NBN Online for the week of March 31, 2008

In the News, Atlanta Builders Promote Housing Turnaround

Frustrated that downbeat national reporting on the state of the housing industry was a turnoff for prospective buyers in its local marketplace, the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association last week succeeded in using the news media to inform readers of prime home buying opportunities in the area.

“Our positive ‘Get Home Atlanta!’ public relations campaign was being overshadowed by national housing statistics reports,” said David Ellis, the association’s executive vice president. Housing in Atlanta has been down, but local builders haven’t been suffering nearly as much as their counterparts in more distressed parts of the country.

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Lumber Prices Provided by Random Lengths

Beyond the Slump, Outdoor Home Features Seen as the ‘In’ Trend

Looking beyond the current cyclical housing downturn and identifying the new home features that will give builders a competitive edge and keep remodelers busy in the marketplace shaping up for the next 10 years, outside will be the in thing, according to Gopal Ahluwalia, NAHB’s vice president for research.

At a remodeling outlook presentation at last month’s International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Ahluwalia said that findings on what new home buyers want to see outside have significant repercussions for both home builders and remodelers.