www.NAHB.org
Week of February 2, 2004
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Front Page
 
President's Message
n Housing America’s Working Families
 
Housing Forum
n Standing Up for the American Dream
 
Housing Politics
n An Interview With Assistant Treasury Secretary Wayne Abernathy
n An Interview With NAHB Executive Vice President Jerry Howard
n Housing Provisions Fare Fairly Well in 2004 Appropriations Bill
n Modular Home Builder Tells President Tax Cuts Key to Economic Outlook
 
Housing Finance
n Regulatory Effort Threatens Innovations in Mortgage Market
 
Housing and Economics
n Economists See Little to Dampen Housing Surge in 2004
n 2003 Another Banner Year for Single-Family Home Sales
n Home Resales, Mortgage Rates Surpass Expectations in December
n Eye on the Economy
 
Builders Show
n Former President George Bush Opens 2004 Builders’ Show
n Technological Innovation Key to Sustaining Profits, GE Chairman Tells Builders
 
Business Management
n Excessive Web Site Graphics Can Stunt Sales
 
Construction Safety
n OSHA Requires Posting 2003 Job-Related Injuries and Illnesses
 
Seniors Housing
n Don’t Ignore Land Planning When Developing Your Active Adult Community
n Best of Seniors Housing Design Recognized
 
Multifamily
n Dallas Builder Kent Conine Receives Dan Grady Award
 
Member Dividends
n Superintendent Training Key to Boosting Quality, Industry Image
 
Small Builders and Remodelers
n Residential Remodelers Enter 2004 With High Expectations
n A Year-End 'Thank You'
 
Sales and Marketing
n HomeBuilder.com™ Launches Web-Based Programs to Increase Builder Sales
 
Labor
n Builders' Show a Busy Time for NAHB Student Chapters
 
Building News
Coast To Coast
 
Association News
& Events
n Mississippi Builder Bobby Rayburn Elected NAHB President
n Orlando Home Builders Win NAHB Community Service Award
n Mydoom Computer Worm Arrives as E-mail Attachment
n Calendar of Events
 
NBN Back Issues
 


NAHB, Treasury Square Off
Over Regulating Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac; Find Common Ground in Their Opposition to Privatizing GSEs

Recent interviews with Assistant Treasury Secretary Wayne Abernathy and NAHB Executive Vice President Jerry Howard on regulation of the housing GSEs find some common ground: both agree that privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is a bad idea.

Secretary Abernathy says: "We're not supporting any proposals for privatization." CEO Howard adds: "Efforts to privatize . . . should be opposed."

But on other aspects of the debate — issues that will likely decide the future of America's housing finance system — there are some sharp differences of opinion.

To read more of what Abernathy had to say, click here. To read Howard, click here.

Building News
From Coast to Coast

n Looks Old, Sure, But It's Faking It

n Counter Culture: Stone, Composites Make Way to the Top

n Demand for Maintenance-Free Living Grows Among Baby Boomers

n Builders Survey Ethnic Priorities

n A Housing Boom, Led by Boomers

n Super Bowl: The Big Picture

n Urban Redevelopment Program Features Cheap Homes, Rich Benefits

n Home View/Wish Lists

Hot Topics!
Need to Buy General Liability Insurance?
Confused about Subcontractor Agreements?
Structural Defects, Can They Happen to You?
Building A Better Business Through Education?

Keep Computer Viruses at Bay

Mydoom, the most invasive computer virus to hit the Internet, already has infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide and is expected to remain active until Feb. 12.

Mydoom arrives as an attachment to an e-mail. Here are some basic steps to protect your computer from this and other viruses.

  • Do not open e-mail attachments when the e-mail message is unfamiliar or you don’t recognize the sender’s name. (Many viruses arrive with a simple greeting such as “Hi” or “Hello” or even “test.” )
  • Order and install anti-virus software such as Symantec/Norton or McAffee. You can order CDs or download software from both companies online. Most anti-virus programs charge you for a one-year subscription.
  • Once installed, set your software to either “quarantine” or “delete” the infected attachments so viruses are automatically intercepted and kept out of your computer.
  • Update your software weekly. Both Norton and McAffee have “update” buttons so you can update your software on a regular basis to block any newly created viruses from entering your computer.

For more information about Mydoom, click here.

Builders Stepping Up Efforts on Behalf of Affordably Priced Housing for Working Families

Despite record homeownership rates, the nation’s communities must do much more to help working families find housing that is affordable, NAHB President Bobby Rayburn told the press last month at the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas. …

Housing Snapshot

Mortgage interest rates last week remained lower than expected, but they could be on the rise this week in reaction to nuances in the Federal Reserve's recent announcement that it had decided not to tighten monetary policy at the current time, while hinting that such a move is inevitable at some point further down the road. Construction spending rose to an all-time high in December, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $933.2 billion, led by the nation's home builders, who continued to break ground on new residential properties at a near-record pace. The price of framing lumber was down by a tad last week, according to Random Lengths, falling to $352 per 1,000 board feet, down $2 from the previous week. Prices for oriented strand board and plywood continued to advance, although at a slower pace than in recent weeks. The mill price for 15/32-inch 3-ply CDX Southern Westside plywood was $430 per 1,000 square feet, up from $245 a year earlier; and OSB climbed to $415 compared to a year-earlier cost of $174.
Mortgage Interest Rates
30-Year Fixed-Rate 5.68%
15-Year Fixed-Rate 4.97%
1-Year ARM 3.59%
Housing Starts - Dec. 2003*
Total 2.088 million
Single-Family Starts 1.664 million
Multifamily Starts 397,000
New Home Sales
Dec. 2003*		 1.060 million
Existing Home Sales
Dec. 2003*		 6.47 million
* Seasonally adjusted annual rate


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