NBN Online for the week of March 5, 2007

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In This Issue:

Front Page
Procrastinating Home Buyers May Lose Price Advantage
Conference Puts Green Homes on Tour in St. Louis This Month
Apply for ‘Buy Now’ Advertising Assistance Grants From NAHB
Share Nation's Building News With Your Staff. It's Free.
Coast to Coast
Toll Brothers CFO Optimistic on Housing, Eventually
Politics & Government
2008 Budget Process Likely to Be Drawn-Out
Economics & Finance
New Home Sales Slow in January, But Inventories Drop
Home Price Gains Continued to Moderate in 2006 Fourth Quarter
Freddie Mac Toughens Subprime Lending Standards
Eye on the Economy: Inventory Overhangs Weigh on Prices
Useful Links to Monitor Economic and Housing Trends
Tips
Builders’ Tip: Easing Your Load With a Simple Roof-Rack Roller
Business Management
Boost Your Business With Free Biztools Business Guides
Warning: IRS Stepping Up Scrutiny of Passive Real Estate Losses
Legal
New Laws Could Require Checking Worker ID Online
Research
Mold-Resistant Gypsum Tops Housing Technologies List
50Plus Housing
Inaugural CAASH Designees Inducted at Builders' Show
Register Early for 50+ Housing Symposium and Save
Multifamily
Confidence of Condo Builders Is on the Rise
Toolkit Addresses Excessive Taxes on Affordable Housing
Remodelers
Vigorous Growth to Follow Current Remodeling Lull
Apply for the NAHB Remodeler of the Month Award
Sales
Hal Von Nessen Named 2007 IRM President
Inaugural Class of IRM Fellows Inducted at IBS
St. Louis Sales Professional Receives IRM’s Ripley Award
International
HBI-Mexico to Develop Spanish-Language Training Material
Education
Design Matters. Register Now for the Design Institute
Education Calendar
Green Building
Applications Due for Green Building Standard Committee
Regulation
San Diego Builders Contest Costly Water Permit
Labor
Students Turn Out in Record Numbers for Builders’ Show
Building Products
Distinctive Doors Key to Custom Builder's Success
TV
NAHB-Produced Programs on HGTV and DIY This Week
Endowment
Star Home Builders Honored for Building Homeless Shelter
Endowment Funds Dunlop Lecture Series for Three More Years
Association News
Free 'New Homes Month' Resources Available Online
Public Tours of New American Homes Help Local Charity
GM Business Choice, Lowe’s Team Up to Reward NAHB Members
Office Depot Deals: Music to Your Ears
Lock in 2006 Visa/MC Processing Rates By March 31
Calendar of Events
NAHB Career Center

Related Articles

Hal Von Nessen Named 2007 IRM President

St. Louis Sales Professional Receives IRM’s Ripley Award

Inaugural Class of IRM Fellows Inducted at IBS

The Institute of Residential Marketing (IRM) inducted its inaugural class of Fellows during the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla. last month. Advancement to Fellow is the highest honor that a Member of the Institute of Residential Marketing (MIRM) can receive.

The newly named Fellows are:

  • Bonnie Alfriend, MIRM, CMP, president of Alfriend Sales & Marketing Solutions, Pebble Beach, Calif.
  • Charles Graham, AIA, MIRM, CMP, Newton Graham Consultants, Charlotte, N.C.
  • Dan Levitan, MIRM, CMP, president of Levitan & Associates, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
  • Bob Schultz, MIRM, CSP, president of New Home Specialist Inc., Boca Raton, Fla.


 

 

Alfriend

"Each Fellow has made significant contributions to our industry, and I am very pleased to recognize them for their hard work and dedication," said Mary DeWalt, president of the Institute of Residential Marketing and president of the Mary DeWalt Design Group in Austin, Texas.

  • Bonnie Alfriend, whose sales and marketing company serves builders and developers, is a past IRM president and a dedicated national IRM instructor.

    NAHB honored Alfriend with the 1998 Trina Ripley Excellence in Education Award for her outstanding lifetime achievement in educating new-home sales and marketing professionals and helping to achieve the goals of the IRM.

  •  

     

    Graham

    Charles Graham
    's company provides general management consulting in the areas of strategy development, organizational structuring, control systems and financial management. He is past chairman and current trustee of NSMC and past president of the IRM.

    He is the principal author and a national instructor for the IRM course, "Marketing Strategies Budgets and Plans." He was the 1994 recipient of the NAHB Trina Ripley Excellence in Education Award for his outstanding lifetime achievement in educating new home sales and marketing professionals and helping achieve the goals of the IRM.

  •  

     

    Levitan

    Dan Levitan
    , president of a strategic consulting firm serving builders, developers and lenders, has been an active member of NAHB at the local, state and national levels for more than 28 years. A charter MIRM designee, Levitan was the recipient of the 1997 Trina Ripley Excellence in Education Award.

    He has served as trustee and president of the IRM and is incoming vice chairman of NAHB's National Sales and Marketing Council (NSMC). He is a national instructor for IRM and CSP courses and the author of the IRM course, "Increased Profits through Effective Builder-Broker Cooperation."

  •  

     

    Schultz

    Bob Schultz
    is the president of a management consulting and sales training firm for home builders, developers and Realtors®. Schultz was instrumental in forming the Sales and Marketing Council of the Florida Atlantic Builders Association (which merged to become the Gold Coast Builders Association) and was elected its chairman in 1982. Under his leadership, NAHB named that SMC the "Best New Sales and Marketing Council" in the nation.

    Schultz was honored with the 2002 Trina Ripley Excellence in Education Award for his commitment to instruction, course preparation and committee involvement. He has served on the board of rrustees of the NSMC and was its vice chairman in 1984.


Fellowship Eligibility

To be eligible for a Fellowship nomination, an individual must be an active MIRM for a minimum of 10 years. Fellows are nominated by their peers and selected by the IRM Admissions and Standards Committee.

The College of Fellows was founded in 2006 by the IRM to introduce an elite IRM membership level and build a community that will:

  • Promote the profession of selling and marketing new homes and/or related products and services
  • Advance the standards of sales and marketing education
  • Make the profession an ever-increasing service to the building industry
  • Advance the value of the IRM and its designations among home building professionals


The ceremony honoring sales and marketing professionals for achievement, experience and dedication to the industry was held during the annual IRM Commencement Breakfast on Feb. 7 at the Peabody Hotel.  

 


 

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