A home from Ferrier Custom Homes in Fort Worth, Texas offers buyers an average $15 monthly utility bill.

Builders Need to Make Energy Efficiency a Selling Point

At a time when energy costs are taking a bigger bite out of the household budget and consumers are increasingly receptive to energy efficiency and sustainability in their housing, the nation’s home builders must do a better job of selling green home building features to their customers, according to participants at the NAHB National Green Building Conference in St. Louis on March 25-27.

In its 2006 Energy Pulse survey, the Shelton Group found that 86% of Americans would choose one home over another based on its energy efficiency, said Suzanne Shelton, president of the research and marketing company. Yet 78% of the home owners who were polled reported that nobody talked to them about energy efficiency during the buying process. ...

National Membership Day 2007: More Prizes Than Ever Before

NAHB’s upcoming National Membership Day on Tuesday, May 22 will award more prizes to successful recruiters than ever before, thanks to Whirlpool, NAHB’s exclusive membership sponsor.

This year, analysts predict that the association’s annual membership drive could bring in more than 10,000 new members.

The theme this year, “Leaders of the Pack,” evokes motorcycle-oriented excitement and will be a prominent part of the day’s Webcast, which will be broadcast live from the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C. from 2:00-5:00 p.m. ET.

Members can access the Webcast on the NAHB Web site, www.nahb.org. ...

Some first-phase NAHB grant money is still available. Apply now.

‘Buy Now’ Advertising Assistance Nears $1 Million. Apply Now.

If your local association is currently engaged in an ongoing advertising campaign in print, radio or television outlets, or if you are planning such a campaign, have your association apply for a “Buy Now” matching advertising assistance grant from NAHB. HBAs from around the country have already applied and have begun to receive their assistance funds. 

To date, 38 local associations have applied for advertising assistance grants from the $1 million to be awarded during the first phase of the program, and $932,429 has been approved. The total cost of the campaigns is $3.5 million. Another $2 million will be made available if the program is successful, and HBAs are encouraged to apply now.

NAHB launched the multi-million dollar grant program last month to assist local home builders associations in an effort to bolster home sales in markets hit hard by the current housing downturn and help offset the cost of local ad campaigns. ...

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