Nation's Building News Online

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Sponsored by Countrywide Home Loans National Builder Division

www.NAHB.org
Week of October 25, 2004

Front Page

* Refuting Housing Bubble Alarmists, Fed Chairman Greenspan Sees Home Owners in Good Financial Shape
* Learn How to Better Manage Your Employees
* Power of Eminent Domain Used to Halt Pennsylvania Subdivision
* Housing Snapshot

President's Message

* Make Housing a Winner on Election Day

Housing Politics

* 2004 Election Night Viewers Guide

Housing and Economics

* Wet Weather Slows Home Starts in September, But Production Headed for a Record
* Builder Confidence Rebounds Strongly in October
* Existing Home Sales Rebound in September
* Study Gloomy About Prospects for Southern California Without Solution to Area’s Housing Crisis
* Eye on the Economy

Business Management

* Smart Solutions: Builder Forms Coalition to Fight Code Rewrites

Sales and Marketing

* These Three Technologies Can Help Refine Your Market Research

Seniors Housing

* A New Prototype Community
* National 'Aging in Place Week' Events Slated in 20 Cities
* New England to Host Fall 50+ Housing Symposium Nov. 3-4

Multifamily

* Forum Provides Information on Disposition of Low Income Tax Credit Properties
* Application Deadline Extended for Pillars of the Industry Awards
* Career of Award-Winning Tax Credit Professional Starts With Luck, But Blossoms With Education

Small Builders and Remodelers

* Run Your Business Like a Business — Before It Runs You
* Looking for Space in All the Right Places
* Are You the Next Remodelor of the Month?

State and Local

* Nominate Officials, Associations for 2004 SLGA Recognition Awards

Construction Safety

* Six Contractors in Texas Cited for OSHA Construction Site Hazards

Labor

* Beazer Homes Honored for Support of Student Chapters

Building Products

* Association Provides Hurricane Victims and Consumers Information on Insulation

Builder's Engineer

* What Is the Optimum Shelf-Life of a Business Partner?

Building News Coast To Coast

Association News & Events

* R. Randy Lee Inducted Into New York Home Builders’ Hall of Fame
* Save 50% on NEBS Holiday Cards, Calendars and More
* Build Your Knowledge at the Custom Builder Symposium
* Awards Programs Deadlines
* Calendar of Events

NBN Back Issues

 

Refuting Housing Bubble Alarmists, Fed Chairman Greenspan Sees Home Owners in Good Financial Shape

Weighing in on the housing bubble debate that has started percolating … [ MORE ]


Building News From Coast to Coast

[ MORE ]

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Learn How to Better Manage Your Employees

BuilderBooks.com has a new publication that will enable businesses in the home building industry to manage their employees better. "Managing Your Employees" was developed by NAHB's Business Management Department.

Employees are the foundation of a home building business. And, as small-business owners, many home builders often handle multiple internal functions, including human resources management. "Managing Your Employees" is designed to help builders manage the “people paperwork” of their businesses easily and productively.

This book covers three key areas for creating a successful HR program:

  • A model personnel policies and employee handbook for users to customize
  • A section on legal and regulatory authorities that affect personnel policies
  • Suggested systems and processes

Because good employees are a builder’s best resource, the success of your company is directly tied to how well your workforce is managed. Create a strong foundation of talented, successful employees.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665 to order.

Learn How to Better Manage Your Employees

BuilderBooks.com has a new publication that will enable businesses in the home building industry to manage their employees better. "Managing Your Employees" was developed by NAHB's Business Management Department.

Employees are the foundation of a home building business. And, as small-business owners, many home builders often handle multiple internal functions, including human resources management. "Managing Your Employees" is designed to help builders manage the “people paperwork” of their businesses easily and productively.

This book covers three key areas for creating a successful HR program:

  • A model personnel policies and employee handbook for users to customize
  • A section on legal and regulatory authorities that affect personnel policies
  • Suggested systems and processes

Because good employees are a builder’s best resource, the success of your company is directly tied to how well your workforce is managed. Create a strong foundation of talented, successful employees.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665 to order.


Power of Eminent Domain Used to Halt Pennsylvania Subdivision

An unfolding case involving a developer in York County, PA, fits the profile …  …[ MORE ]


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Let us know what you think about the new NBN Online. On everything from the news we are covering to how it is being delivered, we are waiting to hear from you. Click here to contact the editors. To manage your subscription, please see the links below.


Housing Snapshot

Mortgage applications to buy and refinance homes were up last week as interest rates for fixed-rate mortgages continued to decline. Adjustable-rate financing was up just a tad. The Labor Department reported that unemployment filings declined by a seasonally adjusted 25,000 at the end of last week. The Consumer Price Index for September rose 0.2%, bringing inflation for the first nine months of this year to 3.5% compared to 1.9% for all of last year. The new week opened with ongoing concerns about oil prices and with the dollar weakening. The Conference Board's Leading Economic Indicators fell 0.1% in September, the fourth consecutive monthly decline in that index, suggesting that the economic expansion has lost some of its momentum heading into the final quarter of the year. Lumber prices continued to offer encouraging news for the nation's home builders last week. Framing lumber prices dropped to $365 per 1,000 board feet, according to Random Lengths, down $13 from the prior week, but still up from $319 a year earlier. The price of 15/32-inch 3-ply Southern (west-east) exterior sheathing fell from $315 to $290 per 1,000 square-feet, compared to $535 a year earlier. Oriented strand board declined from $240 to $215, compared to $465 at the same point in 2003. [ MORE ]

Mortgage Interest Rates

30-Year Fixed-Rate: 5.69%
15-Year Fixed-Rate: 5.07%
1-Year ARM: 4.02%

Housing Starts - Sep. 2004*

Total: 1.898 million
Single-Family Starts: 1.540 million
Multifamily Starts: 358,000

New Home Sales Aug. 2004*

1.184 million

Existing Home Sales Sep. 2004*

6.75 million

* Seasonally adjusted annual rate


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Nation's Building News Online is produced and distributed by the National Association of Home Builders