NBN Online for the week of March 30, 2009

Builders Urge Congress to Remedy AD&C Lending Crisis

Alleviating the acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) lending crisis that has been choking off credit for home builders with devastating results took center stage on March 24 as more than 500 builders from across the country converged on Capitol Hill for the annual NAHB Legislative Conference.

“Our message to members of Congress was right to the point,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson. “The economy will not rebound until we get credit flowing again to the housing sector. It’s time to put the housing industry back to work and get the economy moving again.”

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Lumber Prices Provided by Random Lengths

Promote ‘New Homes Month’ With Free NAHB Resources Online

April is New Homes Month and NAHB has free resources — including marketing materials on the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit — available to members so they can highlight the benefits of homeownership and, in particular, buying a new home, throughout the month.

New homes today are better than ever before, with numerous features and amenities to accommodate today’s discerning home buyers and their busy lifestyles. New technologies, more efficient square footage and improved layouts make today’s new homes more comfortable and livable than at any time in the past.

New homes are also more energy-efficient. In fact, new homes built today are about twice as energy-efficient as new homes were just 20 years ago.

Builders Encourage Efforts to Step Up Residential Energy Efficiency

As national policymakers consider enacting more stringent energy-efficiency requirements for new homes, the NAHB Executive Board last week approved a resolution to support these attempts as long as they remain practical and cost-effective for home buyers.

The resolution affirms NAHB’s support of efforts that would make the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code 30% more energy-efficient than the 2006 model code.