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Front Page
* NAHB Directors Adopt Policy on Regulating Housing Government Sponsored Enterprises
* Subscribe Your Employees to NBN Online and Earn a Chance to Win a Digital Camera
* Voluntary Green Building Guidelines Aimed at Mainstream Housing
* Housing Snapshot
Housing and Economics
* Demand for Building Materials to Remain High in 2005, But Some Relief Possible on Lumber Prices
* Home Starts Rebound in December, Single-Family Production Sets a Record in 2004
* Builders Voice Confidence at the Start of a New Year
Housing Politics
* Senate Majority Leader Frist Voices Commitment on Housing Concerns
* Administration Renewing Push for Homeownership Tax Credit and Zero-Down Mortgage, HUD Secretary Says
Housing Finance
* GSE Reforms Must Strengthen National Commitment to Housing, CEOs Tell Builders
* GSEs Gearing Up to Meet Housing Needs of Minority and Immigrant Families
Business Management
* How to Manage Risk to Protect Your Business
Builders' Show
* Builders Attended IBS in Orlando in Record Numbers
Construction Safety
* Builders Required to Post 2004 Job-Related Injuries and Illnesses
Multifamily
* Growing Popularity of Condos Rejuvenating Urban Areas
* Finalists Announced for 2005 Pillars of the Industry Awards
Seniors Housing
* Experts See Major Changes Afoot in Today’s Seniors Housing Market
* Find Your Place in the Affluent Boomer Market
Small Builders and Remodelers
* Iowa Remodeler, Don Novak, to Lead National Remodelors™ Council
Education
* February Is National Designation Month — Look for Discounted Class Fees
Builder's Engineer
* Concrete Too Wet Equals Weak Concrete
Building News Coast To Coast
Association News & Events
* Idaho Custom Builder David Wilson Elected NAHB President
* George Goudreau, Sr., NAHB Charter Member, Co-founder of Cleveland HBA, Dies at 101
* Log In to NAHB Web Site for Chance to Win Digital Camera
* Get Double the Discount from Dell Through January
* Calendar of Events
NBN Back Issues
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Subscribe Your Employees to NBN Online and Earn a Chance to Win a Digital Camera
NAHB members, sign up three or more employees to receive Nation's Building News Online in the ‘Make Your Business Click’ contest and you'll be automatically entered for a chance to win a FREE Sony Cyber-shot® Digital Camera.
See official contest rules for more details.
All active NAHB members, HBA staff and executive officers are eligible.
Watch for a New Look for Nation's Building News
Coming this March, Nation's Building News will have a new look.
The new NBN will have even more of the information you need — like the latest lumber prices, interest rates, industry news and information that will help your business — in an even easier-to-read format.
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Subscribe Your Employees to NBN Online and Earn a Chance to Win a Digital Camera
NAHB members, sign up three or more employees to receive Nation's Building News Online in the ‘Make Your Business Click’ contest and you'll be automatically entered for a chance to win a FREE Sony Cyber-shot® Digital Camera.
See official contest rules for more details.
All active NAHB members, HBA staff and executive officers are eligible.
Watch for a New Look for Nation's Building News
Coming this March, Nation's Building News will have a new look.
The new NBN will have even more of the information you need — like the latest lumber prices, interest rates, industry news and information that will help your business — in an even easier-to-read format.
Voluntary Green Building Guidelines Aimed at Mainstream Housing
Voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines designed to move environmentally friendly home building concepts further into the mainstream … …[ MORE ]
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Housing Snapshot
Mortgage interest rates on 30- and 15-year fixed loans declined slightly last week, while the cost of adjustable financing remained virtually unchanged. "Financial markets see inflation as being well managed by the Fed, and that allows long-term interest rates to remain low, with mortgage rates even falling a little more this week," said Freddie Mac Chief Economist Frank Nothaft. "With housing starts in December near record levels and November's starts revised upward, the housing industry looks like it will remain vibrant in 2005." Signals on the health of the nation's general economy remained healthy last week. The Conference Board's Index of Leading Economic Indicators was up in December, and revised upward in November, ending a five-month downward streak that started last May. The Labor Department reported that the Producer Price Index was down 0.7% in December, with gasoline and other energy prices dropping by 4%. The inflation index registered 4.1% for all of 2004. And the Federal Reserve reported that manufacturing production was up 0.7% in December, bringing the increase for the year to 4.1%, the best showing since 2000. Prices on the lumber front were a mixed bag. The cost of framing lumber climbed from $377 per 1,000 board feet on Jan. 14 to $382 at the end of last week, compared to $344 a year earlier, according to Random Lengths. The momentum behind plywood and oriented strand board prices appeared to be moving in the opposite direction, with the panel composite price moving down from $408 to $396 per 1,000 square feet. It was $439 a year earlier. [ MORE ]
Mortgage Interest Rates
30-Year Fixed-Rate: 5.67%
15-Year Fixed-Rate: 5.15%
1-Year ARM: 4.11%
Housing Starts - Dec. 2004*
Total: 2.004 million
Single-Family Starts: 1.678 million
Multifamily Starts: 326,000
New Home Sales Nov. 2004*
1.125 million
Existing Home Sales Nov. 2004*
6.94 million
* Seasonally adjusted annual rate
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