NBN Online for the week of June 9, 2008

NAHB Working to Keep Credit Flowing to Small Builders

NAHB reported last week that it continues to make encouraging progress on both the legislative and regulatory fronts in restoring the health of the nation’s housing market, with efforts intensifying in response to the tightening of acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) financing.

During the board of directors meeting in Washington, D.C. earlier this spring, association leaders noted that lenders increasingly were asking builders and developers to pay down their loans, which was viewed as especially threatening to the small businesses constituting the core of the NAHB membership.

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NAHB Conference Attendees Help Rebuild Katrina-Damaged Home

More than 60 people who were in New Orleans last month for NAHB’s National Green Building Conference and the Building for Boomers & Beyond: 50+ Housing Symposium volunteered to help rebuild the home of a 67-year-old woman and her 87-year-old mother that was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

NAHB joined the Senior Lending Network and Rebuilding Together New Orleans, a local affiliate of the national non-profit organization, Rebuilding Together, for a special three-day community service project spread over two weekends in mid-May.

The home, owned by Hilda Levy, is in the historic St. Roch neighborhood bordering the Ninth Ward. Because of the extensive flooding, Levy and her mother were separated during the evacuation of New Orleans. Levy is now living with relatives in Florida while her mother is with relatives in Alexander, La. In addition to the flood damage, the home was also vandalized after the hurricane and a back section of the home was set on fire.

Charlotte, N.C. Media Campaign Builds on ‘Unbeatable’ Market

According to national reports, home buyers can’t beat the Charlotte, N.C., market.

It is the only top-20 market in the S&P/Case-Shiller report showing an increase in home prices over the past year, Forbes named it a top-10 recession-proof city and Relocate-America.com ranked it the best place to live in the country.

But Charlotte builders were not about to rely on those accolades to maintain their market’s position. In April, the Home Builders Association of Charlotte (HBAC) launched a media campaign that has drawn the attention of both local home buyers and national media.

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