NBN Online for the week of March 20, 2006

(Plain Text Version) for full graphical version, click here.

In This Issue:

Front Page
Green Building Barrels Into the Mainstream Market
NAHB Resources Available After Disasters in West, Midwest
Employees Wanted: NAHB Launches Online Career Center
Reader Survey: Tell Us What's Important to You
Coast to Coast
Real Estate Rates Could Hit 7% by Summer
Politics & Government
NAHB Pushes in Senate for Association Health Plans
NAHB Fights for Property Owners in Flood Insurance Bill
NAHB Members to Carry Concerns to Lawmakers on May 10
Economics & Finance
Housing Production Cools in February
Builder Confidence in Market Inches Down in March
2005 Permits Look Good in Atlanta, Phoenix and Houston
NAFTA Panel Finds No Grounds for Lumber Tariffs
Tips
Builder's Tip: A Jig for Router-Made Moldings
Business Management
Production Builders: NAHB Has a Web Resource Page for You
Marketing Automation — Selling More Without Spending More
50Plus Housing
Baby Boomers Ready to Rejuvenate 50+ Housing Market
Learn How to Market and Sell to the 50+ Home Buyer
Multifamily
Attend Upcoming Multifamily Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Remodelers
Directories Provide Remodeler Listings for Consumers
Design
Enter the Best in American Living Awards Competition
Education
Designations Should Be the 'Norm' for Our Industry
Education Calendar
Green Building
Twelve NAHB Green Building Award Winners Announced
Environment
Roadside Ditch Regulation Sparks Builder Lawsuit
Katrina Recovery
Large Numbers in Gulf Coast Not Paying Mortgages
Codes and Standards
Builders Invited to Accessibility Workshops
Deadline Nears for Code Change Proposals
Workforce housing
Development in Irvine a Neighborhood With ‘HEART’
Labor
Florida Job Corps Students Earning College Credit
Building Products
Insulation Protects Unvented Attics From Hurricane Rains
Builder's Engineer
This Column Is in the Toilet
TV
NAHB-Produced Programs on HGTV & DIY This Week
Endowment
KB Home Spreads TLC Throughout San Antonio
Endowment to Fund ‘State of the Nation’s Housing’ Report
Association News
NAHB Spring Board Meeting May 9-13
Florida Middle Schoolers Building Homes of Their Own
Spokesperson Training Still Available for 2006 Spring Board
Associate Member BUILD-PAC Drive Launched
GM $500 Exclusive Offer for NAHB Members
Calendar of Events
NAHB Career Center

Top Story

Green Building Barrels Into the Mainstream Market

After several years of slow but steady growth across the country, the green home building movement — which applies innovative and environmentally sensitive construction techniques and products to reduce energy and water consumption and improve residential comfort and safety — is barreling into the mainstream, according to a survey of NAHB members in late January and early February by the association and McGraw Hill Construction.

Preliminary results released during NAHB’s Green Building Conference in Albuquerque, N.M. on March 12-14 showed that there was a 20% increase in 2005 among those in the home building community who are focusing their attention on green building issues and that their ranks are expected to increase by another 30% this year.
[MORE]

Lumber Prices Provided by Random Lengths

Framing Lumber Composite $ 373 no change $ 0
OSB Composite $ 346 up $ 14
Southern Pine Plywood Composite $ 469 up $ 2
With Permission from: RandomLengths.com
 

NAHB Resources Available After Disasters in West, Midwest

As natural disaster struck parts of the West and Midwest earlier this month, NAHB members deployed association resources to reach out to their communities in the aftermath.

In less than a week’s time, 100 twisters touched down in five states from Oklahoma to Illinois and 840,000 acres of land were burned in Texas and New Mexico. Twenty-two were initially reported dead, thousands were evacuated from their homes and millions of dollars in property damage was sustained — $6 million dollars worth alone at one Kansas university.

[MORE]

Employees Wanted: NAHB Launches Online Career Center

  
With this issue of Nation’s Building News, NAHB is launching an online building industry-oriented career center that will provide members with a cost-effective recruiting solution that makes locating qualified candidates and advertising open positions faster and easier.

The career center can be found on:

  • NAHB's Web site by visiting www.nahb.org/careers
  • Nation’s Building News "NAHB Career Center" section. The career center is now a regular feature of Nation's Building News. 

The career center was created in collaboration with ConstructionJobs.com, a leading employment resource for the construction, design and building industries.

NAHB members will receive a 20% discount off of standard rates for job postings. For a complete listing of all rates on the NAHB career center, click here.

[MORE]

Reader Survey: Tell Us What's Important to You

Because you regularly read Nation's Building News, we value your input and would like your help.

Please tell us what information in Nation's Building News is important to you — what you read and what you might like us to add — by answering our short online reader survey.

To take the survey, click here.

Housing Snapshot

Interest Rates  
  30-Yr. Fixed: 6.34% 15-Yr. Fixed: 5.98% 5 Yr. ARM: 5.93%
  1 Yr. ARM: 5.37% Libor (3 months): 4.94% Prime: 7.50%
Housing Starts*  (February 2006)
  Total: 2.12 million Single: 1.8 million Multi: 320,000
Home Sales*  (January 2006)
  New: 1.233 million Existing: 6.56 million  
Median Home Prices  (January 2006)
  New: $238,100 Existing: $211,000  
* Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate

 

Sponsored by
Freddie Mac

 
 
> Montana State Representative Bob Lake Cautions Against Extensive GSE Reform
> Freddie Mac CEO Syron Dissects GSE and Tax Reform Proposals in Speech to Home Builders
 
 

Sponsored by
McGraw Hill
Construction

 
 
> Visit the all new McGraw-Hill Construction Network for Products...
 
 

Sponsored by
NAHB

 
 
> Building for Boomers & Beyond: 50+ Housing Symposium 2006
> NAHB Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Conference and Gala
> Construction Forecast Conference - Spring 2006