In response to recent attacks on Capitol Hill against the mortgage interest deduction and other important tax incentives for housing, NAHB members will have two opportunities at the NAHB International Builders' Show to learn what these proposals could mean to their businesses, and what NAHB is doing to keep possible changes to housing tax rules in check.

The first session — for NAHB board members and others arriving early in the week — will take place at the meeting of the Taxation Subcommittee of the Government Affairs Committee on Jan. 10,  from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando in West 314A, Level 3. ...... Read More

This year the NAHB International Builders’ Show is offering a new benefit for attendees: daily IBS Power Deals, exclusive offers from IBS exhibitors for steeply discounted services and products.

All IBS registrants will receive a daily e-mail with the Power Deal offer. Each deal is available for 24 hours and only to registered IBS attendees. Attendees can sign up for the offer; they receive a confirmation e-mail with the details and then visit the exhibitor's booth during the show to redeem it.

Each deal will begin at noon on the day it is sent out, and will end at 11:59 a.m. the following day. ...... Read More

Thirty financial firms signed up to look at more than 200 project proposals during the 2010 NAHB International Builders' Show.

Builders and developers looking for credit for residential construction projects will find a broad array of lenders at the NAHB Finance Pavilion during the NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS).

“NAHB has been working hard to address the problems our members have been experiencing in finding financing for acquisition, development and construction, or AD&C,” said NAHB CEO Jerry Howard. “The NAHB Finance Pavilion is just one of many strategies we are advancing to help members find the credit they need to move forward with new or existing projects.”The NAHB Finance Pavilion is an exclusive networking event where builders and developers can meet with representatives from financial institutions and other lenders onsite during IBS, Jan. 12 through 15 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. ...... Read More

Members of the Institute of Residential Marketing (IRM), the education branch of NAHB’s National Sales and Marketing Council (NSMC), will offer builders free new-home sales and marketing advice at the NAHB International Builders’ Show next month in Orlando.

IRM members will offer their advice at the Ask a Sales and Marketing Professional booth located at Member Advantage Headquarters in the Hall B lobby of the Orange County Convention Center. The booth will be open during IBS exhibit hours on Jan. 12-15.

They will focus on 10 specific service disciplines — market research and opportunity assessment; site selection; product definition; pricing strategy; branding; model homes; advertising; Internet marketing (including social media); sales team management (including selection, training and outside agency use); and customer service — but will be available to answer any questions about sales and marketing.

“Right now, and for the last couple of years, our skill set as marketing and sales experts is exactly what many builders have needed to survive and return to prosperity,” said Bill Webb, MIRM, of Amelia Island, Fla., who organized the booth and free service. “It has long bothered me that, from my perspective, the relationship between NAHB builder members and associate members in sales and marketing has not seemed to be as close as it could be.” ...... Read More

Night falls on The New American Home. Photos by James F. Wilson.

The New American Home (TNAH) 2011 is beautiful and loaded with new products and design innovations that will stimulate the imagination of anyone who makes their living in the housing industry. The grand show home will be a highlight of the NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS), Jan. 12 through 15 in Orlando.

The home features American Empire design with Greek Revival elements and combines an inviting layout with elegant style, eccentric interiors and easy classicism. Built in a quiet Orlando neighborhood, it offers a view of a lake with the city skyline beyond. ...... Read More

Around just about every corner of the exhibit floor of the upcoming 2011 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando, convention-goers will find something new in the way of building products and services to provide an edge in a housing marketplace that is just beginning to show signs of a return to normal.

But this year’s show could well have a first: a product that has been defiled by wild animals, including the largest land mammal on the planet — the African elephant.

“Every day the carpet in your home must withstand the rigors of children, pets, spills and constant foot traffic,” says Mohawk Industries, which manufactures SmartStrand carpeting made with DuPont Sorona renewably sourced polymer. “If SmartStrand can handle this wildlife, it can handle your wild life.”

The company put the carpet up against six elephants to prove the durability and resiliency of SmartStrand when it placed it in their enclosures at the Dallas Zoo.

For two weeks, some of the world’s messiest animals subjected the carpet to unbelievable abuse — more than 50,000 pounds of pounding, extreme soiling and staining beyond anything imaginable in a home. At the end of the test, the carpet was professionally cleaned, and looked virtually new — with no stains, fiber crushing or visible wear.

The carpeting survived similar tests with camels and a black rhino. ...... Read More

Sleek and contemporary sales centers appeal to the young condo buyer.

Visitors to the NAHB International Builders’ Show headquarters for NAHB Multifamily and the 50+ Housing Council next month will see examples of how merchandising common areas, sales and leasing centers and clubhouses can boost sales and leasing to the condo, rental and 50+ markets.

Kay Green, of Kay Green Design based in Orlando, will be merchandising both headquarters — Apartment & Condo Central in West 315A and 50+ Lifestyle Central in West 314A of the Orange County Convention Center — in order to demonstrate how public areas and sales offices can be decorated to appeal to particular buyer segments and boost sales. ...... Read More

The NAHB Production Group — which produces highly successful programs for major cable networks as well as high-rated television specials — is seeking people with strong personalities, excellent communication skills and a little of that “it” factor to become the next home improvement TV and online star.  ...... Read More

To help those attending the NAHB International Builders’ Show derive the most from a busy schedule of events, NAHB asked communication staff members from the association’s councils and other areas what they would be sure not to miss.

Following are their recommendations on where and how to derive the most from IBS: ...... Read More

Online registration to the 2011 NAHB International Builders' Show in Orlando next month is available through Sunday, Jan. 9. Onsite registration begins Jan. 10.

Industry professionals can purchase a full registration — which includes admittance to the NAHB International Builders' Show's more than 175 educational sessions and access to the more than 1,000 exhibitors on 500,000 square feet of exhibit space from Jan. 12-15. ...... Read More