Beat the Heat with Summer Home Preparation

Before summer temperatures climb, it’s a smart idea to check that your home is ready to handle the heat. Catching small issues now, like a sluggish air conditioner, can help you avoid bigger problems when the weather really warms up.

The best part? Many of these tasks are simple enough to do yourself. Here are a few ways to get

your home ready for the warm season ahead:


Energy Efficiency.

Don’t risk having your air conditioner break down in the middle of a heat wave. Try to keep the unit clean and consider investing in a professional inspection. Also, take a look at all of your windows and doors for drafts and air leaks. Caulk any seams, re-glaze windows if needed and replace any worn weather-stripping around doors to help keep cool air from escaping.

Air Quality.

Have a professional clean your ducts where dust and air-borne particles are likely to build up. You may also want to have your fireplace and chimney inspected. There could be nesting animals or damaged areas that need to be addressed.


Water Damage.

Check the outside of your house to ensure proper drainage. Overhangs, awnings and downspouts are areas prone to collecting moisture that can cause materials to decay over time. Water that pools too close to your house can also attract insects like termites. Repairing leaks and properly ventilating those areas will help keep them dry and much less hospitable to pests.


General Safety and Maintenance.

Check the condition of stair railings, steps and sidewalks around your home to look for any loose connections, cracks or ridges in the walkways. Also, inspect your deck and any fencing for any worn or broken areas. Re-staining the exterior wood of your home not only improves its appearance, but also its resistance to the punishing weather in the seasons ahead.


Focusing on these small jobs now will save you time and money in the very near future. They’ll also give you added peace of mind so that you can enjoy a safer, cooler and healthier summer.


For more information about getting your home in shape for summer, contact the HBA of Columbia.

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Remodeling Projects that Add Value to Your Home

By Jami Clevenger • June 23, 2025
Remodeling your home has many benefits. A home improvement project can modernize yourliving space, enhance your comfort level and add to the resell value of your home.  However, not all remodeling projects are equal when generating the greatest resell value for homeowners.

Gen Z, Millennial Home Buyers Willing to Compromise on Square Footage

By Jami Clevenger • April 2, 2025
As the home building industry celebrates New Homes Month in April, new research shows that more than half of Gen Z (53%) and millennials (52%) are progressively more open to having a smaller home with higher-quality products and amenities versus a larger home with fewer amenities. “Builders are responding to home buyer preferences and constructing homes with less square footage, which are generally more affordable and easier to maintain,” said Austin Hall. The median home size dropped from 2,200 square feet in 2023 to 2,150 square feet in 2024, the lowest in 15 years, after holding strong at 2,300 square feet from 2019-2022, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The same thing is happening to median lot sizes, which has dropped about 1,000 square feet in the last 15 years to 8,400 square feet. There are several consistently popular features among home buyers across all generations, such as a great room, laundry room and garage storage. Other top amenities and design options include drinking water filtration, special storage racks for wine/spices in the kitchen and both a shower stall and a tub in the primary bath. “New home buyers enjoy the ability to choose design features that suit their preferences,” said Hall. “Whether you are looking to buy your first home or upgrade to your dream home, newly constructed homes can offer a personalized aesthetic inside and out.” Join us for the 2025 James Hardie Spring Parade of Homes on April 26-27, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM each day! This is your chance to explore some of the finest new homes in the area, meet top builders and developers, and get inspired by the latest trends in home design and construction. We’re excited to showcase a variety of beautiful homes in cutting-edge communities, giving you a firsthand look at what’s possible in modern homebuilding. For more details about new homes in Columbia, Missouri, reach out to us at the HBA of Columbia! Visit columbiahba.com or give us a call at (573) 443-8622. We can't wait to see you there!

A Closer Look at the Costs of Building a New Home

February 25, 2025
If you're in the market for a new home, you may wonder about the factors contributing to the home's total cost. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recently published a Cost of Construction Survey, which details the various costs of building a typical new single-family home. Many of the results show that the percentage contribution of each component has remained relatively consistent in recent years. According to the 2024 survey of home builders, the biggest single component of a new home’s total sales price is construction costs, which accounts for around 64.4%. For example, the sales price of a $665,298 house would likely factor in construction costs of approximately $428,215, or 64.4%. Survey respondents broke down construction costs into eight major construction stages: • Interior finishes (e.g., cabinets, drywall, flooring): 24.1% • Major system rough-ins (e.g. electrical, HVAC, plumbing): 19.2% • Framing: 16.6% • Exterior finishes (e.g., roofing, windows): 13.4% • Foundations: 10.5% • Site work (e.g., architecture, building/permit/impact fees): 7.6% • Final steps (e.g., driveway, landscaping): 6.5% • Other costs: 2.1% The share of construction costs to the total price of a new home is the highest since NAHB first produced the survey in 1998. Some of the factors that contribute to the construction costs are the ongoing skilled labor shortages and building material price increases.  The average single-family home size in the 2024 survey was 2,647 sq. ft. of finished floor space, an increase of 86 sq. ft. from 2022. From 2015 to 2022, the average square footage of a home trended downward. Constructing homes with smaller square footage in recent years is a response by builders to meet the current housing affordability challenges buyers face. Though building practices and the cost of labor, land and materials can vary widely across the country, these national averages provide an overall snapshot for the building industry. To learn more about the home building process in Columbia, MO contact info@columbiahba.com or visit columbiahba.com
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