Hopefully, by now you have heard that Shea Homes is giving away, not one, but six Delta Touch2O® faucets this month.

If you haven’t entered yet to win, be sure to click here for your chance at one of these amazing faucets. If you’re wondering how a Touch2O® faucet could change life in the kitchen, take a look below at our top 8 reasons we love the Touch2O®!

1. Simple. A simple tap anywhere on the spout or handle turns the faucet on and off. The handle to the right of the faucet adjusts temperature and flow to your preferences.

2. Clean. When hands are messy, you can start the flow of water with a forearm or wrist, helping reduce cross-contamination.

3. Efficient. Touch2O® Technology enables you to turn on and off the faucet with just a touch, making kitchen tasks easy during food prep and clean up.

4. Water-efficient. The Touch2O® feature makes it easier to turn off the water flow when not needed between tasks, helping save water.

5. Automatic Shut off. After four minutes, water flow shuts off automatically, saving you from over using water and a potential mess.

6. Warranty. The faucet, its finish and all of the electronics that make it work are all covered under a five year warranty from Delta Faucet.

7. Easy Operation. This versatile faucet operates manually (with handle) and with tap Touch2O® functionality. The Handle also adjusts flow rate and temperature.

8. Easy Maintenance. A blue LED on the faucet indicates that the touch mode is activated. The blue LED turns red when batteries need to be replaced.

Still not convinced? Check out the Touch2O® in action in this video, then enter to win one for your kitchen today!

You’ve heard us say before that at Shea Homes, we believe every part of the home matters. That’s why we don’t compromise on quality, and new Shea homes in Arizona come standard with name brand products like Wayne-Dalton Garage Doors.

So what are the benefits for the buyer? Check out these great features of the Wayne-Dalton 5120 model, one of our favorites: 

Increased safety in your home: 

• Pinch-resistant door panels are designed so closing sections actually push fingers safely out of harm’s way.
• The Wayne-Dalton TorqueMaster® Plus is the first counterbalance system to seal springs safely within a steel tube. It contains an anti-drop feature that eliminates the risk of door “free fall” and prevents potential serious injury.
• The polyurethane foam that insulates the panels is CFC-11-free, so it’s environmentally friendly. 

Energy Efficiency: 

• The foamed-in-place R-9.0 polyurethane insulation improves the energy efficiency of a home and blocks unwanted street noise from entering living areas that adjoin the garage. The Tough-Guard vinyl backer also adds beauty and durability to the interior of the garage door. 

Durability: 

• The foamed-in-place polyurethane insulation is chemically bonded to each steel section, creating a structure with higher strength and dent resistance.
• Heavy-gauge steel wraparound end caps trim-out door edges for better appearance, improved strength, and protection of the insulation from damage. 

Clean and clutter free look: 

• Embossed, high tensile steel panels give the look of wood with the strength of steel.
• Sound-absorbing insulation makes the door operate quieter, reducing wind noise, and is energy efficient.
• Shea Homes also offers two advanced Wayne-Dalton garage door openers. The ceiling mounted prodrive® opener is available in either a belt or chain rail. The patented wall-mounted idrivePRO® eliminates the belt, chain, screw drive, and track that clutter a garage door ceiling. Pair it with our pinch resistant door and TorqueMaster spring systems to eliminate the need for installing photo eyes. And, if you select the exclusive Z-Wave® technology option, the openers work wirelessly with our complete range of Home Controls products.
• Door panels are also guaranteed through Wayne-Dalton against cracking or splitting due to rust-through for up to 10 years. 

Are there any other home products that you want to learn more about? Let us know on our Facebook page!

A poolside glass of wine and a plate full of sizzling fajitas were just icing on the cake at Thursday’s VIP Grand Opening of Vista Montaña in Peoria, AZ.

Guests from all over the Valley enjoyed a cool evening and desert sunset as they toured the newly built 5911-Northwestern model, exploring the Arizona Cardinal’s themed basement theatre and relaxing under the poolside cabana.

Vista Montaña, a gated luxury home community is located at 87^th Avenue and Calle Lejos and features ranch style homes and luxury offerings such as optional basements, RV garages, and pool cabanas.

Homes range between 2,825 to over 4,000 square feet and are built using the new Energy Star 3.0 rating, carry the Environments for Living designation and have solar available.

Here are a few photos from the VIP Grand Opening this week. (Click each image to enlarge)

Shea Homes San Diego has a strong, long-term relationship with local military families.

“Over 40 percent of our home buyers are either active duty or retired service personnel,” said Vanessa Linn, vice president of sales and marketing for the Shea Homes San Diego, recently recognized as a  2012 J.D. Power Customer Service Champion.

“This has made us hyper sensitive to the unique issues they face, such as the deployment of a parent, or the need to make a sudden and unexpected move.”

In honor of May 2012 National Military Appreciation Month, Shea Homes San Diego is including a free Whirlpool washer/dryer for all active duty and retired military buyers who open escrow this month.

“This is a simple way for us to say thank you to the men and women are serving, or have served, our nation,” said Linn.

National Military Appreciation Month recognizes over 90 million Americans: those on active duty in all branches of the services, the National Guard and Reserves plus retirees, veterans, and all of their families. 

Through the years, Shea has tried some innovative ways to direct its resources to military families. Here’s a unique homecoming story, chronicled by columnist Diane Bell in the June 13, 2011 edition of the UT San Diego:

“Full house: When Anthony Tatum returns soon from the Middle East, the single dad, a 10-year Navy veteran, will be reunited with his daughter, 6, who has been staying with relatives. He’ll also find his Chula Vista home filled with furniture that wasn’t there when he left.

“When Tatum bought his new townhouse last December, he didn’t have time to furnish it before being deployed in January. After Tatum left, a model home in Shea Homes’ Agave development was sold unfurnished, so the developer is honoring Tatum for his service by giving him all its furniture and accessories.”

Win a Delta Touch2O® faucet from Shea Homes

We all know that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But at Shea Homes, we also believe that every part matters.

That’s why we don’t compromise on quality and every Shea home comes standard with name brand products like Delta faucets.

 In fact, to show our love for such great products, we are giving away six Delta Touch₂O® faucets this month.

The Delta Touch2O® faucet is a fantastic addition to any kitchen. Take a look at this great Delta faucet video to see just what Delta Touch₂O® Technology can do for you.

Then visit our contest page and enter to win!

Don’t forget to “like” each of our Facebook pages for the latest on community openings, news and promotions like this one.

Shea Homes Northern California division president Layne Marceau was interviewed by ABC7 Bay Area News’ Laura Anthony. There is interest in the Bay Area as the national average new home sales fall, while the Bay Area’s rise.

Home sales are down 7.1 percent nationwide in the month of March. However, in the Bay Area home sales are booming. Marceau explains, “We came into 2012 with a conservative forecast, expecting to maybe sell 60 or 70 homes in the first four months of the year. We’ve already sold 150 homes.”

Watch the whole interview here.

There may be several reasons for you to want to buy a home. You’re ready to commit to a certain area and call it home, you’re ready to make a financial investment, housing prices have dropped to an affordable level and the market is highly favorable for home buyers. How do you tell if it’s a buyer’s market? In a buyer’s market, the price of a home will be under 20 times a year’s worth of rent for an equivalent home. If the price of a home is more than 20 times the annual rent, it’s generally better to rent.

Today’s housing climate is better for home buyers. The average price of homes for sale in the US is currently around 19 times the average annual rent. The general housing climate is much friendlier than a few years ago, but still fluctuates greatly depending on your specific location. Some of the buyer’s markets in 2011 were Charlotte, Inland Empire, Phoenix, Raleigh, Sacramento, San Diego and San Jose.

The decision to buy or rent also depends on your lifestyle and long-term goals. 2011 saw a resurgence in buyer’s markets across the country and that trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. It’s true that housing markets will fluctuate from year-to-year, but owning property remains a wise investment over time.

Learn more about the housing market including the pros and cons of buying vs renting in the infographic below.

Grab the embed code below:

<img src="http://blog.sheahomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/SHEARETC_Is_2012_a_Good_Year_to_Buy_a_House_V4.png" alt="Is 2012 A Good Year To Buy A House" width="650" border="0" /></a><br /> <br/> <div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: center; width:567px"><a href="http://blog.sheahomes.com/buying-guide/is-2012-a-good-year-to-buy-a-house/">Is 2012 A Good Year To Buy A House</a></div> <p>

With over 200 guests and Shasta Pools at the grill, the grand opening of The Estates at Litchfield Park made for a great afternoon! The Estates is the newest community to open in the northwest Valley, with models ranging in size from 2500 to 4239 square feet on 70 X 110 lots. The 53 homes will be built for optimum energy efficiency and are located next door to the spectacular Wigwam Resort and Golf Club. The community features six different floorplans from the 2700 and 5500 series.

One new floor plan, the 5505 Berkeley will make its debut at 2500 square feet, featuring three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a flex room, expansive great room, user-friendly island kitchen, morning room, and covered patio.

Each home includes cathedralized attic insulation, a process where the insulation is placed on the underside of the roof instead of the attic floor, allowing for not only a clean and useable space, but reduced heating and cooling costs. For more details about how cathedralized insulation benefits the buyer, take a look at this blog post. The homes at The Estates also carry the EFL designation, which provides a guarantee that the homes won’t exceed a specified energy usage over a two-year period.  And, solar is included.

Click here to view our photo album of the event.

For more information about The Estates at Litchfield Park or Shea Homes’ communities across the Valley, please call 1-866-696-7432 or visit www.sheahomes.com/arizona.

Build an amazing home brimming with your personal flair on an extraordinary lot in BackCountry.  Shea Homes recently released for sale ten of the Water Dance Collection’s best homesites to date and they are going fast – only two remain.  Make your way to beautiful BackCountry today to explore these value-packed opportunities as well as a home currently under construction that will complete in the fall.

“We’re excited to offer these impressive homesites, some near and at 1/2-acre in size,” said Shea’s Sales Manager, Adana Leonard.  “Other features of these exquisite sites include some cul-de-sac and walkout lots, many with incredible westerly orientations taking advantage of the mountain vistas,” Leonard added.  Premiums on these sites start at $25,000; please ask a sales representative for details.

Once you’ve selected an available lot, you can choose any one of the collection’s five innovative plans to have built on that site.  In addition to selecting the lot and plan you desire most, you will also be able to make interior design choices that reflect your personal taste and style.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get everything you want in a new home from the inside out.

The Water Dance Collection

The beautiful Water Dance Collection inspires great living with creative, even artistic, design that gives you exactly what you want.  Base priced from the mid $500s, and ranging in size from 3,439 – 3,908 square feet, each of the collection’s stylish designs offer desired living spaces, gourmet kitchens, room for three cars, full basements with numerous finish options, and spectacular outdoor spaces, including covered porches, for entertaining or enjoying the incredible surroundings.  Check out the two new designs and model homes recently added to this collection.

Featured home

Ready this fall will be a spacious 3,439-square-foot Northern Sky home.  This refreshingly versatile home offers all of the living spaces necessary to put down roots and stay awhile.  In addition to four bedrooms and 3-1/2 bathrooms this home offers a great room with fireplace, well-designed kitchen with island and morning room, formal dining room, main-floor den, covered outdoor dining terrace, second-level laundry room, and a 2-car garage with a 1-car side-load garage.  Other features include stainless steel appliances, including a gas cooktop and double ovens, a bench in the mudroom, and wrought iron stair railings.  Beautiful design finishes include maple hardwood flooring on the main-floor, tile flooring in the bathrooms and laundry room, slab granite kitchen countertops with full tile backsplash, slab granite countertops with backsplash at the master bath, and cherry ebony cabinetry.  This incredible home with everything you desire is priced at $667,198*.

Just outside your door

BackCountry was “years in the planning, and centuries in the execution.” Once you see just how different this neighborhood is from any other, you’ll most likely agree.

Corridors of open space draw nature into the neighborhood so that you and your family can step outside to relax, clamber across a waterway, or explore rustic trails.  Follow one of the many winding trails that will lead out past the Sundial House – private lodge and pool, past the neighborhood’s edge, and you will enter the astonishing South Rim where a private enclave of 467 wild acres is set aside for you to enjoy as a BackCountry resident.  Here, the traffic, the meetings, and the endless buzz of the modern world are forgotten as you marvel at how quiet and naturally beautiful life can be.  Follow the trails even farther, and you’ll soon arrive at the awe-inspiring Backcountry Wilderness Area** where adventure and discovery await.

Discover the Water Dance Collection for the first time, or visit again to view these extraordinary homesites and new models.  BackCountry is located at Broadway and Wildcat Reserve Parkway in Highlands Ranch.  For additional information call 720-344-2900, or visit SheaHomes.com.

*Prices, specifications, and availability are subject to change without notice.  Prices listed are base prices only and do not include lot premiums, interior design features and floor plan options.  Please see a sales representative for details.  * *Approximately 8,200 acres in the southern part of Highlands Ranch have been designated as Backcountry Wilderness Area (Open Space Conservation Area). This area is dedicated to the preservation of open space, wildlife habitat enhancement, outdoor recreation, and other permitted uses. Of that, 467 acres have been set aside for exclusive, private use for BackCountry residents.

If you desire sophisticated luxury and carefree living without the unreasonable price tag, consider the value-packed attached residences by Shea Homes at Tresana in Highlands Ranch.  Ready later this year will be three homes from Shea’s exquisite Essenza Collection.  If you act quickly your purchase may be eligible for a $25,000 dirt start incentive** that can be applied toward personalized interior design selections.  Please see a sales representative for details.

Make yourself at home in one of two Dolcetto ranch plans available for purchase.  Each 2,828-square-foot Dolcetto residence has three bedrooms, including a main-floor master, 2-1/2 bathrooms, and a large great room with fireplace, well-designed kitchen with an island and nook, dining room, partially finished basement with media room, covered front porch and deck, and 3-car garage.  These homes are priced at $540,365* and $545,317*.

Be intrigued by the styling of a 2-story 3,048-square-foot Canella residence priced at $559,261*.  This gorgeous home has three bedrooms, including a main-floor master, 3-1/2 bathrooms, and a generous great room with fireplace, sensible kitchen with island, morning room, dining room, loft, library, partially finished basement with media room, courtyard entry, covered deck, and 3-car garage.  This home really does have it all.

With stucco, extensive stonework, and wrought-iron detailing the exteriors of these homes are as equally impressive as the interiors.  The Essenza Collection by Shea Homes at Tresana truly offers value-packed luxury living.

Colorado Life.  Italian Style.

Inspired by the quaint Italian hillside village that shares its name, Tresana offers rich architecture and exquisite landscaping reminiscent of the serene Tuscan countryside.

See the world a different way from Tresana’s plaza where a built-in exterior fireplace, two adjacent gas barbeque grills, and a covered picnic pavilion make this the ideal spot for relaxation, reflection, and reconnecting with family and friends. There is also a seasonal oversized spa and wading pool and a tot lot for little ones.

Located approximately one mile south of C470 onUniversity   Boulevardin Highlands Ranch, Tresana’s ideal location provides easy access to a seemingly endless array of amenities, shops and entertainment options. In addition you can enjoy access to community and neighborhood parks, over 60 miles of trails, state-of-the-art recreation centers, and much more.

Fall in love with Tresana and get more for your money; tour the Essenza Collection today.  For additional information call 720-344-1700, or visit SheaHomes.com.

*Prices, specifications, and availability are subject to change without notice.  *Price listed is not final price as interior design selections have not been made.  **Please see a sales representative for all incentive details.