Annual single-family housing production in 2008 and 2009 fell about one million units short of the housing that would be needed in a normally functioning economy, suggesting that builders will have a lot of catching up to do as the economy improves and household formations return to trend levels, according to a special study by NAHB’s Housing Economics.

With builders remaining cut off from the financing they need from banks to renew production and the marketplace not performing as well as originally expected, 2010 is likely to add another one million units to the growing deficit of single-family housing, according to the report, “Extent of Underbuilding in the Single-Family Housing Market,” which was prepared by NAHB economists Robert Denk and Paul Emrath. Read More

As the 111th Congress reconvened on Nov. 15 in a post-election lame-duck session to complete unfinished business on an omnibus appropriations package funding the government in fiscal year 2011 and to work on extending the expiring Bush tax cuts, lawmakers were already looking ahead to a vastly changed political landscape.

Just four years after the Democrats swept into power in both chambers of Congress, Republicans handily recaptured control of the House and made major gains in the Senate on election night.

With Democrats still in control of the White House and no party anywhere near a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, it remains to be seen if the 112th Congress will be marked by total gridlock or whether the two sides can find room to compromise on the issues of the day.... Read More

NAHB is preparing to comment on a series of programs outlined in a Nov. 9 announcement by Vice President Joe Biden designed to bring new life to the home weatherization and retrofit initiatives now stalled in Congress. 

If successful, the programs would result in more jobs for the construction industry and a more energy-efficient housing stock. Among the components:

• The Home Energy Score program would allow pre-selected, certified energy raters to score existing homes and help home owners decide what energy improvements to make.
  
  
• PowerSaver, a financing program backed by the Federal Housing Administration, would be piloted in select markets to offer low-cost loans to help home owners pay for energy-efficient improvements such as insulation, new windows and high-efficiency heating equipment.
  
  
• New guidelines have been proposed for training and certifying the construction industry members making the energy-efficient upgrades and protocols to safeguard the indoor environmental quality of a home when the upgrades are being made.

The initiatives are based on recommendations from “Recovery Through Retrofit,” Biden’s October 2009 report on how to combat rising unemployment while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.... Read More

Nation's Building News will publish a special issue on Dec. 6 previewing the upcoming 2011 NAHB International Builders' Show in Orlando, the largest residential and light commercial trade show in the world.

The issue will feature images, features and floor plans of The New American Home; new products on display on the show floor; IBS events, courses and schedules; and more.

IBS will be at the Orange County Convention Center on Jan. 12-15.

For more information — and to register for the show — visit the NAHB International Builders' Show website at www.BuildersShow.com.

The National Association of Home Builders will be closed for Thanksgiving from Nov. 22 through Nov. 26. In order to ensure uninterrupted service to members, the staff will be checking voice and e-mail messages during this time and will respond to your message as soon as possible.

If you are uncertain as to where questions or comments should be directed, you can review the NAHB Subject and Staff Directories at www.nahb.org/contact.  If you prefer, you can forward an e-mail to NAHB at:  boardtopics@nahb.org and someone will get back to you shortly.

Nation's Building News will not be published on Nov. 29. Publication will resume with the Dec. 6 issue previewing the 2011 NAHB International Builders' Show.