What's New at Marrano - 6/26/10

What's New at Marrano

Marrano opens completed new patio home in Elma.

Marrano will hold a special opening of a new patio home this Saturday and Sunday, June 26 & 27, from 1 to 5 PM at our exclusive Springbrook Shores community set within a quiet valley in Elma. The quaint, cottage style of the new home at 29 Springbrook Shores blends perfectly with the natural setting of the neighborhood, situated on a home site of more than 165 feet deep that backs up to a preservation area and pond for maximum privacy. The home is loaded with features and available for immediate sale at $259,900, which is why you should visit this weekend.

This is the first-time showing of 29 Springbrook and we expect it will sell quickly when home buyers see firsthand how much this home has to offer. It is fully landscaped, on the nicest home site in the community, with water views, and I have not even mentioned all the features inside. Come take a tour this weekend.

The value of the new patio home is apparent upon arrival, showing a covered front porch with brick accents complemented by earth-tone colors and graceful rooflines of the front exterior elevation. Upon entering the home, visitors are greeted with a spectacular view of the large, wide open great room with soaring ceiling, gas fireplace and large windows. The spacious kitchen off the foyer has plenty of cabinet and counter top space including a large pantry and a convenient pass-through to the dining room.  The kitchen's eating area is brightened by large windows which provide a vista on the country-like surroundings of the community.

The home's first floor master bedroom suite is tucked away for privacy on the rear of the home and features a large walk-in closet and master bath. A guest bedroom is practically a private suite in itself, convenient to the main bath with plenty of closet space.  The home also features an innovative loft overlooking the great room, with a walk-in closet. The flexible loft space could serve as a computer or sewing room, entertainment room or home office.

In addition to all these amenities, the patio home has convenience features such as a first floor laundry and mudroom area leading to the two car garage, central air conditioning, and a full, eight-foot basement.

Visit this weekend and learn more about Marrano's new Lakewoods home sites in the community, a new offering of private lots situated along a winding road culminating in a cul-de-sac arrangement. A large, shimmering lake provides a backdrop for more than half of the new home sites offering gorgeous views, while others are adjacent to a wooded conservation area for enhanced privacy.

Several patio home designs are available including Ranch and master bedroom down plans with pricing starting in the $220,000s enhancing the appeal of the maintenance-free lifestyle at Lakewoods.

A home owners association takes care of lawn cutting, landscape maintenance, snow removal and more, and the homes feature an automatic sprinkler system for the front, rear and side yards. The Elma location combines the advantage of a country setting with easy access to dining, entertainment and shopping in East Aurora, West Seneca and other nearby towns and villages. A blend of different patio homes are set in the valley and surrounded by more than 160 acres of conservation area, three large lakes and common areas.

Visitors can walk a hiking and nature trail as long as two miles, winding through the woods and open areas, the only patio home community in Western New York to offer such a lifestyle amenity. Unique LifeTrail fitness stations have been installed on the trail where residents can perform up to three different exercises in one station, enabling them to add an exercise plan to their walking routine.

In addition to the home at 29 Springbrook open this weekend, home buyers can visit Marrano's new Lakewoods model at 2 South Shore Drive, open daily 1 to 7 PM, and Saturday and Sunday 1 to 5 PM. Take Seneca Street, Rt. 16, east past Transit to Rice Road to 2 South Shore Drive. Call Steve Converse at 809-8676 for more information.

What's New at Marrano - 6/13/10

What's New at Marrano

L to R: Marrano executive vice president, David DePaolo, vice president 

Jim Marrano, Olivia Gonyea, Dr. Donald Trump, CEO of Roswell Park, and

Michael Kreamer, executive vice president at Marrano, cut the ribbon to launch 

Raising the Roof.

Officials from Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Marrano cut ribbon to officially launch Raising the Roof fundraising project.

Officials from Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and Marrano participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially launch Raising the Roof, an innovative fundraising project to benefit the cancer center. The ceremony took place at our Greythorne patio home community in Williamsville, in front of a new Marrano home under construction which will be sold upon completion, with proceeds from the sale donated to RPCI to support cancer research.

Dr. Donald L. Trump, MD FACP, president and CEO of RPCI, was joined in cutting the ribbon by Jim Marrano, vice president at Marrano and Raising the Roof spokesman; Marrano executive vice presidents, Michael Kreamer and David DePaolo; and Olivia Gonyea, a nine-year-old pediatric patient who will serve as assistant interior designer for the Raising the Roof home.

"We at Roswell Park are so grateful to have the generous support of the Marrano family behind this initiative once again," said Dr. Trump. "We are making progress each day at Roswell, but we can't do it without programs like Raising the Roof and caring donors like Marrano and its own long list of business partners."

"Raising the Roof would not be possible without the help of Marrano's trade partners who have generously donated materials, labor and other services to help maximize the proceeds we can donate to RPCI," added Jim Marrano.  "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them, and to thank everyone at Roswell Park for the work they do every day in the fight against cancer."

This is the third time RPCI and Marrano have teamed up for Raising the Roof and the past two efforts of the partnership generated a total of more than $320,000 to fund groundbreaking cancer research at RPCI. The partnership has announced a goal of raising an amount similar to previous years. Nearly every Marrano partner from pastRaising the Roof initiatives, from material suppliers and framing crews to carpenters and painters, are participating again for the 2010 effort.

At the ceremony, Dr. Trump introduced Olivia Gonyea a member of Carly's Club at RPCI, who will work closely with the Marrano team of interior designers as a junior assistant designer. In particular, she will help design a room with a children's theme inside the home.

The Raising the Roof home is located at 58 Harbridge Manor in the Greythorne patio home community, a private, gated neighborhood adjacent to the Country Club of Buffalo, near Main Street and Youngs Road in Williamsville. The home is available for immediate sale with completion anticipated by the end of August or early September.  For more information on this or other Marrano Homes, call Steve Converse at 716-479-3378.

You can get involved in the campaign through donations to the Raising the Roof project. Donations can be made online at www.roswellpark.org/giving or by mailing to: Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, Attn. Raising the Roof, Elm & Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY  14263 (checks made payable to: Roswell Park Alliance Foundation-Raising the Roof).

Buffalo, NY Metro Area ranks at #10 Best Places to Raise a Family

From Forbes.com:


America's Best Places To Raise A Family
Francesca Levy, 06.07.10, 9:00 AM ET

When Amelia Hamilton-Morris and her husband William were starting a family, they had to choose between living in Iowa, where his family had settled three generations earlier, or in her native Houston. They eventually decided to raise their children in Iowa's capital city, Des Moines, because it boasted good schools, affordable housing and a strong sense of community. Two children and 17 years later, Hamilton-Morris is still enthusiastic about their decision.

"You feel safe all the time, and people are extremely friendly," says Hamilton-Morris, a spokeswoman for the city of Des Moines, Iowa. "The commute is not long; even if you live at the far end of the city, you're only talking about 12 to 15 minutes to downtown."

The perks that attracted Hamilton-Morris' family to Des Moines are among the reasons it tops our list of the best cities to raise a family. Its young population is more likely to graduate high school than in other cities, and life for most families is safe and affordable. Short average commute times save working parents precious minutes to spend with their families.

Full List: America's Best Places To Raise A Family

Video: Best Places For Families

The top 10 cities for families aren't flashy. Most don't draw throngs of tourists or boast enviable night life. But then that's not what most families are looking for. Instead, our list has metros like Ogden, Utah; Syracuse, N.Y.; and Knoxville, Tenn.--places where crime is low, educational prospects are solid and most people can readily afford the daily essentials.

Behind the Numbers
To find the cities where families fare best, we ranked America's 100 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas in seven categories. Using numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sperling's Best Places and Moody's Economy.com, we looked at the cost of living, prevalence of home ownership, median household income, housing costs, commute time, crime and the percentage of young adults that graduate high school.

Lots of East Coast Options for Families
The Northeast fares well on our list, claiming six of the top 10 spots. In densely packed Rochester, N.Y., commutes are short; a scant 3% of commuters spend an hour or more in traffic on their way to work. Syracuseoffers significant educational benefits: 89% of young adults have high school degrees. And some former manufacturing hubs, like Pittsburgh Pa., are having a renaissance of sorts. Once a fallen steel giant, the city has diversified its economy and boasts low crime and high educational attainment. Pittsburgh also has the highest home ownership rate in our 10.

"People know that Pittsburgh is a really great place for families because of safety, schools and the arts." says Wendy Hermann, director of student services for master's programs at Carnegie Mellon University. "I see students wanting that whether they're married or not. They see staying in Pittsburgh as way to say that's the kind of lifestyle they're looking forward to."

Family-Friendly and Fun
But a city being family-friendly doesn't automatically make it staid. Buffalo, N.Y., makes our list in part thanks to short commutes and affordability, but there's also plenty to do there--its spectacular Niagara Falls is a huge tourist draw. Provo, Utah, is a bustling college town, home to Brigham Young University, but it's not just a great place for students. Families flock there for its safety and schools: It has the highest percentage of high-school graduates on our list and one of the lowest crime rates.

For families, offering their children a safe place to play and the best chance to learn takes precedence over the number of bars and restaurants. In places like Des Moines, that often means young people leave to explore the country when they reach college age, but eventually head back home, says Hamilton-Morris.

"When they're ready to raise children, we see a lot of young people come back for that family circle of support."

Full List: America's Best Places To Raise A Family

What's New at Marrano - 6/5/10

What's New at Marrano

New Ranch designs at Hickory Grove from $170,000s.

Marrano will host a special showing of a variety of completed new Ranch patio homes at Hickory Grove in Cheektowaga, near the West Seneca border, this Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 PM.  The new patio homes are ready to move in and available for immediate sale, priced from the $170,000s to $206,900. The homes present a unique chance to enjoy an open floor plan with plenty of features in one of our fastest selling patio home communities.

The Ranch plans at Hickory Grove offer an incredible value, and we are showing a number with added features and expansions.  The homes offer many amenities while the surrounding neighborhood is quiet and private. Any home buyer looking for a Ranch plan should take a tour this weekend -- we have the design they have been waiting for.

Among the completed patio homes is 49 Blossom Wood available for just $206,900 and showing a charm all its own. The home is surrounded by the peaceful, private neighborhood Marrano has created with a heavily landscaped entryway, and berms and ponds placed among the home sites. A covered front porch is perfect for relaxing and greeting neighbors and friends and provides a welcoming entry to the home.

Inside, the plan opens from the foyer to reveal Marrano's exclusive design created for the ultimate in comfort and convenience. An expanded kitchen features oak cabinetry, built-in microwave, and plenty of counter space, enhanced by a bright dinette area.  A pass-through from the kitchen to the formal dining room area provides great convenience for entertaining. The centerpiece of the home is its large great room, featuring plenty of comfortable living space, with vaulted ceiling and gas fireplace.

A first floor master bedroom suite is tucked away in the back corner for privacy, with a walk-in closet and full master bath. An adjacent guest bedroom offers easy access to the main bath, and there is a first floor laundry and mudroom area leading to the two-car garage. The home also features an innovative loft overlooking the great room, offering the flexibility to serve as a computer room, home theater area, or even a third bedroom.

While the Ranch design itself offers more for the buyer's dollar, the community takes the value even higher. Visitors to this weekend's showing can view a site map of home sites and learn more about the area, including a new phase of home building now underway.

The new phase introduces 32 new home sites with Ranch designs starting in the $180,000s, and it is tucked back for added privacy. In fact the new phase is adjacent to the Marrano's Burchfield Village, an immensely popular community near the quaint hamlet of Gardenville in West Seneca.

Like other Marrano patio home developments, Hickory Grove offers the carefree lifestyle in a maintenance-free home where tasks such as lawn cutting and snow removal are taken care of for residents by a home owners association.  Home sites are carefully arranged in a pleasant setting, away from high traffic thoroughfares. At the same time, the location couldn't be more convenient to shopping, entertainment, churches and more. In addition, home owners enjoy the advantage of the community's condominium status for tax savings.

A new home at Hickory Grove includes a sprinkler system for front and side yard, landscaping, the front yard sodded and rear yard seeded, the owner does not even need to buy a mailbox -- all features that would normally cost extra.

The opening of 49 Blossom Wood takes place this Saturday and Sunday, June 5 and 6, from 1 to 5 PM. Marrano's fully decorated model is also open daily for more information. Take French Road between Union and Borden to Hickory Grove. Call Steve Converse at 809-8676 for more information.