Nation's Building News Online: June 13, 2005

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Housing Exodus to Far-Flung Areas to Continue

Home owners in the years ahead are far more likely to find themselves stuck in traffic on their long drives to and from work than mired in moribund housing markets where a price bubble has popped, according to the 2005 State of the Nation’s Housing Report released today by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

Housing demand is “on track” to support the production of 19-20 million homes over the next 10 years, the report says, and “the vast majority of these homes will be built in lower-density areas at the metropolitan fringe where cheaper land is in more ample supply.”

Tracking a trend that is as least a century old, Harvard researchers found a tripling in the number of the largest metro areas where more than half of households live 10 miles or more away from the central business district and three times the number of metros with more than a fifth of their households living 20 or more miles away from the urban center.

One-third of the households in Boston and Riverside, Calif. and nearly one-quarter of San Francisco’s households live 30 miles or more outside the center, the report says. About one in five of Boston’s and Riverside’s households live 40 miles or more out, as do about one in 10 households in New York; San Francisco; Portland, Ore.; Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas.

“The strong outward development push, coupled with Americans’ strong preference for driving to work alone, has resulted in much longer commute times,” the report says. “Between 1990 and 2000, the number of workers in the 49 largest metros commuting an hour or more increased by an astounding 2 million.” For the rest of the country, the number of workers commuting for that amount of time grew by 1.1 million.

And as the congestion grows on the nation’s highways, the share of commuters who are carpooling or relying on public transportation has been declining significantly, according to Harvard’s findings.

New Life for Cities and Inner Suburbs?

With jobs still concentrated in central business districts, “this trend could help to bring new life to cities and the inner suburbs even as development at the edges of metro regions remains intense,” the report says. This will also exert more upward pressure on land costs and increase the premium that workers have to pay to be able to live closer to employment centers.

Although the pace of infill development slowed in the 1990s when only 10 of the 93 largest metro areas saw an increase in the number of homes built within five miles of the central business district, 750,000 new units were built in the inner ring of those cities during that period, “much greater than one might think,” Harvard’s housing analysts report.

However, a significant amount of this infill development represents the replacement of older units rather than net additions to the housing stock.

Fanning Bubble Fears

On the rapid run-up in housing prices that has been fanning fears of house price bubbles, the Harvard housing analysts said that, “For now, house prices are likely to keep going up, with job and income growth offsetting any drag from the recent uptick in short-term interest rates and possible near-term increases in long-term rates.”

However, the researchers did sound a warning that a sharp rise in mortgage interest rates “could create a headwind strong enough to bring house price appreciation rates back to more sustainable levels.”

Not adjusted for inflation, house prices climbed 10.2% last year, the largest annual surge since 1979.

Noting that housing price appreciation over the last five years, when it has been strongest, has created a mismatch between house prices and income growth that “is alarmingly large and widespread,” taking a longer 10-year perspective, house price inflation has matched or lagged behind income growth in 125 of 153 metro sample areas, the study found.

The places at risk of a correction if price appreciation does not slow soon are four metros where house prices have increased at least twice as fast as incomes and 24 where they have outgunned incomes by 30%-99%.

“Whether the overheated markets are headed for a sharp correction is another question,” the report says. “The current economic recovery may give housing prices in these locations the room to cool down rather than crash. And some of the price gains may in fact be permanent. In many metros where prices have risen the fastest, natural or regulatory-driven supply constraints may make the higher prices stick.”

Natural or regulatory constraints on residential development are the most likely factors that have been driving up land and construction costs, the report says. “Indeed, inventories of homes for sale are very lean in areas experiencing the most outsized gains in prices. As a result, buyers are bidding up prices as they compete for the limited number of homes available.”

Housing sales would have to tumble by a third for at least a year to create anything resembling a buyer’s market, the report says. But researchers at Harvard are concerned over the rising share of homes that are being purchased by investors.

The current housing expansion has lasted for an unprecedented 13 years. “By comparison, the next-longest endurance record for starts not falling by at least 10% since 1975 is just five years,” the report says. “This is also the first housing cycle in postwar history where the sector did not lead the economy into recession.”

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Coastal Strike Likely This Hurricane Season

This year’s hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean started on June 1, and if forecasters are correct, home owners in Florida and other storm-prone states will likely once again find themselves in the path of devastation.

Based on current and projected climate data, meteorologist Bill Gray and his research team from Colorado State University say that there is a 77% chance of an intense hurricane hitting somewhere along the U.S. coastline this year, compared with a long-term average of 52%. To read the report, click here.

This season will spawn four hurricanes strengthening to sustained winds in excess of 110 miles per hour, and two of these are expected to hit the U.S. Fifteen tropical storms are expected in all, with eight growing to hurricane force.

Gray’s researchers say that there is a 59% chance of an intense hurricane making landfall along the Atlantic coast this year, compared with a long-term average of 31%.

For the Gulf of Mexico — from the Florida panhandle westward to Brownsville, Texas — the probability of a major hit is 44%, compared with a long-term average of 30%.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maintains a Web site to assist property owners and businesses located in hurricane-prone areas with preparing for a hurricane strike. To access this information, click here.

Hurricanes are the most expensive natural disaster occurring in the U.S. The average annual insured loss from 1950 to 2004 for hurricane damage was $3 billion in 2004 dollars.

Last year, the President issued 68 declarations of a major disaster for relief efforts, surpassing the previous year’s total by 12 and ranking second only to 1995, when 75 declarations were issued, according to FEMA. Twenty-seven of the declarations last year were for hurricane-related damage in 15 states.

FEMA figures also show that $4.85 billion of the more than $5.53 billion expended for disaster aid in 2004 was in the wake of hurricanes.

For more information, e-mail Ken Ford at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8228.

Toll Brothers Exec Says No Housing Bubble

Joel Rassman, the chief financial officer at Toll Brothers Inc., says that the imbalance of supply and demand favors more growth for home builders. “We’ve seen consistent growth in the price of homes and the profitability of the public home building companies,” Rassman said. “This isn’t surprising when you have a shortage in the market. If you have fewer houses than people who need them, then prices will rise until you get equilibrium. We have not yet seen that equilibrium, so house prices continue to rise.” He said that annual production is now about 1.8 million annually, compared to 2 million in the 1950s and 1960s and 1.8 million in the 1970s, even though the country has grown by 40 million families since the 1970s. Also, of the 1.8 million homes being produced, about 300,000-400,000 are second homes. There aren’t enough primary homes being built mostly as a result of regulation, he said. By putting into place anti-speculative language and clauses in their sales contracts in markets where home prices are being pushed higher by speculation, Rassman said that large home builders are turning away people who are simply looking to flip their homes in the short term for high profits. (www.realestatejournal.com)
RealEstateJournal (Wall Street Journal) (6/9/05); John Spence, Marketwatch

NAR Economist Remains Optimistic on Real Estate Market

David Lereah, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors®, told real estate agents in North New Jersey that there will continue to be “oomph” in real estate for the balance of this decade, even as annual home price appreciation nationally slows to an annual rate of about 4%. In the state’s Bergen and Passaic counties, prices of existing single-family homes rose 18% from the first quarter of 2004 to the first quarter of this year, to a median of $448,100. Prices have more than doubled since 1999. Lereah predicted that mortgage rates would rise to 6.5% next year, which would still be cheap by historic standards, and he added that beyond low interest rates, the spending power of baby boomers has been a significant demand factor as they spend plenty of money on McMansions and second homes. Second homes accounted for 36% of the existing homes sold last year, he said. In addition, Lereah said, buying a house has become a lot easier, thanks to new types of mortgages and technology that allows for faster loan approvals. “Property has become more liquid,” he said. “It’s no longer that awkward, large asset that people are afraid to purchase. It used to be like going to the dentist’s office.” (www.bergen.com)
Bergen Record (6/6/05); Beth Bresnahan

Weapons in the Bidding War

To separate themselves from the competition, bidders for homes in Washington, D.C.’s hot housing market are throwing in extras such as a case of wine, a two-week stay at a Cape Cod beach house, a seven-day cruise in the Bahamas and season tickets to the National Symphony Orchestra. But the area’s real estate agents say that money talks the loudest. When Nicole and Bryan Kustner bid for a house in Potomac, Md. this spring, they agreed to a contract clause that escalated their offer $140,000 above the $825,000 asking price; threw in a big downpayment and a large deposit; and wrote a very nice letter. “The thing that slam-dunked the Kustner’s offer,” according to their agent, Jason Volat, was an agreement to let the sellers stay in the house for two months for free. Cash incentives in successful contracts include generous escalator clauses, where the buyer promises to pay $2,000, $5,000 or whatever above any other offers. Broker David Ridley said that he has heard recently of “unlimited escalation addendums” where there is no ceiling and the bids keep going up until somebody cries uncle. Some buyers are offering six or seven months of free rent to sellers. (www.washingtonpost.com)
Washington Post (6/11/05); Sandra Fleishman

Speculation Grows That the Frothy Condo Market Is Nearing Its Peak

In direct response to the wave of new construction and condo conversions taking place in Southern Florida, one lender, Bank Atlantic, has decided that it will at least temporarily stop funding new condo construction in that area, according to Jack McCabe, CEO of McCabe Research and Consulting. Also, developers are beginning to include clauses in contracts that prevent condo buyers from flipping the units for resale before the projects are completely sold out. Between now and 2007, there are 10,000 new condo units scheduled for delivery in Palm Beach County, 13,000 in Broward County, 25,000 in Miami-Dade and another 60,000 have been announced or are in the early planning stages throughout the region. Condo prices have ranged from $300-$1,200 per square foot, he said. Paying 20%-35% premiums over and above what long-term rental operators can afford, condo converters are swallowing up existing apartment complexes, he said, and the craze is not just limited to Florida. Transwestern Commercial Services reports that of $2.07 billion worth of Class-A multifamily transactions in the Washington, D.C. metro area last year, 51% of the investors were condo converters. Archstone-Smith sold a 158-unit property in Alexandria, Va. last December for $29 million, or $272 per square foot. Condo sales began in May at an average retail price of $480 per square foot and generated a reservation list of more than 5,000 names. (www.nreionline.com)
National Real Estate Investor (6/11/05); Matt Valley

Waiting for the Bubble to Burst

Jack McCabe of McCabe Research and Consulting in Deefield Beach, Fla. is putting together pools of investor capital to acquire new and converted condominium units purchased by speculators when they lose their shirts trying to resell at ever-inflating prices. McCabe says that he now has commitments for $10 million from large and small investors who expect to be able to acquire units and entire projects at deflated prices in 2006 and 2007. McCabe’s limited-liability companies are grouping up to 25 investors and they have minimum share requirements of anywhere from $30,000-$50,000 at the low end to $1 million at the top. Acquisition strategies will include holding and managing properties for an extended period or shorter-term ownership followed by profitable resales when the market beings to recover. “We think there will be very attractive opportunities” beginning in the first quarter of 2006, he says. (www.washingtonpost.com)
Washington Post (6/4/05); Kenneth R. Harney

Don’t Lose a Sale by a Nose

House odors — a blend of your personal scent, your pets, the foods you prefer and the cleanliness of your possessions — can make a house harder to sell and significantly reduce the asking price. In an informal survey, the aroma of cooking, and particularly baking, topped the scents that are associated with home — particularly bread, chocolate chip cookies, brownies and apple pie. A roast in the oven was a turn-on for most. Fish is not on the list. Almost as popular as food aromas were fresh flowers, pine, oranges, lemons, grass, cedar and laundry dried outside on the line. With the exception of lemon furniture polish, the scents have to be natural. Dislikes included stale cigarette smoke; pet odors, particularly cat urine and wet dogs; dirty laundry; shoes; stale sweat; and bathroom odors. “Fresh and clean, clean and fresh. The vocabulary is very limited,” said Carol Berning, who researches scents for Procter & Gamble. According to Berning, real estate agents say that “when people go looking at a home…they want to think of themselves living there. So what they don’t want are odors that come from other people’s families — dogs, cats, babies…negatives. Like onions and sauerkraut…We call it scent soup.” (www.washingtonpost.com)
Washington Post (6/11/05); Stephanie Cavanaugh

Growth Blueprint Must Be Balanced for Housing

The blueprint for growth that Snohomish County, Wash. is putting forth to accommodate 300,000 new residents who are expected to move into the area in the next 25 years relies on infill housing to an “unrealistic” extent, according to Donna Shirey, of Shirey Contracting in Issaquah and the president of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. “The preferred alternative calls for only a modest expansion of the urban-growth area, adding a mere three square miles,” Shirey writes. “Currently, less than one-tenth of Snohomish County is designated as an urban-growth area. In other words, the preferred alternative envisions accommodating a 50% increase in our population by expanding the urban-growth area by less than one half of one percent of the county’s total land area. What is more, two-thirds of this land would be designated for commercial and industrial uses, not housing. Such a modest increase in new land available for housing would drive up home prices and require a significant number of new homes to be built in or adjacent to existing neighborhoods.” (www.seattletimes.com)
Seattle Times (6/8/05); Donna Shirey

Interest-Only Mortgages Raise the Stakes in Real Estate

UCLA economics professor Edward Leamer warns that when California’s housing market adjusts, “it’s going to be painful” for borrowers who have been financing their purchases with interest only loans. “Borrowers are getting in over their heads, and lenders are too,” he said. With some of the nation’s highest housing prices, California has become ground zero for interest-only loans. In the San Francisco Bay area, more than half of all home buyers have used this financing since the end of 2003, according to LoanPerformance. But with home prices surging, the loans have been a boon for home buyers so far. For instance, anyone who bought a $475,900 median-priced existing single-family home in San Francisco in 2001 and has seen its value climb 45% since then could be sitting on a $213,300 gain in home equity. Chris Economou was able to buy a one-bedroom condominium in San Francisco for $435,000 a year ago, thanks to an interest only loan that saves him about $1,000 a month in payments over a conventional, 30-year loan. The value of the property has increased by $80,000 since he made his purchase. (www.sfgate.com)
San Francisco Chronicle (6/7/05); Michael Liedtke, Associated Press

30-Year Loan Rates Defy Expectations, Hit 14-Month Low

Defying expectations, mortgage interest rates last week continued the downward trend that has persisted since the end of March, with 30-year, fixed-rate loans averaging 5.56%, their lowest level in Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey in 14 months.

As a result of persistently low mortgage rates, consensus forecasts of some slowing down in housing activity this year appear to have been confounded again, just as they have been for the past couple of years.

NAHB economists are now calling for 1.216 million single-family home sales in 2005, 1.4% higher than last year’s. They are also now expecting the cost of a 30-year home mortgage to be only marginally higher this year, averaging 5.9% compared to 5.8% in 2004.

Frank Nothaft, chief economist for Freddie Mac, attributed last week’s decline in mortgage rates to the government’s report of weaker-than-expected job growth in May.

“The May employment report came in at less than half of what was expected last month, which pushed bond yields — and mortgage rates — down further,” Nothaft said. “Consequently, markets are now speculating whether the Fed will continue raising rates at the same pace that it has been, or will it begin to moderate the frequency of its actions."

Nothaft said that he has lowered his forecast of where he expects 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages to be at the end of the year to somewhere between 5.9% and 6.2%.

Federal Reserve Board Policy has had little apparent impact on long-term interest rates despite a two-percentage-point increase in the federal funds rate, and Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan is among those who have been scratching their head trying to understand why.

In congressional testimony on June 9 before the Joint Economic Committee, Greenspan called the “pronounced” decline in long-term Treasury rates “among the biggest surprises of the past year.”

Greenspan noted that “pressures” emerged in the financial marketplace last summer and this March to drive down rising long-term interest rates. “There remains considerable conjecture among analysts as to the nature of those market forces.”

With the Fed continuing to push up interest rates, most housing analysts agree that over the balance of the current economic expansion mortgage rates are more likely to  reverse to an upward direction than to continue heading down.

Anticipate the Trends, Make Better Decisions, Improve Your Bottom Line — With ‘HousingEconomics Online’

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Rural Construction-to-Permanent Loans Announced

NAHB Immediate Past President Bobby Rayburn joined U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Mike Johanns and officials from Chase Home Finance on June 6 for the announcement of a construction-to-permanent pilot for the Section 502 Guaranteed Rural Housing single-family loan program.

Aimed at increasing the availability of credit to provide more rural families the opportunity to own a home, the program will first be tested on a limited basis in California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. It is expected to be operational within the next 60 days.

Construction-to-permanent loans offer some important advantages for home buyers and home builders alike. For instance, they enable buyers to lock in the terms of the permanent loan up-front, before their house is built.

“USDA and its partners in home construction and finance have responded to President Bush’s recent challenge to add 7 million new affordable homes to the market in the next 10 years,” said Johanns. “Through innovative partnerships, like the one announced today, more rural families will be better able to meet their housing needs and achieve the American Dream of homeownership.”

Johanns also recognized Chase and NAHB as outstanding partners of USDA Rural Development in meeting the critical housing needs of rural America.

“By creating this construction-to-permanent loan program, the Rural Housing Service will be offering cutting-edge financing to home buyers who — in many cases — would not otherwise be able to purchase a new home,” said Rayburn. “In addition, home builders benefit because they will know from the start of construction that their customer is qualified for the permanent loan and is very committed to the home purchase. The construction-to-permanent loan also eliminates the need for the home builder to get a construction loan from their lender.’

Loan guarantees from the USDA will make it possible for Chase to offer construction loans financing 100% of the cost of building a new home — including the lot, construction costs, closing costs and interest payments while the house is being built. Upon completion, the loan will convert to a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan.

For more information, e-mail Bill Renner, NAHB’s director of single-family finance, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8597.

A Story-Pole Approach to Shingling a Roof

[Click for larger image]

Although roofing isn’t one of my favorite tasks, I do appreciate a straight, well-installed job.

But my eyes aren’t what they used to be. These days, I find it harder and harder to see pencil marks made on the dark tarpaper needed to set my alignment chalk lines.

So, to make it easier for me to see the marks for the chalk lines, I put them on drywall tape.

As shown in the illustration, I make marks on the drywall tape indicating the top edges of shingle courses.

• I put them at 40-inch intervals for shingles with 5-inch exposure so that I can check the installation every eight courses. In the example shown, the 11-1⁄2-inch mark allows for the starter and first course of 12-inch wide shingles to extend 1⁄2 inch past the metal drip edge.
  
  
• The subsequent marks on the tape refer to the exposure of the shingles plus the 12-inch width of the overlapping shingles. For example, the top of the second shingle course is 17 inches (5 inches + 12 inches) up from the bottom of the first shingle. For any given course above, the top of the shingle is 12 inches higher: 17 inches, 22 inches, 27 inches, 32 inches, 37 inches and so forth.
  
  
• I unroll strips of tape on the ground and mark them there all at the same time. That step makes it easier to be accurate and lets me avoid the step of pulling a tape on a shingle to get a reference point. A fold at the end of each piece of tape hooks onto the metal drip edge.
  
  
• I staple these tape strips atop the tarpaper at 12-foot to 15-foot intervals.
  
  

Then I snap chalk lines without having to hunt around for a hard-to-see pencil mark or snaking my tape down to the drip edge, hoping it won’t pull off as I get to the top of the roof.

― Bob Bulick

Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2005 The Taunton Press

To request a reprint of this feature, e-mail Mary Lou von der Lancken at Fine Homebuilding.

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Active Adults Seek Diverse Lifestyle Options

Much has been written about the active adult market, but if you think that a one-size-fits-all approach will work when designing and building homes for this demographic, you might be surprised.

Active adults are as diverse now as the general population as a whole. New opportunities are available to the builder who thinks about the market niche versus monolithic demographics.

For the purposes of this article, I’m dividing active adults into seven lifestyles that we will look at individually. These include active adults who choose:

1.  To Stay in the Family Home
2.  An Urban Lifestyle
3.  Active Adult Developments
4.  Suburban City Centers
5.  The Evolving Suburban Model
6.  Sustainable Developments
7.  Dignified Affordable Housing

Stay in the Family Home

Many active adults feel strongly about remaining in their current home for many reasons, including strong emotional attachments or as a symbol of their accomplishments. A remodel may serve these home owners better than a move to a new home.

Urban Lifestyle

Some active adults enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city, and many cities are now offering a wide variety of home styles to satisfy these needs. Whether these active adults have always lived in an urban setting or are looking for something new, urban lofts are a new meeting ground for this group.

Active Adult Developments

A more traditional approach to serving active adult needs, age-restricted communities meet the needs of people who are looking for socializing, security and flexibility. Not just for the Sunbelt anymore, age-restricted communities are being developed in the outskirts of many cities in the North, Midwest and elsewhere to attract active adults who are attracted to that lifestyle and want to stay close to their families and friends.

Suburban City Centers

Many suburbs are recreating a city center approach that incorporates pedestrian-friendly shopping, entertainment and residences. These areas are providing active adults with city center-like amenities and less maintenance in an area closer to their former homes — an attractive option for many.

The Evolving Suburban Model

Urban ideas are moving to the suburbs and often the buyers of these high-density, transportation-oriented developments are active adults who enjoy the mixture of urban benefits in an area that they have always called home.

One example of this is Lincoln Square Lofts in Denver. Not just for active adults, the two 70-unit podium buildings are within walking distance of a new light rail stop that heads straight downtown. In addition to active adults, buyers include young professionals and empty nesters, which proves that some of our active adults have more in common with younger buyers than their contemporaries.

Lincoln Lofts in Denver attracts active adult who have more in common with younger buyers.

Sustainable Developments

Activists of the '60s are quickly becoming today’s active adults. While the elements that make up a sustainable development may be debatable, a segment of the active adult market will be interested in environmentally-friendly new homes that give them the benefits of accessibility and still allow them to be true to their convictions.

Dignified Affordable Housing

Some of our older consumers are going to be cost-conscious and focused on the best value for their money. As designers and builders, we are in a position, through creative solutions, to offer these active adults good choices at reasonable prices. Bayberry Village in Wadsworth, Ohio offers small homes in a lifetime lease situation on a continuing care campus. It has created an affordable option for active adults looking for a long-term housing solution.

Bayberry Village is an affordable and attractive option for active adults.

Many other categories of active adults could be defined, but all of the lifestyles I’ve outlined above offer opportunities for the builder community. If you take a close look, active adults begin to look a lot like the rest of the home buyer community with a few special requests added in. Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all approach.

As you start developing your next active adult community, explore the active adult lifestyle niche you can best serve and be open to a creative solution for a new market opportunity through diversity.

Doug Van Lerberghe is the senior project manager for the Denver-based KEPHART architecture and design firm and has designed master planned communities, high density in-fill concepts and a wide range of multifamily for sale projects in the Southeast, Midwest and West. He is vice chair of the Seniors Housing Awards Design Committee and an active member of the Seniors Housing Council. For more information, visit the KEPHART Web site, e-mail Van Lerberghe or call him at 303-832-4474.

Find Out What the 55+ Market Wants

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Continuing Education Sharpens Your Competitive Edge

I recently proposed having mandatory continuing education requirements for our local home builders association. Our state currently does not require it and I was not sure how well my proposal would be received locally.

To test the waters, last year I briefly mentioned making education mandatory to some people and they told me it would be very difficult to pass.

Our HBA is fairly large ― 700 members— and, just like many other organizations, there is politics involved in one way or another. So, rather than just throwing continuing education on the membership via the board when I was ready to formally propose the concept to my association, I began by first talking to various committees and members. By introducing it this way, I gradually started getting a great deal of positive response.

In fact, I received only four or five negative comments about the proposal. In April, it came before our board of directors for a vote and passed. We will be starting our program in 2006.

If your state does not require continuing education, you should probably follow my path and get your local HBA to start a similar program.

Now, I know that those of you reading this article, and those of you who read Nation’s Building News regularly, are probably not the ones in need of more education. You go the extra step to stay informed and know first hand the benefits of continuing education.

But too many other people and companies do not realize how beneficial education is. Right now, there are many people out there who don’t understand the basics of their finances, marketing, estimating or even sales.

That’s why mandatory requirements make sense. They force people to take classes. Once they start taking classes, they’ll begin to see the benefits.

Mandatory continuing education also is an excellent way to start raising the bar of professionalism in our industry.

Take the lead in your organization, but be careful how you first present it. Start slowly, realize there may be some resistance ― but stress the benefits. Don’t let negativity win. Continuing education will raise our industry’s image and help improve those who work in it.

You may believe to the contrary, but I don’t see continuing education as a way of weakening my competitive advantage. No, I see it as a way for other people to rise to our company’s level ― and I have no trouble competing effectively on a level playing field.

Imagine competing with people who are not out there low-balling prices, people who actually understand how and what it takes to run a business, and you will understand what I mean.

That’s something I can easily imagine, and I hope our continuing education makes it happen.

Erik Anderson, CGB, GMB, CAPS, is vice president of Anderson-Moore Builders, Inc. in Winston-Salem, N.C. He also currently serves as vice president of the Home Builders Association of Winston-Salem. For more information, contact Anderson via e-mail.

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The NAHB University of Housing offers CAPS, CGR, CGB and a variety of other professional designation programs and business management courses that set builders and remodelers apart from the competition. To learn more about NAHB’s designation programs, visit www.nahb.org/designations. For a complete list of all current education offerings, click here.

White House Conference to Look at Aging in Place

Sponsored by NAHB, last week’s Partnerships for Aging in Place conference held by the National Home Modification Action Coalition (NHMAC) considered recommendations that will come before the White House Conference on Aging in December and pointed to rising demand for aging-in-place remodeling and universal design in new building projects.

Held once every decade to consider all aspects of aging, this year’s White House Conference will take a look at maximizing aging-in-place opportunities for the nation’s 78 million baby boomers.

In 2001, NAHB and AARP created the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation to begin addressing this issue.

A variety of organizations such as NHMAC have been working to build community infrastructure to facilitate aging in place. NHMAC was created specifically to increase home modifications and accessible housing for independent living, including consideration of transportation, long-term health care and building codes.

Universal design has advanced far beyond its institutional beginnings, to the point that many home owners don’t even recognize adaptable features, Andy Kochera, a senior policy analyst at AARP, told the conference on aging in place. He said that his association estimates that upwards of 90% of the nation’s baby boomers want to age in place.

For more information, e-mail Jim Lapides at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 X8451.

Young and Minority Households Forces to Watch

Make room, baby boomers. Two other emerging groups of new home buyers are beginning to make their presence felt: the multicultural market, comprised of minorities and recent immigrants; and Gen Nests, the Gen X and Gen Y home buyers aged 25-39.

Information on the importance of these two markets and how to sell to them was presented at PCBC in San Francisco earlier this month.  

According to Laguna Beach, Calif.-based research and consulting firm Weston Edwards & Associates, the multicultural market accounts for 42% of the total increase in homeownership and 50% of new home purchases. In addition, the research firm indicated that two of the country’s top 10 builders claim to be selling half their homes to this market.

The younger generations of Gen Nest home buyers are having as large an impact on the economy and home building as the multicultural market, according to Grace Hawthorne, publisher and CEO of ReadyMade magazine, which targets the lifestyle trends of the under 39-year-old market. Hawthorne said this market represents about 46% of the U.S. population ― almost 120 million people. And they spend nearly $300 billion annually.

“Gen Nests are buying their homes sooner,” said Hawthorne. “In the U.S., 40% of all 25-29-year-olds and 57% of all 30-34-year-olds own their own homes,” she added.

Diverse Opportunities in the Multicultural Market

The multicultural market includes blacks, Hispanics and Asian Americans, according to Jack Haynes, executive vice president of the National Home Builder Division of Countrywide Home Loans.

Currently, this market represents slightly more than 30% of the total U.S. population — about 89 million people — and by 2008 it is projected to grow by 10% to 107 million people, compared to growth of less than 2% for the traditional home buying market, Haynes said.

“In recent years, minorities have represented between 30% and 40% of first-time home buyers,” Hayes said. In the coming years, he added, more than half the first-time buyers will be from minority or immigrant groups.

In addition to having a large share of first-time buyers, the multicultural groups are also the dominant buyers of new homes, as a percentage of their populations, Haynes said. Between 40% and 50% of home purchases by the various multicultural groups are for new homes. In contrast, less than 25% of home purchases by whites are for new homes.

Factors Behind Home Buying Decisions

Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing of the subgroups. According to Andrea Wade, of Countrywide’s multicultural marketing department, contrary to the “male-dominated” stereotype, “females, extended family and trusted friends often play a role in the buying decision.”

She also said that Hispanics tend to put their trust in bilingual real estate agents, typically referred to them by a friend or family member.

Blacks, in general, want to work with someone who understands their experience as African Americans, Wade said. She added that they have a high degree of skepticism of banks, lenders and “special” loan programs and are not confident that they can go through the home buying process without experiencing discrimination.  

“They are interested in working with professionals who are knowledgeable and who they can trust,” Wade said.

Within the multicultural market, Wade said the Asian market is the most culturally diverse ― in values and language — and this creates a wide variation in how they buy homes.

For example, she said many Chinese-Americans lack a formal credit history, primarily because of their cultural aversion to debt, and frequently distrust U.S. financial institutions. In addition, many prefer doing business with other Chinese in their native tongue, even if they are fluent in English.

Korean-Americans also distrust American financial institutions, Wade said, noting that they often have difficulty documenting their income, primarily because of the cash nature of the Korean culture and because they are prolific small business owners.

Homeownership is a critical investment for Vietnamese-Americans, Wade said. Like their Chinese-American counterparts, they prefer speaking in Vietnamese and having Vietnamese-language materials, even if they are comfortable with English.

Filipino-Americans generally view homeownership as an important indicator of social status and economic success, Wade said. They, too, prefer to work with other Filipinos.

Tips for Reaching the Multicultural Market

Wade said companies that want to sell to the multicultural market should:

• Commit to having a bilingual and multicultural staff and to conduct staff training that reflects cultural understanding.
• Rethink their messages and how communities are branded. For example, suburban communities that are named, gated or built around a single amenity such as a golf course are more apt to imply exclusivity to immigrants.

To support home buying and homeownership to these groups, Wade recommended that home builders:

• Develop strong relationships with lenders, real estate professionals, trade associations and community-based organizations that serve particular subgroups.
• Provide access to financial counseling and planning.
• Offer support during and after the transaction. “The ultimate goal is for your staff to become the buyer’s ‘trusted advisor,'” Wade said.

Gen Nest: Debt Is a Good Thing

Hawthorne said Gen Nesters are “more willing to take on debt” than previous generations and often have help from their parents to make a downpayment. “Young people want to spend more time at home and with family and friends. They are smart, motivated consumers and they buy higher-ticket items than previous generations,” she said.

Style Matters

When making purchasing decisions, style matters most, Hawthorne said, followed by quality, value and price.

Shoshanna Berger, ReadyMade magazine's editor-in-chief, said Gen Nesters tend to buy fixer-uppers and live in more “marginal” communities. “They can’t afford the kinds of homes they grew up in,” she said.

They prefer homes with high ceilings and open spaces that appear to have more space than they really have, Berger said.

Fiscally Savvy

Gen Nesters are fiscally savvy, Berger said, adding that 50% of people under 25 have already established retirement funds. They are also buying homes sooner than their parents or other previous generations did.

“The ability to buy homes earlier is due to their higher proportion of two-income households and their access to a jump-start from their well-heeled parents and wealth transfers as their parents retire,” Hawthorne said.

Nearly two million Gen Xers earn between $75,000 and $99,000. Their younger Gen Y counterparts account for $187 billion in consumer spending annually.

While baby boomers are currently downsizing, Gen Nesters are upgrading. They are more willing to put “sweat equity” into their fixer-uppers, live in those homes five years or more and then move up into larger homes.

According to American Demographics, 13% of Gen X non-home owners today say they plan to buy or build a new home, compared to 6% in 2000.  

Leery of the Hard Sell

The way to sell to Gen Nesters, Berger said, is to build trust with them. “They are really leery of the hard sell. They want to believe they are doing everything themselves. So allow them to have ownership over the process.”

“They trust smaller, rather than larger,” Berger continued. “They hearken back to their grandparents’ generation when things were done more on a one-to-one basis.”

Hawthorne added that they appreciate the ability to have choices. “They like options and the ability to customize. ‘Customize’ is an important word to this generation of buyers,” she said.

Learn How to Market to Gen-Xers

Education Calendar

June 26-28	Concrete Technologies Tour	Kansas City, Mo.
Aug. 9-13	2005 EOC Seminar	Big Sky, Mont.
Sept. 4-6	Certified New Home Sales Professional (CSP)	Reno, Nev.
Sept. 14-16	House Construction as a Selling Tool	Youngstown, Ohio
Nov. 11-13	3rd International Conference of the Americas	Mexico City
Nov. 6-9	2005 Building Systems Councils SHOWCASE	New Orleans, La.
Nov. 11-13	Custom Builder Symposium	New Orleans, La.
Nov. 13-14	National Conference on Membership	Spokane, Wash.
Nov. 17-19	2005 State and Local Government Affairs Conference	Phoenix, Ariz.
2006
Jan. 11-14	International Builders' Show	Orlando, Fla.
March 12-14	National Green Building Conference	Albuquerque, N.M.

Learn More About The NAHB University of Housing

Whether you’re new to the industry, hope to make your next career move or want to improve your company’s bottom line, The NAHB University of Housing can assist you in your education pursuits.

Visit www.nahb.org/education for a comprehensive listing of courses throughout the country. Be sure to visit often in order to view the most up-to-date information in your area.

Subscribe Your Employees to Nation’s Building News — and Earn a Chance to Win Digital Camera

Subscribe your employees to Nation’s Building News Online. It’s free, easy and NAHB members who sign up three or more employees will be entered into the "Make Your Business Click" contest to win a digital camera. To learn more or sign up your employees, click here.

Make Your Connection With www.nahb.org

Make your connection to the latest housing industry news and information with www.nahb.org — the official public and members-only Web site of NAHB. 

Log in today to register for educational seminars, meetings and networking events; find important economic and housing data; and learn the latest developments in NAHB’s efforts to promote housing. It’s all available 24 hours a day at www.nahb.org. Just click the "Log In" button to get started.

Once you log in, personalize the site to reflect your interests. Simply go to the My NAHB>My Profile page and click the “Edit Content Preferences” link. To learn more about how you can customize My NAHB — including how to customize the links that appear on the Home page ― visit the How to Use www.nahb.org section.

Florida Test Homes Built to Withstand Wind and Rain

Two prototype homes incorporating technologies and practices that can make houses safer in Florida and other hurricane-prone areas were unveiled last week by HUD’s Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing and Mercedes Homes in Rockledge, Fla.

PATH and its partners in this project — the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the University of Florida and the Florida Energy Extension Service — started working with Mercedes even before last year’s devastating hurricane season on a model home with concrete construction, tie-downs, steel reinforcement, secondary roof coverings, window shutters and other features designed to minimize wind damage.

PATH and Mercedes also developed strategies to keep wind-driven moisture from entering the homes after significant damage in last year’s storms was found from water breaching roofs, walls, doors and windows.

Outward swinging front doors, design modifications to keep water out of eaves and concrete coatings that prevent water absorption are a few of the innovations in the test homes that will be monitored by the University of Florida. Data from the study will be incorporated into engineering coursework.

PATH is working with Mercedes Homes to conduct a cost-analysis of the new technologies and to develop strategies to use the practices in future projects.

For more information on the Mercedes Homes prototypes and other PATH demonstration sites, click here.

Tips From PATH Increase Housing Affordability

In observation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's celebration of National Homeownership Month this June, PATH (Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology) is providing home builders and buyers with a list of products and approaches that can reduce construction and operating costs.

Included on the list are:

• Frost Protected Shallow Foundations (FPSF). Pioneered in Scandinavia and ideal for homes in northern climates with deep frost lines, FPSFs use insulation below the foundation to limit its depth, significantly reducing material and excavation costs. The foundations have enabled Bill Eich Construction, of Spirit Lake, Iowa, to save more than $4,000 on a typical slab-on-grade home versus the conventional crawlspace.
  
  
• Optimized HVAC. Heating, ventilation and conditioning units that are too large for the houses in which they are installed increase initial costs and operating costs because of their inefficient performance. By performing a Manual J and Manual D load calculation rather than relying upon an inaccurate rule of thumb, a builder can determine the proper sizing of the equipment and ductwork. The installation of ducts in conditioned space will further boost energy efficiency and performance.
  
  
• Insulation. Increasing insulation and applying a premium air sealing package will reduce energy bills and allow for even smaller HVAC equipment while still keeping the home comfortable in all seasons.
  
  
• Advanced Framing Techniques. Numerous techniques, known as optimum value engineering, can reduce the amount of lumber and labor and provide more space for insulation.
  
  
• Open Floor Plans. These designs save on framing costs by reducing the partition walls. Although open floor plans can require longer spans, they usually result in significant savings in small or narrow homes. Because of the increased light in the rooms, fewer windows and light fixtures are needed, which also cuts costs.
  
  
• Manufactured/Modular Housing. Indistinguishable from stick-built homes, manufactured and factory-built homes are about half the cost of conventional homes and are 25% more energy-efficient on average. Building a home in a controlled environment allows for better labor management, reduces waste and prevents lumber from getting wet. Moisture makes wood more susceptible to mold and degrades its quality.
  
  
• Operating Costs. Home buyers also need to consider a home’s operating costs and the durability of its equipment. Builders can choose products that will help minimize home owners’ mortgage, utility, maintenance and insurance costs.

PATH reports that as a rule of thumb, a 20% reduction in price doubles the number of prospective buyers who can afford the home.

Additional sources of information:

• A Builder’s Gude to Marketable, Affordable and Durable Entry-Level Homes (MADE) to Last
• PATH Tools for Affordability

Hot Spot Training Improves Construction Quality

Builders who are focused on delivering high-quality homes that are consistent with the sales contract and are built right the first time are increasingly using hot spot training to implement specific improvements to the practices of trade contractors in the field, according to the NAHB Research Center.

Inspections of new construction work by builders, trade foremen, architects, engineers, building officials and even home owners can help identify shortcomings in the construction process and, subsequently, reduce the punchlist of the next home that is built and inspected.

The builder’s role, the Research Center says, is to provide suggestions that the trade contractor can implement to increase the quality of the construction and also provide resources for training employees to maximize improvements in the quality of their customers’ new homes.

Because production and site efficiency is important to subcontractors and no company has the time or resources to stop work and “train” its field crews, the training must be seamlessly integrated into the normal production activities. The work practices must then be evaluated and reinforced until the improvements become a standard procedure for workers.

Following are questions that the Research Center says can initiate the hot spot training process:

• Are problems arising in the field as a result of incorrect plans or details used by the contractor? The builder can ensure that these are correct and in the hands of the people doing the work.
  
  
• Are problems arising in the field due to inadequate attention to a manufacturer’s installation instructions? In such cases, the builder can obtain the instructions and give them to the trade contractor.
  
  
• Are problems resulting from the contractor using outdated building codes or industry standards? If so, the builder can help the contractor meet the job requirements.
  
  
• Are problems arising from the trade contractor not being comfortable with a new product or material that the builder has specified? The builder may be able to have representatives of the manufacturer visit the site to help train crews.

For more complete information from the Research Center on the importance of hot spot training in quality management, click here.

Kit Provides Joist and Beam Hanger Training

Simpson Strong-Tie's new training materials on properly installing joist and beam hangers recently received National Housing Quality (NHQ) certification from the NAHB Research Center.

Introduced at PCBC in San Francisco earlier this month, Simpson’s “Introduction to Joist and Beam Hangers” identifies the differences between typical face mount and top flange hanger installations and is designed to improve installation practices and reduce common callbacks on job sites.

The kit — the second that the manufacturer has developed for builders and trade contractors — contains an instruction video and guides for instructors and students, all provided in both English and Spanish and accessible via a CD-Rom.

“The Research Center’s NHQ Program is bringing together builders and contractors nationwide, and focusing the industry on doing things right the first time to increase customer satisfaction,” says Frank Alexander, NHQ program director at the Research Center. “Simpson’s latest certification is a great example of the integral role manufacturers play in raising the bar and improving the construction process.”

Simpson was the first building products manufacturer to sponsor the NHQ program and earn NHQ certification for its training materials. It released its first training kit on connector and fastener installation last year.

For more information about the NHQ Certified Training Materials program and to order a copy of Simpson’s certified training kit on joist and beam hangers, click here.

Builders Help Defeat Consensus Ergonomics Standard

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A10 committee in April reversed its approval of a consensus standard on ergonomics in construction that would require employers to assess the ergonomic risks of work site tasks, identify and implement solutions for those presenting significant risk and evaluate the outcome.

NAHB was one of 23 committee members rejecting the standard, which would have required affirmative votes by at least two-thirds of the committee members voting in order to pass.

Among objections voiced to the so-called “voluntary” standard:

• The standard would impose new costs on contractors, while its benefits would be uncertain. 
• It would expose companies to lawsuits and possible OSHA citations under the general duty clause.
• Sprain and strain injuries can be difficult to substantiate and can be faked by employees to get time off with compensation
• There is a lack of consensus among the medical and scientific communities as to the causes of, and remedies for, "ergonomic" injuries.

The ANSI A10 ergonomics subcommittee will meet again in July to consider if there are any changes to the proposed standard that might gain the three votes that are needed for its passage.

If changes are made, the full committee could vote on the measure again in August or September.

For more information, e-mail Rob Matuga at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8507.

June Is Safety Month: Make Safety a Priority on Your Job Sites!

Delays in construction due to poor safety procedures will cost you money. To protect your job site against OSHA violations, go to www.builderbooks.com/Safety. BuilderBooks.com has the resources you need to create a safety program that protects your workers — and your profits. Bulk prices are available. To view these publications online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

Safety Seminar Helps Builders Avoid Hefty Fines

How much do you think only one serious OSHA violation could cost you — $500, $2,500 or $5,000?

A new four-hour seminar sponsored by NAHB and the NAHB Research Center can provide the answer and is also an excellent opportunity for employers and trade contractors to learn how to recognize and avoid the largest job hazards found on residential construction sites.

Developed through a training grant funded by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “How to Develop and Implement a Home Builder Safety and Health Management Program” focuses primarily on the development and effective implementation of a company safety and health program.

The free seminar is geared to giving home builders and trade contractors the tools they need to provide the best possible training for their workforce and to help their company reduce costly job site accidents and improve their bottom line.

Each participant will receive a student manual and CD-Rom that includes a how-to guide that can be easily customized and adapted to meet the safety needs of individual businesses. To see seminar materials that are available online, click here.

Upcoming seminars will be held:

• July 15 by the Florida Home Builders Association at the Southeast Building Conference in Orlando, Fla.
  
  
• July 20 by the Fredericksburg Area Builders Association in Fredericksburg, Va.
  
  
• July 21 by the Home Builders Association of Greenville in Greenville, S.C.
  
  
• July 27 by the Wichita Area Builders Association in Wichita, Kan.
  
  
• In September by the Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association (exact date and location to be announced)
  
  
• Sept. 14 by the Home Builders Association of Lincoln in Lincoln, Neb.
  
  
• Sept. 22 by the Home Builders Association of Maryland in Baltimore

Individuals interested in participating in the seminar or home builders associations interested in sponsoring a seminar in their area can click here for brochure information, or e-mail Heather Rancourt at the Research Center, or call her at 800-638-8556 x6197.

For further information on the seminar or construction safety issues, e-mail George Middleton at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8590.

The answer to the question above is $5,000 — for each serious violation. During a compliance inspection, a builder can be cited several times for different violations, depending upon their nature and extent, and those numbers can add up quickly.

June Is Safety Month: Make Safety a Priority on Your Job Sites!

Delays in construction due to poor safety procedures will cost you money. To protect your job site against OSHA violations, go to www.builderbooks.com/Safety. BuilderBooks.com has the resources you need to create a safety program that protects your workers — and your profits. Bulk prices are available. To view these publications online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

Enter the Best in American Living Awards Competition

Entries are being accepted for the 2005 Best in American Living Awards (BALA), the foremost residential design competition in the country.

The competition includes 41 categories — from single-family attached and detached in a variety of sizes to rental developments, custom homes, best community and one-of-a-kind spec homes.

The competition also includes best affordable housing, smart growth, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary’s Award for Excellence and 14 interior design categories including best kitchen, bath, specialty room, detail and more.

Homes completed or for which the first model opened between May 1, 2004, and July 15, 2005, are eligible for this year’s competition.

The Secretary's Award for Excellence program recognizes design excellence produced through cooperative public/private efforts that expand homeownership opportunities for underserved American families. For more information about the award, click here.

Entry Dates:

• Entry forms and fees due: July 1
• Entry notebooks due: July 15

Several categories in the competition are limited to homes built for sale. Check the BALA/Housing Zone Web pages for details.

Co-sponsored by Professional Builder magazine and NAHB, the BALA design competition is open to builders, architects, designers, developers, land planners and interior designers.

Winners will be announced at the 2006 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 11-14. Winning entries will also be posted on the Professional Builder Web site, HousingZone.com, for up to one year after the announcement.

For additional information and to download a BALA entry form, click here, or contact Colleen McNamara, Professional Builder, at 630-288-8181 or Michelle Persinger Matuga, NAHB, at 800-368-5242 x8343.

Oregon Voters Approve Landowner Compensation

Passed by the voters last November, Oregon’s new Measure 37 stipulates that property owners who see the value of their land decline as the result of land use regulations should receive compensation equal to the fair market value of the loss.

If the local government fails to provide compensation, the new law allows the owner to receive a waiver from the land use regulation and pursue the uses that were permitted at the time the property was acquired.

Since the ballot proposition was passed, approximately 800 claims seeking compensation or a waiver from a land use regulation have been filed with state and local governments. 

In a state that has relied on downzoning, urban growth boundaries and other restrictions to limit development of open space and farms, the measure is expected to precipitate many claims from rural property owners who have seen government regulations undermine the value of their land.

Property owners who take advantage of the law are more likely to receive waivers than actual compensation from Oregon’s financially strapped localities.

There are also complexities in the new law that have not been fully tested. “It’s unclear whether any uses allowed by waiver of regulations are transferable, because the measure refers to the owner of a property in the present tense,” said Jon Chandler, executive officer of the Oregon Home Builders Association.

Also, under Oregon law, the term “use,” as in “use” of property, may not include the right to subdivide or partition — but simply to build. 

The measure also fails to establish a process for making claims, allowing local governments to develop their own. “Some counties, who weren’t all that fond of the land use system to begin with, have adopted ‘come-on-down’ procedures and have been waiving everything they can get their hands on,” said Chandler. “Other cities and counties have required claimants to do backflips and eat a bug before their claim will be processed.”

A new bill, which attempts to revise Measure 37 and make it more workable, has been introduced in the Oregon Legislature.

Among other things, Senate Bill 1037 would create a standardized process for claims at both the state and local levels. The bill would create special rules for land within, and immediately adjacent to, urban growth boundaries and it would create a compensation fund to handle those claims where the state or local government doesn’t want to allow a waiver. “This is a bit tricky, because it will likely require a new tax of some flavor and that’s not going to be fun at all,” said Chandler.

Chandler said that he is “guardedly optimistic” about the fate of Measure 37. And if in the end it doesn’t look exactly like what was approved at the ballot box, it will come close to providing what voters said they wanted — a system that’s more equitable in how it balances property rights with the need for long-range planning.

For more information, contact the Oregon Home Builders Association at 503-378-9066; or e-mail Sam Leyvas at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8584.

Anti-Builder Amendments Defeated in Frisco, Texas

Builders in Frisco, Texas, a bustling suburb of Dallas, have faced down and defeated two proposed charter amendments on a May 7 ballot that would have brought home building to an abrupt halt.

The first amendment would have required all home builders in Frisco, before receiving a building permit, to post a $250,000 surety bond for one home, and up to $2 million for multiple houses, to cover any housing-related defects. The restrictive bond would have been the first of its kind in the nation.

The second amendment would have required builders to file disclosure forms with Frisco, a step that undoubtedly would have created a new layer of bureaucracy, and would have given the city the authority to issue stop-building permits to builders who failed to comply.

The HBA of Greater Dallas joined with various political leaders and business groups to counter the charter changes through a coalition named “Citizens United For Frisco’s Future,” or CUFFF. NAHB’s State & Local Political Operations team providing consulting services.

Enlisting the aid of a former city council member and two former mayors, the coalition waged a 45-day media campaign to educate voters. Because Texas allows voters to cast their ballots two weeks early at convenient locations like libraries and recreation centers, and election day is held on a Saturday, the group needed to wage two campaigns — one targeting early voters and the other reaching out to election-day voters.

Sixteen leading bond agencies in Texas stated that the type of surety bonds required by the amendment did not even exist, the coalition found. And the disclosure amendment, according to the city manager, would have cost the city at least $1 million a year to implement and would have required at least six new city employees for oversight and management.

With the facts on their side and with an aggressive grassroots and media campaign, the builders trounced both amendments. With nearly 5,500 votes cast, the surety bond proposition lost by 92% to 8%, while the disclosure amendment was defeated by 85% to 15%.

“Even though the opposition gathered 4,600 signatures to get the measure on the ballot, their campaign was never based on facts,” said Robert Pavlis, president of the HBA of Greater Dallas. “There were many unanswered questions about the amendments. The fact was these measures would have not only hurt builders but the whole community.”

NAHB is available to provide political consulting assistance to state and local home builders associations that are battling ballot measures. For more information, e-mail Daniel Quinonez or Ashley Geyer at NAHB, or call them at 800-368-5242 x8585 or x8126, respectively.

Florida Funds New Project CRAFT Site in Clearwater

Florida Governor Jeb Bush and state legislators have appropriated $350,000 to the Department of Juvenile Justice to bring the Home Builders Institute's Project CRAFT (Community, Restitution, Apprenticeship-Focused Training) to Clearwater, where it will serve 40 adjudicated youths.

“We are aware of the difficult choices you must make in deciding where to spend the taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars, and that is why we are especially grateful for your support to offer the life-building benefits of Project CRAFT to the court-involved youths of Clearwater,” Patsy Smith, HBI chairman of the board of trustees, wrote to Governor Bush.

In Florida, Project CRAFT operates programs at the Avon Park Youth Academy and in Orlando, Pembroke Pines and Tampa

“Project CRAFT helps troubled kids by giving them a second chance to turn their lives around,” said Bill Paul, an HBI trustee and Tampa builder and developer who played an instrumental role in rallying support from legislators and builders to bring the program to Clearwater. “The training, skills and care they receive from HBI are their ticket to a new life in our industry,” he said.

Many of Florida’s prominent legislators — including Sen. Victor Crist, chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice Appropriations; Rep. Gus Barreiro, chairman of the House Justice Appropriations Committee; and Rep. Gus Bilirakis, chairman of the House Economic Development, Trade and Banking Committee — have pledged their support for Project CRAFT.

The Clearwater site will be welcoming its first students next month.

Project CRAFT is currently operating at 10 sites in Florida, Mississippi, New Jersey, Tennessee and Texas.

Florida has also provided funding for a Project TRADE (Training, Restitution, Apprenticeship, Development and Education) site in Ocala, where HBI, the workforce development arm of NAHB, will provide trades training and job placement in partnership with Phoenix House, a nationwide program providing substance abuse treatment, prevention and education to adult offenders.

HBI currently operates Project TRADE programs in Sheridan, Ill.; and Colorado Springs, Col.

For more information, e-mail Dennis Torbett at HBI, or call him at 800-795-7955 x8908.

U.S. Developers Set Sights on High-End Housing in Mexico

Loreto Bay, Baja California, Mexico

U.S. companies, such as Loreto Bay and Active Living International, have begun carving out their housing niches south of the border, and they are getting plenty of assistance from the Mexican government and partnering Mexican companies.

Loreto Bay is developing high-end condominium-style housing on 8,000 acres along three miles of picturesque beachfront on the Baja California peninsula. Mexican President Vicente Fox’s government already has invested more than $200 million in infrastructure improvements to aid its development.

Future sight of Sensara Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

Active Living International, which specializes in active living retirement communities, is creating Mexico’s first-ever active adult community, Sensara Vallarta, in Nuevo Vallarta. It is partnering with the Mexican development and construction company, Grupo Suite, and together the two companies have invested nearly $100 million in their retirement community.

David Collins

Now that the Fox administration has strengthened property rights, contract laws and the country’s mortgage finance market, American developers are no longer wary of doing business in Mexico.

Mexico is a great location to build a retirement community, said David Collins, president and founder of Active Living International and an NAHB member. “The weather is fantastic year round, prices are low, there is good health care and it’s a short plane ride from home,” he said.

The opportunity is also inviting. 

Collins previously partnered with Grupo Suite to launch Sensara, the first active adult community in Spain. Sensara has already received recognition as the “Best Retirement Community Development in Europe” at the 2004 Home Overseas Awards in London.

Collins said he has gained the confidence to invest and build in Mexico after attending NAHB’s 1st International Housing Conference of the Americas in Mexico City in 2003. At the conference, he networked with other U.S. and Mexican housing sector entrepreneurs and realized that, “Mexican and American businessmen shared the same objective — we want to do business. And whether in Mexico City or Orlando, we’re looking for opportunities. It opened my eyes to the range of possibilities that exist in Mexico,” Collins said.

Subsequent to the conference, Mexican cement company, Cemex, commissioned Active Living International to conduct a market study on the development of 10,000 retirement housing units. 

Model of Sensarta active adult community in Spain

With title and insurance companies, such as Stuart Title and investors like Calpers and Prudential Real Estate Investments, he said he now feels confident that Mexico has the necessary institutions and investors in place to guarantee success. 

Third Mexican Housing Conference Set for November

Builders and building product suppliers looking to tap the lucrative and growing Mexican housing market will gain practical advice and make valuable business connections at NAHB’s 3rd International Housing Conference of the Americas. The conference will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mexico City, Nov. 3-5.

For more information about the upcoming conference, visit www.nahb.org/mexicoconference.

Cool Products Wow Builders in San Francisco

Members of the National Council of the Housing Industry (NCHI) — the Supplier 100 of NAHB were well represented among the winners of the Cool Products Contest conducted among exhibitors at the May 31-June 3 PCBC The Premier Building Show in San Francisco.

The 20 winners were selected from 125 entries by a panel of 5,000 randomly selected builders, architects, real estate professionals, marketing experts and building industry leaders who were signed up to attend the show.

Products were chosen for their “wow” factor and their success in helping to improve the home building process or make homes more inviting to prospective buyers.

This year’s cool products from NCHI members were:

• Rinnai Stainless Steel Digital Controller. The new controllers do much more than the control pads typically accompanying the company’s tankless water heaters that enable users to set the unit’s temperature limits to prevent burning or scalding. The seven-inch-wide screens on the new controllers look like stainless steel, flat-screen television monitors. They are completely waterproof and can be mounted on a wall, under a kitchen cabinet or in the shower. The screens allow users to watch TV or listen to FM radio, in addition to controlling their water heater. The units also allow users to pre-set the time they want to take a bath, the amount of water desired and the exact temperature of the water. The product will become available later this year.
  
  
• GE Energy Roof Integrated Solar Tile. State-of-the-art technology offers seamless integration into flat concrete tile roof. Home owners can install the tiles on the front of their homes without detracting from the home’s appearance.
  

• Broan-NuTone Recessed Fan Light. The fan light matches other recessed lighting fixtures and blends seamlessly with a series of recessed lights while inconspicuously featuring a powerful but quiet ventilating fan. The unit controls the humidity in the bathroom and keeps the air fresh and comfortable in the utility room, kitchen or high-traffic family room.

This feature is solely for educational and informational purposes. Nothing on this page should be construed as policy, an endorsement, warranty or guaranty by the National Association of Home Builders of the featured product or the product manufacturer. The National Association of Home Builders expressly disclaims any responsibility for any damages arising from the use, application or reliance on any information contained on this page.

Contest Seeks Most Uncomfortable Home

Lennox — a manufacturer of heating, cooling and indoor air quality equipment — is looking for the most uncomfortable home in North America.

Lennox is a member of the National Council of the Housing Industry — the Supplier 100 of NAHB.

The winner of the Second Annual Lennox Home Comfort Makeover Contest will receive a complete home makeover worth up to $60,000, including:

• Personal consultations with a home comfort specialist and accredited interior designer
  
  
• An interior design makeover worth $35,000 for paint, furnishings, decorative accessories, draperies and other materials plus labor
  
  
• A new, innovative Lennox integrated home comfort system that not only heats and cools, but also lets the home owner control the humidity and customize the airflow for optimal comfort and indoor air quality
  
  

Home owners who are waiting for an excuse to peel away floral wallpaper, replace 1980s fabric-covered vertical blinds or get rid of a mysterious musty smell in the family room are encouraged to enter.

Mailed entries must be postmarked by Aug. 31 and received by Sept. 7. Entries online must be received by Aug. 31 before midnight Central Daylight Savings Time.

Along with the entry form, contestants are asked to submit up to four original, unaltered color photographs or one-minute of unedited video footage of the most uncomfortable aspects of their home.

For entry information, click here.

For before-and-after photos of the transformation of last year’s most uncomfortable home, click here.

This feature is solely for educational and informational purposes. Nothing on this page should be construed as policy, an endorsement, warranty or guaranty by the National Association of Home Builders of the featured product or the product manufacturer. The National Association of Home Builders expressly disclaims any responsibility for any damages arising from the use, application or reliance on any information contained on this page.

How to Drive an Engineer Crazy

How do you drive an engineer crazy?

A.     Put him in a roundhouse and tell him to calculate its hypotenuse.

B.     Secretly apply a light coating of pancake syrup to her calculator buttons.

C.     Give him some clothes actually in style.

D.     Dart your head around during conversation to make it impossible for her to avoid eye contact.

E.       Have him do calcs, then keep changing the project.

The correct answer is “E.” Trust me.

I admit it, I am a nerd. I love to wear shirts someone bought me in the '70s. My favorites are those with mauve and burnt orange in fantastic geometrical patterns: triangles, squares and rectangles. My wife, however, has just about culled all those favorites and given them to charity (lucky buggers), and has replaced them with lots of boring solids. But, a-ha! She has not yet absconded with my pocket protector! It is a classic, probably a good 15 years old, made from sturdy, durable plastic. It has been in and out of my pocket so many times, the writing is barely discernable, not to mention that it’s ripped in a couple places (nothing some tape and staples hasn’t been able to fortify). Can you imagine how many ink spots my “Pens From Enduro — ASI 52470” has spared me?

But I digress. About 10 years ago I came to a conclusion: Engineering is a good profession and a nice way to make a living. But if I wanted to make real money, I’d better think of something else. Which I did.

Why, though, can’t a guy or gal make serious money as an engineer? Or as a builder? Or architect, or most any profession in our industry? The answers are many; however, in this column, I’ll address one recurrent stinger.

Jobs go to the lowest bidder, thus limiting profit. Fine, I can live with that. But what I can’t live with are clients who are always in an all-fired rush and provide half-baked instructions or plans. We provide bids based on certain assumptions, the most critical being that the job scope is clearly defined and won’t change. But it is never clearly defined and it always changes. Yet, our clients think it is our duty to redo things however many times, all for the original bid price.

Sure, we can concoct change orders. But clients don’t like or trust them. So with every change order, an element of friction is introduced.

And yes, we can draft bulletproof contracts listing every assumption and exclusion under the sun. But clients don’t generally read them, and if they do, they’ll likely be scared off and take the next bid. The last thing you want is to take a client disagreement back to the fine print of your contract. Regardless of who “wins,” you’ll lose in the end.

Although I don’t do much actual engineering any more, I do enough to be reminded of why I got out of it 10 years ago. For example, I’m working on a remodel (always the nastiest from an engineer’s perspective) which actually had a decent plan-set up front. Or so I thought. I did my analysis and got it through the building department only to find out that the architect didn’t actually crawl around in the attic or crawl space to correctly show how the framing went. He assumed everything. What?! Every architect should know that loads come down through buildings depending on how the framing is arranged. Change the direction of roof rafters, and all the window headers and beams underneath have vastly different loading. Assumed 2x6 ceiling joists are a heck of a lot stronger than actual 2x4s. And so on. I’m on my fourth revision now and hotter than a pistol. Not only does this force me to go back to the client for more money, it severely disrupts other projects on my plate. Not to mention that, with every change, the builder is hung out until my part is redone and approved. That’s a lot of stress on him and on me.

What is the answer? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Only work with competent consultants and subs.
2. Make sure you clearly discuss with the client face-to-face the big three: cost, scope and timeframe.
3. Immediately follow the above conversation with a straightforward written contract.
4. Avoid “bad clients.” Believe it when reputable people give you that heads up.

Tim Garrison of ConstructionCalc.com, is a professional engineer, author and software producer for the building industry. Send e-mail to buildersengineer@constructioncalc.com. Tim reads every one.

This column cannot be reprinted without permission from the author.

The views expressed in this article represent the personal views, statements and opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views, statements, opinions or policies of the National Association of Home Builders. NAHB does not necessarily endorse any of the views expressed by the author and NAHB is not responsible for any direct or indirect consequences arising out of the views expressed in this article.

NAHB-Produced Shows on HGTV & DIY — This Week

"I Want That!" on HGTV

Episode: "Luxury Bathrooms"

•  June 15, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT •  June 16, 1:00 a.m. ET/PT •  June 19, 1:00 p.m. ET/PT

Enhance your bath with colorful sinks and designer handles for the toilet. Or go all out with a massive one-ton bathtub carved from a solid block of marble. New technology for the home includes an affordable remote monitoring system and a digital music library that learns to play what you like. The latest in shop tools includes a multi-functional unit that converts to a shaper, stationary sander, drill press or scroll saw.

"Dream Builders" on HGTV

Episode: "Modern Tree House"

•  June 19, 9:30 a.m. ET/PT

An architect builds a stunning home that blends into the surroundings overlooking Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek Park. A California home features all the latest energy saving technologies. A classic Williamsburg-style home features all the amenities of 21st century living. Tour the Arkansas home of President William Jefferson Clinton. Plus, is liquid siding right for your home?

"Rock Solid" on DIY

Episode: "Quarry Survival Tips"

•  June 19, 9:00 a.m. ET/PT

Derek and Dean share insider tips and practical advice on not only how to survive a trip to the quarry but how to make it a successful and fruitful adventure. They'll take the viewers inside the yard areas regular visitors would never see, like the cutting and polishing shops. They'll give tips on quarry layout, examine new products on the market, visit the showroom displays, sample bins and talk the "quarry talk."

Builders' Show Specials on HGTV

"International Builders' Show 2005" on HGTV

•  June 26, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT •  June 27, 2:00 a.m. ET/PT

Hundreds of exhibitors showcase the latest appliances, materials and technology for the home. Items featured include fabulous fireplaces, the latest home technology, innovative tools and materials, luxury windows and doors, elegant baths and deluxe appliances, and the latest products for the outdoors and for the good life.

The NAHB Production Group is a full-service, self-contained, media production unit creating programming for cable television, broadcast television, non-profit, museum and corporate clients. Productions range from magazine format shows for general audiences to museum-installation videos for specialized use.

The production group includes award winning journalists, writers and photographers with experience in broadcast, documentary and corporate television.

Subscribe Your Employees to Nation’s Building News — and Earn a Chance to Win Digital Camera

Subscribe your employees to Nation’s Building News Online. It’s free, easy and NAHB members who sign up three or more employees will be entered into the "Make Your Business Click" contest to win a digital camera. To learn more or sign up your employees, click here.

Make your connection to the latest housing industry news and information with www.nahb.org — the official public and members-only Web site of NAHB. 

Log in today to register for educational seminars, meetings and networking events; find important economic and housing data; and learn the latest developments in NAHB’s efforts to promote housing. It’s all available 24 hours a day at www.nahb.org. Just click the "Log In" button to get started.

Once you log in, personalize the site to reflect your interests. Simply go to the My NAHB>My Profile page and click the “Edit Content Preferences” link. To learn more about how you can customize My NAHB — including how to customize the links that appear on the Home page ― visit the How to Use www.nahb.org section.

Mitchell Joins Endowment Board of Trustees

Marlene and Bob Mitchell

Robert (Bob) L. Mitchell, co-founder of Mitchell & Best, a Rockville, Md.-based home builder, has joined the board of trustees of the National Housing Endowment, the philanthropic arm of NAHB.

Mitchell has been involved in the home building industry since 1964, and his company has been voted “Builder of the Year” for 13 of the last 15 years by the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association (MNCBIA), of suburban Washington, D.C.

Mitchell has served as a senior officer at NAHB from 1997 to 2001 and was the NAHB president in 2000. He created the Home Builders Care program during his tenure as president.

He has also served as an officer with MNCBIA and the Maryland State Builders Association.

Following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck South Asia late last year, Mitchell helped spearhead the creation of the Home Builders Care/National Housing Endowment Tsunami Shelter Fund that has raised more than $354,000 to date to build permanent shelter for the surviving victims through partnerships with Habitat for Humanity® International and Shelter For Life International.

Recently, Mitchell and his wife, Marlene, have established the Robert and Marlene Mitchell Fund at the National Housing Endowment to benefit the Home Builders Care Initiative and the NAHB Housing Archives.

“We are very privileged to be a part of this industry and have received so much through our work,” Mitchell said. “Marlene and I have always marveled at the community work our home builders are doing across the country. This gift is a small token of the esteem we hold for those giving back.”

Mitchell also serves on the University System of Maryland Board of Regents and the Board of Visitors of the School of Public Affairs at the University of Maryland-College Park.

Customize Your Computer, Web Site With NBN ‘Hammer’

NBN Hammer

Show your pride in the home building industry by customizing your computer’s cursor with the “pounding hammer” cursor that is used in Nation’s Building News.

The customized cursor is available free from NAHB and Nation’s Building News and will work on Windows 95 or newer operating systems.

To begin customizing your computer’s cursor, first download the two hammer graphics needed to make the hammer move:

• Click the following link for the Hamone graphic and save it to your computer.
• Click the following link for the Hamoneover graphic and save it to your computer.
  
  

Once you have saved both hammer graphics to your computer, follow the steps below according to your Windows operating system. Customizing your computer with the new hammer cursor should take less than five minutes.

Windows XP:

1. Click on the Window's "START" button on the taskbar.
2. Select the "CONTROL PANEL" link.
3. Find the "MOUSE" icon and click it.
4. Select the "POINTERS" tab.
5. Highlight the old cursor you want to change and click "BROWSE." (To make the hammer your primary cursor, highlight “NORMAL SELECT.”)
6. Find the new “Hamone” cursor and double-click it.
7. Click "APPLY" or "OK."
8. To make the hammer cursor “move” when selecting a link or file, highlight a second old cursor you want to change (the suggested cursor is “LINK SELECT”) and click “BROWSE.”
9. Fine the new “Hamoneover” cursor and double-click it.
10. Click “APPLY” or “OK.”
    
    

Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, 2000 users

1. Click on the Window's "START" button on the taskbar.
2. Select "SETTINGS."
3. Select "CONTROL PANEL."
4. Find the "MOUSE" icon and click it.
5. Select the "POINTERS" tab.
6. Highlight the old cursor you want to change and click "BROWSE." (To make the hammer your primary cursor, highlight “NORMAL SELECT.”)
7. Find the new “Hamone” cursor and double-click it.
8. Click "APPLY" or "OK".
9. To make the hammer cursor “move” when selecting a link or file, highlight a second old cursor you want to change (the suggested cursor is “LINK SELECT”) and click “BROWSE.”
10. Fine the new “Hamoneover” cursor and double-click it.
11. Click “APPLY” or “OK.”
    
    

To change your settings back to your old settings:

1. Follow the steps above to get to the “POINTERS” tab of your “Mouse” configuration according to your Windows operating system.
2. Highlight the “Hamone” and “Hamoneover” cursor selections.
3. Click “Use Default.”
4. Click “Apply” or “OK.”

For Your Web Site, Too

To add the "hammering" NBN hammer cursor to your company's Web site, have your Web developer or IT department add the following codes for both hammers to your CSS style sheets (after the hammer images have been saved to your computer):

• body {font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;
  cursor:url ("http://www.website_name/location_of_images/hamone.cur");}
• {cursor:url ("http://www.website_name/location_of_images/hamoneover.cur");}
  

NOTE: NAHB is NOT responsible for misuse or any errors and problems that may be caused by the reconfiguration of the users' pc files. The user understands that he is modifying his computer setup at his own risk.

Subscribe Your Employees to Nation’s Building News — and Earn a Chance to Win Digital Camera

Subscribe your employees to Nation’s Building News Online. It’s free, easy and NAHB members who sign up three or more employees will be entered into the "Make Your Business Click" contest to win a digital camera. To learn more or sign up your employees, click here.

Make your connection to the latest housing industry news and information with www.nahb.org — the official public and members-only Web site of NAHB. 

Log in today to register for educational seminars, meetings and networking events; find important economic and housing data; and learn the latest developments in NAHB’s efforts to promote housing. It’s all available 24 hours a day at www.nahb.org. Just click the "Log In" button to get started.

Once you log in, personalize the site to reflect your interests. Simply go to the My NAHB>My Profile page and click the “Edit Content Preferences” link. To learn more about how you can customize My NAHB — including how to customize the links that appear on the Home page ― visit the How to Use www.nahb.org section.

Save on DELL™ Computer Products

Dell, the world's leading computer systems company, offers discounts to NAHB members on an array of products designed to meet the technology needs of your company. Discounts are available on:

• Dell Dimension™ Desktops — Affordable computing with the latest processor and peripheral technology.
  
  
• Dell OptiPlex™ Desktops — Dependable, for network environments and easy manageability.
  
  
• Dell Precision™ Workstations — Powerful performance with high-end graphics, certified for workstation-class applications.
  
  
• Dell Inspiron™ Notebooks — Powerful affordable technology, ideal for personal or small business networks.
  
  
• Dell Latitude™ Notebooks — Performance and style, optimized for business networks.
  
  
• Dell PowerEdge™ SC Servers and PowerVault™ Storage — Affordable, high-performance technology solutions.
  
  
• Dell Printers™ — Crisp, professional document output at a great price.

To learn more, or to order, go to: www.dell.com/smb/NAHB.

Contact the Dell Association Sales Representative at 888-577-3355, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. (CT) and Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (CT).

Other Member Advantage Discounts

For the most up-to-date details on the Member Advantage discount program and all of the participating companies, go to www.nahb.org/ma.

Subscribe Your Employees to Nation’s Building News — and Earn a Chance to Win Digital Camera

Subscribe your employees to Nation’s Building News Online. It’s free, easy and NAHB members who sign up three or more employees will be entered into the "Make Your Business Click" contest to win a digital camera. To learn more or sign up your employees, click here.

Make your connection to the latest housing industry news and information with www.nahb.org — the official public and members-only Web site of NAHB. 

Log in today to register for educational seminars, meetings and networking events; find important economic and housing data; and learn the latest developments in NAHB’s efforts to promote housing. It’s all available 24 hours a day at www.nahb.org. Just click the "Log In" button to get started.

Once you log in, personalize the site to reflect your interests. Simply go to the My NAHB>My Profile page and click the “Edit Content Preferences” link. To learn more about how you can customize My NAHB — including how to customize the links that appear on the Home page ― visit the How to Use www.nahb.org section.

Help Tsunami Survivors Rebuild Their Homes

NAHB and the National Housing Endowment have established the Home Builders Care/National Housing Endowment-Tsunami Shelter Fund to raise desperately needed funds to build permanent shelter for the victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami disaster in South Asia last year. The fund currently has raised more than $354,000.

NAHB has designated Habitat for Humanity® International and Shelter for Life International to be the recipients of the fund. Through NAHB donations, Habitat for Humanity will create a Disaster Response Technical Center in one of the affected countries it is serving. Shelter For Life will build a “Home Builders Care Village” of starter homes in Sri Lanka with NAHB funds.

Please Help

Please help by making a tax deductible donation to the Home Builders Care/National Housing Endowment-Tsunami Shelter Fund. Money raised by the National Housing Endowment will be granted to one or more U.S. charitable relief organizations working to help tsunami survivors obtain temporary and permanent shelter.

Please direct your donation check to:

National Housing Endowment
1201 15th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20005

Checks should be made payable to the National Housing Endowment and, in the memo section, please note the "Tsunami Shelter Fund."

The NAHB Senior Officers have selected Past President Bob Mitchell to oversee and guide this fundraising effort.

For more information, contact Troy Patterson at the National Housing Endowmen