More Fed Rate Hikes Would Worsen Home Sale Cooldown

Reports last week from the U.S. Commerce Department and the National Association of Realtors® showed that a significant slowdown in sales of new and existing homes is underway and could help convince the Federal Reserve Board to hold the line on interest rates when its Federal Open Market Committee meets on Aug. 8.

Sales of new single-family homes were down 3% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.131 million units, following a downward revision to the sales rate for May, according to figures released last Thursday by the Commerce Department. ...

Builders Can Help End Obesity Trend in Children

Generating some controversy a couple of years ago by suggesting that new housing developments are contributing to the nation’s obesity problem by discouraging walking, Richard Jackson, M.D., made an appearance at last month’s PCBC in San Francisco to tell builders that they can make a difference in improving the health of their residents, especially children.

Dr. Jackson, a professor of environmental health at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's former state health director, said that new communities can be designed to help encourage children to spend more time outdoors in physical activities and less time in front of the television set eating junk food. ...

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Nation's Building News Will Not Be Published Aug. 7

Nation's Building News will not be published on Aug. 7. Publication of NAHB's official online e-newspaper will return to its regular weekly schedule with the Aug. 14 issue.