Some were skeptical that our iPad 2 contest would bring more exposure for our Fall Parade homes – or would be of any interest at all to the public. One of the eligibility requirements was that all participants needed to visit all four of our 2011 Fall Parade homes, which were located in Brighton communities throughout the Boise area. One would need at least a full afternoon to travel the corners of west Meridian to southeast Boise with a few stops in between in order to get their card completely stamped.

So we were surprised to see an astonishing 110 completed forms submitted for the drawing, held on October 17, and we are happy to announce that Sandy, along with her daughter, Devyn, are the proud owners of the trendy new iPad 2, courtesy of Brighton Homes! Being a big fan of HGTV and interior design in general, Sandy commented that she enjoyed seeing all of the Brighton Parade homes and could see the difference in quality of interior finishes compared to other new homes.

We would like to thank all the participants for touring our 2011 Fall Parade homes and hope that you will continue to look for Brighton Homes when considering a new home! Congratulations, Sandy!

Great Builders are Paramount! Lars Hansen, Vice President of Brighton Homes, and Jake Centers, Owner of Tahoe Homes, were recently interviewed by journalist Dusty Parnell of The Idaho Statesman regarding their success stories at Paramount. Paramount has been consistently among the top selling Meridian communities since its inception, and both Brighton and Tahoe have been building homes from the very beginning. Learn more about Lars’ insight and opinions in the attached pdf reprint: greatbldrs_082011_2pg

Brighton Homes was recently named the 2010/2011 Idaho Builder of the Year by Northwest ENERGY STAR® Homes, based on its leadership in building energy efficient homes that exceed industry standards. Homes that receive the ENERGY STAR label are at least 15% more efficient than homes built to current state building codes and are more environmentally friendly.

For complete details regarding this high honor in the homebuilding industry, please see the attached press release.

Brighton_EnergyStar2011_052711

Brighton Homes/Energy Star seal

Brighton Homes’ Cambridge model received top honors for Best Kitchen in their $236,000 – $255,000 category at the annual BCA Parade Banquet. Brighton is a perennial favorite for kitchen designs, having won the same award last year for their Bandon kitchen layout.

This award-winning kitchen features custom Alder cabinetry with Reeded glass and a decorative tiled backsplash with an intricate design at the stove area. The elongated island offers plenty of space for prepping and cooking, with a raised bar and several book shelves. White Oak hardwood flooring extends to the oversized nook area for additional dining space. Retro pendants and chandelier add casual elegance to the overall setting. We agree with the judges – it is a first class kitchen!

We’d love the opportunity to show you this model home in person. We’re open April 30 – May 15, with parade hours: weekdays 5 – 8 p.m., and weekends 12 – 8 p.m., or call Lindsey at 208.841.0101 for a private appointment.

Address:  381 W. Dreyfuss in Paramount

Andrew Grove was one of the earliest employees at Intel and ultimately its driving force in attaining preeminence as one of the world’s most successful companies.  He is also widely credited with coining the motto, “Only the paranoid survive.”  In his book by the same title, Grove discusses the concept of strategic inflection points – which he describes as “a time in the life of a business when its fundamentals are about to change. That change can mean an opportunity to rise to new heights. But it may just as likely signal the beginning of the end.”

Grove goes on to say that, “Strategic inflection points can be caused by technological change but they are more than technological change. They can be caused by competitors but they are more than just competition. They are full-scale changes in the way business is conducted, so that simply adopting new technology or fighting the competition as you used to may be insufficient. They build up force so insidiously that you may have a hard time even putting a finger on what has changed, yet you know that something has. Let’s not mince words: A strategic inflection point can be deadly when unattended to. Companies that begin a decline as a result of its changes rarely recover their previous greatness.”

“But strategic inflection points do not always lead to disaster. When the way business is being conducted changes, it creates opportunities for players who are adept at operating in the new way. This can apply to newcomers or to incumbents, for whom a strategic inflection point may mean an opportunity for a new period of growth.”

Finally, Grove concludes, “You can be the subject of a strategic inflection point but you can also be the cause of one.”

At Brighton, we share Mr. Grove’s healthy dose of paranoia and more importantly his sense of power or capacity to shape the future and to bend our own curve in an upward trajectory at the strategic inflection point.  Great companies recognize inflection points and respond.  And, yes, they can even create them. Great companies invest in both their human and financial capital to ensure an upward trajectory.

The real estate industry is positioned at just such a generational, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime inflection point and Brighton is responding vigorously.  Here are just a few of the things we’re doing.

Building the Best Team in the Industry

Over the last year Brighton has been hiring – and we’re hiring some of the best in the industry.  Our business is growing and in order to service the increased demand and build an organization that will accommodate even greater future growth we needed to add some great talent.  Of course, we’re very excited about that.  For more information on Brighton’s new team members and organization click here.

Developing the Most Innovative Product Line

We know that you want a home designed for today’s lifestyle.  That home your parents raised you in was a great home to grow up in but probably not what you’d choose today.  In fact, we have a notion that you want something more up-to-date than what was available even 5 years ago.  For that very reason, Brighton isn’t building a single plan it built 5 years ago.  What’s more, over the next 4 months Brighton Homes will completely overhaul its product line, with refinements to 12 of our existing best sellers and the introduction of 24 completely new plans spanning several market profiles.  That’s about 2 plans a week so check the Brighton Homes website regularly to see the latest additions.  www.brightonhomes-idaho.com

Investing in Infrastructure:

Regular followers already know that Brighton invested heavily in new developments in 2010.  We started the year with two great projects in full stride, Paramount and Mill District at Harris Ranch.  Over the course of the year we added River Heights at Barber Valley, SpurWing Greens, and Tuscany – five great projects in the best locations in the valley. What you probably don’t know is that we’ve been every bit as active in developing our internal infrastructure, including the technology and processes that will enable us to provide our customers the best service possible.  Also on the horizon for 2011 is a new Brighton Homes Design Center located at our headquarters in Brighton Plaza.

Shaping the future requires vision and execution.  It’s hard but scintillating work.  Brighton is doing so by hiring the best team in the business and arming them with industry leading technology and practices.  We’re pairing the most innovative product with the best neighborhoods in the Treasure Valley.  We invite you to check us out and follow our progress.

Please see the attached press release for more details: Brighton_Ldrshp_FINAL

Brighton Corporation is pleased to announce another very exciting acquisition – 195 homesites in Tuscany.  “This acquisition fits perfectly with our philosophy of focusing on premier communities in the best locations”, said David Turnbull.  “We’ve been looking for the right opportunity to expand our presence on the south side of Interstate I-84 and Tuscany is simply the best location south of the freeway.  Tuscany residents  enjoy the unique combination of a tranquil neighborhood with easy access to anywhere in the valley.”

Brighton is also pleased to continue with the marketing efforts of John L. Scott and a team of builders that include it’s own Brighton Homes division along with Eaglewood Homes, Riverwood Homes, Berkeley Building Company, Boise Hunter Homes and James Clyde Custom Homes.

Brighton Homes will be breaking ground on several new models in the coming weeks and months.  “We’re extremely excited add this premier location to our portfolio of communities”, said Lars Hansen – Brighton Homes Director of Operations.  Other Brighton Homes locations include Paramount and SpurWing Greens in North Meridian and River Heights and Mill District at Harris Ranch in East Boise’s Barber Valley.

Please read the full release below, or for more information on Tuscany, see http://www.tuscany-meridian.com/

Download Brighton_TuscanyAcquisition_v2_102710

We decided that the timing and location were perfect to unveil our newest design, the Bayview. This single level home with an upper level bonus, features 10 ft. ceilings, lots of windows and an incredible built-in entertainment center (if we do say so ourselves!). Plus loaded with all our favorites: slab granite countertops, custom kitchen cabinetry, and lots of hardwood.

Whether it’s pent-up demand, the appeal of living in east Boise or just offering the right floor plans at the right prices, we are excited about what’s happening at River Heights! We have just over half a dozen pre-sales, with our Grand Opening still a week away!

River Heights is Brighton Corporation’s first residential development to offer homes exclusively through the homebuilding division. These early numbers have bolstered our optimism and overall projections. As a result, we’ve added several new employees and consultants to keep operations running smoothly and to continue to finish homes on time and with meticulous attention to detail.

We hope that you’ll stop by and see us at our Grand Opening on Friday, April 30 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. just inside the River Heights entrance, and learn more about what’s happening in our newest project in Barber Valley!