Nation's Building News Online: May 4, 2009

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Lost Wealth Won’t Keep 50+ Home Buyers Down for Long

Reeling from a sizable decline in wealth as a result of the current downturns in housing and the financial markets, members of the baby boom are in a bit of a holding pattern for now, but will gradually make their way back into the housing market, eventually in a big way, according to panelists at NAHB’s Building for Boomers and Beyond 50+ Housing Symposium in Philadelphia April 27-29.

Builders at the conference reported that selling an existing home has become a major stumbling block for households who would like to move to an active-adult community either restricted or targeted to 55+ residents. For the most part, however, this segment of the market is performing no better or worse than the housing market overall, which is generally sluggish and just beginning to emerge from the grips of the most painful slump in decades.

Sales to 55+ buyers are expected to strengthen next year, and some segments of this market — particularly the most affluent — could become notably robust as early as 2012, according to some of the forecasts that were presented.

Builders who have been keeping a close eye on the business potential of the baby boomers, who are currently age 45 to 63, have also been watching trends suggesting that these aging households have different plans for living out their retirement years than the generations preceding them.

A comprehensive study by NAHB and the MetLife Mature Market Institute released at the symposium added extensive findings aimed at helping builders gauge housing demand among 55+ owners and renters, who next year will represent one-quarter of the U.S. population.

The results of the study support a wide range of research showing such trends as baby boomers working longer into their retirement years, staying closer to their current address when they move and choosing to make aging-in-place modifications to their homes as an alternative to moving. The group as a whole, and especially its younger half, takes a dim view of the traditional retirement lifestyle. Some analysts said that targeted housing that groups 55+ residents in pockets of the general community is the fastest emerging development in this demographic.

NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe forecast that housing starts attributable to demand from the 55+ segment of the marketplace will slide from about 250,000 last year to almost 126,000 in 2009 before gaining some ground in 2010 with an increase to 175,000 units.

“The market will fall and rise again,” he said. The explanation for this year’s 50% decline in 55+-related construction, he said, is that “all housing is doing this.” However, the vibrant upward push that normally might be expected coming out of a recession will be “tempered” by the adverse impact of the downturn on household wealth.

New home sales to 55+ buyers are expected to rise from more than 85,000 this year to almost 125,000 next year, Crowe said. Of those, sales in age-qualified or other 55+ communities will climb from roughly 26,000 in 2008 to 38,000 in 2010. In the strictest terms and looking only at housing marketed as 55+, for now “this is a relatively small market,” he said.

Currently, “the trade-up market has a problem,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Economy.com.

The recession has put the dynamics of the housing market into disarray, and Zandi noted these demographic components to describe how: Thirty-three is the average age of the first-time buyer, he said, but 30-somethings are temporarily in a period of “going nowhere.” Forty-three is the average age of the trade-up buyer (who has to be able to sell to the first-timer). Incidentally, there are currently more people in the U.S. who are 49 than any other age. The second most common age is 19, the first-born of the 49-year-old who will soon enough be an empty nester. “And 50-somethings will take time to get going because of lost equity” in their homes as of this year’s first quarter, he said.

“The demographics are in your favor and will ultimately prevail,” Zandi told 55+ home builders. “But it will take time to get the prices up.”

From a peak of $65 trillion in late 2007, total household net worth has slipped $15 trillion to $50 trillion in the last year and a half. “Much of that wealth is in the boomer generation,” he said. “It will take time to repair balance sheets — that cracked nest-egg — and it will be a weight on their ability to buy things over the next three to five years.”

And if stocks begin to gain 5% annually on average, it will take a full decade for retirement funds to recover their recent losses, Zandi suggested.

Citing a further impediment to a rapid turn-around in the 55+ market, “people are not dissatisfied with where they live right now,” said John Migliaccio, director of research for the MetLife Mature Market Institute, who helped present findings from the study conducted by his company and NAHB. In that survey of the mature housing market, 90% voiced satisfaction in their current housing.

Residents of age-restricted active-adult communities showed the highest satisfaction rates.

“Builders face significant competition just from the current housing they [mature households] live in,” Migliaccio said.

The research, which includes an in-depth profile of the 55+ market, was based on figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey from 2001 through 2007. The survey is conducted in odd-numbered years.

Among the key findings of the study, “Housing for the 55+ Market: Trends and Insights on Boomers and Beyond”:

• The majority of 55+ households do not live in age-restricted (age-qualified) or other 55+ communities, but that number is on the rise. The share of those living in active adult age-restricted communities grew from 2.2% in 2001 to 3% in 2007. Those moving into age-restricted rentals over the same period climbed from 3.2% to 4.0%.
  
  
• Among the top reasons for moving, Migliaccio said, is the desire to live close to family members or relatives. For the mature market, “a destination can now be the middle of New Jersey,” he said, a departure from the traditional migration of retirees to sunny communities in Arizona and Florida. In 2001, just under 20% of those surveyed cited proximity to friends or relatives as a reason for choosing an age-qualified active adult community, he said. In 2007, that had increased to about 40%, “a major shift.”
  
  Movers were also looking for better quality, a somewhat larger place and a location that would accommodate career changes.
  
  In today’s bad economy, mature households are reconsidering their retirement plans and weighing the possibility of staying in their jobs longer, a trend that was underway even before the downturn. “People near retirement age are piling up at the door, deciding about employment,” he said. But “55+ consumers are working longer; proximity to work is a key driver, regardless of the community type.” Proximity to work was cited as a reason for choosing an age-qualified adult community in 2001 by only 2% of those surveyed; that rose to 8.8% in 2007. The increase represents a “significant” change, he said, although the percentage was still relatively small. Among those who moved into other 55+ owner-occupied communities, proximity to work was a factor for 16.2% in 2007, up from 8.5% in 2001.
  
  Since 2007, he said, finding a larger place has probably diminished as a priority, especially among age-qualified active adults. “A lower home price is more important to movers in multifamily units,” he added.
  
  
• Active adult communities are attracting younger buyers, who are under 60 and still working.
  
  
• In single-family detached homes, customers were most often two-person households. Married couples without children accounted for nearly half of the market. In 55+ multifamily communities, customers were usually one-person households. One-person households headed by a female dominated both the 55+ multifamily and age-restricted rental markets.
  
  
• 55+ single-family detached customers constituted “a relatively well-to-do group,” Migliaccio said, with average income of almost $70,000 in 2007. And the share of high-income households in the age-qualified active adult market is on the rise, “a good sign,” he said. However, almost two-thirds of age-restricted rental customers earned less than $20,000.
  
  
• Prospective buyers of single-family detached housing looked at more homes before buying than anybody else, he said, and they were likely to shop in multiple neighborhoods. On average, age-certified active adult buyers looked at 13.6 homes and buyers in other 55+ owner-occupied communities looked at 15.1. Age-restricted renters saw an average of only 2.8 homes.
  
  
• A significant share of buyers in age-qualified active adult and other 55+ communities took out a mortgage in 2007 — 51% and 40%, respectively — but the loan-to-value ratios were relatively small, at 65% and 61%, according to Crowe. “They have a lot of equity to put down,” he said. The sale of a previous home was the source of the downpayment for 92% and 78%, respectively.

Mark Stemen, CAASH, senior vice president, Active Adult Landover Group for K. Hovnanian Homes, said that his company has had to become more “creative” to tap into the 55+ market. “There are one million people on the move in the 55+ market,” he said, “but 70% don’t live in 55+ housing."

With “the 50+ crowd working longer and deferring retirement,” Stemen said, “we are building our product close to employment centers” that can typically be only seven to 10 miles away from a mature buyer's existing home. To capitalize on the trend toward younger buyers moving into active adult communities, “we are changing the image from the old Sun City concept to something more vibrant” and giving clubhouses spa characteristics.

And with 55+ prospects feeling the loss of household wealth these days, “there may be a trend toward market-rate senior rentals,” he said.

Shaken by the hit on their retirement savings, 55+ buyers are also now likely to “put less of their assets into new housing.” As a result, K. Hovnanian has been downsizing some of its product, starting with homes as small as 1,100 square feet, down from a minimum of more than 1,500.

“People are frozen in position,” Stemen said. “This is a discretionary purchase, and we have to convince them to move.”

“The simple life is here,” he said, “the way it used to be in the 1950s and ’60s.” For housing, that “new austerity” translates into efficient, open floor plans; higher densities; lower electric and heating bills; and greater comfort and improved air quality.

‘Get Housing Moving’ Tour Hits Sales Goal in 53 Days on the Road

Setting an example for home builders coast to coast who face the challenge of communicating with prospective home buyers about the advantages of making a purchase in today’s marketplace, John Wieland, chief executive officer and founder of leading Southeast home builder John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, on April 30 wrapped up his “Get Housing Moving” tour with the sale of his 101st new home and more than $42 million in sales.

Wieland pledged to sleep on the floor of his unsold homes until he reached his sales goal, a feat he accomplished 53 days into his tour with the sale of a home to Mr. and Mrs. Jason Patton in the Green River neighborhood in Canton, Ga.

The community is adjacent to the newly opened Joseph Knox Elementary School, which is equipped with cutting-edge technology. River Green residents can also enjoy a huge clubhouse, full-time activities director, two swimming pools and six tennis courts along with miles of walking trails, including one down to the Etowah River.

“With more than 400 homes already occupied, River Green is destined to be one of Canton’s jewels of a neighborhood. We are very proud of it,” Wieland wrote in his blog, where he chronicled his experiences during the campaign and where he will continue to post entries to promote public awareness of the important role of housing in leading economic recovery.

Wieland logged in more than 6,134 miles and slept in 50 unsold homes while traveling to his home communities in Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; Nashville; and Raleigh, N.C. in the “Wiebago,” a John Wieland-branded motor home.

“The tour was a huge success and truly an incredible experience,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity to connect with home buyers, home owners, company members, real estate agents and brokers. Plus, we’ve seen our best month of sales in more than a year. While I’m off my mobile mattress and back at home, I’m still fully committed to get housing moving on a national scale and get the American economy back on track."

To continue the momentum he achieved on the road, Wieland said that he is extending the company’s 101 Home Sale, providing savings of 5% to 25% and a lifetime structural warranty on one more home sale in each of his 56 neighborhoods.

“During my travels, I was surprised to learn that hesitancy still exists with regard to buying a home, given the great pricing to home buyers,” Wieland said. “But then again, that’s part of the reason I started the tour in the first place. Through education, I hope to alleviate some of this concern, as unquestionably, the time has never been better to buy a new home.”

Along the way, Wieland provided insights into the current marketplace that builders can use to improve their own sales.

Wieland took his tour to the executive committee meeting of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, which he served as president in 1980, and he cited the local association’s efforts in “continually working on strategies to spread the word that now is a great time to buy a new home as well as to uphold the professionalism of the industry.”

While NAHB truly is the voice of the housing industry, he said, “it is the local associations, such as ours in Atlanta, that really make the difference. It was great to be back at the housing center with so many people hard at work for a truly great industry.”

Price Isn’t Everything

In an April 16 entry in his blog entitled “There’s More Than Price,” Wieland provided a message that home builders should be sending to their customers when they find themselves in heated competition with bargain-priced foreclosures and short sales.

“Sometimes bargain shoppers don’t ask themselves whether the bargain home really meets their family’s needs,” he wrote. “Is this home in a neighborhood where property values will appreciate? Is it really a quality home or just a long-term maintenance problem? Obviously, price is a huge part of any home purchase, but should it be the only part? Should you forget about all the other aspects of picking ‘the right’ home when you see the ‘unbelievable’ low price offered on a home that someone else couldn’t afford?”

While some of the low prices available represent great buys, Wieland wrote, some “exist for specific reasons and any potential purchaser needs to be wary. Maybe the school district isn’t so terrific after all. What about the neighborhood? Does the neighborhood have recreational amenities? Are the other homes in the neighborhood holding value? Many times when you buy low, years from now you will end up selling low.

“Purchasing in a stable neighborhood with all of the pieces in place for long-term neighborhood success, and paying just a bit more than a bargain around the corner, can easily be one of the best decisions a family ever makes. After all, a home is not something that you can easily trade in when you find that you made the wrong decision. Price is very important, but it isn’t everything. Paying $20,000 more for the ‘right home’ at 4.5% interest is just $2.50 per day of enjoyment.”

During his celebrated tour, Wieland calculated that he shook 378 hands and received 186 cookies. He also reported that the zucchini bread he received from a mystery guest while parked on Peachtree Street in Atlanta was “awesome.” 

NAHB Members Urged to Take Precautions Against Swine Flu

The recent outbreak and rapid spread of cases of swine flu across the U.S. poses a safety risk to home builders, their employees and subcontractors — especially those in states where cases have already been identified or whose workers have traveled to or from Mexico recently. As of May 4, there were 286 confirmed cases in 36 states and one death.   

NAHB is urging members, home builders associations and their employees to learn how to recognize the symptoms of swine flu, and what precautions you can take to protect yourself.

The Red Cross has prepared Flu Checklists in English and Spanish versions that can be downloaded and posted on job sites.

Here are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure that you and your workers and families stay healthy:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
  
  
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
  
  
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
  
  
• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people, so try to avoid close contact with sick people.

If you do get sick, the CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to reduce the chance you will infect them.

The CDC on April 27 issued an advisory recommending that individuals avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico.

Updates on the swine flu can be found on the CDC Web site or by calling the CDC at (800) CDC-INFO.

First-Time Buyers Find Deals, Help Perk Up House Sales

First-time buyers account for about 45% of today’s distressed and fixer-upper homes, which are being sold at bargain prices, for typically 20% less than traditional homes, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Economists tracking the beleaguered housing market say these first-time home buyers represent a critical demographic that could help lead the industry out of its doldrums by buying up much of the excess inventory of homes that is drawing down home values nationwide. The hope among housing experts is that interest in millions of such properties across the nation will rise because of low interest rates, a tax credit for first-time home buyers of up to $8,000 and home prices that have sunk in some markets by more than 20%. Signs that buyers are jumping off the sidelines to purchase distressed properties provide a welcome indication that sales overall could pick up. But sales at these low prices are having the unwanted side effect of drawing down home prices across the board. And there are potential risks to home buyers, who may leap at the good prices on distressed properties only to find they lose any cost savings because the homes need so much work. The national average cost of a bathroom remodel in 2008-2009 is nearly $16,000; a major kitchen remodel runs more than $56,000; and replacing a roof is $18,825, according to Hanley Wood. The shift toward buying homes that need work does have an upside: In areas hard hit by foreclosures such as Florida, California and Nevada, some neighborhoods peppered with boarded-up homes with overgrown lawns now are showing signs of revitalization. (www.usatoday.com)
USA Today (4/29/09); Stephanie Armour

The Older Audience Is Looking Better Than Ever

For decades, older consumers were largely shunned by marketers because they were deemed less wealthy, less likely to try new products and less willing to change brands. And as much as older consumers were to be shunned, young consumers — ages 18 to 34, or 18 to 49 — were desired for their free-spending ways, eagerness to sample new products and brand-switching proclivities. Those attitudes are now changing, for a couple of reasons. One is the recession, which makes older consumers who may have paid off mortgages seem a safer bet than younger ones who may get laid off in last-hired, first-fired downswings. The other reason for the change is demographic. The estimated 78 million people born from 1946 to 1964 — who have long set the agenda for Madison Avenue because of their numbers — are aging. The first boomers are turning 63 this year, and the youngest are turning 45. Although “18 to 49 is going to remain the predominant buying demographic,” said Andy Donchin, director  for media investments at Carat in New York, “the country is aging, and the boomers are an attractive demographic.” That appeal is because of the size of the boomer market and because, as Mr. Donchin put it, “50 isn’t what it used to be.” Older consumers today “are not as resistant to change” as older consumers previously may have been, he said, summarizing their attitude as “Show me something better, and I’ll try it.” And the boomers are even “comfortable with digital media,” he added. (www.nytimes.com)
New York Times (4/20/09); Stuart Elliott

Paying Tax Credit Forward Would Get More Buyers in the Door

In recent weeks, at least 10 states say they have created innovative bridge-loan programs that advance households eligible for the $8,000 first-time home-purchase tax credit the cash they need for their closings. Generally the advances take the form of second mortgages — with or without interest charges — that become due whenever purchasers receive their credits in the form of refunds from the IRS. In Washington, where the state housing finance commission already has such a program, state treasurer James McIntire wants to make it much bigger. He has been pushing for creation of a public-private downpayment program that could reach far more borrowers than is possible under the housing commission’s current funding constraints. He has proposed depositing $25 million of state funds into interest-earning bank accounts. The bank would then provide revolving lines of credit to the state housing commission to greatly expand its downpayment bridge-loan efforts. In a novel arrangement, the Washington Association of Realtors® has pledged $400,000 as a backstop for McIntire’s plan to cover any unexpected losses on the transactions. The state legislature has authorized the program in its new budget. Bill Riley, the incoming president of the Realtors® association, said research by his group has shown that half of all would-be first-time buyers in the state “cannot save enough money for the downpayment and closing costs” — effectively locking them out of both the $8,000 credit and current low mortgage rates and house prices even when their monthly incomes qualify them to purchase a home. (www.washingtonpost.com)
Washington Post (4/2/09); Kenneth R. Harney

You Can Go Home Again; More Multigenerational Households as Economy Continues to Struggle

According to a recent survey by AARP Bulletin, 11% of those 50 or older said they live with their grandchildren or parents. Fifteen percent of those surveyed said it was likely that they may need to move in with family or friends, or have family or friends move in with them. Of those, 34% said that a loss in income would drive them to that move, 19% said it would be due to a change in job status and 8% said it would be due to foreclosure. “We haven’t had a housing ownership crisis like this,” said Jim Toedtman, vice president and editor of AARP Bulletin, referring to the foreclosure crisis that has left many families scrambling to find a place to live. “People are having to realign, or put rooms into use that haven’t been used,” he said. Old bedrooms that were offices are returning to their original purpose, and some attics are getting new life. Many home builders have offered “granny flats” as an option for a while. There has also been an emphasis on “universal home design” that allows home owners to age in place, with accessible floor plans that could serve them well into their golden years, said Louis Tenenbaum, an independent living strategist based in Potomac, Md. The focus on addressing older family members in a home’s design leads Mike Kephart, of Denver-based Kephart Living, to believe the trend of multigenerational living could stick around for a while. “I don’t think the economy has been the driver for anytime other than the last several months,” he said. His firm builds accessory dwelling units called Sidekick Homes that often serve as grandparents’ suites and are built adjacent to single-family homes. The units can range from 400 to 800 square feet, cost about $80,000 to $200,000, and allow an older family member to maintain some independence while living right next to their children and grandchildren, he said. The structures are completely accessible, with features including wooden floors that accommodate wheelchairs and windows that can easily open with a crank or a motor. (www.marketwatch.com)
MarketWatch (4/30/09); Amy Hoak

Building Trend Has Home Owners Sitting Pretty

The Kays, who live in Manheim Township, Pa., added a spacious front porch to their 19-year-old home earlier this spring. “It’s a wonderful way to enjoy the outside and keep in touch with our neighbors,” Peg Kay says. “We wanted the front porch to be the focal point of our house. It’s big enough to entertain a crowd or just sit and read the paper.” The Kays are part of a building trend, says Phyllis Vail, director of marketing and communications for CertainTeed Corp. Front porches, she says, “are part of the ‘New Urbanism’ movement. New Urbanists list the ability to be closer to your neighbors, the welcoming warmth of a front porch, the aesthetics of a porch, the energy-saving benefits…and the added living space a porch can add as some of the attractions of the front porch.” In fact, 2007 research by NAHB’s Economics Group reports that the front porch will be a standard feature on homes by 2015. “Generally, today’s front porches are larger, often spanning the full length of the house front,” Vail says. “Also, they tend to be wider — 8 to 10 feet, instead of 4 to 6 feet.” Using low-maintenance materials, like vinyl, is a popular choice in new porch construction, she says. And today’s porches are anything but bland when it comes to color — using perhaps one color for the cladding, another for the trim and a third for window accents. Depending on the type of material used and the details in the design, a new porch can range in cost from $25,000 to $40,000, says Bill Patrick, president and senior designer for William J. Patrick Inc., the Lancaster, Pa.-based remodeler who built the Kays’ porch. (www.lancasteronline.com)
Lancaster Newspapers (4/30/09); Cathy Molitoris

Entertainment Central; Media Rooms Are the Perfect Escape for Viewing TV

According to NAHB, 16% of buyers of mid-priced new homes consider the media room/home theater critical, while 72% of buyers of upscale homes consider it critical. Both rank it more important than the exercise room, in-law suite and hobby room. “The trend started in the 1980s,” says Gopal Ahluwalia, NAHB’s vice president of research. “The definition varies from a room with a wide-screened TV to a theater with a popcorn stand, drop-screen and built-in recliners. Now, it is a must in upscale homes, especially.” Buyers of 3,200- to 4,500-square foot, single-family houses built by Chrystyn Homes in Napperville, Ill. usually want the builder’s second-floor, T-shaped bonus room that includes a media room, says president Bob Hudgens. “Most buyers use it as the kids’ TV room, while the parents watch TV in the family room,” says Hudgens. “We include CAT-5 wiring, cable, lots of electrical outlets and pre-wired surround sound. Many buyers also want built-ins for games, equipment and a mini-refrigerator.” Like granite countertops and butlers’ pantries, media rooms have trickled down from upscale homes to mid-priced homes,” says Ahluwalia. As the number of TVs per household and the size of those TVs both grow, the TV becomes an important household feature instead of an afterthought. So it’s no wonder builders and home owners dedicate rooms to it. (www.chicagotribune.com)
Chicago Tribune (5/1/09); Leslie Mann

Letter to the Editor: Higher Economic Ground Is Far Off

Dear Editor:

As an occasional reader of NAHB who from time to time appreciates its perspective on economic news, I found “Economic Growth Now Heading to Higher Ground” (April 27, 2009) quite misleading when you take a good look at how this recession differs from those that preceded it. In the current case, to get the economic ball rolling in a positive direction, the consumer and corporate markets need to return to a level of savings and liquidity that has not existed in this country since the 1950s. The average consumer is overleveraged, both with real estate and short-term credit borrowings.

The typical corporation and small business has lived off of credit for the past several years. Home builders are in there somewhere. To get back to a place our economy can achieve growth, those debt borrowings must be paid back and a significant amount of cash must be accumulated. This is a huge swing of the economic pendulum. Frankly, today’s banking environment is requiring it. Corporations need to have cash balances in order to get loans and small businessmen are being asked to personally guarantee loans and have cash balances at the bank.

Looking at today’s home mortgage lending standards compared to those of the past five years or so provides an idea of what has to be achieved by the borrower to begin to get momentum going in the home buying markets. Asking for 15% to 20% down, a good credit score (above 700) and cash for closing costs means that a home buyer attempting to buy a modest $300,000 home needs at least $45,000 in cash and additional monies for closing. Given the current demographics of possible buyers, this suggests a quite small group of available people, who may or may not be interested in buying. Couple that with the current inventory of existing homes for sale and new builds and a growing list of available foreclosed homes, and you are headed for an exceedingly slow recovery process. For real proof of how “thin” the available pool of buyers is, take a poll in your office to see how many of your existing employees who don’t own a home have enough savings and a 700+ credit score to buy the average home in your market. That is the reality.

If we are now at the bottom, I fully expect us to stay there for at least the next year. I don’t think we’re there yet, and the economic picture will deteriorate further in the third quarter as the impact of the unemployment numbers continues to roll through the economy.

Mark Wright
Acadia Windows & Doors
Baltimore

Congress Omits Limiting Mortgage Interest Deduction

A controversial White House revenue-raising provision to limit deductions for mortgage interest, state and local taxes and charitable contributions for high-income earners was omitted from the annual budget resolution (S.Con.Res. 13)  completed by House and Senate lawmakers last week.

NAHB aggressively opposed this provision from the outset because of its potentially damaging impact on the housing industry, and many in Congress quickly declared it “dead on arrival.” 

The House Budget and Senate Budget committees inserted specific language in the budget resolution to underscore that they were not including the President’s proposals to limit tax deductions, leaving the consideration of specific revenue offsets to the tax-writing committees in the Congress.

“Unless expressly provided, this resolution does not assume any of the specific revenue offset proposals provided for in the President’s budget,” the resolution said. “Decisions about specific revenue offsets are made by the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance, which are the tax writing committees.”

The budget includes a procedural “reconciliation” provision that would allow Senate Democrats to pass legislation on health care and education with a simple majority of 51 votes rather than the 60 that are usually required to overcome a filibuster. Democrats say they only plan to use reconciliation if bipartisan talks on these issues break down.

Both the House and Senate budget resolutions were approved largely along party lines, with four Senate Democrats — including Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), who switched parties, and 17 House Republicans opposing the budget blueprint. No Republican in either chamber voted for the budget.

To gain the support of fiscally conservative blue dog House Democrats concerned about deficit reduction, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) pledged to enact strict pay-as-you-go, or PAYGO rules, in the consideration of four bills expected to come up later this year. The bills would extend relief from the alternative minimum tax to prevent millions of Americans from being subject to the tax, increase Medicare payments to doctors, modify the estate tax and extend expiring middle-class tax cuts.

PAYGO requires all new tax cuts or spending to be offset by other spending decreases or revenue increases.

Overall, S.Con.Res. 13 would authorize an increase in the federal debt from 55% of the gross domestic product to approximately 67% of GDP in fiscal year 2014. The resolution provides for $1.086 trillion in discretionary spending for the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in fiscal year 2010, approximately $10 billion less than the White House budget proposal.

The annual budget resolution provides guidance for House and Senate lawmakers to lay out the spending priorities of Congress for the next few years. One of its primary goals is to establish the annual 302(b) allocations, which tell the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees how much money they are allowed to spend on government programs and departments for the next fiscal year

The budget resolution has absolutely no force of law and the President is not required to sign it.

The budget process completes the first phase of annual appropriations negotiations.

To read the resolution, click here and enter S.Con.Res. 13 in the box at the center of the page.

For more information, e-mail Jenna Hamilton at  NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8407.

'Cramdown' Amendment Fails in Senate

An amendment to a broader housing and finance bill to allow judges to modify the terms of mortgages on a primary residence failed last week in the Senate.

The "cramdown" provision was defeated by a vote of 51 to 45.

On mortgages on principal residences issued prior to Jan. 1, 2009 and with an outstanding value of less than $729,750, the amendment would have allowed judges to change the interest rate, extend the term up to 40 years, and, if the home value had declined, to reduce the mortgage to the current fair market value.

Last Thursday's vote failed to secure even majority support, much less the 60 votes needed to pass it, and the Senate action likely brings to a close efforts to make this reform to the bankruptcy code.

For more information, e-mail J.P. Delmore at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8412.

Former Congressman, HUD Secretary Jack Kemp Dies at 73

Jack Kemp, the former secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the George H.W. Bush Administration and nine-term congressman from Buffalo, N.Y., died of cancer on May 2. He was 73.

Kemp, who was a strong proponent of a bipartisan national housing agenda during and after he left public office, was the founder and chairman of Kemp Partners, a strategic consulting firm. In 1993, he was a co-founder of Empower America, a Washington, D.C.-based public policy and advocacy group, with former Secretary of Education Bill Bennett and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Jeane Kirkpatrick.

Kemp, who served in Congress from 1971 to 1989, advocated the Kemp-Roth tax cuts in 1977, which later became law under President Ronald Reagan. A political star while in Congress and after he held office, he campaigned nationally for tax cuts and Social Security and education reform and helped move his party toward supply-side economics. In 1996, he received the Republic Party nomination for vice president and was the running mate of former Sen. Robert Dole.

Earlier this decade, Kemp teamed with Henry Cisneros, former HUD secretary during the Clinton Administration, to develop a bipartisan housing agenda.

In 2005, he and Cisneros received the 2005 Search for Common Ground Award for Bipartisan Cooperation for their collaborative effort. The Common Ground awards are presented annually to recognize achievements in conflict resolution, community building and peacemaking. 

Kemp and Cisneros also worked closely with Kent Colton, former CEO of NAHB, and Nicolas P. Retsinas, the director of Harvard’s Joint Center of Housing Studies, to publish, “Opportunity and Progress: A Bipartisan Platform for National Housing Policy.” The publication was available through the Joint Center.

Before entering politics, Kemp was a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and led the team to back-to-back championships in the old American Football League (AFL) in 1964 and 1965. He played until 1967. He also co-founded the AFL’s players association and was elected its president five times.

Bank of America Home Loans Brand Launched

Bank of America on April 27 introduced its Bank of America Home Loans brand at locations nationwide and unveiled new tools designed to help clarify the home finance process for home buyers and owners.

The bank’s Clarity Commitment is a single one-page loan summary that clearly presents to borrowers the terms of the loan in straightforward language. The information includes the interest rate, monthly payment, payment terms and an explanation of closing costs and other loan information.

The summary is provided at both the time of application and at closing, and is available on most new purchase and refinance transactions, including traditional and government-backed loans.

Bank customers can use the Bank of America Home Loan Guide — an interactive Web site, bankofamerica.com/homeloans — to obtain personalized information in preparation for home buying and loan refinancing decisions.

The guide can help consumers understand the criteria that drive lenders’ decisions, steps they can take to be more successful in the search for an appropriate home loan and how a home loan fits into their budget and total financial picture.

Barbara Desoer, president of Bank of America Home Loans, said that the bank had met with thousands of customers to create the tools they wanted.

“Doing the right thing for our customers is the foundation of our brand promise to always be a responsible lender and help create successful home owners, and these tools exemplify that process,” she said.

Through its 6,100 banking centers, Bank of America Home Loans also introduced Flat Fee Mortgage Plus. The new mortgage product has no application fee and one single closing fee that represents the lender and other fees required for third-party services. It will be available through additional channels in the future.

The Bank of America Home Loans brand represents the combined operations of Bank of America’s mortgage and home equity business and Countrywide Home Loans, which was acquired on July 1, 2008 and has now been retired.

The company originates and services one out of every five loans in the country, representing a servicing portfolio of almost 14 million loans. During this year’s first quarter, Bank of America funded $85 billion in first mortgages, helping more than 382,000 Americans purchase a home or refinance an existing mortgage. More than $16 billion of those mortgages were for 102,000 low- and moderate-income borrowers.

Useful Links to Monitor Economic and Housing Trends

The following are links to useful information from government agencies and NAHB that will enable you to monitor the housing market.

To access the latest information available, simply click the links.

• U.S. Census Bureau Construction Price Indexes
  
  
• NAHB's Housing Forecast
  Housing starts, sales and interest rate projections through 2009.
  
  
• Latest Home Mortgage Interest Rates
  Contains current and historical data on fixed and adjustable mortgage rates. Updated weekly.
  
  
• Characteristics of New Housing
  Highlights the latest data on new-home characteristics released by the U.S. Census Department. Includes links to the complete Census report and other trends researched by NAHB.
  
  Additional breakouts of this data and other trends researched by NAHB are available at www.nahb.org/constructionstats under “Selected Characteristics of New Housing” (dated 4/3/2008).
  
  
• Housing Starts
  Updated monthly and based on a seasonally adjusted annual rate.
  
  
• New and Existing Home Sales
  Updated monthly and based on a seasonally adjusted annual rate.
  
  
• New and Existing Single-Family Median Home Prices
  Updated monthly.
  
  
• Home Price Index
  The index measures average home appreciation in more than 250 metropolitan markets. Updated quarterly.
  
  
• Metro Home Building Permits
  Local and state data on housing construction rates. Updated monthly.
  
  
• Employment Trends for Metro/State Markets
  Provides metro and state employment data nationwide. Updated monthly.
  
  
• Local Economic Impact of Housing
  Shows how building 100 homes benefits a typical metropolitan area.
  
  
• Home Building’s Direct Impact on the Economy
  
  
• Housing’s Contribution to Gross State Product
  Measures how much housing contributes to the economic output of each state.
  
  
• Housing Market Statistics from HousingEconomics.com
  Full array of statistical categories available to NAHB members, a limited number available to non-members.
  
  
• In-Depth Analysis from HousingEconomics.com
  Full array of analysis of factors affecting housing and the impact on the industry available to NAHB members, a limited number available to non-members.

Tax Credit Web Site Looks at Opportunity of a Lifetime

Builders and other industry professionals can help spur home sales by referring prospective first-time home buyers to www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. The NAHB Web site provides detailed information on the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers included in the economic stimulus legislation signed into law by President Obama.

Consumers can use the Web site to find information on the tax credit — including a detailed question and answer section. It also includes information about other housing-related and small business measures in the legislation and a number of home-buying resources for consumers.

Spanish Version Also Available Online

A Spanish version of this increasingly popular Web site is also available to provide detailed information on the tax credit to Spanish-speaking first-time home buyers.

Industry professionals are encouraged to highlight either tax credit Web site when marketing to their potential first-time home buyer market.

Want to Know the Housing Starts Through 2017?

Find out in HousingEconomics.com's Long-Term Forecast.

Subscribe and get downloadable Excel tables that feature the housing starts forecast, gross domestic product (GDP), demographics and more. 

To learn more, visit www.housingeconomics.com.

Free NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips to Navigate the Slowdown

What was once expected to be a relatively mild housing slump following three years of record new home construction and sales has given way to a significant downturn.

To help members navigate the uncharted waters of this slowdown, NAHB has compiled a comprehensive “Back to Basics” online toolkit — the best of the basics, the tried and true and the truly new. To access the toolkit, click here.

To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar.

For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.

Honesty, Understanding Keys to Negotiating With Lenders

While lending lifelines have been dramatically reduced or cut off as banks and lenders adjust to new market realities, restrictions and regulator scrutiny, experts participating in an NAHB webinar on lender negotiations last week said that lenders will negotiate with builders and developers to reduce their losses and reach viable solutions.

During the session, “Negotiating With Your Lender,” a panel of home builders, developers and a banking legal expert discussed how lenders are open to renegotiating and what best practices builders and developers should follow to succeed in that process.

The presentation, sponsored by Builders CoPilot and NAHB’s Business Management and Information Technology Committee, was held on April 29.

One of the keys to negotiating with lenders is to “know where they’re coming from” and what they are facing now, said Steve Camp, of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, an attorney who specializes in financial services and lending transactions. “Banks are beginning to deal with a bottoming economy, loan portfolios going south and stress tests requiring them to raise more money.”

“A lot of bankers have never seen a financial crisis like this. They are scratching their heads wondering how to work their way out of this and what tools to bring to the table,” Camp said.

Under these circumstances, banks are actually looking to builders and developers for solutions, the panelists said, and builders should be proactive.

“Lenders are looking to us to come up with solutions to the problem. We’re the experts,” said builder and developer Curt Blomstrand, of Focus Realty Services and Lenox Homes in Lafayette, Calif.

Builders and developers have to come to the lender with a plan, but the deal will not be approved if it was one-sided, Blomstrand said. Builders must be willing to “put cash in the deal and have a vested interest.”

Another key to making the negotiations work is to be absolutely honest with your lender, all the panelists agreed.

“This is not about winning, it’s about finding common solutions,” said Camp. “Know what your strengths are as a debtor, understand your own situation and be able to explain it to your bank so they can understand it.”

Joe Lemel, of Lemel Homes in Glendale Wis., said builders not only have to know their strengths, they have to be able to clearly articulate how safe they are. “Honesty with bankers really goes back to prior relationships,” he said.

Negotiating in today’s environment requires patience, said Greg Isenhour, of Guts, Inc. a residential and commercial builder based in Chapel Hill, N.C. who also served as moderator of the webinar.

During the negotiating process, builders must continue to keep their lender informed of any changes in the company, good or bad, in order to maintain trust, Camp said. Lenders need to be convinced that the builder is not going to run away.

“Your best asset is your reputation, that you’re a person of your word and that you keep your word,” said Camp. Keep your lender informed of any changes and why those changes occurred, he said.

Give and take is also an important element in negotiations now, said Lemel. Builders must be “willing to give something up that the bank hasn’t asked for. That goes a long way.”

“The last thing that banks want is the property back,” said Blomstrand, but if a builder or developer is not cooperating, the lender “is very prepared to take the property back.”

And they will confiscate the property if there is no cooperation, Camp said. “When you walk in and say, ‘I’m not interested in working out a deal,’ you put a bulls-eye on that says to your lender, ‘Come after me.’”

When negotiating, Blomstrand stressed that builders should confirm everything in writing to avoid confusion.

Camp added that builders should not shy away from forbearance agreements because they serve as a roadmap for the work-out and because they are negotiable. The forbearance agreement will stipulate what the builder and lender have agreed to do and for how long, he said.

Knowing who to negotiate with is also critical, said Chris Valentine, of Hearthside Homes in Kansas City, Mo. Builders and developers should negotiate with the “people behind the scenes making the decisions” — the bank presidents and loan officers.

He also stressed that builders and developers should negotiate in person. “Shooting off an e-mail doesn’t cut it. Negotiate with them face-to-face and frame the conversation in terms of benefit.”

When negotiating interest rates, the panelists agreed that most lenders are not willing to go below a floor of 5% to 5.5%. Troubled assets are costing the banks more to service, they said.

However, Lemel said the interest rate should not be the be-all, end-all of the negotiations. “The interest rate is critical, but the fee structure also is critical. When negotiating, look at the whole structure.”

He said he recently closed a deal with his new bank moving all his operating capital to it, which helped him work out an attractive negotiation with his lender. “That and the fact that I am very liquid.”

To Access a Recording of the Webinar

Members can download and listen to the panel discussion for free through June 29.

To download the webinar, visit http://webinar.builderscopilot.com/Webinar/Recording/Webinar0429.wmv. To download the slide portion of the webinar only, visit http://webinar.builderscopilot.com/Webinar/Docs/Final-Webinar.pdf.

For more information, e-mail Agustín Cruz at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8472.

Online Communications and PR Cut Costs, Not Results

With the economy and real estate in a down cycle, more and more companies involved in new-home sales are moving their marketing efforts online and using public relations, rather than advertising, to cut costs while still being able to successfully connect with customers.

Jim Adams, CEO of NewHomesDirectory.com, an online new-home listing service headquartered in Murrieta, Calif., switch to public relations last year after reading an article in Sales +Marketing Ideas magazine that assessed the advantages of public relations compared to advertising. He hasn’t looked back since.

“I didn’t use PR in the past because I didn’t understand it,” he said. “But after reading that story, I realized that PR offers a far more credible way to tell our story than a self-serving advertisement. With PR, when I’m quoted in an article, people in the industry view me as a trusted expert.”

Well-written stories provide readers with content they want, and the author and sources quoted in them are seen as leaders in their field.

PR Helps Make Connections That Generate New Business

Adams discovered that public relations activities helped him establish connections with influential people in the industry. PR also worked to build a reputation for quality and expertise — both of which are critical to growing business.

PR first began to work for Adams when, during a conference, he was interviewed by Sarah Yaussi of Big Builder magazine. That resulted in Adams being featured in a blog that attracted critical exposure and helped him make new connections that brought him new business ever since.

The blog caught the eye of Jeff Shore, a new-home sales trainer with clients across the country, who validated the effectiveness of the NewHomesDirectory.com service. This third-party endorsement, Adams said, helped build his reputation.

Shore’s endorsement helped Adams build a working relationship with Epcon Communities, a developer and franchise operator of single-story, residential condominium communities operating in 24 states.

“Trust is really the foundation of commerce, and people trust third-party testimonials far more than a self-serving promotion,” Adams said.

PR Helps Tell a Complete Story

Dave Clements, CEO of Lasso Data Systems, a provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software for the real estate industry, said public relations helped grow his business through introductions to industry prospects and media contacts that resulted in positive news articles about his company in magazines and online, raising his profile in the industry.

The public relations firm Lasso hired developed case studies from a variety of client experiences and perspectives on how the software was leveraged to meet specific objectives. The firm then coordinated media interviews with clients to get the story told, which folded perfectly into Clements’ marketing strategy.

“Our overall goal is to connect new customers with knowledgeable users who can provide expert information that helps them make informed purchase decisions and get real ‘how to’ support,” Clements said. “People don’t want to be sold something. They want to understand what to buy. We want to give them high-quality information through collaborative relationships with our expert industry users.”

Strengthening Connections Through Social Media

To achieve this, Clements is developing a strategy for using online social media — such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn — along with public relations, to connect new clients to expert users and to drive industry traffic to the Lasso Web site.

Adams, who is already using social media to build relationships with potential customers, said his company has embraced this medium as part of its culture.

“It’s a place where we can connect and talk with customers, listen to what they have to say and get their feedback,” he said.

Unlike advertising, social media is interactive and enables businesses to have a two-way conversation with their customers, which can lead to stronger bonds, trust and sales.

“People don’t like to be sold to but they do like to buy — and they want to do business with people they feel comfortable with and trust.”

Adams said that social media provides a perfect platform to meet people with similar interests, open up a two-way conversation and build a customer base or network of people with a positive impression of the home product — who, in turn, tell friends, family, clients and coworkers.

“Going to MySpace is like going to a bar and hanging out to see who shows up,” said Adams. “The goal is to connect with individuals, not the masses.”

He established an online community for new-home marketing professionals at Newhomespro.net, where participants discuss market issues and current events and share information.

He also initiated a blog on LinkedIn.com to provide a virtual meeting and networking space. And while Adams admitted that virtual meetings cannot replace face-to-face contact, they do enable participants to connect with more people and share a broader range of ideas and facilitate relationship building. His network now includes about 250 new-home marketing professionals.

“A blog’s purpose is to build relationships, not sell something,” he stressed.

Adams pointed out that Dell Computer was able to reduce the cost and workload of its customer service staff by launching a network where users helped each other to solve their problems.

“Dell customers are becoming customer service foot soldiers, helping each other with questions and problems,” he said. Such a networking strategy produces satisfied customers and translates into more sales

Adams suggested that blogs by home builders can create foot traffic at projects or improve customer relations. A blog by an executive in charge of customer service, for example, could provide new-home buyers with feedback and assistance with construction follow-up.

Feedback from customers is essential to improving the product, but opening a direct line of communication between the customer and top management will help to limit a company’s liability and protect its brand and reputation, Adams said.

Adams does have one warning that builders should consider when developing an online PR strategy. While a negative article in a newspaper is forgotten over time, what appears on the Internet can stay there forever.

Still, Adams and Clements believe solid public relations strategies bring quantifiable results.

“I spent thousands of dollars on advertisements not knowing whether or not it was generating any business at all, but after just four months of PR, I was able to track media placements to sales,” Adams said.

“There’s no question in my mind that PR has generated business,” said Clements. “PR involves various forms of communication and gets much more personal than advertising, offering people information they can relate to and use to make good decisions and improve business.”

Carol Ruiz is vice president of public relations for red rocket LA, a marketing and public relations firm based in Culver City, Calif. that delivers targeted and integrated communications for clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Ruiz has nearly 20 years experience in real estate-related public relations. For more information, e-mail the company, call 310-841-0994, or visit www.redrocketla.com.

This article originally appeared on the NAHB Sales and Marketing Channel.

Tax Credit Web Site Looks at Opportunity of a Lifetime

Builders and other industry professionals can help spur home sales by referring prospective first-time home buyers to www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. The NAHB Web site provides detailed information on the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers included in the economic stimulus legislation signed into law by President Obama.

Consumers can use the Web site to find information on the tax credit – including a detailed question and answer section. It also includes information about other housing-related and small business measures in the legislation and a number of home-buying resources for consumers.

Spanish Version Also Available Online

A Spanish version of this increasingly popular Web site is also available to provide detailed information on the tax credit to Spanish-speaking first-time home buyers.

Industry professionals are encouraged to highlight either tax credit Web site when marketing to their potential first-time home buyer market.

Subscribe to Sales + Marketing Ideas Magazine for Cutting-Edge Information

For additional cutting-edge sales and marketing information, subscribe to NAHB’s Sales + Marketing Ideas magazine (www.smimagazine.com). 

Click here to learn about membership benefits of the National Sales and Marketing Council and the Institute of Residential Marketing.

Recession Selling 101: Tips to Overcome the Pressure

Marketing and selling new homes during a recession requires overcoming a whole set of pressures that don’t surface during boom times.

During tough economic times, every sale — maybe every lead — can mean the difference between profitability or loss and, quite possibly, your company's survival.

Selling is tough enough when times are good, but trying to sell with this kind of pressure bearing down on you in this market can affect your ability to sell — unless you prepare yourself to be at peak performance during the sell.

A client of mine, one of the most successful custom builders in his market, was overly nervous recently when he was about to make a presentation to clients who wanted a one-of-a-kind, multi-million-dollar home.  

Until that point, presenting to clients had become fairly routine for him. He had made similar presentations for more than three decades. But this time, the pressure was getting to him.

He was fearful that if he didn’t get the job, he would be forced to lay off loyal employees. Compounding that, he worried that he wouldn’t be able to hide his anxiety when talking with the architect and his client and that they would interpret his anxiety as desperation.  

He was afraid his fear would get in the way of the sale.

How We Appear Is as Important as What We Have to Say

In 1967, psychologists Albert Mehrabian and Susan Ferris published a study about nonverbal communication in the Journal of Consulting Psychology that found that verbal communication was a small part of how we communicate. The study indicated that 55% of what we communicate is through our body language, 38% comes from how we speak — our voice quality, projection, pace and pitch — and only 7% is the actual content.

So, with 93% of how we communicate not even about what we say, how can we prepare ourselves to be at our best with so much on the line?

How do we find the confidence we need to avoid appearing too desperate and losing the sale before even asking for it?

Strategies for Achieving Peak Performance

I have developed a number of strategies that I follow before every talk I give to maximize my chances for success. They are strategies that can help boost your confidence — even during this downturn.

• Know the Environment and Lay of the Land.
  Eliminate any surprises beforehand so that you can concentrate on the sell. When possible, get a sense of the physical space where you’ll be presenting. Know how many chairs you’ll need and whether you’ll need a white board, table, AV equipment and other supplies.
  
  By knowing the possibilities and limitations of the physical space, you will be able to make any necessary adjustments before you show up to present and be that much better prepared.
  
  
• Handle Your Personal Logistics Well in Advance.
  Develop a checklist of all of the materials, note pads, computers and anything else you’ll need during your presentation. If possible, get the logistics out of the way well before the presentation — ideally the day before.
  
  
• Get Exercise, Oxygenate Your Brain, Clear Your Nerves.
  What you want to do is get the blood flowing so you’re fully alert when it’s time to meet with your prospects. Exercise or take a vigorous walk.
  
  Whatever you do to get oxygen to your brain, do it an hour or two before your presentation, or earlier if need be.
  
  However, don’t overdo it. You want to project vitality, not be spent before you even begin.
  
  
• Be Clear About Your Purpose and Intention.
  My purpose and intent is to make a positive contribution to the lives and businesses of every attendee at my speeches and training.
  
  What gift do you and your business have to give? Will you open up new possibilities for your prospects? Provide them a unique service or product? Enhance their life or lifestyle?
  
  Be clear about it in your mind so you can project it when you speak.
  
  
• Review Your Presentation.
  Go over your talk or presentation an hour or so prior to delivery.
  
  
• Take Quiet Time to Visualize Your Desired Outcome.
  This is important. Visualize your presentation going smoothly and well. Visualize your prospects being receptive to you, your company and your offer. See the big smiles on their faces. This will help get you in the proper frame of mind.

Finally, and above all else, have a good time. It’s okay to enjoy yourself, your prospects and the sales process.

Dennis DuRoff is a business coach, speaker and author whose clients include builders and remodelers. He also offers a low-cost, turnkey newsletter program that helps builders and remodelers stay in-touch with prospective customers and past clients and maximize referrals and increase sales. For more information, e-mail DuRoff, call him at 206-722-6067 or visit www.thebuildersnewsletter.com.

Tax Credit Web Site Looks at Opportunity of a Lifetime

Builders and other industry professionals can help spur home sales by referring prospective first-time home buyers to www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. The NAHB Web site provides detailed information on the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers included in the economic stimulus legislation signed into law by President Obama.

Consumers can use the Web site to find information on the tax credit – including a detailed question and answer section. It also includes information about other housing-related and small business measures in the legislation and a number of home-buying resources for consumers.

Spanish Version Also Available Online

A Spanish version of this increasingly popular Web site is also available to provide detailed information on the tax credit to Spanish-speaking first-time home buyers.

Industry professionals are encouraged to highlight either tax credit Web site when marketing to their potential first-time home buyer market.

‘ValueMatch Selling for Home Builders’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“ValueMatch Selling for Home Builders,” available through BuilderBooks.com, presents a selling process that focuses on selling feelings and appealing to prospective buyers’ emotional need to buy a new home in today’s market rather than product.

Learn how to build rapport with prospective home buyers, meet their needs, make powerful presentations that are focused on their values and go for the close.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

May 14 Audio Seminar Explores Government Contracting Options

During an hour-long NAHB audio seminar next month, developers, remodelers and single-family and multifamily builders can learn how to use the economic stimulus package to diversify into commercial construction.

“Stimulus Opportunities for Builders: Exploring Commercial Opportunities in the Stimulus Package” will begin at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 14.

Sponsored by the National Commercial Builders Council (NCBC) and The University of Housing, the seminar will help participants on:

• What parts of the stimulus package are relevant to your business
• How members are getting involved in stimulus-funded projects
• Private funding alternatives that are working

Scheduled speakers include builders who have more than 20 years of experience with government contracts and an attorney who specializes in contract law.

“This audio seminar will provide knowledge that individual companies do not have the time, resources or direct access to the government to attain on their own,” said Fred Hoppe, NCBC chair and scheduled seminar speaker. “This is the benefit of NAHB and council membership in today’s tough market. They will help do the homework necessary to run your business.”

Hoppe, a partner at Hoppe & Harner, LLC in Lincoln, Neb., specializes in contract law in construction, commercial real estate, business, landlord/tenant and banking. He is also president of Hoppe Homes, Inc., a real estate ownership, operation and development company.

Audio seminar participants will learn about a variety of government-contracted construction projects listed in the stimulus package and what they need to know to bid on — and win — government contracts.

The seminar will also include information about connecting with federal contractors to work as subcontractors on commercial construction jobs.

“Our members need to learn how to get in on these projects.” said Carl Harris, vice president and general manager of the Carl Harris Company in Wichita, Kan. and NCBC vice chair and moderator of the seminar.

Harris said that government project money is available for schools, fire stations, public works, water treatment plants and even pseudo-government projects like hospitals.

“Now that the stimulus package has passed and project money is being allotted and will be spent on these types of projects, NAHB members should be actively going after it,” said Harris.

To Register 

The registration fee for the audio seminar is $79.

The seminar will include a panel discussion as well as questions from the audience. Questions can be submitted in advance through Friday, May 8 to commercialbuilders@nahb.com.

To register online, visit www.nahb.org/stimulusopportunities.

For more information, e-mail Kisha DeSandies at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8455.

Builders’ Tip: How to Fashion Heavy-Duty Sawhorse Brackets

	Click for larger image.

Plenty of commercially available sawhorse brackets are on the market, but I’ve found that the ones I weld up for myself suit my needs better than any I have seen.

The sawhorses I fabricated are rock solid, stack nicely and are easy to disassemble.

They’re easy to build, too.

• As shown in the accompanying drawings, the leg holders are made of 1/4-inch-thick 2x4 rectangular-section steel tubing. Because the tubing has 2x4 outside dimensions, a wooden 2x4 slips inside nicely.
  
  
• I use a 14-inch cutoff saw with a metal-cutting blade to make the parts. The leg holders are 5 inches long and have 60-degree cuts on their ends.
  
  
• They are welded to 3/16-inch-thick bars of steel that are 4 inches wide by 10 inches long. I chose 4-inch-wide stock because it also cuts easily on the cutoff saw.
  
  
• Next, I drilled two 1/4-inch screw holes in the leg holders and a 3/8-inch bolt hole near each end of the bars. The leg holders were then welded to the flat bars.
  
  
• You’ll notice in the drawings that I oriented the flat bars two different ways in order to fabricate two types of saw horses — one for a 2x6 top and one for a 2x10 top.
  
  
• I recessed the carriage bolts securing the 2x6 and 2x10 tops so that shallow saw cuts wouldn't hit the bolt heads.

— Lary Shaffer, Scarborough, Maine

Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2008 The Taunton Press

To contact Fine Homebuilding, e-mail Christina Glennon.

Tax Credit Web Site Looks at Opportunity of a Lifetime

Builders and other industry professionals can help spur home sales by referring prospective first-time home buyers to www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. The NAHB Web site provides detailed information on the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers included in the economic stimulus legislation signed into law by President Obama.

Consumers can use the Web site to find information on the tax credit — including a detailed question and answer section. It also includes information about other housing-related and small business measures in the legislation and a number of home-buying resources for consumers.

Spanish Version Also Available Online

A Spanish version of this increasingly popular Web site is also available to provide detailed information on the tax credit to Spanish-speaking first-time home buyers.

Industry professionals are encouraged to highlight either tax credit Web site when marketing to their potential first-time home buyer market.

Set Yourself Apart With CGB Designation

Join the ranks of the nation’s top building industry professionals with the Certified Graduate Builder (CGB) designation. The “Builder Assessment Review” (BAR) is your first step towards obtaining the CGB.

This comprehensive assessment measures your expertise in the four key areas of the building industry: building technology, business and finance, project management and sales and marketing.

Your results will show the areas where your knowledge is strongest and weakest and will help determine the courses required for you to obtain your CGB.

To learn where the next BAR will be held, visit NAHB’s education listings, or call the Professional Designation Help Line at 800-368-5242 x8154.

BuilderBooks.com Offers More Than 250 Books That Help You Build Your Business

BuilderBooks.com is your source for training and education products for the building industry. The official bookstore for NAHB, BuilderBooks.com offers award-winning publications, software, brochures and more available in both English and Spanish.

To view these publications online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

Customer Relations: What It Means, Why You Should Care

Home builder customer service representatives are about as well regarded as divorce lawyers, and I’m not talking about the one that represents you.

We think of customer service as a department that takes care of problems after closing, yet real customer service is so much more. Building a new home is a fascinating trip through a complex process, so let’s take a look at what we are up against.

First, a home is one of the last "hand-built" products left in the world.

In Colorado, where I live, we hand-build homes during September and April snowstorms that help make Colorado the ski capital of the world, and during July thunderstorms mixed with 100-degree heat.

We have expansive soils, temperature swings of more than 120 degrees on the face of a home during one day and a decreasing availability of first-growth material.

Although excellent quality materials and workmanship may have been used in building a home, this doesn’t mean that it will be free of defects or not need care and maintenance.

A home, like an automobile, requires care and attention from day one. Unlike an automobile, however, a home is not built indoors on an assembly line with special jigs and templates.

It has been estimated that a home is made of more than 20,000 individual pieces, each installed by hand. Even with all that is involved, achieving near-perfection would still require a 112-item walkthrough list.

And that is where the first rub comes in — setting proper expectations.

Most folks are pretty reasonable when they have been told to expect some difficulties, and they appreciate our efforts to solve those problems. Where we builders get into trouble is when we claim during the sales process that our quality is “the best” or that we “build to your satisfaction,” rather than telling our buyers the truth about how the process works.

After all, how can anyone deliver “the best” on a consistent basis?

We can almost graph the emotional roller coaster that a home buyer will experience and, in fact, I recommend using exactly that term to set the proper expectations. If we prepare our home buyers for trouble ahead along with the promise to work through whatever comes, their satisfaction will increase.

Home owner surveys consistently indicate a startling fact in our industry — regardless of the satisfaction rating buyers give their builder, they almost universally are happy with the home they purchased — even the buyers who give their builders low ratings.

How can this be? Very simply, it’s the home building process that makes them unhappy, not the home itself.

Not only have they been promised unreachable expectations, they are frequently kept in the dark about how their home is proceeding, the financing, the selections and many other aspects of finishing and delivering a home.

People who are not informed as things change almost always assume the worst. Then, if something unpleasant should happen, the trust is broken and they become suspicious of everything from then on.

We know how the home building process works, but our buyers do not. Even those who have owned several homes don’t remember all the steps and tribulations involved. To a home buyer, no news is really not good news.

So, what’s the lesson? Customer service is everyone’s job, from receptionist to warranty service person, and the key to that service connection is the sales process.

The salesperson needs to be the contact person who sets proper expectations and delivers consistent progress reports and news — both good and bad. We are the face of the company for better or worse and therefore are the key ingredient in how well our customers feel they have been served.

Furthermore, it is in our self interest to do this. Successful sales teams whose customers love them can get half or more of their new customers from referrals. And these sales are more easily made because the referral is based not only on the product, but on trust in the company.

If your company doesn’t have a customer service good process, it is manifestly worthwhile to create one with sales, construction, back office and warranty all involved in its design.

When times are tough the best tool we can have to survive and prosper is a solid base of home owner fans singing our praises.

Ross Robbins, MIRM, CMP, CSP, is an operations and marketing consultant with Shinn Consulting based in Littleton, Colo. He has been in the home building industry for more than 34 years, and currently teaches sales skills and management skills to builder clients around the country. He is a trustee and a member of the Institute of Residential Marketing and past chairman of the NAHB Sales and Marketing Council. For more information, e-mail Robbins, or call him at 303-972-7666.

This article originally appeared on the NAHB Sales and Marketing Channel.

Tax Credit Web Site Looks at Opportunity of a Lifetime

Builders and other industry professionals can help spur home sales by referring prospective first-time home buyers to www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. The NAHB Web site provides detailed information on the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers included in the economic stimulus legislation signed into law by President Obama.

Consumers can use the Web site to find information on the tax credit – including a detailed question and answer section. It also includes information about other housing-related and small business measures in the legislation and a number of home-buying resources for consumers.

Spanish Version Also Available Online

A Spanish version of this increasingly popular Web site is also available to provide detailed information on the tax credit to Spanish-speaking first-time home buyers.

Industry professionals are encouraged to highlight either tax credit Web site when marketing to their potential first-time home buyer market.

‘Customer Service for Home Builders’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“Customer Service for Home Builders,” available through BuilderBooks.com, provides the tools needed to add new life to a customer service program.

The publication examines the sequence of a builder’s relationship with home buyers and shows builders how to initiate service and successfully manage customers’ expectations and experiences, instead of just reacting to issues customers raise. It also includes forms, checklists, documents and a resource guide.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

Subscribe to Sales + Marketing Ideas Magazine for Cutting-Edge Information

For additional cutting-edge sales and marketing information, subscribe to NAHB’s Sales + Marketing Ideas magazine (www.smimagazine.com). 

Click here to learn about membership benefits of the National Sales and Marketing Council and the Institute of Residential Marketing.

Audio Seminar on Lead Paint Now Free to NAHB Members

NAHB members can now listen to an online recording of NAHB’s audio seminar on the requirements of the new lead paint rule for free by logging in to www.nahb.org/leadpaintaudio. In the seminar, a panel of experts examines the new lead paint rule governing the work of professional remodelers where lead paint is involved.

Presented by NAHB Remodelers and The NAHB University of Housing last fall, “The EPA’s New Lead Paint Rule: What it Means for You” is an hour-long seminar that explains in detail what the new rule covers, what remodelers must do to be in compliance and where they can find additional information.

The rule, which will take effect on April 22, 2010, addresses remodeling and renovation projects disturbing more than six square feet of potentially contaminated painted surfaces for all residential and multifamily structures built prior to 1978 that are inhabited or frequented by pregnant women and children under the age of six.

NAHB members can listen to the streaming audio file of the original broadcast through Oct. 28, one year after the seminar was held. They can also receive handout material and a marketing bonus.

The seminar recording includes comments by:

• Brindley Byrd, CGR, CAPS, of QX2 Contracting in Lansing, Mich., an advocate for the remodeling industry and an active member of the NAHB Remodelers Lead Based Paint Task Force.
  
  
• Bob Hanbury, CGR, of House of Hanbury in Newington, Conn., a member of the Connecticut Department of Public Safety State Codes and Standards Committee who has represented the remodeling industry during discussions and presentations on lead paint with HUD and the EPA.
  
  
• Matt Watkins, NAHB environmental policy analyst, who has been integral in writing several comment letters about the rule to the EPA.

To Purchase

The fee for non-members is $79. 

For more information on purchasing the audio seminar — or to recieve it free as an NAHB member — click here.

For general information about the rule and what NAHB Remodelers are doing to help its members comply with it, visit www.nahb.org/LeadPaint. 

Boost ‘Remodeling Month’ With Free Materials From NAHB

NAHB has free promotional materials available to remodeler members, home builders associations and local remodelers councils to increase remodeling awareness and help them boost their marketing during  “National Remodeling Month” this month.

The materials, developed by the NAHB Remodelers, are available on the NAHB Web site www.nahb.org/remodelingmonth, and more materials will be added in the coming weeks. The material is available by logging onto the NAHB Web site.

The information available includes easily customizable press releases, articles and plenty of marketing ideas to help promote remodeling throughout May.

In addition, the information provides a step-by-step guide to lead remodelers and HBAs through a campaign.

Several HBAs and local remodeling councils alreadky have used the materials to place articles in their local newspapers, have their local radio stations run public service announcements and promote information about the newly-expanded energy-efficiency tax credit to consumers considering remodeling.

A sample of the materials available includes:

• Remodeling Month Frequently Asked Questions
• Remodeling Month Logo
• NAHB Remodelers Fact Sheet
• Guidelines for Media Questions on Remodeling
• Sample Public Service Announcements
• Remodeling Industry Fact Sheet

Consumer and industry articles, consumer information and marketing tools are also included.

NAHB Remodelers also has a toolkit available on how to start a local remodelers council.

For more information about National Remodeling Month materials, e-mail Kelly Mack at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8451.

Enter 2009 Best in American Living Design Competition

	2008 BALA Home of the Year

Entries are being accepted for the 2009 Best in American Living Awards (BALA), the foremost residential design competition in the country. Builders, interior designers, architects, land planners, developers and marketing and real estate professionals are invited to enter.

Co-sponsored by Professional Builder magazine and NAHB, the competition includes 37 categories — from single-family attached and detached homes in a variety of sizes to rental developments and custom homes, plus categories for interior design, communities and neighborhoods, affordable housing, smart growth and new this year — certified green homes.

A panel of design professionals judge entries on design appearance and curb appeal, interior floor plans, how the project relates to its own local market and the construction techniques and materials used.

Homes that were completed or that had their first model opened between Jan. 1, 2008 and July 15, 2009 are eligible for this year’s competition.

Entry Dates:

• Entry forms and fees due: July 1
• Entry notebooks due/must be postmarked by: July 15

Winners will be announced at the 2010 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, which will be held Jan. 19-22.

Winning entries also will  be posted on the Professional Builder Web site (probuilder.com) for up to one year after the announcement.

For additional information and to download a BALA entry form, click here, go to www.probuilder.com/bala, or contact Judy Brociek, Professional Builder, at 630-288-8184, or Jennifer Jones, NAHB, at 800-368-5242 x8343.

Enter NCBC 2010 Awards of Excellence Competition

	Weaver Auditorium at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences earned Project of the Year honors for the Straub Construction Company in the NCBC Awards of Excellence last year.

Even during the downturn, architects, builders, designers and engineers are meeting and surpassing challenges with new and exciting solutions in light commercial construction. The National Commercial Builders Council (NCBC) 2010 Awards of Excellence program recognizes these achievements as the best in commercial construction.

The program recognizes achievements for design, market appeal, overall aesthetics, challenges faced during building and overall success of projects that are either built or renovated.

The deadline for entries is Aug. 3.

NCBC sponsors the Awards of Excellence program to bring recognition to commercial building projects that range in size from less than 5,000 to more than 100,000 square feet.  

Projects must have been completed after Dec. 31, 2006 and may be entered in commercial, industrial, institutional, medical, mixed-use commercial/retail, recreational, retail and green building categories.

"Our Awards of Excellence is an effective way to showcase your work to others in the industry and receive peer recognition, which you can use for marketing your business capabilities,” said Carl Harris, of the Carl Harris Company, Wichita, Kan. and NCBC vice chair. “In today’s complex market, being recognized in a special way for meeting and exceeding project goals — while adhering to new, green building standards and other regulations — will make you stand out.”

Last year, 21 projects were honored. All are listed in Commercial Builder Online Magazine on the NAHB Web site.

Applicants can enter one or more projects in the competition. Projects may be submitted by the builder, developer, architect or contractor of the project.

The six divisions in which a project can be entered include:

• Small-scale projects less than 5,000 square feet
• Projects 5,001 to 10,000 square feet
• Projects 10,001 to 40,000 square feet
• Projects 40,001 to 75,000 square feet
• Projects 75,001 to 100,000 square feet
• Projects more than 100,000 square feet

A panel of building industry professionals will consider entrants for Project of the Year, Grand, Merit, Honorable Mention and Chairman’s awards in all categories.

Winners will be notified by mail no later than Nov. 1 and featured in Commercial Builder Online Magazine.

For more information, e-mail Kisha DeSandies at NAHB, call her at 800-368-5242 x8455, or download a brochure and application from the NAHB Web site.

One-Day Passes Available for Green Building Conference

The NAHB University of Housing is offering economical one-day passes for The National Green Building Conference in Dallas.

The passes are being offered to help builders and other housing professionals get the most out of the conference while maximizing their time and financial resources.

A one-day pass for The National Green Building Conference can be purchased any day of the conference, which will be held from May 8-10. The fee for a one-day pass is $300.

Activities available each day include:

• Admission to breakout sessions, with tracks including sales and marketing, business management, building technology and design
  
  
• Admission to general sessions; including one on The National Green Building Standard on May 9; or the general session, “The Green Guild — Visions of a Sustainable Future,” on May 10
  
  
• Exhibit hall admission
  
  
• Breakfast, lunch, breaks and reception, where applicable

Note: A one-day pass does not include the Green Home Tour or the National Green Building Awards Reception and Dinner.

For more information and to see all the National Green Building Conference registration options, including a schedule to determine the best one-day pass to purchase, visit www.nahb.org/GreenBuildingConference.

To Register

Advance registration has ended, but full registration and one-day passes can be purchased onsite at the conference.

General Conference Information

For more information on The NAHB University of Housing conferences, visit www.nahb.org/Conferences, call the Office of the Registrar at 800-368-5242 x8338 or e-mail registrar@nahb.com.

‘National Green Building Standard’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“The National Green Building Standard,” available through BuilderBooks.com, provides “green” practices that can be incorporated into multifamily and single-family new home construction, home remodeling and additions and site development.

The standard covers lot design, resource, energy and water efficiency; indoor environment quality; and owner education.

Currently the first and only ANSI-approved green building rating system, the National Green Building Standard is the benchmark for green homes.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here.

Education Calendar

  

May 6-7	"Green Building for Building Professionals" course	Dallas, Texas
May 8-10	National Green Building Conference	Dallas, Texas
May 8	National Green Building Awards	Dallas, Texas
May 11	"Business Management for Building Professionals" course	Dallas, Texas
May 14	"Stimulus Opportunities for Builders"	Audio Seminar
May 26	Train the Trainer	Washington, D.C.
Aug. 11-15	Executive Officers Council Seminar	Louisville, Ky.
Aug. 12	EOC Association Excellence Awards	Louisville, Ky.
Sept. 30	Train the Trainer	Chicago, Ill.
Oct. 25-28	Building Systems Councils SHOWCASE	Marco Island, Fla.
Oct. 25-27	CGR and CAPS courses	Indianapolis, Ind.
Oct. 27-30	Remodeling Show	Indianapolis, Ind.
Oct. 29	NAHB Remodeler of the Year Award	Indianapolis, Ind.
Oct. 29	National Remodeling Hall of Fame Award	Indianapolis, Ind.
Oct. 29	Homes for Life Award	Indianapolis, Ind.
Nov. 6-8	Custom Builders Symposium	San Diego, Calif.
Nov. 6-9	National Conference on Membership	New Orleans, La.
2010
March 29-31	Log Home Council President's Tour	Boise, Idaho

Learn More About Upcoming Conferences and Designations

Interested in attending a University of Housing conference or learning more about NAHB designation programs? Visit www.nahb.org/notifyme, and sign up to receive more information.

Free NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips to Navigate the Slowdown

What was once expected to be a relatively mild housing slump following three years of record new home construction and sales has given way to a significant downturn.

To help members navigate the uncharted waters of this slowdown, NAHB has compiled a comprehensive “Back to Basics” online toolkit — the best of the basics, the tried and true and the truly new. To access the toolkit, click here.

To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar.

For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.

First Home Certified Emerald Under Green Building Standard

RGB Custom Builders of East Stroudsburg, Pa., has built the first home to be certified to the Emerald level of the National Green Building Standard rating system.

Builder Bob Brown’s home scored a total of 724 points in the six categories of the standard, which include energy, water and resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality, lot and site development and home owner education and maintenance.

The National Green Building Standard was approved earlier this year by the American National Standards Institute as a green rating system for new homes, remodeling projects and subdivisions.

The 1,900-square-foot home has not been sold yet, Brown said, because the company is using it as a showcase for green building techniques and to spur more home sales. In the week after it was certified, the home attracted 60 visitors in the small Pocono Mountains community where it is located.

Those touring the house have been especially interested in its geothermal heat pump — a top-of-the-line model that added $20,000 to the cost of the home, Brown said. However, current tax credits for energy efficiency bring the price down to $14,000 and the home’s owners can expect lower heating and cooling costs to pay for the pump in less than four years.

Before beginning construction, Brown used the standard scoring tool to see how his current home projects would rate.

The good news, he said, was that RGB Construction’s base homes scored at near the top of the standard’s Silver level.

The company targets the area’s luxury market, building 20 to 25 homes annually at an average price of $450,000 plus land costs, and it has been using many sustainable building practices without calling them green.

Now, Brown said he’ll likely offer his home buyers the option of Gold level certification for an additional cost of $3,000, which will pay for certification, low-flow toilets and the other products he will need to reach that level.

The home cost about $45,000 more to build, Brown said, but it would still have reached the Emerald level without a number of the materials and appliances that were chosen — such as the heat pump, $4,500 in landscape design and installation costs and $2,600 worth of cork flooring. “We could probably cut $15,000 off this number and still be Emerald,” he said.

It’s also 38% more efficient than the standard home he builds, which scores at the Silver level and is 30% more efficient than a home constructed under prevailing building codes.

Brown said that the next job should be much easier now that he understands the scoring system and the certification process. His brother and business partner kept careful records to document and measure almost every step they took. While the documentation helped them in the learning process, much of it was not necessary for certification.

“We didn’t need to do a lot of the things we did,” he said.  “Now that the learning curve is down, we can probably do this in our sleep.”

Brown also credited Frank Malpere, his NAHB Research Center-accredited verifier, for his expertise, which also helped him through the process.

Having a show home just down the street from the company’s sales office is sparking more than the usual amount of interest from home shoppers, he said. “Everyone wants to see it, and that’s working well for us,” he said.

In a press release, NAHB Research Center President Mike Luzier congratulated Brown on his home’s achievement. “We are thrilled to have a home certified Emerald so soon after that option became available,” he said. “It’s a testament to the flexibility of this national certification program that allows builders to select the right level of green for their markets and their customers.”

Since the ANSI approval of the National Green Building Standard in January, more than 1,000 homes have been scored to the standard using the online scoring tool at NAHBGreen.

For more information, e-mail Calli Schmidt at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8132.

‘National Green Building Standard’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“The National Green Building Standard,” available through BuilderBooks.com, provides “green” practices that can be incorporated into multifamily and single-family new home construction, home remodeling and additions and site development.

The standard covers lot design, resource, energy and water efficiency; indoor environment quality; and owner education.

Currently the first and only ANSI-approved green building rating system, the National Green Building Standard is the benchmark for green homes.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here.

The Future of Residential Construction Is Green

The Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation teaches builders, remodelers and other industry professionals techniques for incorporating green building principles into homes using cost-effective and affordable options.

Earning the CGP demonstrates to clients and peers your commitment to the best and latest in green building practices and techniques. More than 1,000 people have earned the CGPdesignation to date.

For more information, visit www.nahb.org/CGPinfo.

‘Building Greener Neighborhoods’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“Building Greener Neighborhoods,” available through Digital Delivery at BuilderBooks.com, shows those involved in building new communities the advantages and rewards of saving, planting and transplanting more trees in their developments.

The examples are drawn from decades of experience of land developers, home builders and urban foresters. 

To download this publication in a PDF format, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

‘Profit from Building Green’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“Profit from Building Green — Award-Winning Tips to Build Energy Efficient Homes,” available through BuilderBooks.com, showcases what energy conscious award-winning builders are doing, provides innovative energy-efficient features and covers successful techniques for building this niche market.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

Free House Plans Add Green Building Standard Checklist

The Boston-based company FreeGreen is now offering house plans that include a checklist showing how their finished projects can conform to the requirements of the National Green Building Standard.

The company, which offers free downloadable construction documents or blueprints for a variety of plans, says it hopes that including the checklist will spur more builders, remodelers and consumers to go green by giving them a head start on the scoring process and a guide to products that can help lead to green certification.

FreeGreen’s checklist fully conforms to the National Green Building Standard, providing the builder with a line-item check of each credit, its relevant points and a National Green Building Standard page reference where credit details and definitions can be found.

This checklist can be printed out in the conventional 24-inch by 36-inch size used at the job site.

Additional FreeGreen downloads for each plan include a local home energy model to help estimate operating and building costs. “Builders can use that in their decision-making with the clients,” said Dave Wax, CEO of Free Green.

While the plans are free, the site’s advertisers pay FreeGreen for links and for including their green products on the checklist and in the house plans — although the company pointed out that there is no obligation to use any particular product. “The sponsorships, rather than the sale of the house plans, are one of the main revenue sources for our company,” Wax said.

“We saw this as a way for both consumers and builders to gain access to green design concepts, energy modeling and green building certification tools without paying the significant premium that typically comes along with the design of green homes,” he said.

In addition, FreeGreen will launch a Premium Membership service this month  giving builders and architects access to FreeGreen’s library of climate-specific construction details, CAD-formatted plans, exclusive product discounts and lead generation tools.

Tying the checklist to the National Green Building Standard — builders can also choose to download a version tied to the LEED-H rating system — gives the house plans green credibility, he said, and helps encourage builders to use an accepted third-party certification service by taking care of the initial steps in advance.

“You don’t have to have 10,000 decisions. You at least have some suggestions that fit into the point systems and fit into our model,” he said.

Since FreeGreen was launched one year ago, 24,500 house plans have been downloaded by 9,500 registered site users, 1,000 of whom have identified themselves as industry professionals — usually home builders or architects. “We believe we have 20 to 50 starts to date via users telling us. Forty percent of the users identify themselves as planning to build a home, 60% are learning about green design,” Wax said.

‘National Green Building Standard’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“The National Green Building Standard,” available through BuilderBooks.com, provides “green” practices that can be incorporated into multifamily and single-family new home construction, home remodeling and additions and site development.

The standard covers lot design, resource, energy and water efficiency; indoor environment quality; and owner education.

Currently the first and only ANSI-approved green building rating system, the National Green Building Standard is the benchmark for green homes.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here.

The Future of Residential Construction Is Green

The Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation teaches builders, remodelers and other industry professionals techniques for incorporating green building principles into homes using cost-effective and affordable options.

Earning the CGP demonstrates to clients and peers your commitment to the best and latest in green building practices and techniques. More than 1,000 people have earned the CGPdesignation to date.

For more information, visit www.nahb.org/CGPinfo.

‘Building Greener Neighborhoods’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“Building Greener Neighborhoods,” available through Digital Delivery at BuilderBooks.com, shows those involved in building new communities the advantages and rewards of saving, planting and transplanting more trees in their developments.

The examples are drawn from decades of experience of land developers, home builders and urban foresters. 

To download this publication in a PDF format, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

‘Profit from Building Green’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“Profit from Building Green — Award-Winning Tips to Build Energy Efficient Homes,” available through BuilderBooks.com, showcases what energy conscious award-winning builders are doing, provides innovative energy-efficient features and covers successful techniques for building this niche market.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

Greensburg, Kan. Puts Green in Tornado Recovery Effort

Officials from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the city of Greensburg, Kan. and the Kansas Building Industry Association (KBIA) have announced the launch of the Greensburg GreenHome residential green building program.

As the community continues to rebuild in the aftermath of natural devastation, the voluntary program will train workers to build new homes that can be certified to the recently released National Green Building Standard. 

Two years ago, a tornado that swept through the southwest Kansas town brought winds at speeds of up to 205 miles per hour, destroying 95% of the existing homes and damaging the few that were left.

The green building initiative was unveiled as city leaders and local builders celebrated the Greensburg Second Anniversary Weekend. 

“Greensburg GreenHome is a very important step for all of you, but it’s also an important step for the entire nation,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson.

“We’re thrilled that because of these collaborative efforts and the citizens’ enthusiasm for a green future, Greensburg is emerging as a true leader in sustainable community development,” said KBIA Executive Director Chris Wilson.

“By providing technical assistance and brokering this partnership with KBIA, the U.S. Department of Energy and NREL have helped to ensure that Greensburg will continue on a green and sustainable path,” said Steve Hewitt, Greensburg city administrator.

Under the agreement announced on Friday:

• Greensburg and KBIA will work together to ensure the use of the National Green Building Standard for residential construction and completed homes certified by the NAHB Research Center — the certification agents for the NAHB National Green Building Program — or NAHBGreen.
  
  
• KBIA will offer Certified Green Professional Designation training, including the two-day Green Building for Building Professionals course and the one-day Business Management for Building Professionals course.
  
  
• KBIA will waive the state and local association fees for any Greensburg home that achieves NAHBGreen certification.

“This agreement shows the city and Greensburg residents that the National Association of Home Builders, through KBIA, is committed to making a long-term investment in Greensburg’s future,” said Robson.

With support from the U.S. Department of Energy, NREL brought in a team almost immediately after the May 2007 tornado to provide consultants with technical expertise in buildings, wind energy, solar energy, biomass use and alternative transportation. NREL’s efforts in Greensburg will be used as a model for other communities seeking to rebuild. 

“NREL is honored to be working shoulder to shoulder with citizens of Greensburg as they re-build their city with high energy-efficiency standards and sustainable building designs,” said Senior Project Leader Lynn Billman. “Greensburg is showing other small communities across America that they can save energy and be green as well.” 

For more information, visit Building Greensburg on the Web.

‘National Green Building Standard’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“The National Green Building Standard,” available through BuilderBooks.com, provides “green” practices that can be incorporated into multifamily and single-family new home construction, home remodeling and additions and site development.

The standard covers lot design, resource, energy and water efficiency; indoor environment quality; and owner education.

Currently the first and only ANSI-approved green building rating system, the National Green Building Standard is the benchmark for green homes.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here.

The Future of Residential Construction Is Green

The Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation teaches builders, remodelers and other industry professionals techniques for incorporating green building principles into homes using cost-effective and affordable options.

Earning the CGP demonstrates to clients and peers your commitment to the best and latest in green building practices and techniques. More than 1,000 people have earned the CGPdesignation to date.

For more information, visit www.nahb.org/CGPinfo.

‘Building Greener Neighborhoods’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“Building Greener Neighborhoods,” available through Digital Delivery at BuilderBooks.com, shows those involved in building new communities the advantages and rewards of saving, planting and transplanting more trees in their developments.

The examples are drawn from decades of experience of land developers, home builders and urban foresters. 

To download this publication in a PDF format, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

‘Profit from Building Green’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“Profit from Building Green — Award-Winning Tips to Build Energy Efficient Homes,” available through BuilderBooks.com, showcases what energy conscious award-winning builders are doing, provides innovative energy-efficient features and covers successful techniques for building this niche market.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

Return to Old ESA Rules Expected to Delay Approvals

Rescinding modifications made to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) at the end of last year, the Obama Administration has reinstituted a 1986 rule requiring federal agencies to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before moving forward on projects that may affect endangered species.

The move represents a return to more government bureaucracy in the approval process, but adds no protection for threatened and endangered species, said NAHB.

In 2005, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the ESA consultation process was so ineffective that the agencies missed up to 40% of their deadlines, delaying some projects for two years or more. 

In December, NAHB hailed the Bush Administration’s decision to limit the scope of the consultation process and to eliminate it entirely in more routine cases.

That policy change was implemented after a 60-day review period for private landowners, environmental advocacy groups and others and the subsequent opportunity for public comments. However, no public input was provided in the decision to revert to the old consultation requirements.

“This action is regrettable,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson. “The Administration is rushing to revoke a legally issued federal rule without public notice and comment.” An unpopular and obscure provision added to the recent omnibus appropriations bill allowed the ESA regulation to be changed in this manner, he noted.

“The appropriate way to make significant changes to a federal regulation is to allow for notice and comment," he said. "Instead, the secretaries of Commerce and Interior were given the authority to unilaterally change the law. That's hardly an argument for consensus or transparency."

On the positive side, Robson said, the Administration did not address whether the ESA should take into account the effects of global climate change when determining “critical habitat” for endangered species. 

A number of environmental advocates would like to see the ESA used to regulate the emission of green house gases. Activists, for instance, have lobbied for development and transportation emission restrictions in Southern California to help protect the far-away Arctic habitat of polar bears.

NAHB has long contended that the ESA was never intended to be a vehicle to address global warming.

“The changes to the Endangered Species Act consultation regulations made by the Bush Administration made headlines because they occurred toward the end of the President’s second term — but not all those changes were controversial,” Robson said.

“In fact, many were consistent with findings presented by the General Accountability Office to Congress on the challenges federal agencies face in administering this cumbersome regulatory program, on the extensive permitting delays it imposes upon the regulated community and — worst of all — on the inadequate job it is doing in protecting species. Now, we’re back to square one.”

For more information, e-mail Calli Schmidt at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8132.

Latino Students Become ‘Team Builders’ for Housing Industry

Eight Latino college students participating in the three-month Team Builders program this summer will gain work experience preparing for managerial positions in the home building industry.

Initiated in 2006, Team Builders is a joint effort of the Home Builders Institute (HBI) and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation's (HHF) “Latinos on a Fast Track” (LOFT) program; it is being sponsored by Lowe’s.

In the position of Program Implementation Manager (PIM), student participants will be responsible for teaching English as a Second Language to a Spanish-speaking construction worker using HBI’s Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition ESL curriculum.

Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition was developed by HBI in partnership with Lowe’s to address the need for English language training for Spanish-speaking workers on the job site. The ESL tool has shown positive results, reducing job site injuries and fatalities, improving the quality of construction and boosting the loyalty and overall morale of workers.

The students will meet with the Hispanic workers twice a week at the local home builders association, working closely with HBI and HHF staffs to ensure that program objectives are met.

“Team Builders has been a great program for the past three years and we are very excited about the direction in which Lowe’s and HHF are taking it,” said HBI Chairman M. M. “Mike” Weiss.

“Job site safety is one of the most important training components in the construction industry. Unfortunately, when it comes to language barriers, it has often been overlooked,” he said. “Sed de Saber has proven to increase the overall productivity on the job site and we know that the Team Builders students will do a great job teaching English to a valuable sector of the construction workforce.”

The Team Builders program will operate in Atlanta, Houston, Seattle and Southern California.

Previous Team Builders sponsors included Pulte Homes in 2007 and 2008 and Beazer Homes in 2006.

For more information on Team Builders, e-mail Page Browning at HBI, or call her at 800-795-7955 x8918.

Home Depot to Award $300,000 to Trades Students This Fall

In order to help jump-start the careers of the next generation of trade professionals entering the construction industry, The Home Depot will award more than $300,000 in scholarships this fall to more than 600 students enrolled in building and construction trade programs as part of a new program begun on April 20.

Through The Home Depot Trade Scholarship Program, eligible students studying to become home builders, general contractors, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, HVAC specialists or other building and construction trade professionals will be awarded $500 to help offset the cost of tuition, fees, books and supplies.

The scholarship program is open to students currently enrolled in a building and construction trade school program at a college, university or accredited educational institution across the country and who will be entering into the final year or term of their degree or career program this fall.

Winners will be selected based upon academic performance, leadership and work experience.

“The Home Depot has always been committed to its pro customers and, through this scholarship program, we are working to meet the needs of the next generation of building and construction trade professionals,” said Chris Waits, vice president of sales and services at The Home Depot.

“We know that there are thousands of students at colleges and trade schools across the country who are preparing themselves for a career in this field. We recognize the hard work that it takes to complete these education programs and we want to provide scholarship assistance to defray some of the cost,” he said.

To Apply

English and Spanish applications are available online at www.homedepot.com/tradescholarship. The application deadline is June 20.

Winners will be announced in September.

For more information, call the home improvement retailer at 877-7HD-LEARN (877-743-5327).

Headquartered in Atlanta, The Home Depot is a member of the National Council of the Housing Industry — The Leading Suppliers of NAHB.

This feature is solely for educational and informational purposes. Nothing on this page should be construed as policy, an endorsement, warranty or guaranty by the National Association of Home Builders of the featured product or the product manufacturer. The National Association of Home Builders expressly disclaims any responsibility for any damages arising from the use, application or reliance on any information contained on this page.

NAHB-Produced Programs on DIY, Fine Living and HGTV

The NAHB Production Group produces weekly television shows on DIY, Fine Living and HGTV for consumers. The following is the latest lineup:

"Rock Solid" on DIY

Episode: "Outdoor Bar and Grill"

• May 5, 5:00 p.m. EDT

Do-it-yourselfers can now install their own outdoor stone kitchen with the help of a unique stone kit. In this project, DIY's expert stone masons and hosts Dean Marsico and Derek Stearns turn a plain backyard barbecue into a distinctive outdoor kitchen.

"I Want That" on Fine Living

Episode: "Pleated Glass Walls, Chimney Pots, Musical Porch Swing"

• May 7, 9:30 a.m. EDT

Connecting the indoors and outdoors takes on a whole new meaning with Nana Walls — accordion-pleated walls of glass. For a design that's over the top, consider outfitting your home with a chimney pot  — clay sculpture that comes in all shapes and sizes, including dragons and columns, and sits atop chimneys and improves draft and design. Ever heard of a blender that cooks? Check out a new blender with a blade that rotates at 240 miles per hour, creating enough heat to turn raw ingredients into cooked soup. Make beautiful music with furniture that doubles as a xylophone, allowing residents to hammer out a tune while rocking on a porch swing.

HGTV Seeking ‘Dream Home’ Builder/Architect Teams

HGTV is seeking developers, builders and architects to create the 2010 HGTV Dream Home, the grand prize in the network's annual sweepstakes. To learn more, click here.

About the NAHB Production Group

The NAHB Production Group is a full-service, self-contained, media production unit creating programming for cable television, broadcast television, non-profit, museum and corporate clients. Productions range from magazine format shows for general audiences to museum-installation videos for specialized use.

The production group includes award winning journalists, writers and photographers with experience in broadcast, documentary and corporate television.

Free NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips to Navigate the Slowdown

What was once expected to be a relatively mild housing slump following three years of record new home construction and sales has given way to a significant downturn.

To help members navigate the uncharted waters of this slowdown, NAHB has compiled a comprehensive “Back to Basics” online toolkit — the best of the basics, the tried and true and the truly new. To access the toolkit, click here.

To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar.

For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.

CBG Funds Boost High School's Building Trades Program

	CBG funds helped boost funding for the residential construction program at Palmdale High School near Los Angeles.

The building construction technology program at Palmdale High School near Los Angeles got a much needed boost from the Antelope Valley Chapter of the Building Industry Association of Southern California through the  National Housing Endowment’s Challenge/Build/Grow (CBG) matching funds initiative.

Under the CBG program, which provides matching grants of up to $5,000, HBAs find opportunities to build new partnerships in their communities by assisting local programs targeting issues of importance to the industry — including job training, image building and labor shortage and educational support.

The Antelope Valley Chapter used the CBG grant to help Palmdale High School create a two-semester residential construction program to teach students theory and hands-on skills in carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, interior/exterior finishes and computer-aided design.

Through the program, students are able to work on full-scale structures, as opposed to scale models, and work on each phase of construction.

Students who successfully complete the approximately 1,000-hour program earn 10 elective credits each semester. Those earning a B or higher grade also receive a certificate of competency.

“The Antelope Valley region in northern Los Angeles County does not have any technical or vocation trade schools available for young people interested in pursuing careers in residential construction industry,” said Gretchen Gutierrez, executive officer of the Antelope Valley Chapter. “This program, the only one within a district of 10 high schools, is always popular with the students and highly sought after.” 

Through the CBG grant and with assistance from the Southern California BIA, the Antelope Valley Chapter was able to triple the funding available to the high school in order to purchase construction materials and other needed supplies.

“The Antelope Valley Chapter is proud to have been able to provide financial support for the program,” Gutierrez said. “Funding from the grant helped create two working kitchen facilities and two functional bathroom mock-ups so that students could learn framing, drywall, electrical and plumbing skills,” Gutierrez said.

“Building homes for the nation is too important a priority to neglect the education and training that will be needed to support the residential construction industry,” said Gary Garczynski, endowment chairman and 2002 NAHB president. “Through the Challenge/Build/Grow matching grant initiative as well as other grants, the endowment is partnering with our state and local associations and answering the call by meeting the industry's long-term challenges.”

Since the CBG program was launched in 2001, more than $165,000 has been awarded to state and local HBAs throughout the country.

For more information about grant or scholarship opportunities, visit www.nationalhousingendowment.org.

	The Palmdale High program combining theory and hands-on skills is the only residential construction program in the area's 10-high school district and highly popular among students.

People Magazine Profiles Charleston Builder 'Heroes'

Putting aside their own economic hardships, more than 50 members of the Charleston Trident Home Builders Association (CTHBA) in Charleston, S.C. have built a brand-new, wheelchair-accessible home for a local woman who had been left paralyzed after a vicious criminal attack.

On Friday, May 1, People magazine shared their story with more than three million readers nationwide as part of the publication’s "Heroes Among Us" series.

"Even as the recession knocks our industry down, home builders like these remain committed to their neighbors, their communities and the long tradition of service in the home building industry," said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson.

In 2002, as Carol Armstrong was leaving her night job cleaning a dental office, she was brutally beaten by a stranger who stole her purse and car and left her for dead. The attack and a subsequent stroke left her permanently confined to a wheelchair, paralyzed and blind in one eye.

When Armstrong was finally able to return to the family’s 1,200-square-foot home, it became a virtual prison for her. The home’s small doorways, wall-to-wall carpeting and standard appliances confined her to one room, where she was unable to cook or adequately care for her two children. 

After reading about Carol's struggles in the local newspaper, CTHBA Executive Officer Phillip Ford recruited his board and membership to help the family. They initially planned to renovate the existing home, but quickly realized the obstacles were too great, so they decided to build a brand-new home.   

Georgia Toney of BuilderPlanWorks drew up plans for a home with wide hallways and doors, easily-accessible appliances and bath facilities and other wheelchair-friendly features. It took a long time to find the right lot, secure permits and solicit companies to provide products and services, but the project eventually broke ground in April, 2008.

Using donated labor and materials, and just $27,000 in cash raised through fundraisers, the group was able to build a 2,404-square-foot home valued at nearly $400,000 for the Armstrong family in just nine months.

Jordy Tupper of G. Tupper III Construction, a third-generation custom builder from Summerville, S.C., volunteered as the project manager. "We started during the housing boom, and when the economy fell off a cliff, it was so inspiring to see how many people kept their promises to get this house built," he said.

Another member of the association, Wes Miranda of Eastcoast Flooring, donated and installed hardwood flooring throughout the home by himself, working almost non-stop for two days, even though his business was suffering and he was supplementing his income with landscaping work, said Ford.

The family was thrilled with their new home.

Carol wrote on her blog, “Every time I roll through this house (several times a day) I am filled with the uttermost appreciation for all the work that went into its construction and design.”

Not everyone in the family is completely happy with the home’s design, however. “Carol e-mailed me the other day that she’s all up in the kids’ business now — she hadn’t been able to see how messy their rooms were for six years,” said Melissa Villegas, director of communications and marketing for the CTHBA.

The experience was a welcome escape from the harsh realities of the recession for the many builder and contractor volunteers.

"It was so rewarding that when I get my company back on its feet someday, I want to hire someone to run the business so I can get out there hands-on and help people like the Armstrong family full-time," said Tupper.

For more information about the Carol's Home Project and the industry professionals who donated products or services, click here.

To read about the community service projects of other NAHB members, go to www.nahb.org/communityservice.

NAHB Spring Board Meeting May 26-30 in Washington

OFFICIAL MEETING NOTICE OF
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The following schedule of events is a partial listing provided as a notice for NAHB’s spring board of directors meeting in Washington, D.C., May 26-30, 2009. Meetings will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel and the National Housing Center. The spring board program will identify the exact time and place of each scheduled meeting.

Wednesday, May 27

State Representatives Meeting
Joint National Area/Associate Chairmen and State Representatives Meeting
Executive Board Meeting

Thursday, May 28

Committees, Subcommittees, Councils, Affiliates, etc.
NHC Board of Governors Meeting
Nominations Committee

Friday, May 29

Committees, Subcommittees, Councils, Affiliates, etc.
NAHB Past Chairmen Council Meeting

Area Caucuses 1-15
Joint Executive, Budget and Resolutions Committees Meeting
Board of Directors

Mother's Day Gift Ideas From FTD

NAHB members can get a 15% discount on all flowers, gifts and gift baskets from FTD, the newest NAHB Member Advantage participating company and the world’s oldest and one of the best known brands in the floral business.

Members can choose from gorgeous red roses, Vera Wang exclusive floral designs, spa sets, chocolates, wine baskets and more. They can also take advantage of FTD’s “Good as Gold” seven-day satisfaction guarantee of receiving beautiful, floral arrangements and plants that are guaranteed to last at least seven days.

Plus, FTD's same-day delivery and guaranteed satisfaction are also available with "Say It Your Way" bouquets that are delivered with your own personal audio greeting.

With 15,000 retail florists and 45,000 international affiliates, FTD can provide same-day floral service to nearly 100% of the U.S. population. FTD's owned and operated U.S. call centers also offer 24/7 availability, including all major holidays.  

To use the NAHB Member Advantage 15% discount, visit www.ftd.com/nahb , or call 800-SEND-FTD (800-736-3383) and mention code 17421.

Other Member Advantage Discounts

For the most up-to-date details on the Member Advantage discount program and all of the participating companies, go to www.nahb.org/MA.

Free NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips to Navigate the Slowdown

What was once expected to be a relatively mild housing slump following three years of record new home construction and sales has given way to a significant downturn.

To help members navigate the uncharted waters of this slowdown, NAHB has compiled a comprehensive “Back to Basics” online toolkit — the best of the basics, the tried and true and the truly new. To access the toolkit, click here.

To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar.

For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.

Spring Board Last Chance for Spokesperson Training in 2009

Register online or the NAHB Spokesperson Training one-day sessions — “Interview Skills” and “Presentation Skills” — at the upcoming NAHB spring board of directors meeting in Washington D.C. in May.

These sessions will not be offered during the fall board of directors meeting in Chicago, so the spring sessions will be the last opportunity for NAHB members to receive this valuable training this year.

With NAHB's new faster and more convenient registration process, members can register securely with a credit card for one or both of the Spokesperson Training sessions.

In "Interview Skills," NAHB members will learn how to give clear, concise answers in a high-pressure, spur-of-the moment interview. “Interview Sills” will help participants master strategies for broadcast and print interviews, including message development.

Members who attend "Presentation Skills" will learn how to confidently prepare and deliver dynamic presentations to any audience. "Presentation Skills" focuses on how to organize and deliver a speech and presentation with accompanying question and answer sessions.

Spring Board Spokesperson Sessions:

• "Interview Skills" — Wednesday, May 27
• "Presentation Skills" — Thursday, May 28

Both one-day sessions are from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Registration is limited to 12 participants.

The fee for each seminar is $495 per person.

For more information and to register, click here.

Each seminar is led by professional communication consultants who have more than 30 years of experience training NAHB members on the critical issues they face every day.

More than 15,000 NAHB leaders have taken Spokesperson Training since the program began in 1979.   

For more information, e-mail Brooke Fishel at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8061.

Save More With Hertz Off-Airport Locations

With more than 1,700 off-airport locations around the country, finding a Hertz Local Edition close to home or your travel destination is convenient.

NAHB members also can take advantage of Hertz local pick-up and return service and NAHB discounts for their business and personal travel.

Some of the benefits found at Hertz Local Edition (HLE) locations include:

• Unlimited mileage
• Clean, good quality, low-mileage vehicles with many features
• Guaranteed availability
• One-way rentals
• Convenient customer pick-up and return service available within 15 minutes of the HLE location
• Affordable leisure and replacement rates
• Pick-up in your neighborhood and drop-off at the airport

To check rates, make a reservation and receive other, special NAHB Member Advantage discounts from Hertz, visit the Hertz page on the NAHB Web site. Be sure to use NAHB Discount CDP# 51046 when making reservations.

Other Member Advantage Discounts

For the most up-to-date details on the Member Advantage discount program and all of the participating companies, go to www.nahb.org/MA.

Williams Scotsman Offers $1.99 First-Month Storage Container

Through June 30, Williams Scotsman is offering 20- and 40-foot storage containers at $1.99 first month’s rent with a three-month minimum lease to NAHB members — plus a free door lock rental with each unit.

The storage container deal is in addition to Williams Scotsman’s NAHB member discount of one month free rent — up to $500 ― for each mobile office, storage container or specialty trailer leased for six months or longer.

For more information, call Williams Scotsman at 877-884-4065, or visit www.willscot.com/storage.

Other Member Advantage Discounts

For information on the Member Advantage discount program and all its participating companies, go to www.nahb.org/MA.

Free NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips in Navigate the Slowdown

What was once expected to be a relatively mild housing slump following three years of record new home construction and sales has given way to a significant downturn.

To help members navigate the uncharted waters of this slowdown, NAHB has compiled a comprehensive “Back to Basics” online toolkit — the best of the basics, the tried and true and the truly new. To access the toolkit, click here.

To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar.

For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.

Drive Away With a Shiny New $500 GM Offer

NAHB members can receive $500 towards the purchase or lease of most new GM passenger cars, light-duty trucks, vans and SUVs — whether for business or personal use.

• Seven GM nameplates are included in the offer — Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Saab and HUMMER.
  
  
• Vehicles excluded from this offer include Cadillac CTS-V, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, HUMMER H1 and Saturn vehicles. Medium duty trucks are also excluded.
  
  
• The $500 exclusive offer can be combined with most retail national and regional incentives in effect at the time of delivery.
  
  
• There is no limit to the number of vehicles members can purchase.  
  
  
• Customers must take delivery by Jan. 4, 2010.

To receive the discount, members must present the GM authorization ID number to their dealer. Members can receive their ID number at www.gmfleet.com/nahb or by calling the GM call center at 866-760-7070. One authorization ID number is required per vehicle. 

For complete details, visit www.gmfleet.com/nahb.

The program runs through Jan. 4, 2010.

For more information, e-mail Tiffany Lindsley at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8273.

Other Member Advantage Discounts

For the most up-to-date details on the Member Advantage discount program and all of the participating companies, go to www.nahb.org/MA.

Free NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips to Navigate the Slowdown

What was once expected to be a relatively mild housing slump following three years of record new home construction and sales has given way to a significant downturn.

To help members navigate the uncharted waters of this slowdown, NAHB has compiled a comprehensive “Back to Basics” online toolkit — the best of the basics, the tried and true and the truly new. To access the toolkit, click here.

To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar.

For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.

Calendar of Events

May 6-7	"Green Building for Building Professionals" course	Dallas, Texas
May 8-10	National Green Building Conference	Dallas, Texas
May 8	National Green Building Awards	Dallas, Texas
May 11	"Business Management for Building Professionals" course	Dallas, Texas
May 14	"Stimulus Opportunities for Builders"	Audio Seminar
May 19	National Membership Day	Nationwide
May 24	2009 Government Affairs Recognition Awards	Washington, D.C.
May 25-31	Spring NAHB Board of Directors Meeting	Washington, D.C.
May 26	Train the Trainer	Washington, D.C.
Aug. 11-15	Executive Officers Council Seminar	Louisville, Ky.
Aug. 12	EOC Association Excellence Awards	Louisville, Ky.
Sept. 30-Oct. 4	Fall NAHB Board of DirectorsMeeting	Chicago, Ill.
Sept. 30	Train the Trainer	Chicago, Ill.
Oct. 25-28	Building Systems Councils SHOWCASE	Marco Island, Fla.
Oct. 25-27	CGR and CAPS courses	Indianapolis, Inc.
Oct. 27-30	Remodeling Show	Indianapolis, Ind.
Oct. 29	NAHB Remodeler of the Year Award	Indianapolis, Ind.
Oct. 29	National Remodeling Hall of Fame Award	Indianapolis, Ind.
Oct. 29	Homes for Life Award	Indianapolis, Ind.
Nov. 6-8	Custom Builders Symposium	San Diego, Calif.
Nov. 6-9	National Conference on Membership	New Orleans, La.
2010
Jan. 19-22	2010 International Builder's Show	Las Vegas, Nev.
March 29-31	Log Home Council President's Tour	Boise, Idaho

Learn More About Upcoming Conferences and Designations

Interested in attending a University of Housing conference or learning more about NAHB designation programs? Visit www.nahb.org/notifyme, and sign up to receive more information.

Free NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips to Navigate the Slowdown

What was once expected to be a relatively mild housing slump following three years of record new home construction and sales has given way to a significant downturn.

To help members navigate the uncharted waters of this slowdown, NAHB has compiled a comprehensive “Back to Basics” online toolkit — the best of the basics, the tried and true and the truly new. To access the toolkit, click here.

To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar.

For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.