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Jonathan White, division president of Atlanta at Meritage Homes, is in studio on today’s episode of Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio. Joined by co-hosts Carol Morgan and Todd Schnick, the group discusses the multiple Meritage communities in progress or now selling in and around metro Atlanta. White also gives insight on the builder’s commitment to energy efficiency and Operation Homefront on this All About Real Estate segment of Radio.
White has been in the building industry for almost 16 years, and with Meritage Homes for the past two years. Originally from Florida, White began his career working in several Florida markets such as Orlando and Jacksonville. Most recently, White spent six years in the Houston market before settling in Atlanta in early 2018. White spent about half of his time in his home building career in land acquisition and development. After gaining years of experience, he shifted his focus to the overall management side of the industry. White also worked for eight years as a civil engineer.
Meritage Homes stared in 1985 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Currently operating in 17 divisions across nine different states, Meritage is a top ten national builder.
“Our core purpose is to enrich lives by building the American dream,” said White. “We are guided by six core values which are start with heart, integrity above all else, develop to empower, think strategically, build value and play to win. We really do live by those values.”
Meritage came to Atlanta in 2014 and has evolved over the past six years, growing into a top ten builder in the area. For the seventh consecutive year, Meritage has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its superior building practices. It was awarded the Energy Star Partner of the Year in sustained excellence.
Meritage Homes builds a wide range of products in and around the metro Atlanta area. Products include two-story front-loaded townhomes, three-story rear-entry townhomes, 40-to-50-foot-wide single-family homes, two-story rear-entry bungalows and more. Homes range in size from 1,600 to over 4,000 square feet.
“Right now, we really focus on three rungs of the homeownership ladder,” said White. “First-time buyers, first-time move-up and move-down buyers are the primary focus of who we serve. Our price points range from the mid $200,000s to the low $500,000s. We really see the largest growth opportunity in the under-served first-time buyer market and the move-down buyers, so we intend to focus our growth in those areas.”
Meritage Homes is currently selling in several of its new home communities. Highland Overlook near the East-West Connector is a three-story front-and-rear-entry townhome located in Smyrna. With only 68 homesites, this intimate community offers convenient access to various metro Atlanta favorites. Twelve homes are available now at Highland Overlook and priced from the low $400,000s.
Willowcrest is the newest Meritage community, only just opening at the end of 2019. This community of single-family homes in Mableton is priced in the low $300,000s. Another fantastically located community right next to Smyrna, Willowcrest has three separate product lines. Forty-foot single-family homes, 26-foot front-load entry townhomes and 24-foot detached bungalow homes all reside in this community. Willowcrest also comes with an amazing amenity package.
A third community White highlighted in his interview is Winding Creek in Stockbridge. This community will provide 117 wooded lots with convenient access to I-75. Priced from the mid $200,000s, homes in this community will feature up to 3,020 square feet, four to five bedrooms, two to three bathrooms and a two-car garage. Winding Creek homes offer one of four unique floorplans.
Meritage Homes has these three incredible communities, as well as several more communities located around Atlanta. One distinction that separates Meritage from other home builders is its commitment to energy efficiency.
“Energy efficiency is something we take incredibly seriously,” said White. “This is something we have been focused on since 2013. Every single home built by Meritage Homes is Energy Star Certified, and on average, 40% more efficient than other homes you would find on the market.”
Meritage Homes achieves its energy-efficient home status in several different ways. One method is UV-blocking windows using innovative framing techniques such as advanced headers. Another important step Meritage takes is encapsulating the entire home in spray foam. This not only helps with energy efficiency, but it also helps with deafening noise.
In the full interview above, White dives deeper into several Meritage communities and further explains ways its homes are built to perform to the highest standards regarding energy efficiency. To learn more, listen to the interview or visit www.MeritageHomes.com/State/Ga/Atlanta.
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Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, License #22564. NMLS ID #6606. Subject to borrower and property qualifications. Not all applicants will qualify. New American Funding and Meritage Homes are not associated. Click here to view the terms and conditions of products mentioned during the show. Corporate office 14511 Myford Rd., Suite 100, Tustin, CA 92780. Phone: (800) 450-2010. (February/2020)
New American Funding is a family-owned mortgage lender with a servicing portfolio of over 123,000 loans for $30.4 billion, 198 branches, and about 3,100 employees. The company offers several niche loan products and has made Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest-Growing Companies in America six times. It has a state-of-the-art career training facility and develops innovative technology, including the GoGo LO mobile application. For more information, visit www.branch.newamericanfunding.com/Atlanta.
The Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio “All About Real Estate” segment, presented by Denim Marketing, highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact Denim Marketing at 770-383-3360 or fill out the Atlanta Real Estate Forum contact form. Subscribe to the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast on iTunes, and if you like this week’s show, be sure to rate it.
