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Week of May 19, 2003

Front Page

President's Message

* There Are No Better Housing Advocates Anywhere

Housing Forum

* Salmon Born in Hatcheries Are as Good as Wild
* Letters to the Editor

Housing and Economics

* Housing Starts Dip, But Permits Rise in April
* Builders Regain Their Former Optimism in May

Housing Politics

* Housing Priorities Warmly Received on Capitol Hill
* Builders Receive Tax Policy Briefing From Secretary Evans
* Bill Called a Threat to Housing Finance System

Business Management

* Take the Edge Off Business Planning
* Hand-Held Task Manager Saves Time, Creates Paper Trail

Codes and Standards

* Accessibility Standard Revisions Good for Builders and the Disabled

Sales and Marketing

* Three Imaginative Promotions Build Sales Traffic
* Online Traffic — Get the Word Out to Buyers

Small Builders and Remodelers

* Contractors Corner — Quality Assurance Standards Are the Way to Go

Member Dividends

* You Can Get Work Force Safety Tips en Espanol

Research

* New Technology Will Transform Lighting in 21st Century Buildings

Building Systems

* Modular Homes Survive Tornado
* Building Systems Councils Sponsors Habitat Home

Building Products

* Concrete Wall Systems an Alternative to Wood Framing

Labor

* Job Corps Students Help Build Habitat Homes

Building News Coast To Coast

Association News & Events

* NAHB Announces Effort to Increase Hispanic Home Owners
* BuilderBooks Introduces Kid-Friendly Educational Tools

NBN Back Issues

 

There Are No Better Housing Advocates Anywhere

 In most cases, when Americans count their blessings, housing is at the top of the list. Unfortunately, even when you are the best-housed nation on Earth, housing is not something that you can afford to take for granted. Housing needs advocates, and in Washington, D.C. and across the country, there is no better housing advocate than NAHB.

On behalf of our members and the public they serve, advocacy is without question one of the most important missions of NAHB. Carrying a pro-housing message to the Congress, the Administration, the federal regulatory agencies, state legislatures, the local community and to our citizens at large is essential for accomplishing our mission of building the housing our country’s growing population needs. And it is essential for ensuring that “the voice of the housing industry” — our voice — resounds persuasively from coast to coast.


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On the frontlines of housing advocacy, there is no greater fighting force in this country than NAHB’s 205,000 grassroots members and their employees, their colleagues in a host of housing-related businesses, their families, their friends and their customers. Back at the National Housing Center in Washington, they are supported by a staff of professional advocates who are trained to attack the foes of housing on every front. They include lobbyists, attorneys, journalists, economists, land planners, scientists, specialists on the environment and on government regulation, experts in construction and codes, and more. They are working with you and for you to ensure that housing receives the priority it deserves in every walk of American life.

When we make advocacy our mission, a bright future for housing is assured. Here are just a few of the achievements that are the direct result of focusing our energies on strategies designed to carry the day for housing:

  • In last November’s elections, NAHB, supported by a strong BUILD-PAC, launched a voter mobilization campaign that brought victory to pro-housing candidates in key races for the U.S. House and Senate.
  • With NAHB leaders and staff from Legislative and Political Affairs working tirelessly behind the scenes on Capitol Hill, we are seeing the rise of legislation that would enable housing to continue to lead the economy forward; help President Bush achieve his goal of increasing homeownership among minority families; help small businesses solve the problem of soaring health insurance costs for their employees, and encourage greater energy efficiency in housing.
  • During the week of May 7, hundreds of housing advocates from across the country participated in NAHB's annual Legislative Conference. NAHB members assembled on Capitol Hill to meet with their members of Congress to discuss crucial housing legislation. And they obtained valuable information about continuing to participate in the political and legislative process back home and take a stand on issues that affect their business. 
  • We are laying the groundwork for a secondary market for residential acquisition, development and construction loans that eventually will reduce financing costs for builders and developers.
  • On the state legislative front, construction defect laws designed to make home buyers talk to their builders first before talking to their lawyers are making giant strides.
  • On the environmental front, NAHB has received several favorable court decisions that will enable communities to accommodate housing at the same time as they move to protect threatened or endangered plant and animal species. Most recently, builders in Arizona have been able to obtain information about the locations of pygmy owls that is indispensable for planning for future residential development.
  • NAHB’s State and Political Operations team is helping local home builders associations win ballot initiatives against unfair impact fees and no-growth initiatives.
  • Our Housing Finance and Public Affairs staffs have been working to refute irresponsible news coverage speculating about an impending burst of a non-existent housing price bubble.
  • We continue to fight for cost-effective building codes and we are successfully establishing the principle that housing affordability needs to be considered as an essential part of the codes and standards process.

And the list goes on. To see how well your NAHB is doing, continue to watch the information that is being brought to you electronically over our Web site and in our new streamlined online publications.

In the housing business, there is no such thing as fate. That’s why our mission is to make things happen through advocacy. Advocacy is our strength. It is the foundation upon which, together, we build the American Dream.
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