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Now, tell me about your story, when did you think about building this home and what happened, what made it happen?

We moved to San Antonio 10 years ago and when we moved we always liked more of a modern house and 10 years ago we couldn’t find it and so we went through a long period of renting and houses, apartments, all that stuff. When we were finally ready to look again we still couldn’t find a modern home, so we started exploring builders that did it and Elite was the only builder that we could find that…

Bijal: We went to Parade of Homes, and that’s where we first met Jorge and heard about Elite Homes and it was perfect.

Ravi: The only guy that we could find that that’s actually what he specialized in. And so, we met with him and he was great and so we went along.

Now tell me, your home has very specific wishes that you have in the top of your mind. Tell me about these wishes and the process.

I think the main thing that we wanted for our home is, we have two children, two boys, ages three and five. So we didn’t want to build a museum, that was our number one thing. We wanted a house that we could actually live in, the boys could run around and we could mess it up and we’d be okay with it. So we built a very open floor plan and we wanted it to be very clean and light and airy and lots of natural light a lot of natural kind of elements as well, so we have rainwater collection tank, we have solar panels, and Jorge was always on board for whatever we want to do as far as lead certification or any idea we had. It was actually incredibly easy and very fun for both of us because it was a learning experience for him and for us so it was a very fun process.

What was your experience with the builder?

Ravi: We had a very positive experience. We both live pretty stressful lives day to day, not just at work but you know at home with the kids and trying to balance all that and so coming to see Jorge at Elite was always like our break, like our vacation at home where we could come and get to plan our house and it was always a pleasurable experience. There is always a flow of ideas from us, from Jorge, from the architects, from the other folks on the team. It was just nice to have that outlet where you could be excited and then kind of watch it slowly get billed.

Bijal: And you know, we had heard some horror stories about building a home and the relationships between homeowners and builders and when we met Jorge it was so easy he’s just very kindhearted person so we knew that he would never do anything to compromise you know, our wishes or try to cheat us tried to cheat just out of something so it was very easy decision I mean once we went to the Parade of Homes and we met him, we were good to go. It was more about finding the architects that would work for us, the builder we had already gotten. I think it’s the opposite from most people.

Ravi: Yeah, you don’t have to worry about getting cheated and you don’t have to worry about a builder using bad material. And that’s the first thing he said to us, I’ll build what you want but first, we’re gonna build you a solid house.

So once you’re confident that you’re gonna not get cheated and you’re confident that your builders gonna use good solid materials then it’s a lot more enjoyable ’cause you then get to plan the more exciting things of the house.

Tell me what gives you peace of mind when you go to bed?

Like most people, we do a lot of research before you start a home or something. There a lot of things like insulation and electrical wiring and things like that that you don’t really know a lot about unless you’re one of the subcontractors, so I think those kinds of things we didn’t worry about, you know if there’s it was asbestos in the ceiling or something like that we just knew that he had done his due diligence to make sure he was building us a very safe and solid house and that Kind of thing. So we got to focus on the fun things like you know what paint colors and in design layout and things like that. So I think and we have heard from other people where they use cheaper materials in terms of the wood or just take shortcuts in certain areas like the drywall. So we weren’t worried about those kinds of things happening and so we could focus on the fun details of building a house.

What’s your favorite detail of your home?

Ravi: my favorite is the deck outside because this was kind of my thing. I picked the wood we put out the layout all that so my favorite is the outside.

Bijal: I just love the great room because that’s the focal point of the house and right when you walk in it’s very expansive and that’s where you get the all the natural light. You look right through the four pain doors and there’s all this beautiful wilderness that you look into. So, I think that’s my favorite part. It makes me happy every time I walk in the door.

Would you recommend Elite Homes to someone and why?

Bijal: we would recommend Elite Homes to anybody who wants to be involved in the process because Jorge and his team are very good about taking your ideas to heart and actually really trying to make it part of your dream home because that’s what you know, what the heart is. Yeah I again, it’s you know, we trusted we trust them, the people, everybody is very helpful they respond your emails and your text at all times of the day, so that’s really nice and reassuring. Absolutely, if you want a nice, sturdy, modern home I believe Elite Homes is the way to go.

Ravi: I think that the one thing that she touched on is that the system is designed for the homeowner to be involved and to make the decisions. So, you know, every little detail you can have input if you want it and that makes it really easy it’s not like you have door handles and you get three options. No, you get all the options so you get to choose everything and there are all kinds of options available and he’s always willing to look at them all and you know rarely he would say no, I don’t think this is a good idea but we can do it if you want to. So he’s always going to try and interject with his opinions as needed.

Bijal: And even the stuff, you know, we work with Greg and Crystal and Alejandro, Nieve, and they always, they have experience from other jobs as well, as you know, Because Elite Homes are fairly new here. But they always have good opinions and a very nice way of saying I think this would be better or I think this would work.  Especially, Greg, he’s been wonderful to work with his very knowledgeable. We just consider him a dear friend really. It’s been really great.

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Elite Homes’ CEO is Jorge Vela. He takes a personal interest in every aspect of construction and is very client oriented and very attentive to detail. The Dominion home in which I was investor was billed on time and delivered in faultless condition.

Regarding Elite Homes team, they manage every aspect of their operations in a highly professional manner.

The Elite Homes team always includes the client in every aspect of the project including meetings with architects, with project managers and this ensures that all members of the Elite team understand the clients’ needs and the clients’ perspective regarding the project.

When you were an investor, what happened?

I was involved as an investor in a home built by Elite Homes for the Parade of Homes in the Dominion in 2012. I was very pleased with the product for three reasons: one they delivered it on time, number two it was in faultless condition when completed and number three I was included in every aspect of the project meetings at the site with architects, with designers and with the Elite project managers and this really helped make me feel confident that the project was going to turn out the way it had been represented.

What do you think it’s worth to invest in a property? Why did you make that decision?

Well, whether you are investing in a property for investment purposes or you’re investing in your own personal residence, the most important thing about a high-end home is the finished product and Elite Homes are very attentive to details and they produce a product of the highest quality.

Well, what I like most about Elite Homes is the finished product and that’s really the most important thing is how the house looks, how it feels and the fit and the finish of all the details. That’s one thing that Jorge Vela, the CEO of Elite Homes, gives a great deal of attention to personal and he also brings the client or the investor into that process so that the client’s perspective is always kept in the forefront of his mind.

When I think of an Elite Homes product what comes to mind is the attention to detail and the beautiful finishes and the words I would use to describe that are: craftsmanship and pride of workmanship.

Why would you recommend Elite Homes?

I would recommend Elite Homes to anyone who is investing for investment purposes or for building their own personal residence because of the attention to detail of the whole Elite Homes team.

The decision to invest in home construction is interesting from my perspective because it’s creative, you see something from the ground up and as a beautiful finished product and the return on investment is equally satisfying.

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I chose Elite Homes because I wanted something different, a different style of house, something we can probably exploit in San Antonio, which is a more fresh idea, modern house, contemporary but still having a touch of the San Antonio and Texas style. So, we looked around and most of the people build you know these houses that resemble the typical Mexican or Spanish Mediterranean houses. Jorge and Elite Homes had a different perspective of what, you know, a new home should look like and we really liked the fresh ideas that Jorge brought into the table.

Why invest in a property, in real state and not in another business?

Well, real estate investment is a different kind of investment, is a different kind of investment to that of a company in the sense that what you’re buying is an asset and you don’t lose value. I try to pay as much on the asset without getting a bank loan because if something goes wrong, you still keep the asset and the asset sooner or later will gain its value or increase its value. So, you know investing in real estate, for me, is a very safe investment as long as you don’t get too much credit. If you get too much credit you can be in trouble if the economy goes down.

But if you pay cash for the assets, for the land, you know that sooner or later you’re gonna get back the value or even increase it.

Talk to me about your relationship with the builder.

Well I met Jorge about three years ago, he was building this house at Terramont, which I really like, you know it was the contemporary kind of home that we were looking for and we started talking with him about three years ago. So when we developed the Aragon development at The Dominion, we were building normal houses and we decided to go to something different, and Jorge was there, we started talking about it and we really liked the design of the house and we decided to make a partnership with him.

What aspect of Elite Homes do you like?

Well, I went with Elite Homes because they are above the average home. In the interiors you can see there is very good-quality something, again, different, fresh and you can rely that whatever is on the drawing board is going to be built, completed the way it should be. So again, if you want something different, something new, something unique and functional, Jorge is the guy to go to.

Would you recommend Elite Homes and why?

I think Elite Homes is a very good company, a high-quality company, and very important, very reliable company. So whatever you’re gonna see in the drawing board you know you’re gonna get. Whatever budget or estimate was put in front of you that’s the budget estimate that you’re gonna get.  Elite Homes is run by very responsible people and that’s what you get.

SPANISH VERSION OF INTERVIEW

Muchas gracias, dime cual es tu nombre y cual es tu relación con Elite Homes. Mi nombre es Joaquín Garza y me relaciono con Elite Homes porque ya he hecho varios proyectos con esta compañía, proyectos frescos, proyectos innovadores y proyectos que de alguna manera atraen al mercado Tejano, específicamente al de San Antonio.

Platícanos un poquito tu relación con el constructor.

Mi relación con Jorge data de hace tres años, cuando el estaba construyendo una casa contemporánea con una vista espectacular en Cresta Bella y ahí fue donde  nos vimos por primera vez y donde me empezó a llamar la atención su trabajo.

Crees y continuas tu haciendo este tipo de inversiones?

Bueno, yo invierto en propiedades de algo de negocios pero la mayoría es en las propiedades y lo hago porque el invertir en propiedades es invertir en algo seguro de alguna manera. Si no tomas crédito de más, osea que pagas en efectivo la propiedad o lo más posible, bajas el riesgo tiene una época donde la economía se va hacia abajo pues tus activos mantienen el valor y en los años lo recuperan y hasta lo ganan. Entonces la inversión en los bienes raíces es una inversión más segura desde ese punto de vista y también tienes más control sobre de ella puesto que tu controlas que es lo que vas a hacer con esos activos, invertir en una empresa o con otras personas que definitivamente no sabes lo que va suceder, depende de la administración y depende mucho de economía.