NBN Online for the week of June 18, 2007

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

In This Issue:

Front Page
Builders Sharpen Attack on Flawed Immigration Bill
Builders March on Capitol Hill With Housing Priorities
‘Buy Now’ Campaign Moves Fence Sitters in Upstate New York Market
Coast to Coast
Subprime Crash Squeezes Out First-Time Home Buyers
Politics & Government
Changes for Disabled Veterans Housing Program Sought
Tax Issues in the Hopper Could Hit Home Builders
Southern Arizona Builders See Major Impact Fee Reform
Oregon Builders Find Alternative to Development Fees
Reforms Give Florida a Fighting Chance Against No-Growth Bids
North Dakota Eases Restrictions on Marketing Out-of-State Homes
Economics & Finance
Housing Upturn Will Be ‘Solid’ But ‘Not Rapid’
Builder Confidence Slides More in June
Mortgage Rate Spike May Slow Housing Recovery
Home Price Growth Continues to Slow on OFHEO Index
California Sees Buy-Now Market Ready to Wind Down
California Markets Stabilizing, But Home Prices Raise Questions
Eye on the Economy: Housing Upswing May Be Long Climb Back
Useful Links to Monitor Economic and Housing Trends
Tips
Builders’ Tip: A Temporary Extension for Table-Saw Tops
Green Building
NAHB to Launch Green Home Certification Program
Voluntary Programs Certify Nearly 100,000 Green Homes
MIT Team Envisions Home Made From Living Materials
Research
NAHB Lab to Help Move New Products Into Housing Market
Business Management
Last Chance to Get Free 'Cost of Doing Business' Study
Help NAHB Help You With Software and Technology Issues
50Plus Housing
Best Of 50+ Housing Honored at Symposium in Denver
Environment
Agencies Provide Guidance on Wetlands Jurisdiction
Legal
NAHB Sues Over Equipment Exhaust Air Pollution Rule
NAHB Sues Corps Over Rules for Upland Ditches
Register for Upcoming Construction Law Seminar
Codes and Standards
NAHB Members Encouraged to Join ICC Process
Multifamily
Excess Inventory Takes a Toll on Condo Market
HUD Endorses Accessibility Requirement Safe Harbor
Texas Developer Honored for Affordable Housing Achievements
Remodelers
NAHB Remodelers Unveil New Logo to Go With New Name
Building Systems
Enter the 2007 Brick in Home Building Competition
Custom
Register for Custom Builder Symposium in Naples, Fla.
Design
Sustainable Communities on Design Institute Tour
Enter the 2007 Best in American Living Competition
Apply for HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence
Women
Online Learning Tool Bridges Technology Use Gap
Federal Contracting Program Urged for Women-Owned Businesses
Education
Education Calendar
Safety
NAHB Extends OSHA Alliance for Two More Years
BuilderBooks to Give Away DVD Player for Safety Month
Labor
Disaster Mitigation Course Debuts in New Orleans
Building Products
Retractable Screens Let Custom Windows Shine
TV
NAHB-Produced Programs on HGTV and DIY This Week
Endowment
Lewis Ranieri Gives $1 Million to Endowment
Echo Valley, Inc. Renovates Home Ravaged by Katrina
Association News
James Shimberg, Sr., 84, Created Tampa's Suburbs
Drive Away With a Shiny New $500 GM Offer
Get One Month Free Credit Card Processing With Solveras
Get Free CD of Customer Service Forms From Biz Forms and Checks
Willams Scotsman: First-Month Storage Container Deals
NAHB Career Center: For a True Competitive Edge
Calendar of Events
NAHB Career Center

Related Articles

Sustainable Communities on Design Institute Tour

Enter the 2007 Best in American Living Competition

Apply for HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence

Entries are being accepted for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HUD Secretary's Award for Excellence that recognizes innovation and design excellence in public and private efforts that expand homeownership opportunities for lower-income families.

The registration deadline for award is Monday, July 2. Entry notebooks are due by July 16.

The award is part of the 2007 Best in American Living Awards (BALA) competition — the nation’s foremost residential design competition. Co-sponsored by Professional Builder magazine and NAHB, winners will be announced during the 2008 International Builders’ Show, Feb. 13 to 16, in Orlando, Fla.

The HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence recognizes those who, through local partnerships, design, develop and build creative affordable housing for families whose incomes do not exceed 80% of the area median income (AMI).

Winners of the award demonstrate design excellence, affordability, innovation in building technology, removal of regulatory barriers and community revitalization.

HUD Award Requirements

The award submission requirements include:

  • Homes completed or for which the first model opened between May 1, 2006 and July 15, 2007 are eligible.

  • In developments with multiple unit types, the affordable unit must be identified and its locations throughout the development must be denoted.

  • Each submission must include a written design statement that illustrates how the project embodies design excellence and exhibits innovation.

  • The submission also must include a written financial statement describing the financing structure of the development —funding sources and uses, mixed-income makeup and families served.


Download an Application

For details on the HUD category and to download the HUD award’s application, visit www.huduser.org/research/secaward.html.

AMI Information

For more information about the AMI in your area, visit www.huduser.org/datasets/il.html. The award also considers the median home price of the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) for reference.

For more information about AMI, MSA and other HUD category requirements, e-mail Andrea Vrankar at HUD, or call her at 216-522-4058 x7128.

BALA Competition Information

The BALA design competition is open to builders, architects, designers, developers, land planners and interior designers.

The awards program includes 36 categories — from single-family attached and detached in a variety of sizes to rental developments and custom homes plus categories for interior design, communities and neighborhoods, affordable housing, smart growth and the HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence.

For BALA category and registrations, click here. 


Design Matters. Register Now for the Design Institute

In a competitive market, design can be the difference.

At the NAHB/BALA Design Institute for Builders, the only design conference specifically for building industry professionals, you'll learn the latest in residential housing design trends from the industry's top professionals, tour beautiful award-winning homes and communities that display the best in cutting-edge architectural design, and learn how to profitably apply these design ideas to the homes you build.

The Design Institute will be held June 25-27 in Bellevue, Wash. (near Seattle)

Onside Registration Available

Online registration is closed. Onsite registration is available.

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


 

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