The Blog

Here’s a great recipe to warm you and your family up this January. There’s nothing better than enjoying a warm hot chocolate in your home,

Ingredients

3      cups fat-free milk

1     14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

½     14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk (2/3-cup)

2     tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

½     teaspoon vanilla

Sweetened whipped cream (optional)

1/4  cup chocolate shavings (optional)

Directions

1. In medium saucepan combine fat-free milk, coconut milk, and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Whisk in cocoa powder until well-combined.

2. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Serve in mugs topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Makes 5 (1-cup) servings.

Enjoy!

Avoid the post-holiday doldrums with these fun events happening in the Bloomington-Normal and Peoria-Dunlap areas. Part of the fun of building your dream home in Central Illinois is knowing what’s going on around you and O’Neal Builders is here to help you plan your family calendar One Detail At A Time.

Relay for Life Charity Ball– January 12, 5 p.m. @ The Chateau

Hosted by Team Owen, the formal Charity Ball will feature a silent auction, live music, cosmetic design, and more! Dinner is included in the price of the ticket. Join them January 12, at 5:00PM at the Chateau in Bloomington to raise proceeds for the Relay for Life 2013. E-mail or call Team Owen for ticket information @ 309-212-4601, teamowen@live.com

Zac Brown Band– January 12, 7 p.m. @ the Peoria Civic Center

The Peoria Civic Center is proud to host the Zac Brown Band on January 12 at 7:00PM. This multiplatinum, GRAMMY-winning outfit throws down every night with expert musicianship, hearty Southern rock, and an unparalleled fan experience. Tickets are available through ticketmaster.com or peoriaciviccenter.com.

2013 World Championship Motorcycle Ice Racing– January 12, 7:30 p.m. @ U.S. Cellular Coliseum

Bring your kids to the most exciting thrill experience this January as professional ice motorcyclists battle for the coveted world championship title on January 12. The races begin at 7:30, tickets are available at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office or through Ticketmaster: $18 for Adults and $10 for kids.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – January 15 to 16, 7:30 p.m. @ the Peoria Civic Center

The smash hit Broadway musical based off Academy-Award winning animated feature film is coming to the Peoria Civic Center January 15-16 at 7:30PM. Bring your kids to a magical Broadway experience that will be remembered for a lifetime. Tickets are available through ticketmaster.com.

Winter Jam 2013 -January 27th, 6:00 p.m. @ the Peoria Civic Center

This Christian music concert tour has become the #1 tour in the world (first quarter) for two consecutive years. On January 27^th starting at 6:00, Winter Jam 2013 will be headlined by GRAMMY®-winning, multi-platinum recording artist TobyMac, and will also feature artists like RED, Matthew West, Jamie Grace, Sidewalk Prophets and Royal Tailor. Located at the Peoria Civic Center, tickets are just $10 at the door!

Bradley Basketball VS. Illinois State University – January 29th, 7:00 p.m. @ the Peoria Civic Center

Watch as the two Central Illinois Universities face off head to head in this exciting rivalry game on January 29 at 7:00PM at the Peoria Civic Center. Tickets range from $8-$35, and are available at the Peoria Civic Center box office.

Do you know of any other events? Help us spread the word on our Facebook Page!

The team at O’Neal Builders is excited to announce the start of our newest available home in Peoria, IL 3100 St. Charles Place in the beautiful Attingham Park Development. This Peoria-Dunlap custom home offers the functional and spacious layout that you have come to love in O’Neal Builders’ homes.  Our newest floor plan includes a newly designed first, second floor and three-car garage!

Groundbreaking began this week, and we invite you to follow along on our Facebook page with the progress of this gorgeous home. Our available homes have been selling fast, but 3100 St. Charles Place is still available for a lucky buyer to integrate selections that come together to create the perfect new Peoria-Dunlap home for your and your family. Call us at 309-454-6700, email us or visit our website for a full list of select features that make this house a home, One Detail At A Time.

The team here at O’Neal Builders wanted to give a big “Thank you!” to the Yi and Jones families. These two families are repeat customers for us and we are honored that they trusted us to build their homes for a second time. At O’Neal Builders, our homes are built to last a lifetime, but when our clients’ lives evolve due to work or lifestyle, we are there to provide everything they need in their new Central Illinois home. And for Bloomington-Normal home buyers, in this case the Yi’s and the Jones’, we’ve recently had the privilege of delivering two new Bloomington-Normal homes to these families for the second time in the beautiful Trails On Sunset Lake development in Bloomington-Normal, IL.

We make the building process fun and enjoyable so that our customers can savor this special time in their life, which contributes to our repeat customers. We love our returning customers; we get to forge a deeper relationship while building their custom home of exceptional quality and surpassing their expectations of satisfaction and quality workmanship – for a second time!

The Yi’s and Jones’ believe the difference between a house and a home is all in the details. We at O’Neal Builders are grateful for their continued business and the opportunity to build their new home in Bloomington-Normal – One Detail At A Time!

Get In The Holiday Spirit At The Peoria Festival Of Lights!

Building a new home in the Peoria area? Here are some fabulous Christmas events happening in and around the Peoria-Dunlap area this Holiday Season! Find more information on these and other local events here.

The Peoria, IL Festival of Lights remains among the area’s most ambitious holiday celebrations. The Winter Wonderland display of lighted floats will be open from dark until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The Festival Building will offer visits from Santa Claus, a NASCAR racing show car, and Folepi’s Village.

A complete festival schedule is available here.

Get your last minute gifts at the Holiday Shop and Stroll from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Dec. 12, 13 and 19.

The paths at the Forest Park Nature Center will be lit with luminarias, and there will be live musical entertainment, storytelling and caroling. The nature center’s Nature Art Show and Sale will be open for Christmas shopping, as will the Trailhead Nature Store. Hot wassail and homemade goodies will be served.

Candlelight Walks will be 7 to 9 p.m. Friday and Dec. 12, 13, 19 at 20 at Luthy Botanical Garden in Glen Oak Park.

The garden’s Poinsettia Show will be lit with hundreds of candles. There will be live performances of holiday music and visits from Santa Claus. Admission is free.

The annual Journal Star Family Christmas Sing will be Dec. 18 at the Peoria Civic Center’s Great Hall.The Christmas Sing is a holiday tradition and has attracted thousands of families during the past 60 years.Former Peoria Mayor Jim Maloof will lead both spiritual and popular carols for his 41st year with words to each song projected on a giant screen.Admission is free. The prelude will begin at 6:30 p.m., with the singing starting at 7 p.m.

When Building A New O’Neal Builders Home

You're building more than just a home.

Do you realize the impact you can have on your local economy by building a new home in Peoria and Dunlap, IL? According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), it’s a lot! NAHB reports that for every new home in Peoria and Dunlap, IL that is built, three new jobs are created. That means when you purchase an O’Neal Builders home, three family providers who were once unemployed now have stable jobs to support them and their families. Your efforts can help make a huge impact in your community!

Studies have shown that the development of new homes, in this case, new homes in Peoria and Dunlap, IL, is the leading contributor to pulling an economy out of a recession. Here’s how the process works: When an O’Neal Builders Home is built the direct staff, sub-contractors, and distributors stay employed, the hardware stores receive the orders and then pay their staff, the local restaurants receive business which allows them to stay open, and all of these individuals further stimulate the local economy by spending the money they’ve earned. All of this because you decided to finally build yournew home in Peoria and Dunlap, IL!

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Central Illinois new home construction starts are up nearly 15% this year. O’Neal Builders would like to thank all who have contributed to their local economy, and have helped produce jobs and a new way of life for families all across Central Illinois. You can make a difference!

Join the movement, at Oneal-Builders.com!

The best places to take autumn pictures.

As the leaves are quickly turning, families are taking advantage of their surroundings and one of the perks of living in a new home in Central Illinois – the surrounding natural beauty and great backdrops for family photos!

Miller Park, Bloomington, IL

This beautiful park’s reputations precedes itself. Miller Park is known for its character, stone bridge, rustic pavilions, and mature trees, making this the perfect place for a leaf pile shot.

Sugar Grove Nature Center at Funks Grove, McLean, IL

Located just southwest of Bloomington, this beautiful hideaway has lush pastures and pristine wildlife to live up to the most exacting of any photographer’s standards.

The Constitution Trail, Normal, IL

If you want your family photo to be convenient then the Constitution Trail is the option for you. Always right around the corner, this stretch of paved sidewalk offers gorgeous fall colors with a familiar atmosphere.

Lake Bloomington, Hudson, IL 

The serenity of water, the various personalities of different nooks and crannies along the lake, the fresh air … it’s clear that everything, including the family portraits, are better by the lake.

The Quad at ISU, Normal, IL –

Right in the center of Illinois State is an elegant spread of trees, benches, old buildings, etc. perfect for any size family that wants to capture amazing fall colors in a classic Bloomington-Normal, IL setting.

An O’Neal Builders Home 

Whether your new O’Neal home is in Bloomington-Normal, Peoria and Dunlap, Champaign or Urbana, our One Detail At A Time approach to building offers beautiful backgrounds no matter what the photographic occasion.

O’Neal Builders is proud to introduce our new mobile site! View today on your smartphone or tablet and get instant access to tons of features highlighting the one-of-kind quality and attention to detail seen throughout all of our new homes in Peoria-Dunlap, Bloomington-Normal, Champaign and Urbana, IL.

Viewing our beautiful pictures of new homes in Central Illinois on your smartphone or tablet has never been easier. With easy “tap to expand” pictures showcasing some of Central Illinois’s most exquisitely designed rooms, you will be able to notice every detail found in an O’Neal Builders home. Also view detailed floor plans of our new and upcoming Peoria homes, and see some of the amazing transformations on our Renovations page. Find out about land development options in our Trails on Sunset Lake Bloomington-Normal subdivision. And meet our ready-to-serve team by viewing our company page.

Here at O’Neal Builders, we want to do everything possible to deliver to our clients exceptional customer service, an enjoyable home buying experience, and beautiful quality homes built One Detail At A Time. By visiting our mobile site and contacting us today, you will be one step closer to owning the O’Neal Builders home of your dreams!

With presidential elections only a week away we thought it would be interesting to research this question. Believe it or not there is a significant amount of data showing that presidential elections do play a role in determining mortgage rates for the coming months. The consensus among many economists is that mortgage rates generally remain low before an election because of the high degree of uncertainty in the results.

The reason for this assumption can be further explained because of two distinct reasons. First, as we all know, the Fed has the power over the interest rates concerning mortgages within the country. Because of the elections, the Fed will most likely not raise rates. New residential construction rates are up nearly 15% and mortgage rates are the lowest they’ve been since 1971 when they began tracking these numbers at nearly 2.25%! The incumbent president tries to keep these numbers as low as possible in order to show growth and stability coming back to the market. This nearly guarantees low rates for refinancing and new mortgages.

Secondly, large investors around the country are very wary to invest in a “pre-election” market because of the potential tax-policies brought on by the elected president. This causes these investors to hold their cash in safer U.S Treasury Bonds and mortgage-backed securities, keeping rates at the status-quo, which in our current case is low.

This year NBC News rated both Bloomington/Normal and Peoria in the top 10 rebounding real-estate markets in the nation! Our community has seen steady growth in population, job hiring, and new home sites. Regardless of the outcome of the election, there is no reason for these signs of growth to change, so with the potential change in mortgage rates, we at O’Neal builders conclude that there is no reason to delay if you are interested in purchasing a new home. Visit our website to learn more about our new homes in Central Illinois.

Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep up on all the great news happening in the central Illinois.

If you’re ready to talk about your new home building needs, call us today at 309-454-6700.

Welcome To Trails On Sunset Lake

Home sites at our Bloomington-Normal, IL subdivision, Trails On Sunset Lake, are selling fast. News reports are showing that home sales are increasing in this area, and with 25 of our 37 home sites in this beautiful community sold, we’re feeling the turnaround in the real estate market. What does this mean for prospective homebuyers looking for Bloomington-Normal, IL home property? It’s time to act soon to secure your spot in one of the most spectacular communities this area has ever seen.

At O’Neal Builders, we strive to make show the residents at Trails On Sunset Lake how Life Is Better By The Lake. Expansive lots that include walk-out basement and lake-front property are still available.  So if you’re looking for a lifestyle that expertly combines an impressive atmosphere without being pretentious; elegance while still being casually refined; and offering privacy, graciousness and outdoor enjoyment, we warmly invite you to explore a unique lifestyle that can be found only at Trails On Sunset Lake in Bloomington-Normal, IL.

Some of the features of this spectacular subdivision include:

–        Ten acre lake & detention area with walking trail

–        Innovative Landscaped Cul-De-Loop Boulevards create a warm
community atmosphere while ensuring your privacy

–        Smaller pavement width allowing more green space

–        Protective Covenants that Create a Higher Home Value

–        Large lots enabling side load garages and motor courts

–        Located in the Unit 5 School District

–        Convenient Access to Shopping, entertainment, restaurants and schools.

Trails on Sunset Lake has grown into a Bloomington-Normal, IL neighborhood that families can truly call home. Here at O’Neal builders we’re passionate about delivering your dream home in your dream location. Can you see joining the company of smart property owners who are already a part of this premiere community?

Then contact us today.

Learn more about Trails On Sunset Lake features.

View subdivision map.

And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook to stay on top of all that’s new with the O’Neal crew!