Monthly Archives: August 2010


Poll: What’s The Best Restaurant in Moncton for a Romantic Date?

Best Restaurants for a Romantic Date in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

Based on inviting atmospheres, excellent food, and even affordable prices – who doesn’t love a cheap date? – here are 5 of the best restaurants in Moncton to visit on a romantic date. Vote on your favourite in the poll below!

In alphabetical order:

City Grill

130 Westmorland Street

Moncton, New Brunswick

E1C 5B2

Phone: (506) 857-8325

Email: info@citygrill.ca

Graffiti

897 Main Street

Moncton, New Brunswick

E1C 1G5

Phone: (506) 382-4299

Little Louis’

245 Collishaw Street

Second Floor

Moncton, New Brunswick

E1C 9P9

Phone:  (506) 855-2022

Email: dining@littlelouis.ca

Pastalli Pasta House

611 Main Street

Moncton, New Brunswick

E1C 1C9

Phone:  (506) 383-1050

St. James Gate

14 Church Street

Moncton, New Brunswick

E1C 4Y9

Phone: (506)388-4238

Email: info@hotelstjames.ca

Does the name ring a bell? That could be because we’ve talked about these guys before in Why the City of Moncton, NB rocks!

 

 

Make sure to leave a comment letting us know why your choice is the best restaurant in Moncton for a romantic date!

9 of The Top US Home Builder Websites Reviewed

Martell Home Builders

Here are nine of the best US home builder websites you can’t help but drool over.

Bowen Family Homes

Bowen Family Homes started in 1969 by Rudy Bowen. Some years later, Rudy brought his son, David Bowen, and two son-in-laws, Tip Cape and Mike Phelps, on board.

The website has a section called Home Buying 101 that offers a plethora of helpful information for future home owners. You can read about the construction, warranty, and purchasing processes, and learn about the steps involved in financing your new home. The Bowen Family Homes website also offers you a Mortgage Customization section, which provides you with everything from a mortgage glossary and calculator to a home buyers quiz that tests your knowledge of the home buying procedures.

Bowen Family Homes Website

CBH Homes

Idaho’s largest home builder, CBH Homes was founded by Corey Barton in 1992. The website is broken up into five very helpful sections, each with additional subsections: Build Your Home, Shop Our Homes, Our Communities, Specials and Events, and Club Homeowners. On top of that, CBH Homes have helped a family out on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. To learn more about this and to see photos, at the bottom of the CBH Homes home page, under Specials & Events click on Extreme Home Makeover.

CBH Homes

Lennar

Lennar was originally called F&R Builders, co-founded in 1954 by Gene Fisher and Arnold Rosen. Two years later, Leonard Miller came on the scene by investing $10K and replacing Gene Fisher. Fast forward a few years to 1971, the company changed its name to Lennar, which – if you haven’t figured it out – is a mixture of the two names, Leonard and Arnold.

The Lennar website has wonderful information, no matter what you’re looking for; be it tips on how to sell your home or advice on whether to buy a new or foreclosed home. You can also create your own portfolio on the website, making it easier for you to search for what you’re looking for and save all your favourite listings.

Lennar

McMillin Homes

McMillin Homes was founded in 1960 by Corky McMillin, and is now run by his sons, Scott McMillin (Chairman of the Board) and Mark McMillin (President and CEO).

The McMillin Homes website is super easy to navigate. First, select either Build a Home or Move-In Ready and then choose your desired location. From there, you’re provided with all of your home options and details, from price to square footage. It couldn’t be more easy – but helpful – than that!

McMillin Homes

Pardee Homes

The president and CEO of Pardee Homes is Michael V. McGee, who has been with the company since 1988. Jon Lash is the Executive Vice President and COO for Pardee Homes and has been with the company since 1987.

Like the other home builder websites, this one offers you details on everything you could possibly want to know, from getting started to financing your home. Additionally, Paradee Homes claim to have (from their website) “been a leader in green building since 1998 – long before it became fashionable.

Pardee Homes

Ryland Homes

Larry T. Nicholson is the president and CEO of Ryland Homes. According to the website, “Ryland’s story begins in 1967, when founder James P. Ryan left his family’s company, Ryan Homes, to build homes in the nation’s first master-planned community of Columbia, Md. He and his partner, Bob Gaw, created The James P. Ryan Company and built 48 homes that first year. Nearly three years and 700 homes later, Ryland got its official name when Jim Ryan spotted a banner that read “Maryland,” with the “M” and “A” covered. The combination of Ryan and Maryland seemed like a perfect choice for the name of his company.”

The website offers a downloadable Homeowner Guide as well as an Online Loan Worksheet which enables you to apply for a loan online. Also, the Ryland Homes website offers you design tips, ideas, and inspiration. The website has a fun quiz that helps define your style. Based on your answers, your style is determined and suggestions on various décor colours and materials are provided.

Ryland Homes Website

Shea Homes

Starting off as a small plumbing business in 1881 by John F. Shea, Shea Homes has grown into one of the “largest privately held builder in the nation” according to the company.

The website has a Customer’s Toolbox, which provides a ton of helpful information, including mortgage calculators to help you determine what your monthly payments would be. Also in the Customer’s Toolbox is a dictionary of terms you’ll need to know when going through the process of purchasing a home. Additionally, you’re provided with a Home Buying Checklist that will help you decide what’s important to you in terms of features of a home (for example, a 3-car garage, a kitchen island, or the location being near a school).

Shea Homes Website

Standard Pacific Homes

Standard Pacific Homes was founded in 1965 by Arthur Svendsen and Ronald Foell. The CEO and president of the company is Kenneth L. Campbell III.

The website is very intuitive and offers all the information you would ever need or expect to find in a home builder website … and then some. Whatever it is you’re looking for, be it a new career or a new home, it’s all easily found on the Standard Pacific Homes website.

Standard Pacific Homes Website

Taylor Morrison

Visiting the Company Overview of the Taylor Morrison website illustrates the company’s success. From the website: “Combining the rich histories of Taylor Woodrow and Morrison Homes, Taylor Morrison boasts numerous awards from J.D. Power and Associates, consistent top 5 finishes in customer satisfaction surveys and a Builder Magazine Hall of Fame induction, reflecting the company’s commitment to excellence.” It then goes on to say: “Taylor Morrison also operates one of Canada’s oldest and largest real estate companies, Monarch, building single-family homes, town homes and high-rise condominiums. Taylor Morrison’s parent company, Taylor Wimpey, is the United Kingdom’s largest home builder with 125 years of experience and operations in the United Kingdom, Spain and Gibraltar.

It is very simple to find your way around the website and if, for some reason, you don’t find what you’re looking for or you have a question, requesting information or contacting them is easy to do. Like the other fantastic home builder websites listed here, this one provides you with tips, quizzes, glossaries, and helpful forms to make your home buying process as smooth as possible.

Taylor Morrison Website

Take a look at these home builder websites and let us know what your favourite features are!

Top 10 Videos That Highlight Why New Brunswick is a Great Place to Live (or Visit!)

Hopewell Rocks from above

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We’ve already shown you why the city of Moncton, New Brunswick totally rocks, but what about the rest of the province?  Whether you’re trying to decide where to plan your next holiday or are thinking about moving to New Brunswick, whatever your reasons for searching out New Brunswick are, here are some of the best YouTube videos that show why New Brunswick is one of the best places to live (or visit).

Did you know that some of the lighthouses in New Brunswick have been converted to Bed & Breakfasts’? Or that the Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world? Were you aware that the waters of New Brunswick attract over a dozen species of whales? This is just some of the information and facts about New Brunswick that’s highlighted in the YouTube video below.

Check out this video of the amazing Magnetic Hill in Moncton. This phenomenon has been one of New Brunswick’s major attractions for the past century, according to the Magnetic Hill website. This video shows three people experiencing the optical illusion.

Another famous New Brunswick phenomenon is the Hopewell Rocks, located at the Hopewell Cape on the Bay of Fundy.

According to this next YouTube video, “New Brunswick is the east coast energy hub, with over 30 billion dollars’ worth of new projects now in the pipeline.” The province is home to several industry leaders, many of which made it on our list of the top 10 New Brunswick companies that create jobs; just another reason why New Brunswick is such a great place to live!

New Brunswick is also an awesome place to live – or visit – in the winter; especially if you’re into snowmobiling, as this next video illustrates. Oh, and if you plan to snowmobile in this province, make sure you read 5 Ways to Kill Yourself on a Snowmobile first, just so you’re prepared. You can also go tubing, snowboarding, skiing, ice skating, and dog sledding, just to name a few other awesome winter activities New Brunswick has to offer.

We’ve posted some must-see photographs of Moncton before, but this next YouTube video is a slideshow of some beautiful photos shot all around New Brunswick (and something tells me the photographer likes flowers).

If you’re a hunter and want a little taste of nostalgia, have a look at this next video of some guys back in 1905 moose hunting (they bag their first moose about 8 minutes into the video).

This next video introduces you to fly fishing on the Miramichi River with Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures. This place offers some great opportunities for anyone wanting to learn how to fly fish and to catch some wild Atlantic salmon. Fly fishing isn’t only for the guys either. Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures offer a ladies fly fishing school and, as one woman says in this video, fly fishing “will teach you a lot of patience.” Something every woman could use more of, right?

The following video shows some fantastic photos of some of New Brunswick’s beaches (St. Martin’s Beach and the Fundy Trail). Speaking of beaches, did you know that New Brunswick has some of the warmest waters north of Virginia? Yep, you can learn more by reading Top 7 Beaches to Visit in New Brunswick.

New Brunswick is full of super cool, natural phenomena’s. The following video shows you the Reversing Falls and explains what makes these waters flow backwards.

Why do you love living in New Brunswick? What makes this province special to you? Got a video you want to share that illustrates why New Brunswick is a great place to live or visit? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

Resource: School Zones in Moncton

School Bus

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Sadly, summer vacation is nearly at an end. Time to trade in the bikinis for books, the camping for calculus, and the Speedos and swimming for another scholastic year (actually, you should trade in those Speedos anyway, regardless the reason).

Whether you’re just moving to Moncton, or you need a refresher on local school zones so you remember to hit the brakes before speeding into them, here’s some resources to help you out.

The School District 2 website has pretty much everything you need to know. There’s a School  Locator tab on the right of the main page that, when clicked, you can search for schools with either a street name or postal code. You can also click on Show all Schools for a list of, you guessed it, all schools in Moncton. What’s cool about this option is you can then click on the name of a school from the list and be provided with that particular school’s information, including start and closing times, and the school’s web page:

School Information

There’s another tab on the right of the School District 2 website called Bus Routes. The information here is supposed to be available in August (it’s not there yet).

In addition to these resources, the website also has a District Map that can be very helpful when trying to find out information about school zones. From the main page, click on the tab at the top of the page called Schools, then select District Map from the drop-down menu. You’ll be directed to a Google Map that has each school tagged with an orange marker. When you click on a marker you are provided with some basic information on that school. Click on the name of the school and you’re brought to that school’s profile where you’ll get a bunch of information about that specific school, including contact details and boundary information.

Google Map School Zones Moncton

For information on French schools, another resource you may find useful is the District scolaire 01 website (School District 01).

Are you more than ready to send the kids back to school? Tired of hearing “I’m boooored!” or “There’s nothing to do!” Are you happy to get back into the grind of things – early mornings, making lunches, homework –  or do you wish you had another month of summer?

Back to School

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Photo Contest: “I Own A Martell Home & My Place Rocks!”

Client Photo Contest

Who doesn’t love photo contests? Who doesn’t love to win totally awesome prizes? We’ve got a photo contest goin’ on exclusively for Martell Home Builders clients. The best part? You don’t need any photography skills to win this baby! You only need to know how to take a picture and email it.

Okay, I lied. That’s not the best part. The coolest thing about this photo contest is the prizes! Oh yeah, we’ve got some awesome loot to give away to the winners. The photo that receives the most votes wins a trip for 2 – courtesy of Church Carpets – to Cancun, Mexico (well, it’s not the photo that wins the trip, it’s the owner of the photo). On top of that, there are a whole whack-load of other prizes we’ll be giving away.

We’ll be announcing the winners at our client appreciation partay on Saturday, August 14th.

Sound cool? Want to enter this amazing photo contest? The categories are:

  • Awesome Kitchens
  • Most Organized Space
  • Coziest Bedroom
  • Best Decorated Living Room
  • Coolest Kids Room

To enter this photo contest, you must be 25 years of age or older, and a client of Martell Home Builders.

That said, anyone can vote for their favourite photo! The entries are published on our Facebook fan page (and while you’re there voting for your favourite photo, you might as well become a fan, if you aren’t already!).

You don’t have long to enter or vote, so get to it! Entries can be emailed to kzwicker@themartellexperience.com. To check out all the photos and vote, click here.

If you could renovate any room in your home, which would it be, and why? What would your dream room look like? Share your thoughts by commenting below!

Top Celebrity Home & Garden Photos

tomkat_house

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Why do we want to see celebrity home photos? Is it because we want a glimpse at what it’s like to be rich and famous, living the life of luxury? Perhaps our desire to see inside celebrity homes is to get ideas for our own home decorating attempts. Or, maybe, some of us are seeking out an aerial view of celebrity homes or our favourite celebrity garden in order to get up close and personal in hopes of catching a peek at the famous when they aren’t expecting it. Whatever your reason for wanting to see celebrity home photos, be it innocent curiosity or perverse obsession, here are some of the best.

Check out the inside of this celebrity home, owned by Penelope Cruz. Actually, according to The Real Estalker, the sexy actress has her Los Angeles home on the market for $3,695,000. To learn more, the Source link provided below the photo will direct you to The Real Estalker blog post.

Penelope Cruz - Inside Celebrity Homes

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It’s Harry Potter! According to CelebrityHouses.org, Daniel Radcliffe recently purchased a townhouse in New York, NY for $5,650,000. Here are some photos of this celebrity home.

Daniel Radcliffe Celebrity Home

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Check out this beautiful celebrity garden. Sharon Stone is apparently selling her Beverly Hills pad for $9,000,000. Anyone want to lend me $8,999,999?

Sharon Stone Celebrity Garden and Home

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Next up on our list of celebrity home photos is one owned by Grey’s Anatomy’s McDreamy … erm … Patrick Dempsey.

Patrick Dempsey House

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If you’ve got $16.5 million laying around that you’re not sure what to do with it, you could purchase Dr. Phil’s 8 bedroom, 7 bathroom Beverly Hills, California home. Judging from the photo below, this celebrity garden ain’t too shabby either.

Dr Phil Celebrity Garden and Home

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Here’s a look inside Meg Ryan’s Bel Air home. It looks absolutely stunning.

Meg Ryan Celebrity Home Photos

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The photo below is an aerial view of America’s Got Talent’s host, Nick Cannon’s home (and his gorgeous wife, Mariah Carey). Located in Bel Air, California.

Nick Cannon & Mariah Carey House: Aerial View of Celebrity Homes

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Last on our list of celebrity home photos is Barry Manilow’s breathtaking ocean front property in Malibu, California.

Barry Manilow Celebrity Home

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Which Celebrity’s Home Would You Want to See?

If you could see inside any celebrity home, who would it be and why? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

Coolest Modular Homes from Around The World

Round Modular Home

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Modular homes, not to be confused with mobile homes, come in all shapes and sizes. These cost effective eco-friendly homes are becoming more and more popular with home buyers. Here’s a look at some of the coolest modular homes found all over the world.

Green Modular Homes

If you’re looking for green modular homes, check out GreenPod. This American company specialize in sustainability and energy efficiency. They even offer floating modular homes!

GreenPod Floating Pod Modular Home

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Luxury Modular Homes

LivingHomes has some luxury modular homes that can even be installed in one day. These modular homes range from 1-5 bedrooms and their floor plans are customizable.

Architecture of KieranTimberlake

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Modular Log Cabin Homes

Based in the UK, Finestam Log Cabins has several very attractive modular log cabin homes.

Finestam Log Cabins modular homes

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Canadian Modular Homes

We couldn’t talk about the coolest modular homes in the world without mentioning Canadian Modular Homes! Some of these places are pretty impressive! One model that is especially cool is this 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom Sterling Homes model:

Two story Sterling Homes modular home

Loving the windows and decks!

Other Quality Modular Homes

Here are some images of other very cool looking modular homes:

Above Water Modular Home

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Vail Grant House Modular Home

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Schwimmhaus Modular Home

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Modular Design

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Arctic Modular Home

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Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

What do you think about modular homes? Would you buy one? Leave a comment to let us know!