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Week of June 16, 2003

Front Page

President's Message

* Too Many Communities Make Building Housing a Struggle

Housing Forum

* Lawsuits Are Taking Consumers for a Ride

Homeownership Month

* Teachers Can’t Afford to Live in Communities Where They Teach
* Virginia Developer Suggests Options for Affordable Workforce Housing
* 4.8 Million Working Families Have Critical Housing Needs

Housing Politics

* Legislation Needed to Spur Homeownership Opportunities

Codes and Standards

* ASHRAE Expected to Approve Badly Flawed Ventilation Standard
* New York Decides to Adopt IBC Over NFPA 5000

Environment

* Clean Water Act Regulation Stumbles Into a Ditch in Delaware

Construction Safety

* Safety Programs Essential for Home Builders

Seniors Housing

* AARP Survey Identifies Changes Needed to Facilitate Aging-in-Place
* Hot Counties for Active Adult Home Buyers Identified

Member Dividends

* '20 Club' Members Advise Builder to Eliminate Surprises, Front Load Selections Process

Small Builders and Remodelers

* Small Builders and Remodelers Can Be a Part of Something Big
* Remodelers Groom Design Students for Their Sales Team

Business Management

* Ease Your Warranty/Home Maintenance Hand-Off

Multifamily

* Conference Call to Examine Outlook for Multifamily Housing

Sales and Marketing

* Nexers Are Your Next Generation of Home Buyers

Labor

* HBI Students Help Cancer Victim Repair Home in Florida

Building Products

* Laundry Spaces Transformed Into Hubs of Family Activity

Building News Coast To Coast

Association News & Events

* Leaders in California Building Industry Recognized

NBN Back Issues

 

Small Builders and Remodelers Can Be a Part of Something Big

By Mike Weiss, CGR, GMB, CAPS

There are probably members of your local home builders association who don’t really know what remodelers do. And there are, without a doubt, remodelers around the country who don’t know what the NAHB Remodelors™ Council does. That is about to change.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a planning meeting for NAHB, where there were people from all parts of the industry representing companies both big and small.

When it came my turn to report on remodeling, I pointed out that, while NAHB represents more than 14,000 remodeling contractors, the Remodelors™ Council doesn’t represent enough of the smaller and start-up remodeling companies even though they are the ones that need us the most.


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The council represents more remodelers than anyone else, but we aren’t doing what we should to attract more.

Of the roughly 60,000 home building members of NAHB, almost one-third say they do a fair amount of remodeling, so we know that they are underrepresented on the council. I believe this is because they don’t really know what the council does, and that is something we are going to fix.

NAHB is the place to find the best educational curriculums, professional designation programs, advocacy for housing and remodeling and research into building products and practices. That makes it the best place for the new remodeler, the smaller-market contractor and the small builder.

Our message to them is this: If you are not a member of the NAHB Remodelors™ Council, you are leaving a lot on the table.

Membership in NAHB and the Remodelors™ Council provides you with opportunities that will enable your business to survive and prosper:

  • A chance to learn, mostly for free, what the leading companies do to make themselves successful
  • The best advice on how to deal with mold, lead, asbestos and EIFs
  • Resources on warranties and liability insurance and information on what it takes to get a “right to cure” bill passed in your state

Membership is an investment that continues giving back year after year. There’s a reason why people who are really doing well take time away from their families and their businesses to help their competitors, and that reason is the NAHB Remodelors™ Council.

I want remodelers everywhere — including my competition — to understand the costs of doing business, the risks of a poorly visited contract agreement, the danger of ignoring lead and mold in their contract document and the value of endorsing programs such as the Quality Assurance Builders Standards from the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis.

Remodelers who do a top-quality job, who can sell the best and are the most knowledgeable about the business are destined for success. The people with these skills will come from a builders association every time.

Your professional life doesn’t really start until you attend your first home builders association meeting. So call your local HBA, and keep in touch with all of the things that are good for your business.

Mike Weiss, CGR, GMB, CAPS is chairman of the NAHB Remodelors™ Council.


Professional Designation Courses Offered

The NAHB University of Housing offers several professional designation programs for remodelers and builders. For more information about these designations, click here, or call 800-368-5242 x8EDU.
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