thank you. Is there anything else that we miss that, that, you know, we need to touch base on? Um, I think we covered it all. Yeah. No, thank you for having me on. This is awesome. Yeah. Come visit Aspen Hills. Awesome. Wonderful. Michael, thank you so much. And again, thank you for listening to our episode at Real Talk at Sterling Real Estate Group.