Nation's Building News Online: August 23, 2010

Print All Articles Text Version

Finance Reform Effort Draws Advocates of Reducing Government Support for Housing

Advocates of reducing the government’s support for housing are a growing concern for the nation’s home builders as the Obama Administration moves forward to develop a comprehensive housing finance reform proposal that it plans to deliver to Congress at the start of next year.

Among the diverse perspectives provided by panelists at the Aug. 17 Conference on the Future of Housing Finance, there were those who offered the view that housing has been too heavily subsidized by the government, to the detriment of the performance of the U.S. economy, reported NAHB Third Vice Chairman Rick Judson, who was a participant at the day-long meeting in Washington, D.C.

Criticism was also heard that housing subsidies should be shifted to rental housing from homeownership and from higher-income to low-income beneficiaries.

“There should be strong concern over the number and diversity of voices seeking reductions or redirection of subsidies going to housing in the tax and mortgage finance systems,” said Judson.

The mortgage interest deduction and other homeownership tax advantages will come up for debate over the next year, he warned, and “NAHB will need to marshal statistics and other research to counter these attacks, which were not well supported factually during the conference discussions.”

The direction of the discussions on what should be done with government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was more reassuring, he noted, with panelists reaching the general consensus that the government should continue to provide some degree of support to the housing finance system, and that guarantees should be explicit instead of implicit, as they were in the past.

“This crisis — where we saw a full retreat by private financial institutions from many forms of mortgage and consumer lending — provided a compelling illustration of why private markets, left to their own devices, find it hard to resolve financial crises,” said U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in his opening remarks to the conference.

“As I have said in the past, I believe there is a strong case to be made for a carefully designed guarantee in a reformed system, with the objective of providing a measure of stability in access to mortgages, even in future economic downturns,” Geithner said.

“The challenge,” he said, “is to make sure that any government guarantee is priced to cover the risk of losses, and structured to minimize taxpayer exposure.”

He went on to acknowledge the importance of getting the private sector back into the business of providing mortgages.

“As we go through this transition, it is important that consumers maintain access to credit at attractive rates,” Geithner said. “The planned wind-down of the GSEs’ portfolios should be done in a careful way. And we need to make it absolutely clear that we will make sure the GSEs have the resources to meet their financial commitments” during the transition to any new secondary mortgage market structure.

As Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan later pointed out, “the government’s footprint in the housing market needs to be smaller than it is today — where FHA and the GSEs collectively guarantee over 90% of all mortgage loans.”

A number of areas will require further debate, according to Judson:

  • The degree of federal government support to the housing finance system, particularly the secondary markets. Many felt the government should be less involved than in the past, with some suggesting that the government protect only against catastrophic risk. It was unclear, however, what would trigger government support or how catastrophic conditions would be defined.

  • Mortgage products and underwriting standards in a government-supported system. Panelists reached no conclusions on the mortgage products and underwriting that should be available in relation to market liquidity, innovation and safety and soundness.

  • The extent to which a government-supported mortgage market should be required to meet affordable or low-income financing needs.

 

New NAHB Online Forum Lining Up Members With Possible Sources of Capital

With NAHB members continuing to face severe financing challenges as they attempt to line up credit for viable residential projects, the association has launched the NAHB Finance Forum, a free, online “matchmaking” tool that will enable builders and developers to connect and discuss their funding needs with representatives from a variety of traditional and non-traditional capital sources, including investment and private equity funds.

Patterned after the successful Partnership Pavilion held at the 2010 NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas, which brought together more than 250 project proposals with 30 financial firms, the Finance Forum online networking service is available to NAHB members only.

“The Finance Forum provides members with an innovative and secure method to determine what types of financing might be available — alternatives that might save their project after traditional sources have failed,” said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones. “I hope my fellow members will take advantage of this timely and necessary service because it could begin opening doors for their businesses.”

“Members across the country continue to report that traditional financing remains elusive and they are hurting,” said NAHB CEO Jerry Howard. “That is why we are expanding our successful Partnership Pavilion event from last year’s IBS and making it into a nationwide program available year-round.” 

Through the Finance Forum, participating NAHB members can submit their project information online and the computerized networking system will automatically find “matches” for them with suitable funding sources — based on the type of project, geographic area and the amount of funding needed.

To participate, builder and developer members are required to create specific project profiles and are encouraged to include as much detail as possible in order to enable as many matches as possible to be made. Supporting documents can also be included, as well as company overviews.

Participating members can choose from three different types of desired financing — new, refinancing and recapitalization of existing loans.

With corresponding lenders also submitting their requirements, the online networking service will then automatically match the members’ needs with lenders’ availability and notify the matching participants. Once a match is made, both the member and lender will be responsible for contacting each other to discuss the funding possibilities.

Members can participate in the forum by visiting www.nahb.org/financeforum and completing the forms on the NAHB website.

Members must be logged in to www.nahb.org with their username and password in order to use the service.

Partnership Pavilion Returns to IBS

The Partnership Pavilion, which resulted in nearly 400 meetings between members and lenders at the 2010 IBS, will return to the show in Orlando on Jan. 12-15 as the Finance Pavilion.

The fee to participate in the Finance Pavilion is $50. It is available to NAHB members who have purchased a full IBS registration and will give them access to meetings at the pavilion during all four days of the show.

For more information, e-mail Dennis Harrison at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8188.

 

Three New Homes in Baton Rouge Show Local Builders How to Build Green Cost-Effectively

To enable his colleagues in the Capital Region Builders Association and the Louisiana Home Builders Association to be able to build a green and wind-resistant home no matter what their budgets, Gonzales, La., home builder Roy Domangue is building three demonstration homes, all in a row, in a project he calls Going Up, Going Green.

One will meet the Bronze level of the National Green Building Standard, one the Silver and another  the Gold. Each will use a different type of pier foundation, floor joist system and framing system to meet Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines and the International Residential Code  (IRC) hurricane-resistant requirements to withstand a 120 mph wind.

All three should be available for formal tours by the end of September, although HBA builder members, suppliers and local reporters have been stopping by regularly to check on the progress. Parts of each home will be left unfinished so builders can better examine the construction techniques and materials used.

The homes all use the same floor plan, but each includes different finishes and materials to meet the three certification levels and to demonstrate various wind-resistant building methods. Each Southern Craftsman-style home has a unique elevation, featuring different front porches.

All three homes will also showcase the items required in the 2009 IRC’s Chapter 11, “Energy Efficiency.”

The homes scoring to the Silver and Gold levels of the standard are being built to meet the requirements of the Department of Energy’s Builders Challenge program as well as Energy Star. The homes are also taking advantage of Louisiana’s  HERO program, which offers  cash rebates for energy-efficient construction.

Domangue is only using materials that are easily accessible to home builders in his own rural Louisiana area. When a builder sees an interesting new product at a national trade show and then finds out he can’t buy the product locally, “it can be very aggravating,” and that might discourage a more traditional builder from going green, he said.

Domangue is president of Wooden Creations, Inc., a 28-year-old company building homes in and around Baton Rouge. He’s an active member in his home builders association, focusing especially on builder education and code issues.

Louisiana adopted a statewide building code after hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf region in the fall of 2005. Homes in flood-prone areas must meet not only IRC requirements but also the provisions mandated by FEMA, which require new homes to be built on pier foundations rather than on slabs on mounds of dirt that further displace flood waters and affect existing homes.

According to the IRC, homes built on piers that measure 30 inches or higher must be engineered. Because engineering costs increase the price of a home, Domangue reasoned that a prescriptive guideline in the code to address the issues of homes on piers would help builders save money and make flood-safe homes more affordable.

“I’ve been building energy-efficient homes for years and I know the principles, but what the industry needs to know is, what is the most cost-effective way to get the house to the Bronze, Silver or Gold level yet give your clients the best you can give them for the dollars invested. The idea is to save money over time while enhancing quality of life for them,” Domangue said.

Domangue is documenting the costs of building each home as well as the decisions he made to determine how to accumulate points under the National Green Building Standard, information he will share with fellow association members. “I want to be able to explain why I used this wall system to reach this level, and what it cost,” he said.

For instance, although manufactured trusses for the Gold home turned out to be more expensive than stick framing onsite in rural Louisiana, Domangue decided to purchase them because they use less wood and he needed additional points to meet the higher level of the standard.

He wanted to use an engineered floor joist system, but “that’s an additional $2,200 in costs for the house,” he said. “I understand that the manufacturer needs to allow for the cost of developing the technology, but the price needs to come down” before the industry will see widespread use of engineered lumber.

The homes will be completed over the winter so they can be toured again during the HBA’s spring parade of homes. They should be ready to go on the market in about a year.

Domangue said the demonstration homes are a way to give back to an industry that’s given him a great living. He enjoys a loyal base of clients who recommend him to their friends, and some even come back years later so he can build them another energy-efficient home.

Newspaper and television stories on the project have given Wooden Creations a public relations boost, as well.

“The consumer — the home buyer — has to see the value in going green. Many do already, and once more do, they will create a bigger demand and more in our industry will respond,” Domangue said.

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

Register for the NAHB International Builders’ Show by Aug. 31 and Get a Free Exhibit Pass

NAHB members who register for the 2011 NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando by Aug. 31 can get a free four-day pass to the exhibit floor as well as take advantage of heavily discounted registration pricing.

Industry professionals who register for the show before September can save $100 on early-bird registration and $130 on regular registration. IBS, the single, most important and largest industry event of the year, will be held Jan. 12-15.

In addition, spouses of members and non-members can register for free in August.

Specific online registration deals include:

  • Free Exhibit Pass for NAHB Members — Register by Aug. 31
    NAHB members will be able to walk the show floor for free all four days of the show, if they register by Aug. 31. More than 1,000 exhibitors on 500,000 square feet of exhibit space will feature the industry’s leading suppliers displaying their latest innovations. Show exhibitors will also be available to discuss attendees’ specific challenges.

  • First-Time Member Attendee Registration — Reduced
    Members who plan to attend IBS for the first time are eligible for the first-time attendee registration rate of $100, which enables them to attend any of more than 175 education sessions and tour the exhibit floor all four days.

  • One- and Two-Day Education Passes
    Attendees can purchase one- or two-day passes for IBS education sessions. Passes will be available for education sessions held from Wednesday through Friday, Jan. 12-14. All seminars on Saturday, Jan. 15 are free. To take advantage of these passes, attendees must choose the day(s) they will purchase when registering for the show.

NAHB Finance Pavilion Returns to IBS

The NAHB Finance Pavilion — which will give NAHB members the opportunity to meet individually with a variety of capital sources and financing advisors to explore financing solutions for their projects through debt and equity positions, joint ventures and partnerships and traditional sources of housing credit — returns to IBS and is open only to members who purchase the $50 Pavilion upgrade to their full IBS registration.

These attendees will have access to the Pavilion all four days of the show and will receive an invitation to an exclusive Finance Pavilion-only networking event to be held during the show.

For more details on IBS registration fees and deadlines, click here.

For more information on IBS and to register, visit www.BuildersShow.com.

 

Bank Lending Shows Signs of Easing

For the first time since the end of 2006, the Fed’s quarterly Senior Loan Officer Survey found some easing of standards on commercial and industrial loans to small companies, or those with annual sales of less than $50 million. Based on responses from 57 domestic banks and 23 U.S. branches of foreign banks, the Fed survey found that the improvement was focused at big U.S. banks — which had been keeping credit very tight following the financial crisis — mainly as a result of competitive pressures. “While the survey results suggest that lending conditions are beginning to ease, the improvement to date has been concentrated at large domestic banks,” the U.S. central bank said. Lending in financial markets nearly came to a standstill following the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, forcing the Fed to step in by flooding the financial system with cash by buying government debt and mortgage-backed securities. Despite the huge reserves accumulated by banks, credit has remained tight amid weak demand by households and firms facing an uncertain economic outlook. A few large banks reported having eased standards on prime mortgage loans to consumers, but a small net fraction of the remaining banks reported having tightened standards on these loans. (www.wsj.com)
Wall Street Journal (8/16/10); Luca Di Leo and Meena Thiruvengadam

A Good Idea for Fixing Housing

With neither foreclosure nor mortgage modification working to stabilize the market, economist Dean Baker argues that instead of foreclosing on a loan and evicting the family, the lender should take ownership of the house and rent it out to them at a market rate for an extended period. In many areas, rents are much lower than mortgage payments, so the family can afford to stay put. Eventually, once the market recovers, the bank could sell the house. This would reduce the supply of foreclosed homes for sale; keep neighborhoods intact and maintain values by avoiding the blight of boarded-up, abandoned homes; would not bail anyone out; and would keep families off the street, but wouldn’t force them to pay more than the going rate for rents. Among its drawbacks, this approach would not work for everyone; some home owners would not be able to afford the rent and others wouldn’t want to rent. Also, banks don’t want to be landlords and they could potentially lose money by not selling the house now. (www.dowjones.com)
Dow Jones News Service (8/20/10); Rex Nutting

Iowa Home Building Took Beating, But Now Poised for Comeback

Robert Denk, a forecaster at NAHB, expects Iowa to return to a nearly “normal market” by the end of 2011. 2000-03 are considered years in which there was a normal market for the state, with construction of about 10,000 homes annually. So far, Iowa is on pace this year to build about 6,000 homes, 54% below peak construction in 2005, according to building permit data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Iowa home building is up about 24% from January to June compared with the same six months last year, data show. Denk expects the housing recovery to occur first in energy and farm states. It will take much longer in boom-bust markets like Nevada, Florida and California and economically depressed states like Michigan. Those states are expected to regain only about 50% of their normal markets next year, he said. Devan Kaufman, president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines, said builders like him are adjusting. “Right now, we’re not building new homes,” said Kaufman, who owns Kaufman Construction in Cumming. “But it’s not by choice. Thankfully, we’ve done quite a bit of remodeling and we’re in discussion with families about building new homes.” Bill Kimberley, owner of Kimberley Development, said the recession has created some opportunities for the Ankeny company to expand into new markets and offer new products. Kimberley purchased about 200 discounted lots from lenders to bankrupt developers. Lower lot prices means Kimberley can build homes costing less than $200,000, which is a new market for the builder of homes typically costing $350,000 and more. “We saw the high-end market dwindle, so we decided to branch out, expand our market and expand our plans,” Kimberley said. The 32-year building veteran said he’s seeing increased sales in both high-end and more affordable markets. The company sold a $500,000 speculative home featured in last month’s Home Expo Show in West Des Moines. “People are beginning to realize that these opportunities aren’t going to be around forever,” he said. Denk and Kimberley said financing continues to be a stumbling block for most builders. “The hoops you have to go through have increased about tenfold for everyone,” said Kimberley, who tries to have about 30 speculative homes available across the metro area. (www.desmoinesregister.com)
Des Moines Register (8/7/10); David Elbert and Donnelle Eller

Goodbye, Glitzy Condo Pitches

The recession has not been kind to many new condominium developments in New York City. Some have stalled mid-construction; others have shuttered their offices because of inactivity; some developers have had to return deposits to buyers as prices took a nosedive. But two years after the real estate market seized up, some of the hardest-hit developments have found ways to rise from the ashes. In some cases, the original developers avoided default by renegotiating their construction loans, and in others new developers stepped in and took over. In all cases, the need for reinvention has been paramount. To adjust to a market strikingly different from the high-flying one that reigned when these projects were conceived, developers have not only created new marketing campaigns but also substantially changed the buildings themselves. Focusing less on trendiness and more on value, they have redesigned lobbies, combined apartments to create more family-sized units and swapped luxuries like private roof cabanas for shared amenities like common roof decks. The changes all seek to appeal to today’s much more skeptical buyer. At be@schermerhorn, a 246-unit condo in downtown Brooklyn that stood unfinished and vacant for most of 2009, a new owner started selling apartments in the building three months ago, after deciding to broaden the target audience of buyers and also create amenities like storage space and a roof deck. “We retooled the project to what we think fits the market today,” said Michael Phillips, the creative director of Jamestown Properties, an original investor that has now taken over both the building and the troubled mortgage of the developer. The changes that Jamestown made were “less about grand gestures and more about sensitivity to consumer interest,” Phillips said. “Maybe in the last economy, big, glossy marketing and overpromising was acceptable, but that’s really not relevant for buyers today.” Jamestown assumed that the original marketing plan aimed at 20-somethings was too limited. Its first brochures showed beautiful young people dining out or shooting pool. New marketing materials feature a child reaching for a juice box at a local market and an older gentleman leaving the building with his dog. Inside the building, bold design colors were traded for more neutral ones; part of the parking garage was converted to 60 storage units; and six private roof cabanas were turned into a common roof deck. Jamestown also cut prices by 25% and obtained approval for loans through the FHA. After three months back on the market, they have about 140 accepted offers. (www.nytimes.com)
New York Times (8/20/10); Vivian S. Toy

A Safe Home, Step By Step; Stairs Are a Stumbling Block to Mobility

As the U.S. population ages, more home owners may need to contemplate what steps to take about steps. Buyer preferences vary by region. While ranch houses are popular in many parts of the Sun Belt, the default in the Washington, D.C. region is a two-story Colonial. Some buyers, especially, those with children, prefer two-story houses because they separate public and private areas. However, older buyers overwhelmingly would choose one-story living, according to an NAHB consumer preference survey. While 52% of all buyers said they would prefer a single-story house, that number climbs to 79% among buyers 55 and older. “Stairs are going to be an obstacle and sometimes a hazard,” said Vince Butler, president of Butler Brothers, a Fairfax County, Va., builder specializing in renovation. He teaches classes for other builders who want to earn a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist designation, a program designed by NAHB and AARP. When he evaluates a home, Butler said, he asks, “Is there a way to configure the house so they don’t have to use the stairs?” In the Washington region, he said, the biggest challenge is that very few houses have a full bathroom on the first level. One way to approach the situation is to make existing stairs safer. Bright lighting at the top and bottom — with switches at both landings — is a start. Railings on both sides are a big help, allowing you to support yourself while carrying things or to use both hands as needed. Make sure the railings go a bit past the top and bottom of the stairs for added safely. Think about friction — whether the carpeting or wood allows your feet to get a grip. Assess visual contrast, too, especially looking down a flight. Can you see the individual treads? Some people can climb steps but don’t have the stamina to do so often. In those cases, a remote electronic door lock and an intercom could, for instance, permit someone to let in a grocery delivery without extra trips. (www.washingtonpost.com)
Washington Post (8/14/10); Maryann Haggerty

Bathroom Remodels Becoming More Popular

While kitchens are still high on the interest list for buyers and home owners, NAHB is reporting that remodeler survey respondents say that a bathroom remodel was one of their most common projects during the first six months of 2010 — as many as 61% worked on these jobs. Those home owners who are in the design phase of their remodel — especially for a bathroom, but for other areas too — should make sure that they will end up with enough light. HouseLogic.com concurs that lighting should be made a priority. “When it comes to adding creature comforts, your first thoughts might be multiple shower heads and radiant-heat floors. But few items make a bathroom more satisfying than lighting designed for everyday grooming,” writes author and residential builder John Rhia. Poor ventilation is another concern. Homes that were designed without bathroom windows that open can quickly develop mold, mildew and stale air if there isn’t a very good ventilation system installed. High-quality bathroom fans help. These are often not thought of because they’re not obvious “fun toys” like heated floors, but bathroom ventilation systems that exhaust to the outside are vital. (www.realtytimes.com)
Realty Times (8/6/10); Phoebe Chongchua

Case Study: Developer Is $300 Million in Debt and Sees $100 Million in Equity Disappear

By David McCain and Bill Albers, MPKA, LLC

(This is the third in a series on what builders need to know about restructuring debt and planning for surviving financial adversity in today’s real estate market.)

You have made the decision to hire a debt restructure specialist, and the process begins.

From the time you hire a debt restructure specialist to the time you reach a settlement can take as little as 60 days or as long as a year, but the process is typically completed within three to six months. The following case study was performed within this time frame.

Case Study One — Strong History Development Group

A developer for more than 40 years, Strong History had 50 active developments with cumulative debt exceeding $300 million, all personally guaranteed by Founder.

Founder’s personal balance sheet consisted of a few hundred thousand dollars in cash, with over $100 million of stated real estate equity spread over the 50 active developments. Unfortunately, a review by MPKA of the company’s projects and balance sheet found that the vast majority of the project finance loans were underwater (i.e., the loan amounts were higher than the projects were worth) and that Founder’s $100 million in equity was nonexistent at current real estate values.

MPKA was subsequently engaged to negotiate with Strong History’s banks. Following are some of the specifics in these negotiations.

Large National Bank 

Large National Bank had five project loans with Strong History totaling over $40 million located in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. MPKA negotiated a global settlement with the bank with the condition that each of the five debt restructure workouts was contingent upon the other:

  • Loan One had an unpaid principal balance of $5.3 million. The project consisted of 210 entitled single-family lots, of which 110 were developed. When the loan was originated in early 2005, Strong History negotiated a finished lot takedown agreement with Large Public Builder at $70,000 per finished lot. When the market collapsed, Large Public Builder walked away from the property. With no sales, Strong History defaulted on the loan and Large National Bank filed a foreclosure action. The property design was fair to good but the location was fair to poor. Vandals repeatedly ravaged the utility boxes, fences and light poles.

    Several appraisals later, the property was eventually determined to have a value of $1.9 million. Neither Strong History nor Founder or any investor had interest in continuing with the property. Ultimately, MPKA convinced Large National Bank to take the property back in a deed in lieu of foreclosure transaction conditioned upon Large National Bank releasing Strong History and Founder from the $3.4 million deficiency.

  • Loan Two had an unpaid principal balance of $6.1 million. The project consisted of 250 entitled single-family lots, 110 of which were developed, and 200 entitled undeveloped multifamily lots. The loan was originated in 2007. Several large national builders had finished lot option contracts ranging from $50,000 to $70,000 per lot, depending on lot size. The project was in a good location, but all of the large national builders walked from their option contracts.

    Loan Three had an unpaid principal balance of $14 million. The project consisted of 2,000 entitled single-family units, of which 400 were developed. Three large public builders had lot contracts with Strong History. While the builders did not walk from the property, each significantly curtailed the pace and price of its lot purchases.

    Both Loan Two and Three were in default and in foreclosure proceedings. Large National Bank received current appraisals totaling $15 million against a total debt of $20 million. MPKA arranged a transaction in which a private equity group purchased the two loans from the bank for $10.5 million, with the condition that the bank forgive all of the nearly $10 million in loan deficiency against Founder. In addition, with the bank’s consent, Strong History remained a participant in each of the loans on a management and development fee basis, and with a profit participation hope certificate after certain returns were achieved by the private equity group.

  • Loan Four had an unpaid principal balance of $9.9 million. The project consisted of more than 200 acres of mixed-use development, with 300 entitled lots, half of which were developed, 50 acres of developed commercial land and 30 acres of undeveloped commercial land. The property was in a good location and was well positioned.

    Loan Five had an unpaid principal balance of $3.5 million. The project consisted of nearly 400 entitled but undeveloped single-family lots, many of which fronted the intercoastal waterway.

    Both of Loans Four and Five were in foreclosure, with no debt service payments made for more than 12 months as both loans had matured. Appraisals on these two loans varied, however; the lowest valued appraisals totaled over $30 million against nearly $13 million debt. MPKA negotiated a loan extension on each of the two loans, essentially convincing Large National Bank that in the absence of a takeout lender, the most reasonable chance for repayment was to extend each loan. They were both extended for 24 months with a 12-month extension option.

Large Regional Bank

Large Regional Bank had four project loans with Strong History, totaling over $25 million, located in Florida, all personally guaranteed by Founder:

  • Loan Six had an unpaid principal balance of $3.1 million. The project consisted of 75 completed single-family lots. Two local builders had been buying lots at $80,000, but each walked from the community. The project and the lots were fair to good and recent appraisals suggested a value of $1.5 million.

  • Loan Seven had an unpaid principal balance of $7.6 million. The mixed-use project consisted of 265 single-family lots, 225 multifamily lots and 25 acres of office and retail space. While entitled, none of this project was developed. A national public builder had an option contract at $70,000 per finished lot but walked when the project stalled. At loan origination, the project was appraised at over $18 million.

  • Loan Eight had an unpaid principal balance of $10.5 million. The finished project consisted of 300 single-family lots but was in a poor location. Two national public builders walked from lot option contracts of $45,000. Recent appraisals suggested a value of less than $4 million.

  • Loan Nine had an unpaid principal balance of $4.2 million. The project consisted of 165 finished single-family lots, optioned to two regional builders at $42,000 per lot. Each of the two builders slowed their lot takedown schedules to one lot per month.

All of Large Regional Banks’ loans with Strong History were in default for nonpayment and in foreclosure. MPKA negotiated the packaged discounted sale of these loans for $10 million. In addition to eliminating the $15 million personally guaranteed deficiency of Founder, MPKA negotiated favorable loan purchase terms. The purchaser put $1 million cash down and received a loan back from Large Regional Bank of $9 million, three years interest only at prime plus 1%, totally non-recourse to the purchaser, and Founder was eliminated as a guarantor on the new loan. In addition, with the banks’ consent, Strong History stayed involved with each of the projects on a management and development fee basis, and as a profit participant, after certain investment returns were achieved by the new investor.

The next article in this series will continue to examine actual case studies of recently transacted deals.

To read previous articles in this series, click on:

David McCain and Bill Albers are the principals of MPKA, LLC. They have successfully restructured more than $1 billion worth of home builder and developer debt over the last 24 months. They can be reached at david.mccain@mpka.com, 305-439-7051, and bill.albers@mpka.com, 214-219-1288, or by visiting www.mpka.com.

Housing Starts Rise 1.7% in July as Market Goes Into a Holding Pattern

Nationwide housing starts inched up 1.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 546,000 units in July from a downwardly revised figure in the previous month, according to U.S. Commerce Department figures released on Aug. 17.

The gain occurred entirely on the multifamily side, with single-family housing production falling 4.2% to 432,000 units, its lowest point since May of 2009.

The small improvement in overall housing production this July was due to a 32.6% jump on the more volatile multifamily side, which brought that sector back closer to trend at a 114,000-unit rate following a major dip in the previous month.

"Builders are very reluctant to build more homes in view of the current state of the economy and weak buyer demand," noted NAHB Chairman Bob Jones.

"Right now the housing market is essentially in a holding pattern," acknowledged NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. "As our latest member surveys have indicated, builders are seeing greater hesitancy among potential home buyers who are uncertain about what's in store for the economy and jobs going forward. That said, favorable home buying conditions including historically low mortgage rates and low house prices should help spur additional demand as the job market gradually improves later this year."

Two regions registered improved starts activity in July, with the Northeast and Midwest each posting double-digit gains, of 30.5% and 10.7%, respectively. The South, which is the country's largest regional housing market, posted a 6.3% decline in starts this July, while starts in the West were flat.

Permit issuance, which can be an indicator of future building activity, declined 3.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 565,000 units in July.

Single-family permits fell 1.2% to 416,000 units, while multifamily permits dropped 8% to 149,000 units.

Regionally, permits fell nearly 26% in the Northeast, 1.1% in the Midwest and 4.9% in the West, but gained 3.9% in the South in July.

Seeing No Traction in Job Market, Builders Less Confident in August

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes edged down in August for a third consecutive month, according to the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), which declined one point to 13, its lowest level since March of 2009.

“Builders are expressing the same concerns that they are hearing from consumers right now, particularly the sense that the overall economy and job market aren’t gaining any traction,” said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones. “Meanwhile, many continue to report that problems with inaccurate appraisals, competition from the large number of distressed properties on the market and tight consumer lending conditions are causing them to lose potential sales.”

“The August report reflects single-family home builders’ concerns about current and future economic conditions and about the increasing hesitancy they are seeing among potential home buyers,” added NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.

“It also reflects the frustration that builders are feeling regarding the effects that foreclosed property sales are having on the new-homes market, with 87% of respondents reporting that their market has been negatively impacted by foreclosures,” Crowe said.

Even so, he noted, NAHB continues to project that modest job gains, historically low mortgage rates and pent-up demand will ensure a better housing market in the second half of 2010 than in the first half.

Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for more than 20 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales, sales expectations for the next six months and traffic of prospective buyers. Scores from each component are then used to calculate a seasonally adjusted index where any number over 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good than poor.

Two of the HMI’s three component indexes fell in August. The component gauging current sales conditions declined one point to 14, while sales expectations for the next six months fell three points to 18. The traffic of prospective buyers remained unchanged at 10.

Three out of four regions posted HMI declines in August. A six-point decline to 18 in the Northeast partially offset a big gain in that region in the previous month, while the South and West each saw one-point declines to 13 and 8, respectively. The HMI for the Midwest held even at 15 in August.

Housing Remains Highly Affordable for Sixth Consecutive Quarter

Bolstered by favorable interest rates and low house prices, housing affordability registered by the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index in this year’s second quarter remained near its highest level nationwide for the sixth consecutive quarter since the series was first compiled nearly two decades ago.

Released on Aug. 19, the latest HOI indicated that 72.3% of all new and existing homes sold in the second quarter were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. Affordability was slightly higher than in the first quarter and came close to equaling the record-high 72.5% set during the first quarter of 2009.

Until 2009, the HOI rarely topped 67% and never reached 70%.

“Homeownership is within reach of more households than it has been for almost a generation,” said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones. “Interest rates continue to hover at historic low levels, the economy is beginning to rebound and with house prices starting to stabilize, conditions are beginning to draw home buyers back into the market, which is a positive step on the path to recovery.”

Syracuse, N.Y., was the most affordable major housing market in the country, edging out Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind., which had held the top ranking for nearly five years. In Syracuse, 97.2% of all homes sold were affordable to households earning the area’s median family income of $64,300.

Also at the top of the list of the most affordable major metro housing markets were Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich.; Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa.; and Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y., respectively.

Among smaller housing markets, the most affordable was Springfield, Ohio, where 96.6% of homes sold during the second quarter were affordable to families earning a median-income of $56,800. Other smaller housing markets at the top of the index included Mansfield, Ohio; Bay City, Mich.; Monroe, Mich.; and Lansing-East Lansing, Mich., respectively.

Second-quarter HOI results found New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J., continuing for the ninth consecutive quarter to lead the nation as its least affordable major housing market — with 19.9% of all homes sold affordable to those earning the area median income of $65,600.

The other major metro areas at the bottom of the affordability scale included San Francisco; Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif.; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Redwood City, Calif.; and Honolulu, all metro areas that have lingered among the bottom rankings for several quarters.  

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif., was the least affordable of the smaller metro housing markets in the country during the second quarter, followed by Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.; Ocean City, N.J; Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, Calif.; and Napa, Calif.

Eye on the Economy: Some Less Than Encouraging Numbers

By David Crowe
NAHB Chief Economist

 

The July employment data provided little to cheer about as non-farm payroll employment was down by 131,000 jobs at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, following a 221,000 decrease in June. The numbers were adversely affected by planned layoffs of temporary decennial workers at the Census Bureau — 225,000 in June and 143,000 in July.

On the positive side, private sector employment in July increased for the seventh consecutive month, though by only 71,000, which at least was some improvement from June’s paltry 31,000 increase.

The biggest gains were in the manufacturing sector, which was up by 36,000 jobs — including 21,000 new jobs making motor vehicles and parts — and health care, up 27,000.

Employment of private temporary workers was also a disappointment, falling 5,600, the first decrease in 10 months.

At this still relatively early stage of the recovery, businesses have been employing temporary workers, hedging their hiring bets until they are certain that the growing demand they have seen for their products and services is sustainable. Many of these temporary positions eventually become permanent, so it is possible that this transition is responsible for July’s decline.

Although the unemployment rate held steady at 9.5% in July, the number of those employed declined, indicating that some job seekers left the labor force, presumably because they were discouraged by dismal prospects for employment.

In one positive sign, private sector average employment hours edged up from 34.1 in June to 34.2 in July. Also, average hourly earnings were up $0.04. Employers may be reaching the point where they have to use their current workers more and give a few raises. That is a precursor to future hiring.

Employment stability and job growth are keys to a housing recovery and are needed to help boost the confidence of households that are considering buying a home.

NAHB is forecasting slow employment gains for the remainder of the year as GDP continues to show some growth and businesses find that they can no longer depend on the productivity growth of their current workers to increase output.

In the second quarter, labor productivity fell 0.9%, the first drop since fourth quarter 2008. Over that same period, non-farm payroll employment increased an average of 175,000 jobs per month as hours worked increased faster than output. More jobs should contribute a modest lift to housing.

Residential construction continues to hemorrhage jobs, albeit at a slower rate than a year ago. In July, 16,900 jobs were lost, down from 27,700 job cuts a year earlier and 81,700 in November 2008. The continued decline in residential construction employment is in line with slowing single-family housing starts, which have been down three months in a row, and July’s sharply falling housing completions as builders reduced their work pace to hold down expenses in the face of weak demand following the expiration of the home buyer tax credit.

However, on a somewhat more positive note, total construction employment — including non-residential jobs — only lost 11,000 slots in July due to some pickup in non-residential construction. The overall unemployment rate for construction fell to 20.7% from 23.7% in June, its first decline in four months.

Federal Reserve Policy

In a statement following its Aug. 10 meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) observed that “the pace of recovery in output and employment has slowed in recent months.” This was hardly earth-shattering news, just an acknowledgement of what was widely understood to be the case.

The FOMC went on to observe (as has been noted in previous issues of Eye on the Economy) that household spending was advancing, if only slowly, “constrained by high unemployment, modest income growth, lower housing wealth and tight credit.” The FOMC also noted that “the pace of economic recovery is likely to be more modest in the near term than had been anticipated.”

The FOMC held to the target federal funds rate range of 0% to 0.25%, first announced in mid-December 2008. Further, as it previously stated, the FOMC said it expected to maintain the “exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period.”

Announcing one new policy item, the committee said that it would roll over the Federal Reserve’s maturing holdings of federal agency debt and mortgage-backed securities into longer-term Treasury securities (primarily two- to 10-year securities). This should keep long-term interest rates low, including mortgage rates.

The FOMC’s assessment of the economy is in alignment with NAHB’s outlook. NAHB expects the federal funds rate to remain in the 0.0% to .25% range through the middle of 2011 as a relatively slow and prolonged recovery puts little stress on capacity and resources, keeping inflation in check. Low inflationary expectations should help keep mortgage rates low.

NAHB projects that mortgage rates will remain below 6% through 2010 and most of 2011.

Inflation Remains Tame

Weak economic growth is helping to keep inflation in check. The seasonally adjusted monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.3% in July following three months of decline, and was up 1.2% from a year earlier. Meanwhile, core inflation — excluding food and energy prices — rose a modest 0.9% from a year earlier.

The low rate of inflation gives the Federal Reserve the room to maintain its expansionary monetary policy and to keep mortgage rates low.

The rental component of the CPI rose 0.1% in July for the third consecutive month, though it was down 0.7% from a year earlier. Homeownership “prices” — which are measured by using an owner’s equivalent rent that is largely driven by the rent index without utilities — rose 0.1% in June and July, after being flat for five of the previous six months. The measure was up 0.1% from a year earlier.

The rent and owner components of the CPI make up 32% of the CPI. The soft rental market and excess vacancies have kept rents from rising, which has been a challenge to apartment owners who have seen other costs rise. It also has made it more difficult for multifamily projects to obtain financing.

However, there are early signs that the rental market may be improving. The rentership rate — the percentage of households renting — has risen in each of the past three quarters. Meanwhile, the rental vacancy rate in the second quarter improved for new construction and held steady for older apartments.

The July Producer Price Index (PPI) for finished goods rose 0.2% after three months of decline, and was up 4.2% from a year earlier. Excluding food and energy, the index was up 0.3%, its ninth consecutive monthly increase, but it was only up 1.5% from a year earlier.

Weakness in construction pushed the prices of residential construction building materials down 0.7% in June and 0.2% in July. Nonetheless, they were still up 3.7% in July from a year earlier. Lumber, gypsum, cement and copper prices were all down in July, helping builders keep new home construction affordable.

Is Consumer Sentiment Improving?

After dropping sharply in July, the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index improved a bit in August’s preliminary reading, rising from 67.8 to 69.6. Also, there was a modest rise in the percentage of consumers who believe that now is a good time to buy a house — from 75% to 76% — a return to the June number and its highest reading since March.

The most common reasons cited for favorable home buying conditions were low prices (63%) and low interest rates (44%).

Meanwhile, mortgage applications have generally been on the rise, with the four-week moving average for applications up in nine of the last 10 weeks. Mortgage purchase applications are also showing some improvement, with the four-week moving average up in three of the last four weeks.

Residential Construction on Hold

With the economy advancing at a snail’s pace and consumer confidence rebounding hesitantly, most potential home buyers remain on the sidelines despite low interest rates and affordable house prices.

As a result, home builders have had little to be optimistic about. This was reflected in the August NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), which fell from an already low 14 to 13, its lowest level since a reading of 9 in March 2009.

With little prospect of increased sales on the horizon, builders are reluctant to add to their inventory. Total housing starts in July rose 1.7% from 537,000 to 546,000 at a seasonally adjusted annual rate. However, the increase was due totally to volatile multifamily starts, which jumped to 114,000 units, up 32.6% from June’s depressed rate of 86,000. The July multifamily number is close to the three-month moving average of 110,000, a level that multifamily starts have been bouncing around since March.

July’s single-family starts fell 4.2% from 451,000 to 432,000, the lowest reading since 406,000 starts in May 2006. The Northeast and Midwest, after two months of decline, saw starts rise by 6.3% and 8.8%, respectively, while the South and West experienced declines of 5.8% and 14.7%.

Single-family construction appears to be close to a bottom. Single-family building permits in July slipped slightly from 421,000 in June to 416,000, a 1.2% decline. The increase in starts reported by the Northeast and Midwest was not followed up in permits, which fell by 8.2% and 8.1%, respectively. The South was flat with 215,000 single-family permits while the West rose 6.0% from a low June number.

In a dramatic indication that demand is weak and builders have entered into a holding pattern, new single-family units completed fell a steep 27.5% in July, from 676,000 to 490,000, the largest monthly decline on record going back to 1968.

The completion rate in June reflected the push to meet the settlement date deadline at the end of the month (since extended to September) for the now expired home buyer tax credit. Now needing to complete fewer homes to keep up with weaker contract demands, builders are slowing completions to hold down the costs of installing relatively expensive finishing touches.

This is also enabling them to better customize the completed product to meet the desires and budget of the home buyer when a sale does materialize.

A Ray of Hope?

Better news appears to be emerging on the finance front. The Federal Reserve’s third quarter Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices reported some easing of credit standards for prime residential mortgages among large banks over the previous three months. This marks the first net easing in the survey in more than three years.

For non-traditional mortgages (sometimes referred to as Alt-A), there was essentially no net tightening — two banks reported some tightening and one reported easing slightly. This is a significant improvement over just a few quarters earlier when there was substantial tightening of these standards.

The Fed’s third quarter survey is an indication that banks may be beginning to return to the more normal lending standards that prevailed in much of the 1990s and the first part of the 2000s.

Bank loan officers are reporting substantially different lending conditions for builders than builders have been reporting in recent NAHB surveys. The Fed’s senior loan officer survey found fewer banks tightening standards for commercial real estate, a category that includes builders’ acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) loans.

None of the large banks in the Fed’s loan officer survey tightened their lending standards, while the net percentage of smaller banks tightening was only 11%.

In sharp contrast, between one-half and two-thirds of builders surveyed by NAHB said that the availability of new production credit was worse in the second quarter than the first quarter of 2010.

This disconnect between the assessment of credit availability and an aggressive regulatory crackdown continues to point to a major hurdle to a housing recovery.

NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe analyzes the economy from the point of view of the housing market every other week in the free e-newsletter, “Eye on the Economy.” The preceding is a reissue of his Aug. 20 edition. To subscribe to “Eye on the Economy,” click here.

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.

Builder Lawsuits Send Flawed EPA Storm Water Rules Back to the Drawing Board

In a major victory for affordable housing, sound science and more sensible regulations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has had to withdraw a key portion of new storm water management regulations for builders and developers so that it can devise new ones based on better research.

The move stemmed from a lawsuit filed by NAHB and the Wisconsin Builders Association and by administrative petitions from both NAHB and the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Advocacy asking the agency to recalculate the discharge limit for sediment allowed under its new Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELGs) for the construction industry.

“In these new regulations, the EPA set a numeric limit on the amount of sediment allowed in the runoff from a job site, which both our builders and SBA claimed was arbitrary and based on flawed analysis,” said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones.

Published in December, the ELGs set a limit of 280 “turbidity units” on storm water discharges from construction sites disturbing 10 or more acres of land at one time.

“In addition, NAHB was able to show that trying to achieve these limits would have cost as much as $10 billion annually — more than 10 times the agency’s estimate of $953 million,” Jones said. “This would have hurt small businesses and housing affordability, while providing little additional environmental benefit.”

Jones cited estimates from the EPA that the ELGs would have controlled just 0.25% of all sediment runoff from construction sites.

“By forcing the EPA to take a hard look at the facts and admit its error, we scored a major victory for home builders and home buyers nationwide,” he said.

After reading NAHB’s brief, the agency admitted that there were several flaws in the final rule and that it had improperly interpreted the data.

As a result, the Justice Department asked the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate the numeric limit and place a hold on the litigation until February 2012, giving the EPA time to go back and develop a numeric limit with which builders can actually comply. 

It was also noted that the agency had “failed to consider certain comments submitted during the rulemaking process.”

In the meantime, the other ELG requirements remain in place and the EPA is expected to issue interim storm water management guidance for construction site operators as it works on refine the rule.

“NAHB supports responsible development and the goals of the Clean Water Act. The association will continue to work with state and federal regulators to keep our waterways clean,” Jones said.

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


Are You Ready for a Visit From the EPA? 

“Storm Water Permitting: A Guide for Builders and Developers,” available through BuilderBooks.com, provides a starting point for builders and developers to use in locating and understanding storm water permitting requirements.

The publication has been prepared to help builders comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's stormwater requirements, and includes information on state permitting programs and more than 50 of the most commonly used Best Management Practices.

Also included are tips on compliance, including how to handle visits from inspectors.

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

Research Center Assesses Energy-Efficiency Gains in Habitat Rehab of 1950s-Era Ramblers

Twelve 50-year-old homes have been renovated by Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, Md. — with technical assistance from the NAHB Research Center — to significantly improve their energy efficiency while keeping the construction costs affordable.

Most of the homes are 1950s-era ramblers with block and brick facade construction and basement foundations.

Project goals included enhancing safety, improving durability, lowering monthly utility bills and adhering to a tight schedule and minimal budget — as well as taking into account Habitat’s usual practice of using volunteer laborers working in six-hour shifts.

Energy-efficiency gains ranged from 9% to 38% over the original homes. However, nearly all achieved a Home Energy Efficiency Rating (HERS) index of 100,  bringing them up to the energy performance of homes built to the 2004 International Energy Conservation Code, the baseline for the HERS index.

Habitat partnered with the NAHB Research Center through the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Building America program. Its job was to observe the remodeling process and details, recommend additional energy enhancements, help identify the right products and materials for the volunteer laborers, model potential energy savings, verify improvements with before-and-after testing where possible and document the process so it could be repeated in similar kinds of homes.

Habitat trained the volunteers and segmented the work into discrete tasks taking three to four hours each and also made sure that all necessary materials and supplies were ready — ensuring timely delivery for quicker occupancy.

For all the homes, Habitat removed interior wall finishes from exterior walls, adding or increasing insulation in the foundation, above-grade walls and ceiling; upgrading electrical systems, including rewiring; replacing most plumbing and all fixtures; and evaluating HVAC equipment and ducts.

While upgrades to the heating and cooling systems were considered, the cost forced Habitat to leave the original system in place if it was still in good working order.

Following recommendations from the NAHB Research Center to enhance energy efficiency, durability and indoor air quality, the improvements included:

  • Replacing windows with the highest efficiency that the budget would allow and taking care to install them according to the manufacturer's recommendations
  • Adding air-sealing details at various locations — including roof/wall intersections, crawlspace walls and soffits
  • Relocating supply and return ducts from exterior walls to the floor
  • Ensuring adequate and simplified return air paths for all rooms
  • Installing programmable thermostats
  • Ducting kitchen and bath exhaust fans to the outdoors
  • Installing Energy Star-rated appliances and light bulbs
  • Broom sweeping all areas of the home after demolition to improve the effectiveness of the air sealing, helping to improve worker safety and indoor environmental quality
  • Confirming that the downspouts and grading adequately directed rain water away from the house and that sump pumps were operating properly
  • Adding exterior insulation where appropriate

The NAHB Research Center found that the most significant gains in energy performance came from improvements to wall insulation.

For the 10 homes constructed of block, the original R-4.7 walls were upgraded to whole-wall R-20 by removing the drywall, attaching 1-inch rigid foam to the block and then constructing a 2x4 wall on the interior of the rigid foam, air-sealing the top and bottom, insulating the 2x4 cavity with R-13 batt insulation and finishing by installing drywall and painting the interior walls.

Wall insulation details were also developed for two homes that were wood-framed. Where the siding was replaced, the volunteers added one inch of exterior rigid insulation to increase the whole-wall R-value from R-11.8 to R-17.4.

The second solution for wood-framed homes was for volunteers to build a 2x4 wall on the inside of the existing 2x4 wall and insulate both walls to R-13 in the cavity, so that the wall was upgraded from a whole-wall R-value of 11.6 to R-20.2.

Another key was air sealing. While the Research Center could find air leakage paths for individual homes through blower-door testing and other measures, the overall goal of the project was to determine common problem areas to successfully air-seal multiple homes without having to test every one.

The Research Center developed a list of good candidates for air sealing, including the intersections of floor and foundation walls and the ceiling and walls; rim/band joist areas; wire and pipe plate penetrations; sloped ceilings; balloon-framed gable end walls and any gable walls adjacent to the main house walls in split-level designs; cantilevered floors; attic hatch covers; chases and chimneys; wall sheathing; and any new openings created by the retrofit.

However, details for air sealing measures were developed and applied throughout the remodels with varying success, the Research Center found, primarily because the details were developed through this work. 

“The 12 remodels successfully addressed and installed more insulation in exterior walls to increase the energy efficiency of these homes,” said Amber Wood, the Research Center’s program manager.  

“The energy performance shows that meeting current energy code is achievable through whole-house remodeling of 1950s era homes,” she added.

Habitat and the Research Center now are studying best practices, details and training to determine specific ways to increase energy efficiency and durability for each remodeled house.

“A more definitive assessment procedure based on house design and location is needed to improve and simplify the selection of energy performance remodeling upgrades,” Wood said.

Better training for volunteers who do the air-sealing would also improve the results.

In addition, the Research Center wants to develop better guidance to help Habitat determine when to upgrade or replace an existing HVAC system. As part of this work, product options, design details and application details are needed, Wood said.

The purchases of the homes and renovation costs were supported through a special grant program from the county, and Habitat will pay the grant back when it sells the homes. 

The costs were kept down because of Habitat’s network of suppliers and volunteers.

The good news, according to Wood, is that “Habitat Montgomery County is planning additional renovation projects that could provide the opportunity to advance the development of energy performance remodeling for affordable homes in Maryland.” 

Further information on the project can be found at the case study on the Toolbase website.

Enter NAHB Star! Talent Contest by Sept. 15 to Sing the National Anthem at IBS 2011 in Orlando

NAHB members and their immediate family members are invited to enter the NAHB Star! talent contest — the popular “American Idol” and online voting-style competition to find the NAHB member or family member who can best belt out the national anthem to kick off the 2011 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando on Jan. 12-15.

To enter, contestants should submit entry forms and audition videos of a cappella performances of "The Star-Spangled Banner" to nahbstarinfo@gmail.com by Sept. 15.

Their videos will then be posted on the IBS website, www.BuildersShow.com, where the NAHB family and general public will have from Oct. 12-29 to vote for their favorite performance.

NAHB will announce the top four finalists on Nov. 2 and then fly them to Orlando for final judging just prior to the Builders’ Show. The winner will sing the national anthem during the Grand Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday, Jan. 12.

In addition, the local home builders associations that are connected to the finalists will also receive prizes and recognition.

For more information about the NAHB Star! competition and rules, visit www.BuildersShow.com/Star or e-mail nahbstarinfo@gmail.com.

Register for Spokesperson Training Sessions at the Builders’ Show, Attendance Is Limited

Online registration is now available for NAHB Spokesperson Training sessions at the upcoming 2011 International Builders’ Show in Orlando in January.

Spokesperson Training will not be offered at the NAHB Fall Board of Directors Meeting in New York.

Members can now register securely online with a credit card for one or both of the Spokesperson Training sessions — Interview Skills and Presentation Skills — on the NAHB website.  

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

Members attending the Presentation Skills session will learn how to confidently prepare and deliver dynamic presentations to any audience. The session focuses on how to organize and deliver a speech and presentation, with accompanying question and answer sessions.

International Builders’ Show Session Schedules:

  • Interview Skills — Monday, Jan. 11
  • Interview Skills — Tuesday, Jan. 12
  • Presentation Skills — Wednesday, Jan. 13

Each one-day session is from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Registration is limited to 12 participants.

The fee for each session is $495 per person.

For more information and to register, click here.

Each session 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.

Women Home Buyers, a Major Economic Force in the Industry, Have a Language All Their Own

The success of builders and remodelers depends on tapping into the economic power of women.

By Karen Dry and Linda Hebert

Rising female consumer power is changing the way companies design, make and market products — and it’s more than just adding pastels.

Women are a force not to be underestimated, pushing 80% of consumer spending in the U.S. alone.

They also are the deciding factor in 87% of all household purchases and, according to the marketing research firm Smith-Dahmer Associates, nearly 91% of all new home purchasing decisions are made or influenced by female buyers.

And should a man make the final purchasing decision, well, his tastes and buying influences are determined by how he was raised by his mother or other prominent women in his life.

Women are the driving force of our economy. According to Northwestern Mutual, high-net-worth women account for 39% of the country’s top wealth earners; 2.5 million of them have combined assets of $4.2 trillion. More than 1.3 million women professionals and executives earn in excess of $100,000 annually. Nearly half — 43% — of Americans with more than $500,000 in assets are female.

Over the next decade, women will control two-thirds of consumer wealth in the U.S. and be the beneficiaries of the largest transference of wealth in our country’s history, according to Claire Behar, senior partner and director at the public relations and marketing firm Fleishman-Hillard in New York. Estimates range from $12 trillion to $40 trillion.

Many boomer women will experience a double inheritance windfall from their parents and their husbands. Luxury branding resonates with boomer woman.

The biggest mistake often made by marketers — and 68% of marketing executives in the U.S. are men — is assuming they know what women want without even asking.

“If the consumer had a sex, it would be female,” says Bridget Brennan, author of “Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World’s Most Powerful Consumers.” “If the business world had a sex, it would be male. And therein lies the pickle.”

Taking a woman-centric approach means designing from her perspective, Brennan says. “At its core, it means understanding the female so innately that you can actually anticipate what she wants even before asking — especially during the buying experience,” she says in her book.

If you want to coax a woman buyer to your new or remodeled home, you might want to ask several women their opinions about your building ideas before you even start to design your product.

The Language of Women Buyers

A woman’s experience with buying that home starts the minute she drives into the model home park and with the way the signage and the sales office make her feel.

Once inside the model, she will run her hand along the kitchen and bathroom countertops. She’ll open just about every door and drawer in the home and comment on how she anticipates using that space.

If you listen carefully, she’ll tell you exactly how she can —or more often, cannot — live in the home. She knows which window will have the most light in the morning. She’ll notice uneven steps and sliding doors placed in an area that would make it impossible for her kids to move around her furniture to get to the door to the backyard.

According to She-conomy.com, 91% of women feel that advertisers and marketers don’t understand them.

The following are six simple steps to take when marketing to women:

  • Use language that evokes feeling and thought. For example, describe a granite’s origin in a way that helps her visualize where it came from. Use words like, “Santa Cecilia granite, honed to perfection from the rich, fertile lands in central Brazil.”

    Don’t ever underestimate the power of description. She will probably use many of those same words when describing her new home's granite to friends over cocktails.

  • Use color and textures in your collateral. Unlike men, women will actually read every word of a marketing piece, hang on to it and show it to their friends. And, when they can’t find it on their desk or in the file, they’ll describe the piece as “this really cool brochure that has this beautiful artist’s rendering of my dream home on it.”

    They may or may not remember the name of the model complex — because they often see 20 or 30 of them — but they will remember the pieces they collected from the sales office as long as those pieces are equal to the experience they felt as they went through the model.

  • Engage all five senses. The experience of buying or remodeling a home is the most personal journey a woman encounters in her lifetime. If you want her to remember her experiences in your home, appeal to all five of her senses.

    Engaging her sight is imperative, followed by her keen sense of smell.

    You don’t just have to use candles as air fresheners — there are all types of air fresheners on the market that are sight unseen without being overpowering. Then invite her to touch everything. Let her explore the appliances and open the closet doors.

    Accentuate spaces in the home that give her ample storage. Have music playing throughout the home she’s visiting. Finally, to appeal to her sense of taste, have snacks she can nibble on available throughout her buying experience.

  • Do something extraordinary. Women like to be pleasantly surprised, so take ordinary activities and make them extraordinary.

    For instance, if your demographic has a high percentage of single working mothers or down-sizers, it’s likely they work long hours so hold your grand opening in the evening. Be sure to have candles in the rooms and offer her a glass of wine as she unwinds from her day.

    Or, if the demographic is primarily young families, have a reading of a children’s author at your grand opening and send the children home with autographed copies. She’ll never forget the effort — and she will tell all of her friends.

  • Educate her. Today’s woman wants to know how her house works. Show her where the electrical panel is and label each connection.

    If you are a green builder, showcase the process with see-through panels to show her the insulation. If you feature Energy Star products, give her the supporting material in your sales office.

  • Ask for her feedback. This is perhaps the scariest thing for a builder or remodeler to do, but your best return on staging or modeling your homes is finding out what you may have missed and, better yet, what you got right.

    If you’ve done a great job, ask if you can use her testimonial in your campaign. If you missed the mark, ask her back after you’ve incorporated some of her ideas.

    According to She-conomy.com, 51% of women buyers will give a company a second chance if they feel the product or service missed the mark the first time.

Finding Where Women Buyers Live

Now that we know who these influential buyers are, here are several statistics to help you reach her:

  • Over the past 10 years, the number of women ages 25-34 who were single or living with a significant other increased from 8% to 38%.

  • 55% of women spent time reading literature within the last year.

  • 61% of women influence household consumer electronic buying decisions, which totaled $90 billion dollars in 2007.

  • The percentage of women who had an undergraduate or graduate degree increased from 28% to 41% over the past 10 years.

  • A fourth of all products in a woman’s shopping cart are environmentally friendly, with 50% of all women saying they want more green choices; 37% of all women buyers say they pay attention to brands that are committed to environmental causes.

  • Women are sports fans, even sports that are typically considered male-only. Women purchase 46% of official NFL merchandise and spend 80% of all sport apparel dollars. They comprise about one-third (34%) of the adult audience for all ESPN sports event programs.

Armed with this information, it makes sense to do co-op marketing with industries that already have your buyer’s attention.

Many home builders go it alone, without ever considering that their buyer may actually respond better to being approached through an event co-sponsored by Barnes & Noble, a mommy blog on the Internet or at a university graduate program seminar.

It’s a good strategy because the woman buyer is not really a segmented buyer. Your marketing needs to acknowledge that a woman is a mother, friend, sister, business person and a female every day.

When you market to women, even if you’re trying to attract her “mommy” side, don’t forget she may be the CEO who has a tremendous influence over 30 other women in her company who may also be able to afford your new home.

Segmenting a woman buyer into a category without first treating her as a woman could be lethal to your marketing efforts.

Connect with women buyers. They like being part of the daily, on-going conversation available through blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking sites. Builders would do well to offer a forum that will enable women to talk and share information with their friends, thereby increasing the marketing reach without much effort.

Blogs and forums that promote interaction are valuable marketing tools because women trust what they hear from other women. Twenty-two percent of women from the ages of 25 to 62 shop online at least once a day, and virtually all women will pass along information about great deals to others they care about. Women have, on average, 171 contacts in their e-mail address books; men average less than half that number.

With women being strongly identified as the principal shoppers in business and in the home, every core decision on building and marketing a home should have a woman’s input. It’s no wonder the most successful home builders have a female perspective on their design and marketing teams to help lead the way.

Karen Dry, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., is a financial representative with Northwestern Mutual Insurance Services. For more information, e-mail Dry.

Linda Hebert is president of Diversified Marketing & Communications, of Pleasanton, Calif. For more information, e-mail Hebert, or call her at 925-577-5300.

 This article originally was published in the spring issue of NAHB's Building Women Magazine.


‘Trillion Dollar Women’ Give Viewpoint, Objectives of Female Buyers

Though written for the female consumer, “Trillion Dollar Women: Use Your Power to Make Buying and Remodeling Decisions,” available at BuilderBooks.com, is a valuable resource for housing professionals to gain perspective on ways to better serve and market to this growing segment of customers.

According to a recent Harvard University study, women control 91% of home buying or remodeling decisions. “Trillion Dollar Women” provides builders and other housing professionals with a detailed look at the motivations, objectives and viewpoints of female buyers.

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


‘Social Media for Home Builders’ Available at NAHB BuilderBooks

“Social Media for Home Builders: It’s Easier Than You Think,” available at NAHB BuilderBooks, demonstrates the power of social media through case studies and online outlets created specifically for the home building industry.

Learn how to use social media sites to build your brand, engage new and existing consumers, manage your online reputation and sell more homes.

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


In Today’s Market, 'Think Sold!' With Help From NAHB BuilderBooks

“Think Sold! Creating Home Sales in Any Market,” available at NAHB BuilderBooks, is a practical, how-to guide for developing the self-awareness, knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the competitive field of new home sales.

The book covers everything from the home buying process and new home financing to strategies for making better sales presentations and sizing up the competition. It teaches readers how to overcome customers’ concerns and provides specific examples of how to explain the benefits of new home features in customer-friendly language.

“Think Sold” provides insights on how to approach sales and life from a position of optimism that will create successful outcomes; how to improve upon potential customer prospecting and follow-up skills; and how to communicate effectively with various types of buyers and learn how to adjust communication strategies to increase rapport and alignment with buyers’ motives.

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

Builders’ Tip: Use Spring Clamps to Coax That Last Bit of Grout From the Tube


Click for larger image.

I recently picked up several tubes of latex grout/caulk in a matching color to fill a gap between a tile counter and its backsplash.

The grout comes in big toothpaste-type tubes and once warmed up a bit, it flows pretty well — at least for the first two-thirds of the tube.

At that point, the tube becomes so small it's too hard to compress in order to squeeze out the remaining grout.

I solved that problem with a couple of spring clamps.

As shown in the accompanying illustration, I used one to clamp off the bottom of the rolled-up tube and the other to compress the remaining wad of grout.

I also found that by varying the pressure I applied with the clamps, I could regulate the flow of the grout right down to that last little bit.

— Charles Miller Newtown, Conn.

Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2010 The Taunton Press

To contact Fine Homebuilding, e-mail Christina Glennon.


Get NAHB BuilderBooks 2010 Virtual Publications Catalog Online

The NAHB 2010 Publications Catalog from NAHB BuilderBooks is available online.

Presented in a virtual format as part of the NAHB BuilderBooks effort to go green and streamline delivery, the catalog includes publications and products to help building industry professionals ramp up for a successful year as the industry and the economy begin to recover.

The materials in the catalog, written by industry leaders in various fields of residential construction, feature publications and products about accounting, estimating, business management, green building, sales and marketing, safety, construction codes, 50+ housing, multifamily housing, construction management remodeling and more.

Some of the newest publications in the catalog include “Social Media for Home Builders,” the “National Green Building Standard Commentary” and “Paper Trail: Systems and Forms for a Well-Run Remodeling Company, Second Edition.”

To view the virtual catalog, click here.

1909 Design Competition Opens a Window on Early 20th Century Housing

With the Sept. 16 deadline for the Best in American Living Awards (BALA) fast approaching, the results of a similar competition more than 100 years ago open a window on housing and life in the early 20th century.

In 1909 “The Delineator,” a popular women’s magazine, held an invitational competition to design a $3,000 country or suburban house. Ten well-known architects from different parts of the country were asked to compete. Among the conditions and criteria:

  • The house would be sited on a level 80- by 150-foot lot (12,000 square feet).
  • The house would have a 40-foot setback and be positioned with an equal space on either side.
  • The house would have “sufficient rooms to accommodate a man, his wife, two children and a servant.”
  • The house would have one bathroom, and the body of the house would contain 25,000 to 28,000 cubic feet. Assuming nine-foot ceilings, that is roughly 2,778 to 3,111 square feet.
  • The total cost of construction would be $3,000.

The first prize went to architect Frank Choteau Brown of Boston, whose design was praised for its smaller area and the “compact planning of the first floor in the clever arrangement of entrance hall and strairways.”

Entered through a center reception hall that was modest by the era’s standards, the first floor included a large living room with a bay window, a large kitchen, a dining room with a bay window and a small sunroom bridging the space between the living and dining rooms.

A large double-sided fireplace was situated between the living room and the dining room, where an adjacent inglenook provided an inviting fireside retreat.

All of the bedrooms and the house’s lone bathroom were located on the second floor, which was accessed by a stairway in a bump-out on the front wall of the house.

The design was required to accommodate a servant, but separating the family from the servant appears to have been an important consideration. According to the description of the house, “the staircase hall gives a passage which allows the servant to attend at the front door unobserved and to pass up-stairs without coming into the living and family portions of the house.

“There is but one staircase to the second floor, used both by the servant and the family,” the description continues. “But by a simple and unique treatment, the servant’s room on the second story is perfectly isolated, inasmuch as she must enter her room direct from the stair landing.”

And unlike the family bedrooms which look out on the attractively landscaped front and rear lawns, “the windows in the servant’s room also look out only on the service yard.”

Following is the cost breakdown for constructing the winning design:

Excavating

$120

Masonry

  290

Inside and outside trim

340

Lumber, shingles, flooring, etc.

420

Painting

250

Heating

240

Plumbing and tinning

300

Lighting (electricity, gas)

110

Hardware

60

Labor at $3.25 per day

500

 

$2,730


Ten percent builder’s commission

 

273

Total

$3,003

Architect George W. Maher of Chicago, considered one of the pioneers of the Prairie style of architecture, claimed the second prize with a design that was praised for its “simplicity and dignity of plan and exterior.”

Although the judges thought that it lacked “the clever and compact planning” of the winning design, they noted that “it has the great charm of vista on its first floor plan and places its principal rooms and piazza on the street, and not towards it neighbors.”

The third prize was awarded to architect Claude Fayette Bragdon of Rochester, N.Y. The judges said his design was “notably compact” and they were impressed with its potential to be constructed within the $3,000 limit.

“Its exterior will perhaps not appeal to a client who wishes to build as interesting a house as is possible for the money,” the judges commented. “The design, however, shows great study and care in all its details, and in spite of its rather humble exterior is most admirable in its simplicity.”

A well-known and successful architect, Bragdon had many interests and was also a successful stage designer.

“The Delineator’s Prize $3,000 Houses” is available online in several formats, including an online book reader, at Archive.org, the web site of the Internet Archive. The non-profit Internet Archive was founded to build an Internet library offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format.

There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the publication.

Sept. 16 is the deadline for the Best in American Living Awards (BALA), which spotlight the most creative and innovative builders, designers, developers, land planners and interior designers in the nation.

For more information, go to www.nahb.org/bala.

Enter NAHB BALA Design Competition by Sept. 16, Submission Process Streamlined

Entries are being accepted for NAHB’s 2010 Best in American Living Awards (BALA), the foremost residential design competition in the country. Builders, interior designers, architects, land planners, remodelers, developers and marketing and real estate professionals are invited to enter.

The entry deadline is Thursday, Sept. 16.

The competition includes 32 categories — recognizing excellence in custom and spec homes; attached, detached and multifamily homes; affordable housing; remodeling; rental developments; communities; interior design; and green homes and communities.

"The BALA awards are the most prestigious awards of their kind, setting the benchmark for innovations in residential home design," said Mike Nagel, 2010 Design Committee chairman and a partner at Men at Work Chicago. "We are proud to have a long history of honoring those who set the bar high by encouraging creativity, originality and imagination in our industry."

For more than 25 years, the BALAs have fostered design excellence in the building industry and highlighted those builders, architects, interior designers, remodelers, developers and land planners who have achieved superior levels of creativity and innovation.

Formerly administered by NAHB and Reed Business Information, the awards program is now run exclusively by NAHB's Design Committee.

Entry Process Streamlined

To streamline the submission process, award entries must now be submitted electronically — and hardcopy notebooks are no longer required.

Additionally, several award categories have been combined, and additional categories have been added for remodeling.

Winning entries will be announced at the NAHB International Builders' Show in Orlando in January and will also be featured in Nation's Building News Online.

To Enter

Entries are due by Thursday, Sept. 16.

To register and for information regarding deadlines, entry requirements and judging criteria, visit www.nahb.org/bala; or e-mail Jaclyn Toole at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8469.

How to Position Your Company to Thrive as the Market Begins to Recover

By Steve Hays
RubinBrown

As home building begins to recover from the worst downturn in its history, the market will provide many opportunities for those who position their companies to take advantage of changing market realities.

 Builders poised to succeed should consider adopting the following business practices:

Accept and Adhere to New Lending Requirements

In the foreseeable future, builders will be forced to operate with less land and fewer spec homes and models.

Under these conditions, purchasing lots in favorable takedown schedules will be standard operating practice. While projects will continue to operate with fewer models, they should be carefully determined based on expected sales velocity.

Banks will expect a higher level of assurance — such as an audit, review or compilation financial statement — from an outside CPA firm to represent the company’s financial position. Internally prepared financial information may no longer be acceptable.

In addition, banks will expect real-time access to current internal financial information. Software systems must be capable of providing this data to external users.

Company and owners’ financial statements, tax returns and personal financial statements must be prepared, filed and available in a timely matter. The days of providing information on the last extension date will no longer be allowed.

Banks also will establish and closely monitor covenants — such as debt to equity ratios, distributions and owners’ compensation. Expect these covenants to be reviewed periodically throughout the year — not just at year’s end.

Maintain a Strong Website Presence

Builders can expect to spend more of their advertising and marketing budget on Internet tools and marketing, rather than on print and other traditional media, as more home buyers rely on the Web for their home buying information, at least initially.

Builders who do not have current information about their projects and models available on their website — such as specs available, house and community amenities, schools, nearby shopping and transportation — will quickly be eliminated from the competition as buyers plan trips to projects based on information gathered through the Internet and builders’ websites, rather than spend their precious time driving to communities for initial details.

Builders will need to evaluate social networking tools, such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, to meet the rapidly changing needs of their potential buyers. A builder’s ability to quickly and effectively communicate with their prospects will be highly important.

Be Able and Available to Purchase ‘Revalued Lots’

Many lots that have been foreclosed or re-priced based on current market values will become available in the next couple of years. Builders must be flexible to acquire these lots in order to regain some much-needed gross margin because of their lower costs.

Builders may also have fewer lots, with many builders having their lots scattered among multiple projects. Under these new conditions, they will be facing several operating challenges.

Continue to Manage Overhead and Fixed Costs Carefully

Builders have been forced to make painful cuts in operating costs and personnel in order to survive the recent turmoil. That has led to more personnel cross training so that fewer people today can perform more multiple tasks and activities. This lesson learned must continue.

As the market recovers, technology will continue to provide builders with opportunities to improve their operating efficiencies. Builders will have to implement new systems and processes that can take advantage of the new market realities and accommodate buyers who expect immediate access to information.

Re-Engineer All Plans and Models to Achieve Cost Savings

The early theme of the coming decade is to offer smaller floor plans to minimize builder costs. However, buyers also will be expecting nice features at the new value-driven cost.

To accomplish this, builders must review all models and plans and remove all unneeded costs that buyers are either unwilling or unable to pay for in the sales price of the house. Models and plans that do not appeal to a majority of prospective buyers should not be created or built.

Builders will also have to monitor their model home’s decorations. The days of lavish furnishings that often exceed the household budget are over. Builders must now focus on carefully designed features and amenities that are within budget.

Steve Hays is the partner-in-charge of the Home Builders Service Group of RubinBrown LLP, certified public accountants with offices in Denver, St. Louis and Overland Park, Kan. RubinBrown provides accounting, tax and business management consulting services to more than 25 groups, primarily in the Midwest. For more information, visit www.rubinbrown.com; or e-mail Hays, or call him at 314-290-3336. 


 

 

Three New Biztools Business Guides Available Free to Members

Three new Biztools builder business guides ― created to help NAHB members manage their businesses more effectively and increase their profits — are now available free to members through the NAHB Web site.

The guides offer members tips on technology, business planning, how to ensure the financial health of their businesses and more.

Produced by NAHB's Business Management and Information Technology Committee and found in the business management resources section of the NAHB Web site, the new 2010 Biztools builder business guides include:

All three concise guides ― which include lists of other valuable NAHB Biztools resources ― are written by experts in the field and can be downloaded by members for free at www.nahb.org/bbg.

Free Earlier Edition Biztools Business Guides Also Available

The 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Biztools builder business guides are all available free to NAHB members and can be downloaded from the NAHB Web site in a PDF format only.

To view or download these guides, click here.


Improve Business Operations With ‘Cost of Doing Business Study’

The “Cost of Doing Business Study, 2010 Edition,” available through NAHB BuilderBooks, enables home builders to compare their business operations with like-sized builders across the country so they can fine-tune their businesses and boost profits.

The study analyzes several operational business categories ― including volume, operation type and land vs. no land costs ― and enables builders to identify their strengths and weaknesses, increase efficiency, set realistic budget targets and improve business practices.

The categories have been analyzed, where applicable, by average and by the top and bottom 25% of performers by net profitability.

Builders can use the study to develop proven strategies to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.

To view or order the “Cost of Doing Business Study” online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.


 NAHB Technology Solutions Directory Offers Easy-to-Find Technology Services

NAHB’s Technology Solutions Directory is an easy-to-use comprehensive directory of technology vendors that enables builders, remodelers, contractors and other industry professionals to find information on software, IT solutions and technology services for their businesses.

Listings on the directory, sponsored by the Business Management & Information Technology Committee, are now available at lower prices. 

Software and technology solutions providers interested in being listed can sign up for:

  • Enhanced Listing — Listing includes company name, URL, e-mail address, mailing address, phone number, company/product description, company logo. Click here for more information.
     
  • Standard Listing — Listing includes company name, software brand and phone number. NAHB members can post standard listings for free. Click here for more information.

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

The Technology Solutions Directory is solely for educational and informational purposes.  Nothing in the directory should be construed as policy, an endorsement, warranty or guaranty by the National Association of Home Builders of the listed software, IT service or the software/IT vendor.  The National Association of Home Builders expressly disclaims any responsibility for any damages arising from the use, application or reliance on any information contained in this directory.

Industry Pros Can Vote for Favorite Home Theaters, Media Rooms, Integrated Homes

Home building professionals and others interested in home performance can vote for their favorite home theaters, media rooms and integrated homes at www.hgtvpro.com/cedia in CEDIA’s annual Electronic Lifestyles® Awards.

Visitors can tour the three categories of home technology and drill down into each project for more details — including photos and descriptions about project goals and challenges.

Visitors can vote up to five times a day for their favorite design in each category.

Voting ends Friday, Sept. 10 and the winners in each category will be announced at the CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles® Awards Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 25 during the CEDIA Expo in Atlanta.

For more information, e-mail awards@cedia.org.

 

Deadline to Apply for EPA-Required Lead Paint Rule Training and Certification Is Sept. 30

Remodelers and other contractors have until Sept. 30 to apply to get their companies certified and to also sign up for the training required to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule.

Under the rule, which went into effect on April 22, remodelers, window installers and other contractors who work in housing and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 are required to use lead-safe work practices unless those homes are tested and found to be free of any lead paint. They also must conduct consumer education and verify the clean-up on projects that disturb lead paint in these buildings.

The EPA is also requiring remodelers and contractors to complete six hours of classroom or online training and two hours of hands-on training to comply with the rule.

After NAHB led a coalition of industry groups to make the agency aware that it had not approved enough trainers and that consumers in some parts of the country could not find certified renovators, the EPA agreed to delay enforcement of the certification requirement.

To be allowed to work in houses affected by the rule, remodelers have until Dec. 30 to complete the training, but, before then, the EPA may also require them to demonstrate that they have scheduled their training.

The Oregon Home Builder's Association’s training partner — the Home Builders University — and CEDIA have developed online training in partnership with the National Center for Healthy Housing that is approved by the EPA and qualifies for the classroom portion of the training requirements.

The fines for infractions of the rule range up to $37,500 per violation per day.

To Apply

For a firm certification form, click here. A completed form and $300 fee must be sent to the EPA for approval.

Once approved, the firm will receive an EPA Lead Safe Certified Firm logo. The firm will also be added to the EPA’s searchable database of firms certified to work in pre-1978 homes.

A list of approved training providers for individual certification — required for the employee supervising the lead-safe work practices for a company — is available on the EPA website.

For more information, visit www.nahb.org/leadpaint; or e-mail Kelly Mack at NAHB, or call 800-368-2534 x8451.


Learn How to Run a Successful Remodeling Company

“The Paper Trail: Systems and Forms for a Well-Run Remodeling Company,” available through NAHB BuilderBooks, shows how to use proven management systems to run a successful remodeling company.

The publication includes a CD containing 160 essential forms and documents — culled from successful remodelers across the country — that you can customize to suit your business needs.

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


'How to Find a Professional Remodeler' Brochures Available at BuilderBooks.com

"How to Find a Professional Remodeler," available at NAHB BuilderBooks, promotes the professionalism of your remodeling business by offering a wealth of valuable advice to customers on the process of selecting a remodeler. 

The newly updated brochure highlights the before and after photos of the most frequently remolded rooms in the house.

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

 

 

Visit NAHB Remodelers Booth at Remodeling Show in Baltimore for Education, Resources

Visit the NAHB Remodelers carnival-themed booth at the Remodeling Show in Baltimore on Sept. 14-17 to learn about NAHB Education offerings, the NAHB International Builders’ Show, green remodeling resources, advancements in aging-in-place, Home Builders’ Institute training and workforce programs, the benefits of being an NAHB Remodeler and a chance to play the remodelers’ high-striker game.

The remodelers can be found in booth #5207.

NAHB Remodelers will offer pre-conference education, including Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), selected Certified Graduate Remodeler(CGR) and new, Advanced Green Building courses and two PREP classes, the first step to earning a CGR designation.

In addition, NAHB Remodelers will host a local council workshop for local council staff members and leadership from 1:00-3:00 p.m. on Sept. 16.

The NAHB Remodelers also will host the annual NAHB Remodelers Gala on Sept. 16.

For a full list of courses, NAHB Remodelers activities at the Remodeling Show and free exhibit registration, visit www.nahb.org/remodelingshow, or e-mail Kelly Mack, or call her at 800-368-5242 for more information.


Learn How to Run a Successful Remodeling Company

“The Paper Trail: Systems and Forms for a Well-Run Remodeling Company,” available through NAHB BuilderBooks, shows how to use proven management systems to run a successful remodeling company.

The publication includes a CD containing 160 essential forms and documents — culled from successful remodelers across the country — that you can customize to suit your business needs.

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


'How to Find a Professional Remodeler' Brochures Available at BuilderBooks.com

"How to Find a Professional Remodeler," available at NAHB BuilderBooks, promotes the professionalism of your remodeling business by offering a wealth of valuable advice to customers on the process of selecting a remodeler. 

The newly updated brochure highlights the before and after photos of the most frequently remolded rooms in the house.

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

 

NAHB Remodelers Meetings and Events at Fall Board Meeting in New York

The following NAHB Remodelers meetings, events and activities will be held at the NAHB Fall Board of Directors Meeting in New York on Sept. 23-24:

Thursday, Sept. 23

  • NAHB Remodelers committee meetings
    Scheduled throughout the day.
    Marriott Marquis, Belasco & Broadhurst and Imperial & Julliard, 5th floor

    To download a complete schedule of committee meetings, agendas and meeting materials, visit www.nahb.org/nahbrfallboard.

Friday, Sept. 24

  • NAHB Remodelers Board of Trustees meeting
    10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
    Marriott Marquis, Belasco & Broadhurst, 5th floor

  • NAHB Remodelers General Session meeting
    12:30-2:30 p.m.
    Marriott Marquis, Belasco & Broadhurst, 5th floor

  • BUILD-PAC Reception for Remodelers
    3:30-4:30 p.m.

Marriott Marquis, room TBD
BUILD-PAC Chairman Tom Woods invites all NAHB Remodelers to attend the remodelers appreciation reception.

For more information, e-mail Kelly Mack at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8451.


Learn How to Run a Successful Remodeling Company

“The Paper Trail: Systems and Forms for a Well-Run Remodeling Company,” available through NAHB BuilderBooks, shows how to use proven management systems to run a successful remodeling company.

The publication includes a CD containing 160 essential forms and documents — culled from successful remodelers across the country — that you can customize to suit your business needs.

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


'How to Find a Professional Remodeler' Brochures Available at BuilderBooks.com

"How to Find a Professional Remodeler," available at NAHB BuilderBooks, promotes the professionalism of your remodeling business by offering a wealth of valuable advice to customers on the process of selecting a remodeler. 

The newly updated brochure highlights the before and after photos of the most frequently remolded rooms in the house.

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

 

Short on Marketing Dollars, Remodeler Relies on Ingenuity to Attract a Steady Business

By participating in the home show produced by his local home builders association, Tim Lawrence, president of Blue Ridge Home Improvement, Inc., in Blacksburg, Va., has managed to attract a steady stream of new and repeat customers during the worst recession in decades despite not having a large advertising and marketing budget.

“Before” and “after” shots of construction work are mainstays of booths exhibiting at local home shows, but pictures don’t always translate well, so Lawrence said he decided to make his display more hands-on and interactive.

Keeping in mind that Blacksburg is often touted as a great place to retire, Lawrence  focused more on aging-in-place and included mockups of actual features that area residents can have installed in their homes — including a shower with various grab bars that were decorative and not the institutional variety that discourages home owners from considering them.

Lawrence’s booth also featured offset door hinges on standard doorways and an Acorn Stairlift fitted onto a short set of stairs to illustrate how wheelchairs can be maneuvered smoothly through an existing home.

Lawrence also has had success mustering new customers through courses he teaches at local home shows and at the YMCA.

“By teaching home improvement classes, the home owners view me as an expert in my field,” he said.  “They see the quality of my work and know that if a project comes up that is too big for them to handle alone, I can step in and help them get their project done the right way.” 

Lawrence volunteers his time for these free classes, which are open to the public. Some organizations — like the YMCA — may provide a stipend to bring in experts to hold courses for community members.

Teaching classes at the local home show, Lawrence said, definitely provides personal connections that can give a remodeler an advantage over the competition.

Focusing on existing and former clients is an essential strategy for bringing in business when money for marketing is tight, he added. Staying connected to previous clients will keep them as customers when they decide on new jobs and also generates referrals.

 “I find that people are more likely to use my services when I have been recommended to them by a friend or family member rather than be given a sales pitch through advertising,” he said.

Being creative in how you bring in new business will not only help you during the lean times, but it can also be a great building block for when times are good, he added.

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

Overcome the Fear of Rejection by Following Up With Every Prospect

By Claudine Ellis,
MIRM, MCSP, CMP, CSP, Realtor®
Rose and Womble Realty

During a recent training session, I was a bit surprised to hear the speaker say, “What sales people fear the most is rejection.”

Huh?

It’s mind-boggling to me that sales people would fear rejection. Rejection is simply part of the sales process and sale people experience more rejection than they do acceptance. If you fear rejection, then sales may not be your cup of tea.

After all, if you’ve never been rejected, then you’ve compiled quite a stellar sales record and have sold homes to 100% of your prospects.

What’s much more likely is that when you call a prospect after they’ve visited the sales office, there’s a strong chance they will ignore your calls, hang up when they figure out you are calling, tell you that they bought elsewhere or say that they’re simply not interested in your product.

Please understand that they are not rejecting you personally. They are just not interested in the product — for any number of reasons.

For example, the timing may not be right for them. They may not have saved enough money to purchase a home. Or they may be just browsing for the future. Then again, there also are people who just like to look at new homes as a hobby.

When you meet a prospect, you just never really know serious they may be. But please don’t write them off — even if they show little or no interest. I have seen seemingly uninterested folks — including those who won't even provide a name — change their mind and come back to the model for a second look.

I’ve also worked with people who believed they were unable to buy. Not too long ago, one man who visited our sales office thought he wouldn’t be able to buy a home for at least two years. He had recently sold his home on a short sale and thought that Virginia’s written guidelines about short sales precluded him from buying a new home anytime soon.

That didn’t stop him from looking, though. He understood the value of owning a home compared to renting one and was anxious to buy because interest rates were so low. But even though he wanted to buy, because he said he couldn’t, he was not a top prospect.

My initial thought was to file this prospect in the “unable to buy” folder. But instead, a few weeks after his visit I called him to see how his home search was coming along. He again told me that he was unable to buy and was putting his home search on hold.

A little while later, I called him again — despite the fact that we clearly understood that he really could not buy. Again, he said he wasn’t interested because of the state’s guidelines. It was time to put his visit in the inactive file.

A week later, quite literally out of the blue, he walked into the office to look at the models one more time. Again, he told us he could not buy; he just wanted to take another look.

Before he left, though, we had the lender on the phone, got his credit pulled, wrote a full loan application and got him approved.

Still, even though the lender gave him plenty of assurance, he was still doubtful — so doubtful, in fact, that while we were writing the contract, he held his head in disbelief and kept saying, “I don’t believe this is happening, and I won’t believe it until we actually close.”

It happened because we ignored early rejection and, instead, followed up with him several times.

We try to survey all of our buyers after they close to get their impressions of the entire sales process, and when I called him for permission to be surveyed, he told me, “I just want you to know that you guys have outstanding customer service.”

He told me he had visited another builder, but once he explained that he was unable to buy, he was never called back.

If it hadn’t been for our follow-up calls, he said, he would not have considered revisiting our sales center.

So, no matter who walks in your door, don’t fear rejection. Instead, make that follow-up call and see what happens, even if they’re not a “hot” prospect. You just may surprise yourself.

Claudine Ellis, MIRM, MCSP, CMP, CSP, Realtor®, is a new homes manager with Rose and Womble Realty, representing the Terry Peterson Companies in Virginia. Ellis is a member of the 2010 IRM Board of Governors and chair of the New Homes Council of the Hampton Roads Realtors® Association. She also is the author of “Removing the Fear of Investing in Real Estate.” For more information, e-mail Ellis, or call her at 757-935-9010.

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


‘Social Media for Home Builders’ Available at NAHB BuilderBooks

“Social Media for Home Builders: It’s Easier Than You Think,” available at NAHB BuilderBooks, demonstrates the power of social media through case studies and online outlets created specifically for the home building industry.

Learn how to use social media sites to build your brand, engage new and existing consumers, manage your online reputation and sell more homes.

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


In Today’s Market, 'Think Sold!' With Help From NAHB BuilderBooks

“Think Sold! Creating Home Sales in Any Market,” available at NAHB BuilderBooks, is a practical, how-to guide for developing the self-awareness, knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the competitive field of new home sales.

The book covers everything from the home buying process and new home financing to strategies for making better sales presentations and sizing up the competition. It teaches readers how to overcome customers’ concerns and provides specific examples of how to explain the benefits of new home features in customer-friendly language.

“Think Sold” provides insights on how to approach sales and life from a position of optimism that will create successful outcomes; how to improve upon potential customer prospecting and follow-up skills; and how to communicate effectively with various types of buyers and learn how to adjust communication strategies to increase rapport and alignment with buyers’ motives.

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.

Sept. 9: Webinar to Help Builders Compare Operations, Performance With Like-Sized Peers

Comparing how similar-sized builders across the country fared during the market upheaval of 2008 can help builders benchmark their own businesses and plan for the future.

During the upcoming NAHB “Building Conversations” webinar, “Cost of Doing Business,” one of the authors of NAHB’s biannual “Cost of Doing Business Study,” and other panelists will discuss the most recent study’s results and explain how builders can benefit from comparing their own financial results against the industry as a whole.

The webinar will be held from 2:00-3:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9.

The study illustrates how builders of different types and sizes weathered the economic turmoil of 2008 and will enable builders to compare their operations against those of like-sized peers.

Topics to be discussed during the webinar include:

  • Highlights of the results of the 2010 edition of NAHB’s “Cost of Doing Business Study”
  • How builders can use the survey results to gauge the health and efficiency of their business
  • The importance of benchmarking
  • What the survey’s results mean for the home building industry

Panelists include:

  • Chuck Shinn, principal of the Shinn Group of Companies: Builder Partnerships, Shinn Consulting and the Shinn Group. For more than 35 years, Shinn has provided management consulting services and educational seminars exclusively to the housing industry. Through Shinn Consulting, he and his team work with builder clients to help them realize greater profits and efficiencies. Shinn has also spent 35 years working with manufacturers through NAHB's National Council of the Housing Industry — The Leading Suppliers of NAHBI. He has been co-chair of the organization and also chaired its education committee.

  • Rose Quint, NAHB assistant vice president for survey research. Quint’s responsibilities include planning and conducting industry surveys, specifically in the areas of builder sentiment, remodeling, housing affordability and acquisition, development and construction financing issues. She is also responsible for special research projects, such as studies on builders’ profitability, consumer preferences, construction costs and membership census. 

The webinar is presented by the NAHB Business Management and Information Technology committee and NAHB BuilderBooks.

To Register

To register, click here.

For more information, visit www.nahb.org/buildingconversations; or  e-mail Mary Knowles at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8057.

How Does Your Business Measure Up?

“The Cost of Doing Business Study, 2010 Edition,” available through BuilderBooks.com, provides home builders with a rare glimpse at profitability, cost of sales and expenses from hundreds of home builders across the country.

Several categories — including volume, operation type and land vs. no land costs — are analyzed to help builders fine-tune comparisons between study results and their companies.

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

Sept. 14: Webinar to Explain How to Work with HUD’s New Income Limits for LIHTC Projects

NAHB’s upcoming webinar, "Take It to the Limit: 2010 Income Limits and the Impacts on LIHTC Projects," can help multifamily professionals better understand the impact that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) recently released income limits for 2010 and a notice ending the "hold harmless" policy in calculating Section 8 income limits will have on their projects.

The webinar — from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 14 and presented by the NAHB Housing Credit Group (HCG) and Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP) designation program — will provide the information multifamily professionals need to successfully navigate the changes.

During the webinar, panelists will discuss:

  • County vs. project-based application of the limits
  • The three dates impacting the income limits for a project
  • Impact of the income limits on multiple subsidy projects
  • What happens when incorrect rents are applied
  • How Project-Based Income Limits will affect future projects
  • The gross rent floor election
  • Using a flow-chart to determine income limits

The panelists include:

  • Brian Carnahan, HCCP, the director of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency's Office of Program Compliance
  • Paul Emrath, NAHB vice president of survey and housing policy research
  • George Littlejohn, a partner in the Austin, Texas office of Novogradac & Company LLP, which specializes in commercial real estate development, with an emphasis in affordable housing and community development.

Attendees can earn one hour of continuing education credit toward their NAHB designation.

Attendees should e-mail questions for the panelists to Jeff Jenkins at NAHB by Friday, Sept. 10.

To Register

To register for the webinar, and for more information, visit www.nahb.org/HCCPwebinar.

 

Sept. 15: Webinar to Present Latest Economic Forecast of 50+ Housing Market

The NAHB 50+ Housing Council and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage will be conducting the webinar, “50+ Economic and Market Forecast,” from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 15.

During the webinar, NAHB economist Paul Emrath will provide an overview of the economic conditions affecting the 50+ market and present the latest short- and long-term forecasts.

In addition, nationally recognized market researcher Tim Sullivan, of John Burns Real Estate Consulting, will provide an in-depth analysis of the 50+ market, identifying emerging trends and prospects for the future.

Participants also will learn about:

  • What is happening in the housing industry today and how the 50+ segment is currently performing vs. other market segments and product types
  • Economic factors that directly impact the 50+ market
  • Emerging trends and how they will impact the future development of 50+ lifestyle communities

The webinar is free to NAHB 50+ Housing Council members, $69 for NAHB members and $100 for non-members

Webinar participants can receive one hour of continuing education credit for CAASH and other NAHB professional designations.

To Register

Click here to register.

For more information, visit NAHB 50+ E-learning; or e-mail Jeff Jenkins at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8292.

Find Out What 45+ Housing Buyers Want at NAHB BuilderBooks

“Right House, Right Place, Right Time: Community and Lifestyle Preferences of the 45+ Housing Market,” available through NAHB BuilderBooks, will help determine the right design, home features and amenities to attract boomer home buyers in your market.

Author Margaret A. Wylde guides readers through the latest survey results on this important consumer group and explains what their responses mean for today’s and tomorrow’s home building industry.

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

Sept. 21: Learn About WaterSense Specs for Single-Family Homes at EPA Webinar

Builders can learn about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense program  and the WaterSense Specification for Single-Family New Homes during a free webinar from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 21.

Builders will not only learn how they can build homes that will save water and energy, they’ll also learn how they can help home owners save more on their utility bills.  

The WaterSense specification provides national consistency for water-efficient new homes and dovetails conveniently with other green building programs, including Energy Star, the National Green Building Standard and LEED.

The webinar will provide attendees with an overview of the program, associated benefits of joining and technical aspects of the specification.

To Register

Click here to register.

Sept. 30: Webinar to Present Economic and Market Forecast for Apartments, Condos

 

NAHB Multifamily will present a webinar on the economic and market forecast for apartments and condominiums; it is scheduled from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 30.

NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe will analyze current economic conditions and the impact that they will have on the housing industry and on the apartment and condominium market.

Crowe also will provide short- and long-term apartment and condominium market forecasts — including projections for starts.

The webinar is free to NAHB Multifamily members, $100 for NAHB members and $125 for non-members.

To Register

To register, click here.

For more information, e-mail registrar@nahb.com, or call NAHB’s Office of the Registrar at 800-368-5242 x8338.

 

Oct. 26: Free Webinar Explores Advantages of Creating Development Agreements

With the development process becoming increasingly complex, lengthy, costly and uncertain — and with approvals taking as long as four to seven years in some communities — NAHB's Land Development Committee will present a free webinar on development agreements and how they can provide greater certainty for private developers and the public sector on how projects and the infrastructure needed to serve them are built and funded.

The webinar will be held beginning at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 26.

A panel of national experts will explain their legal framework, how to restructure agreements in projects that are changing hands during the downturn and how development agreements can support the use of innovative infrastructure approaches that require public and private sector collaboration. 

To Register

To register for this free webinar, visit www.nahb.org/devagreementswebinar.

For more information, e-mail Jaclyn Toole at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8469.

 

Nov. 2: Free Webinar to Demystify EPA Storm Water Rules and Regulations

An upcoming free NAHB webinar on storm water rules and regulations will examine how different and competing planning objectives are adding confusion to the development process. It is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Presented by NAHB's Land Development Committee, the webinar will demystify the rules and regulations that are being developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as explore the conflicts between smart growth policy and storm water requirements. 

New, aggressive storm water requirements affecting both new development and redevelopment are being released by the EPA on a regular basis. While smart growth concepts embrace the idea that new housing growth should be encouraged in urban areas, the new storm water requirements often are making redevelopment more expensive, burdensome and overly complex than building outside of urban areas.

For such areas to be redeveloped, new storm water requirements must provide the flexibility builders and developers need to comply with the many new requirements while still keeping building projects affordable and achievable.  

To Register

To register for this free webinar, visit www.nahb.org/stormwaterwebinar.

For more information, e-mail Jaclyn Toole at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8469.


Are You Ready for a Visit From the EPA? 

“Storm Water Permitting: A Guide for Builders and Developers,” available through BuilderBooks.com, provides a starting point for builders and developers to use in locating and understanding storm water permitting requirements.

The publication has been prepared to help builders comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's stormwater requirements, and includes information on state permitting programs and more than 50 of the most commonly used Best Management Practices.

Also included are tips on compliance, including how to handle visits from inspectors.

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

'Building Conversations' Series Explores Green Building, Financing, Home Technology, More

A five-part, interactive webinar series from NAHB, now underway, is exploring a new home industry topics and trends including using social media to sell homes, green building, the cost of doing business, syndicate financing and home technology.

The “Building Conversations” series will feature industry experts from around the county who will share insider views on the five topics and encourage participants’ questions and comments during each webinar as well as afterwards through NAHB’s growing social media network.

The sessions will be held from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT on the second Thursday of each month from now through November (except for August). Replays of previously broadcast webinars are available.

Attendees can earn one hour of continuing education credit toward their NAHB designations for each session.          

The webinars include:

  • “Cost of Doing Business,” Thursday, Sept. 9
    The webinar will highlight key findings from the 2010 Cost of Doing Business Study and how they affect builders’ business operations. Participants will understand how to interpret the study’s business metrics to determine how their businesses stack up against similarly-sized builders.

  • “Syndicate Financing,” Thursday, Oct. 14
    When no credit is available, a next logical step for builders and developers to pursue is syndicate financing. Experts will discuss how to develop a proposal and locate partners. They will also address what to include in contracts and the pitfalls to avoid.

  • “Green Building Codes & Standards,” Thursday, Nov. 11
    Participants will learn the latest benefits and breakthroughs from NAHB’s green building program.

Replays Available on Webinars Already Held

On-demand recordings of the webinars already held are available within a week of their live webcasts. On-demand participants who did not register for the live webcasts must register for the on-demand recordings. 

The fee for each webinar is $24.95 for NAHB members and $34.95 for non-members. The fee for the five-part series is $99.75 for NAHB members and $149.75 for non-members. Participants must be registered to hear a webinar or its rebroadcast.

To Register

To register, visit www.nahb.org/buildingconversations.

For more information about the Building Conversations webinar series or sign up for rebroadcasts, e-mail Mary Knowles at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8057.

Education Calendar

Sept. 9

 “Cost of Doing Business”

Webinar

Sept. 12

“Advanced Green Building: Building Science (Day 1)”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 12

“Marketing and Communications Strategies for Aging and Accessibility (CAPS I)”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 13

“Advanced Green Building: Building Science (Day 2)”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 13

“Design/Build Solutions for Aging and Accessibility (CAPS II)”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 13

“Estimating for Builders and Remodelers”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 14

“Business Management for Building Professionals”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 14

“Construction Contracts and Law”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 14

“Project Management”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 14

"Take It to the Limit: 2010 Income Limits and the Impacts on LIHTC Projects"

Webinar

Sept. 14-17

2010 Remodeling Show

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 15

“PREP: Your First Step to CGR”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 15

50+ Economic and Market Forecast

Webinar

Sept. 17

“PREP: Your First Step to CGR”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 21

"WaterSense 101 New Homes Webinar"

Webinar

Sept. 30

"2010 Economic and Market Forecast for Apartments and Condos"

Webinar

Oct. 20

"State of the 50+ Housing Industry/Builder Forum"

Webinar

Oct. 16

"2010 Development Agreements Can Add Certainty During Uncertain Times"

Webinar

Oct. 28

"2010 State of the Industry for Apartments and Condos"

Webinar

Nov. 2

"2010 Stormwater Requirements"

Webinar

Nov. 7-10

Building Systems Councils SHOWCASE

New Orleans, La.

2011

 

 

Jan. 12-15

2011 NAHB International Builders' Show

Orlando, Fla.

Learn More About 2009 NAHB Professional Development Offerings

See the variety of professional development offerings available through NAHB and its local associations in this interactive brochure. 

Search for Upcoming Courses in Your Area

Or, search for specific course offerings in your area and check out upcoming conferences.

ICC Limits Financial Assistance for Members Voting at Code Hearings

With the final hearings on a number of key proposed changes to the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) scheduled for late October, the International Code Council (ICC) has issued a clarification to its Policy CP-36 on financial assistance to governmental member voting representatives.

CP-36 was approved in February 2009 in response to concerns raised by NAHB and other groups about the growing influence of third-party funding in the ICC code development process.

This recent clarification was issued, at least in part, in response to efforts by a few groups to garner support for proposed changes to the IECC at this year’s hearings by offering “scholarships” for travel expenses to ICC’s governmental member voting representatives. CP-36 prohibits the voting representatives from accepting this money.

ICC clearly states that this new policy is intended “to prohibit, or appropriately regulate, financial assistance which is designed to increase participation by a particular interest group or by those supporting a particular position on a proposed code change.”

It limits the acceptance of financial assistance for travel expenses by the voting representatives to ICC or its subsidiaries; an ICC chapter; or local, state or federal government.

A governmental member voting representative may not accept financial assistance from a trade association, like NAHB, or from groups representing governmental entities or public officials, like the National League of Cities. 

Further, a voting representative is permitted only to accept financial assistance from the government entity that he or she represents. 

For example, a “governmental member voting representative from the city of Los Angeles may not accept financial assistance from the city of San Diego,” according to ICC’s explanation of the guidance.

However, a member of a governmental jurisdiction may accept financial assistance from trade associations and other groups to fund the travel expenses of its voting representatives, as long as accepting money is permitted by applicable state and local laws and explicitly authorized by the elected governing body or chief administrative authority.

“ICC respects the jurisdiction’s right to raise and expend funds as it sees fit, and in addition, will defer to a jurisdiction’s determination as to what is permitted under its rules relating to acceptance of funds from outside entities,” according to the ICC clarification.

Before being permitted to vote, each voting representative will be asked to sign a written certification that he or she has complied with the ICC financial assistance policy.

Improperly accepting financial assistance can result in not being allowed to vote at code hearings, according to the ICC.

For additional information, e-mail Larry Brown at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8565.

Green Building Conference Seeking Educational Seminar Proposals for 2011

Proposals are now being accepted for educational seminars to be offered at the 13th Annual National Green Building Conference in Salt Lake City from May 1-3, 2011.

The conference is the only national event of its kind targeted to the mainstream residential building industry.

Presenters can expect to talk to builders, remodelers, land developers, engineers, architects, planners, public officials, environmental advocates and product manufacturers.

Proposals are being sought for sessions on a variety of green building topics, ranging from business management and marketing to building science and green technologies. All levels of content are being accepted, with a strong focus on advanced and cutting-edge sessions.

Returning to the 2011 conference will be “Greentensive” sessions that take a more in-depth look at specific topics such as energy efficiency, water efficiency and indoor air quality.

At the 2010 conference in Raleigh, N.C., these sessions drew standing-room-only audiences.

The conference organizers are looking for proposals that target different project types — including single-family and multifamily construction, remodeling and residential development. 

Prospective speakers should describe their proficiency in areas such as energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, waste management, design and site development. All proposals will be evaluated based on their relevance to green building, the timeliness of the topic, their practical application and speaker qualifications.

To submit a proposal, follow this link to ISES.

For additional information, e-mail Chad Riedy at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8225.

 

 

 

'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.


'National Green Building Standard Commentary' Available at BuilderBooks.com

The "National Green Building Standard Commentary," available through BuilderBooks.com and a companion to the ANSI approved "National Green Building Standard," that provides valuable insight to the intention and implementations of the practices and provisions found in the green building standard.

The "Commentary" is a useful resource for any designer or builder using the ICC 700-2008 as a rating system for developing or renovating residential properties of all types to reduce their relative impact.

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


More Than 5,000 People Have Earned Their Certified Green Professional (CGP) Designation

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 5,400 people have earned the CGP designation to date.

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


'Build Green and Save’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“Build Green and Save: Protecting the Earth and Your Bottom Line,” available through BuilderBooks.com, is a comprehensive, easy-to-read reference that shows builders how to identify and select green building materials; implement green construction techniques; explain the benefits of green housing and offer affordable green building solutions to consumers; and use resources wisely and reduce water and energy consumption.

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

For answers to questions about National Green Building Certification by the NAHB Research Center, certification to the standard or the guideline sunset, complete and submit the Contact Us form on the NAHBGreen website.

Does OSHA's New Crane Rule Apply to Your Company?

By Rod Smith, Pat Miller and Matt Morrison, Sherman and Howard

By any measure, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) long-awaited final rule on crane and derricks in construction, with most provisions set to go into effect on Nov. 8 and other to follow in one to four years, is a blockbuster.

Published in the Federal Register on Aug. 9, the rule and its accompanying comments comprise 271 pages of fine print and establish comprehensive new requirements for assembly/disassembly, assessment of ground conditions, certification and qualification of crane operators and working near power lines, to name a few.

OSHA estimates that the rule will cover 267,000 workplaces and 4.8 million workers.

All employers who are engaged in any aspect of construction are urged to familiarize themselves with the new rule and to determine, as a first step, what provisions apply to their operations and equipment.

Employers should not assume the rule only applies to crane contractors or specialized cranes used in construction. To the contrary, the new rule applies to a wide range of employers — including some property owners — and a wide range of equipment.

Understanding and implementing these new requirements in 90 days will be no small task, especially for employers unfamiliar with crane operations.

The new rule applies to, “power-operated equipment, when used in construction, that can hoist, lower and horizontally move a suspended load.” The new rule does not apply to cranes or crane operations in general industry.

Despite this broad definition, the new crane rule also does not apply to all equipment that can “hoist, lower and horizontally move a suspended load.” It contains numerous exemptions for equipment — such as excavators and backhoes.

However, many of those exemptions contain important qualifications. For example, forklifts are exempt from coverage except when they are configured with a boom to move a suspended load with a winch or hook.

The use of articulating/knuckle boom truck cranes to deliver materials to a construction site also is exempt when the materials are transferred to the ground. It is not exempt, however, when the same boom truck is used to put the materials in a particular sequence to be hoisted, when the materials are supported or stabilized by the boom truck during construction or when the boom truck delivers prefabricated components such as roof trusses.

The rule also provides many other examples of exempt and covered equipment.

As previously mentioned, the new rule applies not only to users, operators and manufacturers of cranes but also to other employers.

In one of its more controversial provisions, the new rule now specifies the duties and responsibilities of the “controlling entity” — defined as “the employer that is a prime contractor, general contractor, construction manager or any other legal entity which has the overall responsibility for the construction of the project, its planning, quality and completion.”

Other legal entities under the rule could include property owners who assume the responsibility for construction of the project.

The specified duties for “controlling entities” also are not insignificant. They include:

  • Ensuring that ground conditions to support the crane equipment are sufficient
  • Informing users and operators of the crane of any hazards beneath the setup area — such as tanks or utilities — either known or identified in documents in the possession of controlling entity
  • Implementing a system to coordinate multiple cranes where the working radius of one crane is within the working radius of others

However, the duties and responsibilities of a “controlling entity” may actually be much broader than those specified above.

In the rule, and in comments that accompanied the proposed rule, OSHA makes it clear that the “controlling entity” duties specified in the crane rule supplement, but do not displace, the responsibilities of “controlling contractors” under OSHA’s multi-employer citation policy.

As a result, in addition to the specified duties in the new rule, OSHA may attempt to hold general contractors, home builders and other “controlling contractors” — now referred to as “controlling entities” — responsible for using reasonable care in detecting and correcting other crane hazards.

The multi-employer policy could make matters more difficult for employers who lack the expertise to evaluate crane safety.

Various industry groups and safety organizations are expected to provide guidance and training seminars before the rule goes into effect.

For a copy of the new crane rule posted in the Federal Register, click here.

More information on the new crane rule is available on OSHA’s website, www.osha.gov, by searching under “cranes.”

Rod Smith, Pat Miller and Matt Morrison are members of the Labor & Employment Law Department of the Sherman and Howard practicing in the areas of occupational safety and health law. They routinely appear before the federal Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, and state occupational safety and health boards. For more information, visit the Sherman and Howard website; or e-mail Smith, Miller or Morrison.


Boost Job Site Safety With Fall Protection Training Products

In an effort to increase job site safety and reduce the chance of job related accidents, NAHB has produced the “Fall Protection Video, English-Spanish” and “NAHB-OSHA Fall Protection Handbook, English-Spanish.”

Both are available through BuilderBooks.com.

The 30-minute “Fall Protection Video, English-Spanish” can be used by builders to train workers to use safe work practices that eliminate fall hazards and comply with OSHA fall-protection standards.

The “NAHB-OSHA Fall Protection Handbook, English-Spanish” provides guidelines for creating a written fall-protection plan and identifying safe work practices that can prevent costly accidents and injuries. Written with clear text, photographs and illustrations, the book serves as a user-friendly resource for promoting safety on any job site.

To purchase the handbook and video online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

Maytag Recalls Dishwashers Due to Serious Fire Hazard

The Maytag Corporation in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a safety recall notice for Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Admiral, Magic Chef , Performa by Maytag and Crosley brand dishwashers with certain serial numbers.

An electrical failure in the dishwasher’s heating element can pose a serious fire hazard.

Maytag has received 12 reports of dishwasher heating element failures that resulted in fires and dishwasher damage, including one report of extensive kitchen damage from a fire. No injuries have been reported.

There are about 1.7 million of the appliances in the U.S.

The affected dishwashers were manufactured with black, bisque, while, silver and stainless steel front panels.

The brand name is printed on the front of the dishwasher. The model and serial numbers are printed on a label located inside the plastic tub on a tag near the left side of the door opening.

Serial numbers will start or end with one of the following sequences:

The dishwashers were manufactured in the U.S. and sold at department and appliance stores and by home builders nationwide from February 2006 through April 2010 for between $250 and $900.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled dishwashers, disconnect the electric supply by shutting off the fuse or circuit breaker controlling it, inform all users of the dishwasher about the risk of fire and contact Maytag to verify that their dishwasher is included in the recall.

If the dishwasher is included, consumers can either schedule a free in-home repair or receive a rebate following the purchase of certain new Maytag brand stainless steel tub dishwashers.

The rebate is $150 if the consumer purchases new dishwasher models MDB7759, MDB7609 or MDBH979; or $250 for purchasing models MDB8959, MDB8859, MDB7809 or MDB7709.

Consumers should not return the recalled dishwashers to retailers. They are not prepared to take them back.

For more information, contact Maytag at 800-544-5513 anytime, or visit the firm’s website at www.repair.maytag.com.

HBI Partners With Community Organizations to Provide Mentoring Services for At-Risk Youth

The Home Builders Institute (HBI) on Aug. 16 announced partnerships with 16 community organizations to provide mentoring services for at-risk youth as part of the Construction-Coaching Opportunities to Reach Employment (C-CORE) program.

Funded by a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, the industry-sponsored C-CORE mentoring program matches youths aged 16 to 18 with mentors recruited from the greater home building community — from carpenters and contractors to real estate agents and appraisers.

“Community partners are key to the success of the HBI C-CORE mentoring program,” said Fred Humphreys, president and chief executive officer of HBI. “They provide structure at the grassroots level to ensure that mentoring services are being delivered effectively and provide support and guidance as young people explore a future career in the home building industry.”

HBI C-CORE community partners will facilitate the day-to-day operations of the mentoring programs in each of their cities. They will be responsible for recruiting and training mentors, facilitating positive relationships between mentors and students and improving the employability of students through leadership development and community engagement.

The following organizations will serve as HBI C-CORE community partners through February 2013:

Arizona

California

Colorado

Florida

Georgia

Lousiana

Mississippi

Nevada

New Mexico

South Carolina

Texas

  • The Paxen Group, Inc., Dallas/Fort Worth

For more information about the C-CORE program, or to become a mentor, visit www.hbi.org or contact Tadar Muhammad at 863-557-5054.

Lag in Federal Highway Spending Delays Rebound in Cement Demand Until 2013

According to the most recent economic forecast from the Portland Cement Association (PCA), cement consumption won’t begin to rebound significantly until 2013, largely because of delays in extending a federal highway bill.

“The turning point for cement consumption will most likely occur in 2013,” said Edward Sullivan, PCA’s chief economist. “Then we will have a new highway bill in fiscal 2013, supplemented by the recovery in state fiscal conditions. At the same time, nonresidential and residential building should be on a solid upswing.”

The delay in extension of a highway bill has reduced cement consumption by one million metric tons this year, he said.

PCA is projecting a 2.4% increase in cement consumption this year compared to severely depressed levels in 2009. That is forecast to be followed by gains of 6.7% in 2011, 8.4% in 2012 and 18.8% in 2013.

Little lift is expected to come from either residential or commercial construction this year, according to the PCA forecast. Cement for commercial building is projected to drop 23.3% in 2010, and home building will remain nearly unchanged from 2009 levels.

PCA shows residential construction growing 12.1% in 2011 as foreclosures flatten out and job creation picks up some momentum.

Cement consumption this year will be assisted by the stimulus package as the composition of the projects shifts away from resurfacing to more cement-intensive projects like road widening and bridgework — attributing 4.1 million metric tons, followed by 2.8 million metric tons in 2011.

For the same period, PCA foresees a decline in cement demand generated by the states, many of which are facing large deficits and channeling funds to higher priority areas.

Based in Skokie, Ill., the Portland Cement Association 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.

Colorado State Students Rally for Tuition Hike to Retain, Pay for NAHB Designation Coursework

Residential construction students at Colorado State University, facing state budget cuts that would have eliminated elective courses they felt gave them a competitive edge upon graduation, convinced university officials to raise their tuition in order to retain the NAHB designation courses taught as part of their degree program.

Since 2009, when the university at Fort Collins, Colo., was awarded a Homebuilding Education Leadership Program (HELP) grant from the National Housing Endowment, the university’s construction management department has added faculty and residential-specific curriculum — including CGP, CAPS and RCS NAHB designation courses — to bolster the residential construction components of its program.

Students graduating with a degree in residential construction management could also earn up to three of the NAHB designations as part of the program. Adding designations to the degree program was pioneered at Purdue University, another recipient of the endowment’s HELP initiative.

However, earlier this year, when state budget constraints led Colorado State officials to request that no state funding be used for elective courses, including NAHB’s designation courses, residential construction students circulated a petition requesting a tuition hike so that they could pay for and continue to receive all the elements of the quality residential construction program they were about to lose.

Within two days, 301 residential construction students signed the petition requesting an additional fee, and in June, the university’s board of governors approved the students’ request.

“Given the state of the economy and the university budget cuts, it was critical for the department to secure additional funding to continue our drive and commitment to our students and the residential construction industry,” said Dr. Mostafa Khattab, head of the university’s construction management department. “We spoke candidly with students about the department’s need for an instructional fee.”

“Our students understand the department’s need to stay current,” Khattab continued. "Their response was, ‘We need to invest in our education.’”

Colorado State students viewed the tuition hike they petitioned for as an investment in their future. 

In addition to the petition, Terrance Unrein, the 2010 president of the students’ Construction Management Board of Directors Club, wrote to university officials explaining the need for and student support of a tuition hike.

“The passionate individuals striving to become construction management majors will consider this fee as an investment in their future,” Unrein wrote. “Our students know that if they invest in this education, then they will be provided with the best resources, the best faculty, the best salary upon graduation and one of the best construction management degrees in the nation.”

"It was truly refreshing and a vote of confidence in the program when the students took the kind of action they did with this petition,” said Roger Reinhardt, endowment treasurer and executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver. “The young men and women enrolled at Colorado State University have made a statement demonstrating their commitment to a quality, comprehensive residential management education."

The endowment established the HELP initiative in 2006 to bolster or start residential construction management programs in two- and four-year colleges and universities across the country and to increase the number of qualified graduates entering the industry. To date, the endowment has awarded more than $1.3 million in HELP grants to educational institutions.

For more information on HELP grants, call the endowment at 800-368-5242 x8069 or visit www.nationalhousingendowment.org.

HBAs, Apply for NAHB/NOD Disability Initiative Award by Sept. 10

State and local home builders associations are invited to enter the 2010 NAHB/NOD Disability Initiative Recognition Awards program recognizing outstanding examples of programs, projects and activities conducted by HBAs that further the goal of full participation of people with disabilities in community life.

Entries for the award, conducted in partnership with the National Organization on Disability (NOD) and the National Housing Endowment, are due by Sept. 10.

The winner will be announced at the EOC installation luncheon at the 2011 International Builders' Show in Orlando in January. The winning HBA will receive $1,000.

Projects must demonstrate an awareness of disability issues as an organization; the positive impact it has on people with disabilities; and outreach to persons with disabilities.

Ideas for qualifying projects include:

  • The design and construction of a barrier-free home as the centerpiece in a parade of homes
  • Education and awareness programs to promote barrier-free construction
  • Employment training for those with disabilities
  • Renovations of private homes, group homes or community facilities for those with disabilities
  • Construction assistance for disability organizations in the community

The awards program is now in its sixth year. Past award-winning HBAs include the Home Builders Association of Southern Indiana; Capital Region Builders Association of Baton Rouge, La.; the Maryland National Capital Building Industry Association; the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Denver; and the Home Builders Association of Northern Colorado.

To Apply

For more information and an application, click here; or e-mail Ariel Moyer at NAHB, or call her 800-368-5242 x8595.

Past award-winning projects are ineligible to participate and their applications will not be considered.

For more information about the National Organization on Disabilities, visit www.nod.org.

For more information about the National Housing Endowment, visit www.nationalhousingendowment.org.

NAHB-Produced Programs on the DIY and HGTV Networks

The NAHB Production Group produces weekly television shows for consumers on the DIY network. The following is the latest lineup:

"Indoors Out" on DIY

Episode: "Greek Isle Getaway"

• Aug. 27, 11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT

 

It's been more than a decade since Julie and Jerry Layden ventured to the Greek Isles for their honeymoon. Now, with three young boys, the couple has no time for exotic vacations so hosts and cousins Dean Marsico and Derek Stearns turn their backyard into a Greek Isle getaway for their large extended family to enjoy. To start, Dean and Derek clear the poolside space. After prepping the base, they install an outdoor bar with cedar facing and a Santorini blue concrete countertop built to seat 10 people. Over the bar, Dean and Derek build a patio cover with Greek-style columns. In a seating area beside the bar, they add a paver patio in a circular pattern and a fire pit with plenty of seating and Greek decorative flair. When the space is finished, the Laydens will have the perfect outdoor room to entertain their entire family.

Episode: "Cozy Bar and Dining Room"

• Aug. 30, 11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT
• Sept. 3, 1:30 a.m. EDT/PDT
• Sept. 3, 10:30 p.m. EDT/PDT

 

Nick, a construction manager, and Chelsea, a Washington Redskins cheerleader, have always wanted to install a separate bar and dining area in their home. They love to entertain and regularly have friends and fellow cheerleaders over for parties. But with little space inside, their home becomes crowded and uncomfortable very quickly. So they asked hosts Dean Marsico and Derek Stearns to transform their little patch of backyard into a functional bar and dining area. To start, Dean and Derek lay a flagstone paver patio with multiple sizes and an L-shaped design. They build a short masonry wall to further differentiate the space and create additional seating. For the bar, Dean and Derek use strong but lightweight fiber-reinforced concrete units that can be tailored to any design. They then veneer the bar with stone and top it off with a grill and kegerator. Trees, plants, intimate lighting and furniture finish off the space, making it the perfect cozy bar and dining room for this couple to cheer about.

"Rock Solid" on HGTV

Episode: "Canal Brick Courtyard"

• Aug. 24, 4:30 p.m. EDT/PDT

 

Expert stone masons and hosts Dean Marsico and Derek Stearns add a tumbled brick courtyard to the top tier of an interlocking wall and steps. Then they bump it up a notch by installing a border made from the same material as the wall. It's an easy, colorful way to bring a sense of design and purpose to a yard that was once sloping and under-utilized.

Episode: "Recycled Paper Countertops"

• Aug. 27, 4:30 p.m. EDT/PDT

 

A kitchen in Northern Virginia with outdated laminate countertops is in need of some spice. Expert stone masons and hosts Dean Marsico and Derek Stearns are up to the challenge and replace the existing countertops with PaperStone, a new product made from recycled paper that is environmentally friendly and ultra stylish. Once Dean and Derek get into the recycling mode, it's hard to stop them. They add a recycled glass tile backsplash to take this kitchen from bland to bon appétit. 

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 and 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.

Organize Your Fall Board Schedule With NAHB’s Online Meeting Planner Tool

This article is the latest in an occasional series on how to use the NAHB website for maximum benefit.

NAHB members can quickly and efficiently organize their personal schedule for the NAHB Fall Board of Directors Meeting, which will be held on Sept. 22-25 in New York, with the NAHB Board of Directors Meeting Planner Web-based scheduling tool on the NAHB website.

The planning tool will enable them to create their schedule, print it, download it to Microsoft Outlook and view it on their smart phone, Blackberry or other mobile device while attending the fall board meeting.


The NAHB online Meeting Planner tool enables members to create their schedules for the upcoming NAHB Board of Directors meeting in New York and print it and/or view it on their mobile device during the meeting. 

The Meeting Planner enables members to choose and compile their personal schedule from the 152 committee and council meetings held at the New York Marriott Marquis on Broadway. All the meeting information has been pre-populated into the scheduling tool.

In addition, members can download related committee and council meeting materials using the Meetings Document — Quick Download tool, which is also available on the NAHB website and linked to the Meeting Planner tool for scheduling convenience.

Log In to NAHB Website to Use the Scheduling Tools

Members must be logged into www.nahb.org in order to use the Meeting Planner and Meetings Document tools.

Members who have not logged in to the NAHB website in the past will have to create a website account and will be prompted on how to do so when they click the “Login” button on the website — or they can visit www.nahb.org/login.

To create an account, members will need their NAHB personal identification number (PIN) and the state where they registered to join their local home builders association. Members can call their state or local home builders association — or NAHB at 800-368-5242 — to verify their PIN.

Once logged in to the NAHB website, members can quickly navigate to the Meeting Planner by clicking the Board of Directors Meeting Planner link located in the text beneath the NAHB Dashboard that appears when members initially visit the website. Members can also go to www.nahb.org/MeetingPlanner.

When first accessed, the Meeting Planner tool will provide instructions on how members can add meetings to their personalized schedule. Once they have added meetings, however, and in subsequent visits to the web page, their selected meetings will be displayed in their planning tool — along with options to find additional meetings or add personal events through the planning tool’s Find a Meeting and Add a Personal Event buttons.

How to Find and Add Meetings

By clicking the Find a Meeting button, members can search for council and committee meetings by keyword, group or date to add to their personal Meeting Planner schedule. If the selection fields are left blank, all the meetings planned for the fall board will appear on the search results page and members can scroll through the results to select particular meetings.

To narrow the search, members can search for meetings by group by selecting a particular committee or council and then clicking the search button. Only meetings related to that group will appear on the search results page — sorted by date, time, group and meeting name as well as an option to add the meeting to their Meeting Planner schedule.

Members can choose to select all or specific meetings that appear in the search results and then add them to their Meeting Planner schedule. They also can refine their search of the results listed by date, time and other parameters.

To add meetings of additional committees and councils to their schedule, members can repeat the entire process when searching for different groups. The scheduling tool will not duplicate the meetings selected because it is programmed to enable members to only select a meeting once.

How to Manage the Schedule

After selecting the appropriate meetings, members can view all the meetings they have added to their personal schedule by clicking the View My Meetings button at the top of the page, which populates the schedule on the My Meetings page with all the meetings selected and automatically sorts them by date. Members can also sort their schedule by time, group or meeting name.

Once the schedule is created, icons in the Add to Outlook column of the My Meetings page will give members the option to download each meeting individually to their Microsoft Outlook calendar. Clicking the icon will activate a screen prompt to complete the download.

In addition, members can adjust their personal schedule by removing individual meetings or all the meetings listed by checking all the meetings or specific ones in the Check All-Uncheck All column on the My Meetings page and activating the appropriate button.

How to Add a Personal Event

Members can also add a Personal Event — such as personal travel information or one-on-one meetings — to their schedule by using the Add a Personal Event button.

Members will be prompted to include basic options — such as event name, date, location, time and any notes related to the event — when creating the Personal Event. Once created, the event will appear on the member’s meeting planner schedule.

In addition, once the event has been added to the schedule, it can be downloaded to Outlook, but the Personal Event will only appear on the member’s screen, mobile device and schedule.

How to Download Meeting Materials

 

Members can easily find and download meeting documents related to their individual meetings when creating their schedule by clicking the link to the Meeting Documents — Quick Download tool, which can be found on the Meeting Planner page.

The Meeting Documents page lists all the committee and council materials a member can access. To retrieve them, members can check whichever boxes on the page are appropriate and then click the Find Documents button at the bottom of the page.

This will open to a webpage that enables members to view a list of all the files associated with the committees and councils selected that are currently available, as well as the date the materials were posted or last updated.

Members can download each file separately or choose specific files to be downloaded into a compressed Zip file for quicker downloading. Members can also select all the files listed and choose to have them downloaded into one Zip file.

Not all the materials have been posted online yet and members are encouraged to visit the Meeting Documents tool often, as meeting materials will continue to be added during the days leading up to the meeting.

For more information, e-mail Hina Ansari, NAHB webmaster, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8137.

 
A typical schedule with details.

Next in the series: The NAHB Dashboard

NAHB Members Can Apply Now for 2011 Appointments to Committees and Councils

Members of NAHB have an opportunity to lend their expertise and experience to the housing industry on a national level by serving on association committees and councils in 2011.

All NAHB members are encouraged to get involved and apply today. To access the 2011 Committee/Council Application Form, go to www.nahb.org/committeeform.

The deadline for applications is Oct. 3. Appointments will be finalized at the end of the year.

An individual can be appointed to no more than three standing committees or councils. All appointments are for a term of one year.

The first meeting of the 2011 NAHB committees and councils will be held during the spring board meeting.

More information for applicants is available on the form above.

For further information, e-mail Cynthia McKinley at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8346.

NAHB Fall Board Meeting Set for Sept. 22-25 in New York City

 

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 the upcoming NAHB Fall Board of Directors Meeting to be held in New York, N.Y., on Sept. 25, 2010, and other associated NAHB meetings to be held on Sept. 22-25. Meetings will be held at the Marriott Marquis-Times Square. The fall board program will identify the exact time and place of each scheduled meeting.

Wednesday, Sept. 22
State Representatives Meeting
National Area/Associate Chairmen Meeting
Joint National Area/Associate Chairmen and State Representative Meeting
Executive Board Meeting

Thursday, Sept. 23
Committees, Subcommittees, Councils, Affiliates, etc.
NHC Board of Governors Meeting
Nominations Committee

Friday, Sept. 24
Committees, Subcommittees, Councils, Affiliates, etc.
NAHB Past Chairmen Council Meeting

Saturday, Sept. 25
Area Caucuses 1-15
Joint Executive, Budget and Resolutions Comittees Meeting
Board of Directors

 

Members Can Save Big on Vacation Rentals Worldwide With Endless Vacation Rentals

NAHB members can save big on their vacation rentals anywhere in the world with Endless Vacation Rentals by Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest global marketers of vacation rental properties and part of NAHB’s Member Advantage discount program.

Members can choose from a vast portfolio of villas, condos, cottages and homes in more than 100 countries — while enjoying the comforts and space of home along with the amenities and services of a resort. And, with more than 200,000 vacation rentals worldwide, there’s something for everyone and every budget.

To plan a vacation and to view images, information and ratings on most properties, visit www.evrentals.com/nahb.

For the cost of a long week­end at a hotel, Endless Vacation Rentals guests can often stay for a week in a condo, villa or cottage. What’s more, a 24-hour concierge service can provide destination information before your departure and book activities, tee times and restaurant reservations.

Endless Vacation Rentals can also provide 24/7 telephone check-in assistance, upon request.

To book a vacation rental with Endless Vacation Rentals, visit www.evrentals.com/nahb, or call 877-670-7088 and mention code 20090. Vacationers will receive a confirmation e-mail within 24 business hours. 

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.

Endless Vacation Rentals Disclaimer: Destinations and travel times are subject to availability and confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis. Offer includes only accommodations and specifically excludes travel cost and other expenses that may be incurred. Promotional discounts and offers may not apply to all properties. Other restrictions may apply. Offer void where prohibited by law. Additional taxes and conditions may apply.

Liberty Mutual Offers NAHB Member Discounts on Auto, Home and Renters Insurance

NAHB members and their families can save on auto, home owners, condominium, motorcycle and watercraft insurance from Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, the newest NAHB Member Advantage affinity program participating company. 

NAHB members can take advantage of a significant group discount* on Liberty Mutual insurance with convenient payment and enrollment options that meet their needs. Members should also ask about multi-policy discounts for insuring both their home and auto.

Contact Liberty Mutual and licensed representatives will explain insurance options in clear terms and recommend the best match for your specific situation, whether you need to protect your car, home, boat or condo.

For more information or a free quote, call 800-531-3398 or visit the Liberty Mutual/NAHB Member Advantage webpage.

For an in-person quote, visit any local Liberty Mutual office and identify yourself as an NAHB member and mention code #117234.

*Discounts and savings are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify.

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.

NAHB Calendar of Events

Sept. 9

 “Cost of Doing Business”

Webinar

Sept. 12

“Advanced Green Building: Building Science (Day 1)”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 12

“Marketing and Communications Strategies for Aging and Accessibility (CAPS I)”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 13

“Advanced Green Building: Building Science (Day 2)”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 13

“Design/Build Solutions for Aging and Accessibility (CAPS II)”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 13

“Estimating for Builders and Remodelers”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 14

“Business Management for Building Professionals”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 14

“Construction Contracts and Law”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 14

“Project Management”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 14-17

2010 Remodeling Show

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 15

“PREP: Your First Step to CGR”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 15

"50+ Economic and Market Forecast"

Webinar

Sept. 16

CADRE Awards

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 16

Homes for Life Award

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 16

NAHB Remodeler of the Year Award

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 16

National Remodeling Hall of Fame Award

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 16

NAHB Remodeler of the Month

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 17

“PREP: Your First Step to CGR”

Baltimore, Md.

Sept. 20-26

Fall NAHB Board of Directors Meeting

New York, N.Y.

Sept. 21

"WaterSense 101 New Homes Webinar"

Webinar

Sept. 30

"2010 Economic and Market Forecast for Apartments and Condos"

Webinar

Oct. 16

"2010 Development Agreements Can Add Certainty During Uncertain Times"

Webinar

Oct. 20

"State of the 50+ Housing Industry/Builder Forum"

Webinar

Oct. 28

"2010 State of the Industry for Apartments and Condos"

Webinar

Nov. 2

"2010 Stormwater Requirements"

Webinar

Nov. 7-10

Building Systems Councils SHOWCASE

New Orleans, La.

2011

 

 

Jan. 12-15

2011 NAHB International Builders' Show

Orlando, Fla.

Jan. 13

Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE) Ceremony

Orlando, Fla.

May 18-21

Spring NAHB Board of Directors Meeting

Washington, D.C.

Learn More About 2009 NAHB Professional Development Offerings

See the variety of professional development offerings available through NAHB and its local associations in this interactive brochure. 

Or, search for specific course offerings and check out upcoming conferences.