Nation's Building News Online: October 31, 2011

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Housing's Long Road Back to Normal to Extend Beyond 2013

Although the nation’s economy moved a bit unexpectedly onto shakier ground this summer, housing is likely to continue its slow trudge back to normal, with further improvement next year and more significant gains in 2013, according to economists participating in an Oct. 26 NAHB construction forecast webinar on the housing and economic outlook

Speakers said that a housing recovery has already begun to materialize in many local markets across the country, which will provide some momentum for the overall housing recovery next year. States damaged the most by the housing boom and bust will have the longest wait, but even these places are showing progress in making a comeback.

The European debt crisis and fumbling on the budget process by recalcitrant lawmakers in Washington have created difficult uncertainties for the economy and have significantly raised the odds of the U.S. lapsing into a new recession, the economists acknowledged, but their consensus was that growth would continue, although at a pace unlikely to generate much job growth for a considerable period of time.

While housing continues to face formidable challenges of its own — such as declining home prices, soaring foreclosures and tight lending standards for home buyers and builders — the disappointing performance of the economy itself is undermining prospects for the vigorous housing upturn that normally follows recession but hasn’t occurred this time.

Consumers Guarded

“Slow growth has meant deterioration in the employment market,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “Folks aren’t going out and spending a lot of money on a home or other large purchase unless they feel comfortable about their jobs.”

With unemployment lingering around 9%, no better than it was at the start of this year, consumers remain guarded.

Levels of consumer confidence reported in indexes by the Conference Board and the University of Michigan are now below where they were during the recession, he noted, “an indication of discomfort about the current situation and the future.”

Monthly job growth appeared to be picking up earlier this year, heading in the first quarter towards the 200,000 rate needed to start filling the enormous gap left by the recession, but the upward trend stalled out by mid-year, cutting job generation in half.

Prospective buyers who do venture into the housing market will find that home prices and interest rates are favorable.

Home prices nationwide have returned to a healthy average of about three times household income, compared to the unsustainable five times predominating at the height of the boom, and the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index for the second quarter found that more than 70% of all new and existing homes sold were affordable for median-income families.

Mortgage interest rates have also been in record low territory, and although they will begin creeping up, Crowe predicted they would remain below 6% at the end of 2013.

Household Formations

An eventual pick-up in household formations is the “magic powder” that will ignite housing demand, Crowe suggested, with the large cohort of children of the baby boomers — “the echo boom” — now in their 20s and 30s “coming forward at the perfect time to form households” and poised to enter the housing market relatively soon.

Economic hardship drove down household formations during the recession from a typical yearly pace of 1.25 million, he said, as younger people postponed establishing homes of their own and doubled up with families and friends.

As a result, “there are as many as 2 million households out there waiting” to form, he said. “They will be the first ones out of the box as soon as they feel comfortable with their employment situation,” and their entry into the housing market will initially be concentrated in rentals.

Renters today account for about one-third of households, and with a reversal beginning in the second half of the previous decade in rising homeownership rates, their ranks are now climbing.

Sales and Starts

For the third consecutive year, Crowe said, new-home sales will fall to a record low, coming in at not much above 300,000, which is “one reason builders aren’t starting new homes.”

Sales of existing homes will fare better than new home sales in 2011 because of the large number of sales of distressed properties, but both new and existing sales are expected to soon begin registering more significant ongoing improvement.

Crowe forecasted “eventual curing in 2012 and better curing in 2013 on new home sales,” stoking demand for new construction.

Single-family production is also expected to set a new low this year in records dating back some 50 years, slumping to 422,000 units.

Single-family home building will hit a “flat spot” for a couple quarters before heading up, he said, rising to 495,000 units in 2012 and 723,000 in 2013.

Next year’s gains will be led by smaller, scattered markets, he said, such as those that have been appearing in the new NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index.

To appear on the index, markets must show increases in single-family permits, home prices and employment for a consecutive six-month period. So far, Pittsburgh and New Orleans are the only larger metropolitan areas to meet these criteria.

Multifamily is on a faster upward trajectory, with starts forecasted to progress from 164,000 units this year, to 186,000 in 2012 and 212,000 in 2013, he said. Even so, a full recovery to the 350,000-unit long-term trend for this sector remains “a long way off.”

Overall, “the housing recovery is going to be spotty,” Crowe said, which is “one of the reasons that the overall national numbers will be spotty, with some states growing faster than others and other states lagging behind.”

Elevated Recession Risks

Delving into the economic forces that housing will be contending with in the next two years, Joel Prakken, senior managing director and co-founder of Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC, projected growth in the gross domestic product at 1.5% this year and about 2.5% in 2012.

While this is slightly above the consensus of forecasters on growth, “these numbers are hardly buoyant,” he said, “in the middle of a period of slow growth with recession risks quite elevated.”

The labor markets will remain very weak, he said, with no decline in the current 9% unemployment rate until the end of next year and only a modest decline to 8.5% by the end of 2013.

To the extent that the housing recovery depends on robust employment growth, the jobs outlook is not encouraging, he said.

In Prakken’s view, “inflation will remain well contained,” at less than 2% this year and 1.5% next year — excluding volatile food and energy — which is also slightly better than the consensus forecast.

Weak economic growth, high unemployment and low inflation are all conducive to “no monetary tightening any time soon,” he said, with even more easing from the Federal Reserve possible.

“The environment for the next year or two will be characterized by extremely low interest rates,” he said.

“Mortgage rates for the next year or two will be low historically,” Prakken said. “That’s good news for the housing sector, which needs this support as a precondition for its eventual recovery.”

Not until 2013 will real GDP growth be moving up into the range of 3% to 4%, close to the historic average. “We are now in an unprecedentedly weak period,” he said.

Fiscal Drag

Prakken said his forecast is subject to revision, “depending on how the legislative winds blow in Washington” as the federal government grapples with new fiscal spending and tax policies aimed at reducing the debt.

He is assuming that the current payroll tax holiday will not be extended by Congress for 2012, which would impose a $120 billion tax increase on the middle class in the coming year and put a drag on growth.

If he is wrong and the tax holiday is extended, GDP growth projections would be revised up by about 0.5%.

Prakken also expects the congressional supercommittee established in August at the time of the “debt ceiling debacle” to fulfill its mandate of lining up $1.5 trillion worth of deficit reduction over the next 10 years and to backload the plan so that it does not place a tremendous burden on the budget in 2013 and 2014.

If the committee fails in its mission, then automatic cuts will take effect, in which case he would double to 0.8% the 0.4% that would be subtracted from growth as a result of tighter fiscal policy.

“2013 is a period of extreme uncertainty surrounding fiscal policy,” he added, with all of the tax cuts instituted by President Bush set to sunset, representing a $400 billion tax increase for “an economy that will still be struggling.”

How this plays out will have a pronounced impact on the state of the economy, he said.

Facing Uncertainty

“Clearly, we are lurching into a period of fairly dramatic fiscal restraint. It would be better to have a stimulative fiscal policy” until the economy recovers.

Adding to uncertainties is the outlook for spotty growth in the Eurozone, which along with ongoing “flip-flopping” in U.S. fiscal policies is reducing asset values and damaging confidence in hiring and spending.

“Housing is the biggest drag on the economy right now, but Europe is the biggest risk,” he said. If Europe fails to fix its financial system, it could result in global turmoil and unnerve the financial markets.

A prerequisite for an upturn in housing is an upturn in housing prices, he said. “It is critical for construction activity because nobody wants to build or buy if prices are expected to fall.”

On the lending side, based on the Federal Reserve’s surveys of senior bank officers on lending practices, credit conditions “are easing on all fronts for consumers, mortgages and businesses, but the cumulative easing has been far less than cumulative tightening during the recession,” Prakken said, leaving housing, particularly, “a long way from anything approaching normalcy.”

Conditions Vary by State

Looking at various state statistics behind the national numbers, Robert Denk, NAHB’s assistant vice president for forecasting and analysis, noted a range of conditions across the country and differences among the states in the amount of distress suffered during the recession and the headway that is being made in recovering.

Housing nationwide bottomed out at an average 28% of normal production, which he defines as the residential building that occurred in 2000 to 2003, before the housing boom.

The hardest hit states — such as California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona — bottomed out at 10%-20% of normal, while better states, in sharp contrast, declined to 50% of normal production.

Denk said that housing prices are drifting back to near-normal in many states. The number of states where house prices now exceed their historic trend are continuing to recede, joining the states where prices are in the normal range.

Some states, however, have seen an overcorrection of boom prices — such as Nevada, where prices soared to more than 200% of their trend level and have now fallen to 90% of trend.

What’s happening with prices, he said, is an important issue, one that will be “a key driver of fundamentals in what’s going to happen.”

Most states saw their foreclosure rates double from an average of 0.5% during the period before the boom to a peak of 1.0% in the third quarter of 2009, but there were those — such as California, Arizona, Florida and Nevada — where foreclosures increased by a factor of four, five or six times normal.

While foreclosures remain a problem in most markets, they are at crisis proportions in only a few, he said. He added that Texas and Florida have the same number of mortgages, but Florida has four times as many foreclosures.

Smaller Markets Running Ahead

The protracted housing recovery now underway will bring housing starts to 42% of normal production by the fourth quarter of next year and 61% of normal by the end of 2013.

Getting back to normal considerably faster will be oil states Texas and Oklahoma; coal and natural-gas producing Wyoming and Montana; and Iowa, supported by agricultural commodities.

In another way of looking at the long road back to normal, by the end of 2013 the top 20% of the states will be at an average 76% of normal production, compared to the bottom 20%, which will still be below 51%.

Most markets on a state basis will be performing better than national statistics in the two years ahead, he said, because some of the largest states in terms of housing production — such as California — are also the most distressed.

The five hardest-hit states account for 27% of building activity, he said.

Floor Plans: Urban Living on a Tight California Infill Site Radiates Hip, Resort-Style Vibes

In a market dominated by single-family homes and larger condominiums, the 191-unit Ascent at Warner Center — with its sleek urban architecture on a tight infill site near Los Angeles in California’s San Fernando Valley — radiates hip, resort-style vibes and appeal.

To assure that Ascent would have competitive appeal, Withee Malcolm Architects, LLP of Torrance, Calif., and developer KB Home of Los Angeles modulated the facade to give the community a residential sensibility; provided well-planned interior layouts to maximize the livability of the smaller spaces; and created an outdoor public area for entertaining and mingling.

Outdoor courtyard

An Outdoor Oasis in an Urban Setting

Located on 3.1 acres within a 1,000-acre master-planned community in Woodland Hills, the four-story Ascent with its stucco finish is a finalist in the Best Mid-Rise Condominium Community category in NAHB Multifamily’s 2011 Pillars of the Industry Awards, which honor excellence in apartment and condominium design and developinment and leadership in marketing and property management.

Entertainment lounge with a gourmet catering kitchen

High-End Finishes in Public and Private Spaces

The Ascent’s one- and two-story residences range from 661 to 1,336 square feet and up to three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. Each residence features high-quality finishes, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and distinctive cabinet styles and colors and comes with two parking spots in a controlled access two-level garage.

Dining/living room area

Convenient to Working, Shopping, Playing

Convenient by car or the Los Angeles County Orange Line rapid bus system to entertainment studios and other leading Los Angeles-area employers — including NBC Universal, Disney, Anthem Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente, Ascent is also within walking distance of dining and shopping.

Dining room and kitchen

Refined Amenities for Urban Living

Ascent offers residents refined amenities, including a state-of-the-art fitness center with cardio machines and free-weights; a resort-style pool and spa with Wi-Fi-enabled cabanas; a clubhouse with a gourmet kitchen; an entertainment lounge with flat-panel TVs, billiards and video games; an outdoor lounge with fireplaces; tranquil courtyards with lush landscaping: a full-service concierge; and a dog park.

Evening descends.

Site plan Click for larger image.

Unit B Click for larger image.

Unit C Click for larger image.

Unit E Click for larger image.

Features and Specifications

Design Team Developer – KB Home, Los Angeles Architect — Withee Malcolm Architects, LLP, Torrance, Calif. Features  One- and two-story condominiums from 661 to 1,336 square feet Up to two-and-a-half baths Granite countertops Stainless steel appliances Resort-style pool and jetted spa with Wi-Fi enabled cabanas Entertainment lounge with a gourmet catering kitchen, billiards, video games, conference facilities State-of-the-art fitness center with cardio machines and free-weights BBQ and gathering areas Game room Intimate courtyards with lush landscaping Outdoor fireplaces and gathering areas Controlled access entry Gate-controlled two-level parking with two spaces per unit

By Fits and Starts, Home Improvement Spending Staging a Slow Comeback

It may not always be apparent in the months ahead, but the downturn in home remodeling most likely is nearing an end as activity in home improvement spending slowly climbs to higher ground next year, according to economists at the recent Remodeling Show in Chicago and McGraw Hill Construction’s Outlook 2012 Executive Conference in Washington, D.C.

The strength of the remodeling upturn will be relatively weak in its early stages, reflecting slow going in the housing industry, which has yet to muster much of a recovery in the midst of disappointing job growth and apprehensive consumers.

Today’s higher prospects for a coming U.S. recession have added to concerns, but if another downturn does actually occur it is expected to be significantly milder than the ferocious slump that preceded it.

Citing economic problems and weakness in Europe and Japan and the ugly political wrangling in Washington over raising the debt ceiling, analysts at the McGraw Hill conference on Oct. 19 said the chances of another recession have grown to an uncomfortable 40%, up from 20% at the start of the year when expectations for growth in the gross domestic product and housing were rosier.

Following a steep 20% slide in home improvement spending, the remodeling industry is starting to get back on its feet, even though it too is caught up in the current glum interlude for the U.S. economy.

But without “more stability in the economy and housing, remodeling is likely to remain volatile over the next several quarters,” said Kermit Baker, chief economist for the American Institute of Architects and project director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.

A Severe Decline

Down from a peak of $326 billion in 2007 in total remodeling for both owner-occupied homes and rental units, activity has hovered around the $280 billion mark since 2009, according to the Joint Center.

The industry more than doubled in size between 1995 and 2007, said Baker.

While the remodeling downturn represents one of the most severe declines in home improvements on record, it pales next to the 75% plunge recorded in home building, he said, lifting residential improvement and repair expenditures to a lofty 70% share of total residential investment from 2009 to the present time.

Remodeling’s share of residential investment has typically been in the 45% range, though it dipped below 40% at the height of the housing boom in 2005.

The roughly $185 billion spent on home-owner improvements in 2009 was about evenly split between discretionary projects — involving kitchens, baths, additions, alterations and interior replacements — and replacement jobs — including HVAC, plumbing and electrical upgrades; property improvements and disaster repairs.

Lower Mobility

A sharp drop in home-owner mobility during the recession has been detrimental to the remodeling market, Baker said, and “mobility rates are unlikely to improve in the near term.”

Owners have been moving considerably less because so many of them — maybe one-fourth — are underwater on their mortgages, owing more than their homes are now worth, and others are waiting for prices to rise to more acceptable levels before they put their home on the market.

The resulting drop in sales is an impediment to remodeling, Baker said, because home improvement projects disproportionately occur when homes are purchased.

Longer term, he suggested, rising mortgage interest rates could work to the advantage of remodelers when home owners consider the cost of giving up existing loans with low interest rates in the 4%-5.5% range in exchange for the 6%, 7% or 8% mortgage available as rates trend back up in a stronger economy.

This “will give them pause,” he said. “Sitting tight and fixing up their existing home may make more sense” than moving.

How long owners have resided in their homes also has implications for remodeling, Baker said.

Among recent home buyers who have been in their homes for less than five years, 55% of remodeling expenditures are on discretionary projects, compared to 45% for home owners overall.

Those who have been in their homes for the long haul — 30 years or more — are more apt to buy exterior replacements and systems upgrades, which account for almost 50% of their remodeling spending.

More Volatility Ahead

Recent remodeling surveys suggest that green projects and work to put distressed properties back on the market — either as rentals or for sale — have been providing some lift for the sagging remodeling industry.

In this year’s third quarter, the contractors participating in the Joint Center’s National Green Remodeling Survey reported that the installation of energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable products accounted for an average 24.9% of the dollar volume of their projects over the past year.

With the waning of the energy-related residential tax credits, that share dropped from almost 30% last year and in the first quarter of 2011.

Similarly, in the third quarter of 2011, 36.5% of the remodeling firms reported that they had worked over the past year on homes purchased after a home-owner default or bank foreclosure.

According to the Home Improvement Research Institute’s monthly Consumer Sentiment Tracking Study, which asks home owners about their remodeling plans for the coming three months, home improvements have seen an upward trend over the past two-and-a-half years, despite “bumping around,” he said.

In the first quarter of this year, planned spending was down 4% from a year earlier, but by the third quarter, based on data for July and August only, the third quarter was up by 16.4%.

In the meantime, exterior and system replacements have been particularly volatile and are moving up sharply now as the result of recovery efforts from extreme weather.

“We are likely to see continued volatility in the near-term after a bit of a tip earlier this year,” Baker said. Weakness is apt to reappear at the end of this year, he said, but “flat is the general trend.”

The Joint Center’s Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity shows home-owner improvements down further in the first quarter of 2012 but then starting to move up in the second quarter.

The strongest remodeling markets are currently located in areas where house prices have stabilized, Baker said. That includes the Northeast seaboard, Texas and coastal California.

Looking Pretty Good

According to the CoreLogic House Price Index, the 10 metros with the largest increases in housing prices between August 2010 and August 2011 were: Pittsburgh, 4%; Boston and New York, 3%; Austin, Texas, and San Antonio, 2%; Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., 1%; Dallas, 0%; San Jose, Calif., -1%; and Philadelphia, -2%.

Addressing the Remodeling Show in Chicago on Oct. 14, Jonathan Smoke, executive director for market intelligence for Hanley Wood, said that future prospects for remodeling “look pretty good,” despite the economy and the uncertainty reigning over it.

Of the 100 largest markets, he said, 75 are improving while 25 are in decline.

Among promising developments, he noted that higher priced homes have taken a larger market share in the past three months, with homes selling for $300,000 or more accounting for 53% of sales, compared to 47% for homes selling for less than $300,000.

That trend is encouraging, Smoke said, because “above-average-priced homes have more remodeling projects.”

Smoke forecasted that remodeling would see 6% growth in 2012 and 9% in 2013.

He also discussed Hanley Wood’s Residential Remodeling Index Local Market Report, which enables contractors to zero in on zip codes to identify the best consumer households and homes to target for their remodeling and replacement projects.

To Create Jobs, It’s the Housing, Stupid

“It’s not the level of mortgage rates — that’s not what’s holding back the housing market,” said Conrad DeQuadros, senior economist at RDQ Economics. “It’s the excess supply of homes, the backlog of foreclosures. Those aren’t issues that can be addressed with monetary policy.” This leaves the President and lawmakers to fix the problem. The President took a step in the direction of helping the housing market by announcing a revamp of the Home Affordable Refinance Program. HARP will now be open to a larger number of troubled borrowers who owe more on their homes than those homes are worth. But the program’s potential effectiveness remains unknown. Congressional action on housing — or on any job-creating measure — has been minimal thus far this session, but making even minor progress on solving the foreclosure crisis, as opposed to minor progress on trade agreements or tax reform, might provide greater results in the end. Growth in home construction has in the past been a sure route to recovery. “The jobs it produces in manufacturing, lumber and all the other areas related to home building usually can help kickstart a recovery,” writes Danielle Kurtzleben, a data reporter for U.S. News and World Report. “Indeed, one reason that the public sector has been hemorrhaging jobs, particularly at the local level, is a reduction in property tax revenue. Though it would be a slow process, boosting the housing market — moving homes through the foreclosure process and boosting home values — would eventually help government again add the jobs it has shed.” (www.usnews.com)
U.S. News and World Report (10/28/11); Danielle Kurtzleben

Hope in Housing Gap

California home buyers now pay 29 cents on the dollar for a typical house in the Sacramento region compared to buyers in San Francisco, which could have a big impact on Sacramento’s housing market and economy in the not-too-distant future. The last time the spread between Bay Area median prices and Sacramento median prices grew so big was a decade ago, just before tens of thousands of Bay Area transplants arrived in Sacramento, turning a healthy housing market into a bona fide boom. However, “it’s a different market now,” said Suzanne O’Keefe, a Sacramento State economics professor. “Everyone is more cautious. The housing market isn’t going to rebound quickly because people move from the Bay Area.” O’Keefe and others note that the local job market is stalled; cheap housing is available everywhere; and many Bay Area residents already cashed out home equity during the boom. Just as key, Bay Area home prices are less expensive than they have been in years. A San Francisco condo worth $1 million in 2005 would sell today for about $840,000.” Even so, many expect Bay Area transplants to increase in number, helping to put a floor on falling home prices. Today’s median home price in the Sacramento region is about $185,000, according to date from Wells Fargo and NAHB. In San Francisco-Marin-San Mateo, it’s $630,000. In the San Jose area, it’s $454,000. (www.sacbee.com)
Sacramento Bee (10/16/11); Philip Reese and Rick Daysog

Economy Alters How Americans Are Moving

Millions of Americans have become frozen in place, researchers say, unable to sell their homes and unsure they would find jobs elsewhere anyway. An analysis of new data from the Census Bureau and the Internal Revenue Service by the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire confirms earlier census assessments of a migration slowdown, but also offers a deeper, state-by-state look at the impact of this shift, which upends, however temporarily, a migration over decades from the snowy North to the sunny South. Researchers found that migration into formerly booming states like Arizona, Florida and Nevada began to slow as soon as the recession hit and continued to shrink even into 2010, when many demographers expected it to level off. At the same time, Massachusetts, New York and California, which had been hemorrhaging people for years, and continued to do so in the three years before the financial collapse, suddenly saw the domestic migration loss shrink by as much as 90%. Mobility always tends to slow in times of economic hardship, and there has been a gradual decline in American mobility for decades. But census numbers released earlier this year showed that domestic migration in 2010 had plummeted substantially since the recession began and reached the lowest level since the government began tracking it in the 1940s. (www.nytimes.com)
New York Times (10/27/11); Jennifer Medina and Sabrina Tavernise

A Comeback for the Much Maligned Murphy Bed

Many home owners are installing the frequently lampooned Murphy bed rather than renovating or moving to a bigger home. The beds, which swing up into a wall for vertical storage, help home offices serve as bedrooms and vice versa. The growing interest in Murphy beds comes as Americans are building smaller homes and making fewer changes to their existing homes. The size of the average single-family home in 2010 was about 2,400 square feet, down about 5% from 2007, according to the U.S. Census. Remodeling activity is down so far this year, continuing a trend of about the past five years, according to data from NAHB. “People have invested in staying in the homes that they’re in,” says Ginny Snook Scott, vice president of sales and marketing for California Closets, the home organization chain that is a unit of FirstService Corp. Online inquiries for wall beds have doubled in the past 18 months, she says. (www.wsj.com)
Wall Street Journal (10/20/11); Elizabeth Holmes and Maya Pope-Chappell

Handling High Closing Costs

With mortgage rates so low, interest in “no-closing-cost” loans has increased, said Jason Auerbach, a divisional manager for First Choice Loan Services in Manhattan. Under these loans, if borrowers agree to accept a mortgage interest rate from a quarter to a full percentage point higher than they would ordinarily qualify for, they receive credit toward their closing costs. The credit usually covers only fees charged by the mortgage broker or bank, like the loan origination fee, the underwriting expense and the appraisal, according to Neil Diamond, a mortgage broker in Commack, N.Y. That generally leaves title insurance, mortgage-recording taxes, insurance and escrowed taxes to cover, he said. A rule of thumb is that for every one-eighth of a point increase in the interest rate, borrowers receive a credit worth half a percent of the principal amount, said Auerbach. On a $400,000 30-year mortgage with a 4.125% base rate, the first one-eighth of a point increase would yield a $2,000 credit and so would the second, but the credit for the third would drop to about $400, he said, noting that some lenders set a 5.25% ceiling on rates. Nationwide, total closing costs on a $200,000 mortgage average $4,070, according to a recent survey from Bankrate.com. That represents an 8.8% increase over last year, and reflects higher lender fees. (www.nytimes.com)
New York Times (10/27/11); Vickie Elmer

Remodeling for Aging in Place Today Will Help Sell Your Home Tomorrow

“Aging in place” modifications are the fastest growing segment of the home remodeling industry, says NAHB, and help make homes easier to sell at a time when people aged 45 to 64 make up more than a quarter of the U.S. population. Adding a bathroom on the main living level is a smart strategy to appeal to older adults, as is a new bath. A macerating toilet system is a good way to lower the cost of adding a bath, says Otis Dardy, owner of Dardy Construction in Conyers, Ga. Dardy recently used macerating, or up flush, technology to install a full bathroom in a home that lacked below-floor plumbing drainage. With conventional plumbing fixtures, Dardy would have had to dig through concrete, creating a costly and time-consuming mess. Instead, he used Saniflo up flush technology, which allows you to add plumbing to any room in your home, even the basement, without having to break up the floor. Macerating plumbing systems pump waste and water from a toilet — as well as a sink, shower, wet bar, even a washing machine — upward through small diameter piping.  (www.jsonline.com)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (11/28/11); American Research Associates

NAHB Makes News in Push for Higher Loan Limits, Housing's Job Growth Role

NAHB’s backing of efforts to reinstate the higher conforming loan limits and its efforts to elevate housing as a key issue in the nation’s economic recovery gained plenty of media attention during the past two weeks.

The role of housing wasn’t lost on Wall Street, either. Though the Wall Street Journal, in an editorial, castigated the Senate’s supportive vote on the loan limits, traders let out a roar of approval on the New York Stock Exchange floor when they heard the news that the HMI and builder confidence rose to 18 points in October.

The following were media highlights during the past two weeks:

• After the Senate approved an amendment on Thursday, Oct. 20, to reinstate for another two years the higher loan limits for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration that expired on Sept. 30, NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen issued a statement commending the action — an important victory for NAHB — noting that “the 60-to-38 vote demonstrates bipartisan support for pro-housing policies that will help our industry to create jobs and spur economic growth.”
  
  He also called on Congress to enact the measure quickly. “Otherwise, the current drop in mortgage loan limits will reduce housing demand and place downward pressure on home prices in major markets,” Nielsen said. “This will exacerbate the current housing downturn, trigger more foreclosures, impede job growth and endanger the fragile economic recovery.”
  
  
• Following the Senate vote on higher conforming loan limits, NAHB CEO Jerry Howard also conducted interviews with the National Journal and with syndicated housing columnist Ken Harney to discuss why the action is important to stimulate job growth and get housing and the economy moving forward.
  
  
• The National Journal Daily noted in its article on conforming loan limits that the “National Association of Home Builders organized an intensive lobbying campaign to lift the loan limits.” The story cited NAHB CEO Jerry Howard, who said NAHB planned to apply heavy pressure to House members to convince them that altering government support for the mortgage market now would have deleterious results.
  
  
• In a no-holds-barred response to a Wall Street Journal editorial that castigated senators for voting to reinstate higher conforming loan limits, Nielsen said in a letter to the editor, “On an editorial page that gets things wrong on housing virtually 100% of the time, it is hardly surprising to see the Wall Street Journal oppose proposed policies that would help stabilize home values, which is critical for jobs and a sputtering economy…It’s almost laughable that the Journal offered unqualified support for taxpaying Americans to bail out Wall Street firms but offers nothing to address the issue that is weighing most heavily on the nation’s consumers and is just as great a threat to a healthy American economy.”
  
  
• In an interview with ICIS, a leading news distributor, Scott Meyer, a senior NAHB lobbyist, also stressed the importance of higher conforming loan limits.
  
  
• After the GOP presidential candidates ducked the topic of housing during their Oct. 18  presidential debate, Nielsen issued a hard-hitting statement picked up by HousingWire calling on all of the 2012 presidential hopefuls, including President Obama, to address housing issues head-on.
  
  “There can be no economic recovery without a housing recovery, yet the silence on housing was deafening during Tuesday night’s debate,” said Nielsen. “President Obama needs to take an affirmative position on homeownership as well,” he said. “The failure of the Administration to put forth pro-housing policies is impeding the economic recovery and hurting job growth and consumer confidence.”
  
  
• NAHB's efforts to elevate housing as an issue in the 2012 presidential campaign continue to advance through its co-sponsorship of a series of virtual "town hall" events — called teleforums — with the major candidates. While NAHB does not endorse presidential candidates, all NAHB members have been invited to participate in the teleforums.
  
  The first teleforum took place on Oct. 13 with Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).
  
  An upcoming teleforum with Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. on  Wednesday, Nov. 2, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
  
  The deadline to register for each teleforum is 5:00 p.m. ET on the day prior to the event. To register, visit NAHB’s teleforum registration page. For more information, email Nick Gentile at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8542.
  
  
• After the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced a series of changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), Nielsen issued a statement declaring that, while the HARP changes are a good step, it is essential to “address overly restrictive mortgage lending standards, inappropriate credit limitations on home builders and a broken appraisal system that is contributing to housing price instability. All of these factors are detrimental to the full-scale housing recovery we need to rally consumers and get a disappointing economic recovery moving forward.”
  
  Nielsen was extensively quoted in a story in “Housing industry advocates back housing plan, call for broader action,” which appeared in the daily congressional publication, The Hill. Nielsen was also quoted in stories on the Administration’s refinance plan that appeared in the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review  and National Mortgage Professional.
  
  
• Nielsen was quoted in a USA Today business article on how tight lending conditions continue to hold back the housing recovery.
  
  “Extremely tight credit conditions for both building and buying homes, along with stubbornly high foreclosures that are putting downward pressure on home prices, continue to weigh down new construction,” he said.
  
  
• In an interview with Politico, Howard discussed the role of Edward DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He acknowledged DeMarco’s difficult balancing act to spur the housing market without unduly subjecting the housing GSEs to additional risk and talked about NAHB’s concerns regarding the future direction of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
  
  
• Using NAHB’s special messaging architecture on the value of homeownership to inspire the public to take action to protect it, the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association in North Carolina got an article published in the Cape Fear Business News on how the middle class would suffer if there were changes to the mortgage interest deduction.
  
  
• NAHB Chief Economist Dave Crowe was interviewed by CBS Radio, ABC Radio, Fox News Radio and CNN Money after the Commerce Department reported that new-home sales rose 5.7% in September, and NAHB issued a press release stating that the report highlighted the gradual improvement in housing market conditions that is becoming evident in certain pockets of the country.
  
  Crowe also was quoted in the Detroit Free Press, saying that the new-home sales figures are in line with NAHB’s forecast and “in keeping with the spotty improvements that our latest builder surveys have highlighted in select markets.”
  
  
• The Northwest Herald cited NAHB Remodelers Chair Bob Peterson in an article on how more home owners are electing to remodel their homes — either as a long-term investment or to boost their value before putting their homes on the market.
  
  “Remodelers are starting to see an uptick in interest from consumers who are considering future remodeling projects,” Peterson said. “Home owners are also showing more willingness to undertake larger remodeling projects.”
  
  
• Reports on the Oct. 18 release of NAHB’s Housing Market Index (HMI), which gauges builder confidence in the single-family housing market, recorded the largest one-month gain the index has seen since the home buyer tax credit helped spur the market in April 2010. The news appeared in hundreds of print and broadcast media outlets — including the Associated Press, Reuters, Dow Jones News Service, MarketWatch CNBC, NPR, Bloomberg, The Hill and the Bond Buyer.
  
  Commenting on the HMI report in a press release, Nielsen said, “Builder confidence regained some ground in October due to modest improvements in buyer interest in select markets where economic recovery is starting to take hold and where foreclosure activity has remained comparatively subdued. That said, confidence remains quite low as builders continue to confront overly restrictive lending policies that are discouraging prospective buyers, problems with new-home appraisals and widespread uncertainty regarding federal support for homeownership.”
  
  
• Immediately following the Oct. 18 HMI release, CNBC ran a live report from the New York Stock Exchange on the traders’ reaction to the latest index. “There was a roar on the [New York Stock Exchange] floor,” said CNBC reporter Rick Santelli. “Yes, 18 is nowhere near 50, but it’s good news, a step in the right direction.”
  
  
• After the Commerce Department reported on Oct. 19 that U.S. housing starts rose 15% in September, NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen said in a press release, “Today’s numbers are very welcome evidence that builders are putting some crews back to work on single-family homes in select markets where economic conditions are improving, and on multifamily homes in places where demand for rentals is on the rise. That said, extremely tight lending conditions for both building and buying new homes, along with stubbornly high foreclosures that are putting downward pressure on home prices, continue to weigh down new construction and corresponding job growth."
  
  
• An Associated Press article on the September housing starts, which appeared in 390 print and online publications, mentioned NAHB’s statistic that “each new home built creates an average of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in taxes.”
  
  
• Commenting on the huge jump in multifamily housing starts — which rose by 51% last month — Crowe, in a GlobeSt.com report, said, “It is definitely not a construction bubble. Multifamily starts were down significantly in August, so some of this increase in September is an adjustment to that.”
  
  
• Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill, published a short profile on NAHB Chief Lobbyist James Tobin earlier this month in which he said, “We’re worried about the foreclosure issue.”
  
  “That’s obviously very acutely felt by state and local governments as far as tax base and revenues,” Tobin said. “There are plenty of issues on the federal level within the tax realm — such as carried interest, mortgage interest deduction — things that impact the ability of state and local government to raise revenues and therefore provide the services that their constituents need.” Tobin also was interviewed by Reuters on NAHB’s legislative priorities.

Senate Moves to Reinstate Higher Conforming Loan Limits

In an important victory for NAHB, the Senate on Oct. 20 approved an amendment to an appropriations bill offered by Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) to reinstate for another two years the higher loan limits for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration that expired on Sept. 30.

The vote was 60 to 38, just meeting the necessary 60-vote threshold required for passage under Senate rules.

The appropriations bill includes spending for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other federal agencies.

NAHB has been aggressively lobbying for the Menendez-Isakson amendment directly on Capitol Hill and through its grassroots membership.

A “key vote” letter was sent to members of the Senate on Oct. 19 urging them to support the amendment to spending bill H.R. 2112 to temporarily restore the higher conforming loan limits.

The letter noted that the current lower loan limits will “further restrict overall mortgage liquidity in the marketplace and place further downward pressure on home prices. Restoring the higher loan limits will provide home owners and home buyers with safe and affordable financing while providing a much-needed boost to housing markets all around the country.”

To build support for the amendment, NAHB also sent out a BuilderLink Alert notifying association members that the Senate might consider a measure to reinstate the higher conforming loan limits.

Members were urged to contact their senators and call on them to support the Menendez-Isakson amendment.

Effective on Oct. 1, the loan limits reverted to the lower levels for high-cost areas established under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.

The national ceiling for mortgages securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac or insured by the FHA dropped from $729,750 to $625,500 and the formula for establishing area loan limits became more restrictive, producing decreases for areas in addition to those currently bound by the national ceiling.

A recent NAHB study found that allowing the limits to revert to 2008 levels would make millions of home purchases ineligible for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA funding and require them to be financed with higher mortgages interest rates, fees and downpayments and more stringent credit standards.

After passage of the Menendez-Isakson amendment, NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen issued a statement commending the Senate action and noting that “the 60-to-38 vote demonstrates bipartisan support for pro-housing policies that will help our industry to create jobs and spur economic growth.”

He also called on Congress to move soon to ensure that this measure is enacted into law.

“Otherwise,” said Nielsen, “the current drop in mortgage loan limits will reduce housing demand and place downward pressure on home prices in major markets. This will exacerbate the current housing downturn, trigger more foreclosures, impede job growth and endanger the fragile economic recovery.” 

As the appropriations process moves forward, NAHB will turn its focus to preserving the loan limits extension, among other priorities, in the HUD appropriations bill.

To view the legislation, click here and type bill number H.R. 2112 in the box in the center screen.

For more information, email Scott Meyer at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8144.

Garrett Bill Would End Government Guarantee for Mortgage-Backed Securities

Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises, on Oct. 28 unveiled plans to reform the nation’s mortgage markets by ending the federal backstop for housing now being provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Garrett said he hopes to lay the groundwork for a new secondary mortgage market after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been dismantled.

“Now that we have taken the important step of introducing a series of bills to wind down the government-backed mortgage twins, it’s time to start thinking about the ways we can jump start the private market to step in once they’re gone,” he said.

“My proposal to reform the secondary mortgage market will facilitate continued standardization and uniformity, ensure rule of law and legal certainty, and provide investors with the standardization and transparency necessary to ensure that a deep and liquid market develops in the absence of Fannie and Freddie,” he said.

While the specific legislation has yet to be unveiled, Garrett’s bill is expected to direct the Federal Housing Finance Agency to set standards and underwriting criteria for several categories of mortgages, and develop standards and uniform practices for issuing mortgage-backed securities in an effort to spur continued and sustained investor participation in the market. 

NAHB has told Garrett that while the association is willing to work with him to ensure that any future private securitization market is strong and vibrant, the association strongly believes that Congress must preserve some form of government guarantee for mortgage-backed securities to ensure a reliable and adequate flow of affordable housing credit under all economic and financial conditions. 

NAHB is likely to focus its opposition on the dismantling of Fannie and Freddie’s federal backing rather than on the specific provisions proposed in the bill.

NAHB will keep the membership updated on this proposal and other housing finance bills that will be debated by the House Financial Services Committee in the coming weeks and months.

For more information, email Scott Meyer at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8144.

Sens. Schumer and Lee Offer Creative Visa Plan to Boost Demand for Homes

Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Oct. 20 introduced an immigration package aimed at boosting foreign travel and investment in the United States.

The bill includes an NAHB-supported provision intended to spur demand for housing by providing foreign investors an incentive to purchase residences and live in the U.S.

In order to address the excess supply of housing, the legislation would provide a three-year residential visa for foreign nationals who make cash investments of at least $500,000 in residential real estate in the U.S.

At least $250,000 must be spent on a primary residence where the visa holder will reside for at least 180 days out of the year while paying taxes to the U.S. The proposal discourages flipping.

The provision would create visas that are separate from current programs so as not to displace anyone waiting for other visas.

"This concept has the potential to lift demand for the nation's excess homes," said Schumer.

"Our housing market will never begin a true recovery as long as our housing stock so greatly exceeds demand,” he said. “This is not a cure-all, but it could be part of the solution to the housing crisis and won't cost the government a nickel."

"This bill supports a free market method for increasing demand for housing at a time when so many working-class Americans are underwater on their homes, are desperate for prices to rise again, and big-government programs have failed to work," said Lee.

"I am sponsoring this bill because I know that it makes economic sense while protecting American citizens," he said.

NAHB will continue to monitor the progress of the legislation.

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

House Repeals 3% Withholding Rule by Overwhelming Margin

By an overwhelming 405 to 16 margin, the House last week approved H.R. 674, legislation introduced by Reps. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) that would repeal the 3% withholding rule, which aims to improve tax compliance by requiring the IRS to hold back 3% of certain payments made to contractors doing business with local, state and federal governments.

NAHB supports the repeal because the withholding rule can cause cash flow problems for small firms doing government work and imposes an unnecessary administrative burden on companies that must comply with it.

Prior to the House vote, NAHB sent a letter to lawmakers to express support for H.R. 674.

“As an industry, our small business members are dependent on debt-financing secured through local banks,” the letter said.

“The difficulty of accessing credit has created even greater pressure to manage cash flow. On top of the challenges the construction industry already faces, these new withholding requirements will make it even more difficult for construction firms navigating this tough economic climate.”

White House support for the measure and the strong bipartisan backing it received in the House should boost the bill’s chances for passage in the Senate.

To view the legislation, click here and type the bill number in the box at the upper center of the screen.

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

September New-Home Sales See Modest Rise to Fastest Pace in Five Months

Sales of newly built, single-family homes rose 5.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 313,000 units in September, according to U.S. Commerce Department data released on Oct. 26.

This was the fastest pace of new-home sales in the past five months.

“Today’s report highlights the gradual improvement in housing market conditions that is becoming evident in certain pockets of the country, as consumers who can surmount very restrictive lending standards to qualify for a favorable mortgage rate seize on this opportunity to buy,” said NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen.

“The latest numbers also reveal that first-time buyers are driving the new-homes market right now, as evidenced by the volume of lower-priced, entry-level homes under contract,” he said.

It’s worth noting that these consumers are very dependent upon federal policies and programs that support homeownership, such as the mortgage interest deduction and low-downpayment mortgage options that have been threatened by recent government proposals,” Nielsen added.

“The improved rate of new-home sales in September is on par with NAHB’s forecast for the overall number of sales this year and in keeping with the spotty improvements that our latest builder surveys have highlighted in select markets,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.

“While 313,000 is still an exceptionally low rate of new-home sales by historic standards,” he said, “it is an encouraging sign of an anticipated broader recovery over the course of next year, and builders have helped the situation by keeping their inventories of homes for sale very lean in areas where there is an oversupply of existing units.”

Regionally, new-home sales were mixed in September, with gains of 11.2% and 9.7% in the South and West, respectively, and declines of 4.2% and 12.2% in the Northeast and Midwest.

The inventory of new homes for sale held at an all-time record low of 163,000 units in September, representing a modest 6.2-month supply at the current sales pace.

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Multifamily Surge Pushes Housing Starts Higher in September

Nationwide housing starts rose 15% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 658,000 units in September, marking the strongest pace of residential construction since April of 2010, according to figures released by the U.S. Commerce Department on Oct. 19.

The gain was largely attributed to a sharp increase on the multifamily side, which has been trending upward due to increased demand for rental apartments.

"The September numbers are very welcome evidence that builders are putting some crews back to work on single-family homes in select markets where economic conditions are improving, and on multifamily homes in places where demand for rentals is on the rise," said NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen.

"That said, extremely tight lending conditions for both building and buying new homes — along with stubbornly high foreclosures that are putting downward pressure on home prices — continue to weigh down new construction and corresponding job growth," he said.

Nielsen noted that for every one new single-family home built in this country, three new full-time jobs are created.

"The big gain in multifamily housing production for September was in the wake of a below-trend number in August and in keeping with characteristic volatility in that sector," said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.

"However, there's no doubt that demand for apartments is rising as restrictive mortgage lending policies and concerns about future employment push consumers to pursue rental options," he said.

Meanwhile, Crowe said, "Single-family starts showed a slight uptick for the month, which was right in line with our forecast for the third quarter and in keeping with what builders have been telling us in recent surveys regarding the emergence of improving conditions in select local housing markets."

Single-family housing starts rose 1.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 425,000 units in September, regaining much of the ground they lost in August.

Multifamily starts, which often display substantial swings from month to month, rose 51.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 233,000 units, their highest level since October of 2008.

Regionally, starts rose across the board in September, with gains of 12.7% in the Northeast, 9.3% in the Midwest, 15.7% in the South and 18.1% in the West.

Building permits, which can be an indicator of future building activity, fell 5.0% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 594,000 units in September following a big gain in the previous month.

Single-family permits held virtually unchanged at 417,000 units, while multifamily permits declined 14.5% to 177,000 units.

On a regional basis, permit activity was mixed in September, with gains of 4.9% and 0.9% in the Northeast and Midwest, respectively, and declines of 7.0% and 9.0% in the South and West.

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For in-depth analysis of the latest housing statistics and research from the federal government, NAHB and other sources, Eye on the Economy readers are encouraged to visit Eye on Housing at http://eyeonhousing.wordpress.com/.

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Home Builder Confidence Gains Some Ground in October, But Still Low

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose four points to 18 on the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for October, which was released on Oct. 18.

This is the largest one-month gain the index has seen since the home buyer tax credit program helped spur the market in April of 2010.

"Builder confidence regained some ground in October due to modest improvements in buyer interest in select markets where economic recovery is starting to take hold and where foreclosure activity has remained comparatively subdued," said NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen.

However, he said, confidence was still running quite low, with builders continuing to confront overly restrictive lending policies both for new construction and home buying, problems with new-home appraisals and widespread uncertainty regarding federal support for homeownership.

"This latest boost in builder confidence is a good sign that some pockets of recovery are starting to emerge across the country as extremely favorable interest rates and prices catch consumers' attention," said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.

"However, it's worth noting that while some builders have shifted their assessment of market conditions from 'poor' to 'fair,' relatively few have shifted their assessments from 'fair' to 'good,’” he said.

“One reason is that builders are facing downward pricing pressures from foreclosed homes at the same time that building materials costs are rising, and this is further squeezing already tight margins."

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 prospective traffic.

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.

Each of the HMI's three component indexes recorded substantial gains in October.

The component gauging current sales conditions rose four points to 18, sales expectations in the next six months rose seven points to 24, and traffic of prospective buyers rose three points to 14.

Regionally, the West led all other areas of the country with its nine-point gain to 21 — the highest HMI score for that region since August of 2007.

The Midwest and South each recorded four-point gains, to 15 and 19, respectively, while the Northeast held unchanged at 15.

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For in-depth analysis of the latest housing statistics and research from the federal government, NAHB and other sources, Eye on the Economy readers are encouraged to visit Eye on Housing at http://eyeonhousing.wordpress.com/.

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Expanded Mortgage Refinance Program Seen as One Good Step to Reviving Housing Markets

With the President traveling to Las Vegas on Oct. 24 to announce that the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is expanding eligibility for the Home Affordable Refinancing Program (HARP), NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen said it was “encouraging” to see “that the Obama Administration is beginning to turn its attention to restoring the nation’s housing market, which is crucial for the health of our economy.”

The White House said the changes are aimed at helping responsible borrowers with little to no equity in their homes refinance their mortgages to take advantage of today’s historically low interest rates.

HARP is the only program that enables borrowers who are “underwater” and owe more than their home is worth to refinance their mortgages.

As of August, fewer than 900,000 home owners had refinanced under the program, and it is hoped that the number will double under the new changes.

“Making more borrowers eligible for refinancing their mortgages by enhancing HARP will give a badly needed boost to consumer confidence,” Nielsen said.

“Enabling additional home owners to take advantage of today’s low mortgage interest rates in cases where their loans are greater than the value of their homes will give some households more money to spend on other things and enable others to at least pay their mortgages off at a faster rate,” he said.

“However, for the many families who have fallen behind in their payments because of the weak job market, the changes to HARP will have no benefit,” Nielsen said.

“HARP is only open to mortgage borrowers who have remained current with their payments. Clearly, additional policy initiatives are urgently needed to prevent foreclosures and deal with the inventory of foreclosed homes.”

Among the most important HARP changes is the elimination of a 125% loan-to-value cap, which will significantly expand the number of home owners who can participate.

Other changes include:

• To encourage more refinancing, limited representation and warranties have been waived, eliminating the possibility of additional liability for lenders.
  
  
• Fees for riskier underwater loans are being waived for borrowers who refinance into shorter-term loans, and those fees will be reduced for others, although it is not yet know by what amount.
  
  
• The need for a new property appraisal is eliminated where there is a reliable AVM (automated valuation model) estimate provided by FHFA, Fannie or Freddie.
  
  
• The program — which had been set to expire on June 30 of next year — has been extended through the end of 2013.

While Nielsen noted that the improved program will help many home owners, he also said that the Administration has yet to deal with several key issues that are undermining the housing market.

“It is essential to address overly restrictive mortgage lending standards, inappropriate credit limitations on home builders and a broken appraisal system that is contributing to housing price instability,” Nielsen said.

“All of these factors are detrimental to the full-scale housing recovery we need to rally consumers and get a disappointing economic recovery moving forward,” he said.

“We still have an enormous amount of work to do to repair housing. The HARP changes are a good step, but our leaders in Washington need to quickly focus on a broader range of actions for improving the housing marketplace.

“It has taken a painfully long time for them to recognize that housing is indispensable to the job creation and growth that have been sorely lacking since the end of the recession.

“The American people are losing patience and they expect far better economic prospects than those they are finding today, which stem in large part from neglecting housing,” he said.

The White House noted that nearly 11 million Americans are underwater on their mortgages, and that home owners have lost $7.25 trillion in home equity since the peak of the housing bubble in 2006.

Changing HARP to reach more borrowers is one of several executive actions being taken in the face of congressional opposition to the President’s American Jobs Act, the White House said.

For more information, email Steve Linville at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8597.

  Subscribe to the Free Eye on Housing Blog

For in-depth analysis of the latest housing statistics and research from the federal government, NAHB and other sources, Eye on the Economy readers are encouraged to visit Eye on Housing at http://eyeonhousing.wordpress.com/.

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Eye on the Economy: Weakening Economy Expected to Slow, Not Derail, Housing Recovery

Exceedingly weak for the past year, the housing recovery seems to be gaining a little momentum.

Reflecting an improvement in builder sentiment on single-family homes, October’s NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) rose four points to 18. While still low, this was the HMI’s highest level since the home buyer tax credit expired in May 2010.

While still remaining close to historic lows, new-home sales rose 5.7% in September, a hint of likely further improvement in 2012.

September’s housing starts were also encouraging, jumping 15% to their highest level since April 2010. The increase came mostly from the volatile multifamily sector, so it may not be sustainable. And multifamily starts remain far below the levels that will be needed to meet the rising demand for rental housing, which can be seen in the steady rise in nominal rents in the consumer price index in recent months.

House prices continued to recover modestly in the Case-Shiller composite indexes for August,  although at a more moderate pace than in the preceding four months, unlike prices on the index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which stumbled slightly after a four-month climb.

Existing home sales experienced some slippage in September following a solid gain in August, maintaining the relative flat trend that has persisted since the beginning of 2011.

Economic conditions are expected to remain weak, slowing the housing recovery but not derailing it. At its Sept. 20-21 meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) projected slower growth for the second half of 2011 and into 2012, based on weakening labor market conditions and consumer and business sentiment. The Oct. 19 Beige Book from the Federal Reserve depicted a slow and uneven economic recovery, with most bank districts reporting either weaker or less certain business outlooks.

On the housing policy front, leaders in Washington appear to be turning some attention to the depressed state of the nation’s housing market, which has gone largely unaddressed.

The FHFA recently announced changes to HARP (Housing Affordability Refinance Program) to enable more underwater home owners to refinance their mortgages at today’s historically low interest rates.

The Federal Reserve is also expanding its programs, deciding to reinvest principle payments from agency debt and mortgage-backed securities back into mortgage-backed securities rather than longer term Treasuries.

Supporting even stronger measures, Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo recently advocated further large-scale purchases of mortgage-backed securities, but the FOMC remains divided on this issue.

Latest Posts

• September New Home Sales Improve
  New-home sales remained near their record low after increasing 5.7% in September, with further improvement expected to materialize in 2012. Posted: Oct. 26
  
  
• Census Data Reveal Geography of Rent-Burdened Families
  NAHB research finds that rent-burdened households — those paying more than 30% of their income on rent — are disproportionately found in states that are farthest away from recovering from the recession. Posted Oct. 25
  
  
• Mixed Result for House Prices in August
  Growth in house prices moderated in August over the preceding four months, with a modest increase in the Case-Shiller house price index offset by a slight decline in the index of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Posted: Oct. 25
  
  
• Federal Reserve Governor Tarullo on Housing and Jobs
  During a recent speech, Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo advocated further large-scale purchases of mortgage-backed securities to provide more support for mortgage lending and housing markets. Posted: Oct. 21
  
  
• Existing Home Sales Turn Back Down in September
  Existing homes sales turned down again in September, falling 3.0% to an annual pace of 4.91 million. Sales have remained around 5 million units since the beginning of the year. Posted: Oct 20
  
  
• Beige Book: Modest Growth Continues, But Outlook Remains Cloudy
  Business conditions continue to improve across the nation’s 12 Federal Reserve Districts, but the pace of recovery remains slow and uneven. Posted Oct. 20
  
  
• Multifamily Starts Up in September
  The August drop in multifamily production was more than reversed, with starts in buildings with five or more apartments up 53% in September. Posted Oct. 20
  
  
• Real Residential Rents Remain Flat…But The CPI Continues to March Upward
  The Consumer Price Index continued upward in September, led by rising energy and food prices. While up nominally, the index of primary residence rents slipped slightly in September in real terms. Posted Oct. 19
  
  
• Improving Markets Index: Iowa City, Iowa
  Benefiting from the presence of the University of Iowa, healthcare and its diversified economy, Iowa City, Iowa, was one of 23 markets appearing on the second monthly NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index. Posted: Oct. 19
  
  
• September Housing Starts Up
  September housing starts were up 15%, but the increase occurred almost entirely within the multifamily sector. Posted: Oct. 19
  
  
• Residential Building Material Prices Remain Unchanged in September, Despite an Energy-Driven Increase in the Producer Price Index
  Volatile energy prices continue to push up the producer price index (PPI), with gasoline increasing 4.2% in September and the overall PPI up 4.2%. Posted: Oct. 18
  
  
• Builder Sentiment Up Four Points
  The October NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index rose four points to 18, its highest level since the end of the home buyer credit in May 2010. Posted: Oct. 18
  
  
• Updated NAHB Research: House Price Estimator
  NAHB has updated the house price estimator model, enabling builders, developers, prospective home buyers and home owners to see the impact that various physical features and neighborhood characteristics might have on the price of a home. Posted: Oct. 17
  
  
• Federal Open Market Committee Minutes: More Detail From the September 20-21 Meeting
  The minutes of the Sept. 20-21 Federal Open Market Committee meeting reveal projections of slower growth in the second half of 2011 and next year, due to weaker labor market conditions and consumer and business sentiment. Posted: Oct. 17

Eye on the Economy is a bi-weekly digest of the latest economic and housing policy news, analysis and studies as posted on NAHB’s free Eye on Housing blog. The preceding is a reissue of his Oct. 28 edition. To subscribe to Eye on the Economy, click here.

Subscribe to the Free Eye on Housing Blog

For in-depth analysis of the latest housing statistics and research from the federal government, NAHB and other sources, Eye on the Economy readers are encouraged to visit Eye on Housing at http://eyeonhousing.wordpress.com/.

They can also subscribe to the blog’s free RSS feed, which will automatically alert them to every new posting.

Data You Can Build On

Get historical data, industry analysis and the latest forecasts, including state and metro, from HousingEconomics.com. Support your business decisions with in-depth analyses, detailed Excel tables, overviews and more. For more information, visit HousingEconomics.com.

Useful Links to Monitor Economic and Housing Trends

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

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

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

Subscribe to the Free Eye on Housing Blog

For in-depth analysis of the latest housing statistics and research from the federal government, NAHB and other sources, Eye on the Economy readers are encouraged to visit Eye on Housing at http://eyeonhousing.wordpress.com/.

They can also subscribe to the blog’s free RSS feed, which will automatically alert them to every new posting.

Data You Can Build On

Get historical data, industry analysis and the latest forecasts, including state and metro, from HousingEconomics.com. Support your business decisions with in-depth analyses, detailed Excel tables, overviews and more. For more information, visit HousingEconomics.com.

Builders’ Tip: Creating a Simple Drying Rack for Freshly Painted Balusters

Click for larger image.

Here’s a simple drying rack I created for hanging freshly painted balusters. It’s made with a couple of sawhorses and 8-foot-long 2x2s.

Here’s what I did:

• I cut dovetailed slots in the 2x2s, drove drywall screws into the balusters and hung the balusters by the screw heads in the slots.
  
  
• I cut the slot on a table saw, starting with an angled kerf down the center of a 2x2, as shown in the accompanying drawing.
  
  
• Then I turned the 2x2 end-for-end and ran it over the blade again, cutting an opposing angle.
  
  
• A third pass with the blade brought back to 90 degrees cleaned out the slot, which supported the shoulders of the drywall screw.
  
  
• Next, I drilled a couple of access holes for screw heads (1/2-inch diameter) into the dovetailed channel.
  
  
• Before painting, I drove a 2-inch screw into the end of each baluster.
  
  
• After painting, I slipped the balusters into the slots to dry.

By the way, the screws are really useful when I’m handling the freshly painted pieces.

— Brian Everest: Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

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

To contact Fine Homebuilding, email Christina Glennon.

Network, Compare Notes, Wind Down at After-Hours IBS House Party on Feb. 8

Attendees of the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show can network with building industry colleagues, catch up on what’s hot at the show or just wind down with friends during the first-ever, after-hours IBS House Party, which will be held the first night of the show.

The strictly casual IBS House Party will be held at Howl at the Moon, Orlando’s original rock-n-roll dueling piano extravaganza — with house partygoers encouraged to join in the entertainment — from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

Howl at the Moon is a short walk from the Orange County Convention Center, site of the Builders’ Show.

The fee is $30 for the evening and includes two hours of open bar, light hors d’oeuvres, carving stations and entertainment. IBS House Party attendees must be 21 or over.

To Attend

Tickets are limited and attendees can sign up for the IBS House Party by adding the event to their show registration at www.buildersshow.com.

For more information, visit www.BuildersShow.com/houseparty.

Visit Sales Central for One-on-One Meetings With Sales, Marketing and Design Experts

With research indicating that new-home buyers look at an average of 23 homes online before deciding to visit only six of them, builders who want to increase their odds of making a sale can get free pointers from sales, marketing and design professionals when they visit Sales Central during the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando from Feb. 8-11.

At Sales Central — room West 311E of the Orange County Convention Center — builders can network with sales and marketing professionals, merchandisers, finance experts, branding specialists and more as well as attend a variety of sessions that address today’s market challenges.

After gathering their relevant information on the Internet, prospective buyers typically visit a sales office at the end of their buying cycle and come prepared with the latest foreclosure, short-sale and other comparison pricing information.

Professionals at Sales Central can discuss tools and techniques, such as online chats and other elements of a comprehensive marketing strategy, that can engage prospects during their online investigations, which will help take some of the guesswork out of their initial visit to the sales office.

The networking and instructional sessions at Sales Central, a new feature at the Builders’ Show, are available free to all IBS attendees

Sales Central Schedule of Events

Wednesday, Feb. 8 — Builder Power Plays Day
Programs and discussions will explore the sales and marketing tools builders should have to be successful in today’s uncertain market — a solid, comprehensive marketing plan; super closers who understand financing and how to use it to close the deal; and strategies on how to use community-based events to increase community traffic. 

• 7:30-9:00 a.m.
  NSMC 50th and IRM 40th Anniversary and Sponsor Recognition Breakfast
  
  
• 9:15-10:15 a.m.
  “It’s Not All Social: Comprehensive Builder Marketing Plans”
  
  
• 10:30- 11:30 a.m.
  “Super Closer Secrets: Using Finance to Close the Sale”
  
  
• Noon- 1:00 p.m.
  Meet the New MIRMs Lunch
  
  
• 1:15-2:15 p.m.
  “Builder Events 2.0 — Building Traffic With Community-Based Events”

Thursday, Feb. 9 — Design Day
Programs and discussions will highlight the hot new design trends that are attracting new-home buyers.

• 7:30-9:00 a.m.
  Networking Breakfast
  
  
• 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  “Right-Sizing New Homes”
  
  
• Noon-1:00 p.m.
  Merchandiser’s Mix and Mingle Luncheon
  
  
• 1:15 p.m.-2:15
  Options and Upgrades Selling for Profit-Driven Builders — Pre-Tour Session
  
  
• 2:30-4:00 p.m.
  Options and Upgrades Show Floor Tour
  
  
• 3:30-4:30 p.m.
  “Integrated Home Technology — What’s hot in home technology and how to use it as a sales tool”
  
  
• 5:00-6:00 p.m.
  The National Gold & Silver Winners After Party  

Friday, Feb. 10 — Tech Friday
Programs and discussions will focus on the technologies that can help builders reach and engage with their buyers

• 7:30-9:00 a.m.
  Meet and Greet Breakfast
   
• 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  “eLead Management”
  
  
• Noon-1:00 p.m.
  Tech Luncheon
  
  
• 1:15-2:15 p.m.
  “Creating Effective, Lead-Generating Websites”
  
  
• 2:30-3:30 p.m.
  Options and Upgrades Tour Encore
  
  
• 3:30-4:30 p.m.
  “Social Media for Home Builders 2.0”
  
  
• 5:00-6:00 p.m.
  Builders’ Networking Reception

Saturday, Feb. 11 — Grab and Go Breakfast and Networking
Reconnect with NSMC members and others before heading home.

For more information, visit www.buildersshow.com/sales.

IBS Pre-Show Courses Offer Business, Technology and Marketing Skills and Continuing Education Credit

At the upcoming 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando, NAHB Education is offering more than 15 pre-show courses to help industry professionals increase their business skills, technical knowledge and marketability.

Most of the intensive one- and two-day programs on business management, green building and aging-in-place remodeling, sales and marketing and other skills will be held on Feb. 4-7 with some selections available on Feb. 8 and 9.

The courses also will enable NAHB members to work on their NAHB designations, earn continuing education credit and acquire focused, in-depth knowledge in their specific areas of interest.

While attendees can learn about running their offices more efficiently, incorporating technology into the homes they build, effective model merchandising and more, they’ll also gain confidence, learn new skills, make new contacts, get answers to questions about their specific needs and scenarios and earn credit towards their NAHB professional designations.

IBS 2012 Pre-Show Course Schedule

Saturday, Feb. 4
9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

• “The Challenge of New Home Sales Management (IRM IV)”
• “Business Management for Building Professionals”
• “Advanced Green Building: Project Management” (Day 1 of 2)

Sunday, Feb. 5
9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. 

• “Marketing & Communications Strategies for Aging & Accessibility” (CAPS I)
• “Train the Trainer”
• “Green Building for Building Professionals”

Monday, Feb. 6
9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. 

• NEW — “Universal Design/Build”
• “Advanced Green Building: Building Science” (Day 1 of 2)
• “Project Management”
• “Lifestyle Merchandising, Advertising and Promotion Strategies” (IRM III)
• “Design/Build Solutions for Aging and Accessibility” (CAPS II)

Tuesday, Feb. 7
9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. 

• “Home Technology Integration”
• “Negotiating Skills”
• “Sales & Marketing for Remodelers”
• “Design/Build”
• “Spokesperson Training: Interview Skills”

Assessment Reviews

• “Builder Assessment Review (BAR)” — The first step towards the Certified Graduate Builder (CGB) designation
• “Professional Remodeler Experience Profile (PREP)” — The first step towards the Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR) designation

Training

• “Train the Trainer” — Feb. 5
• “Spokesperson Training: Interview Skills” — Feb. 7
• “Spokesperson Training: Interview Skills” — Feb. 8
• “Spokesperson Training: Presentation Skills” — Feb. 9

To Register

Course attendance is limited to 50 students per course and some courses sell out prior to the show, so register in advance.

Pre-show course fees are in addition to IBS registration.

To determine which courses apply to particular designations, visit www.nahb.org/designations; or email designations@nahb.org, or call The Professional Designation Help Line at 800-368-5242 x8154 for assistance.

For a full description of the courses and their fees, and to register, visit www.buildersshow.com/preshow.

Custom Builders Can Enjoy Customized Experience of Their Own at Builders’ Show

Custom home builders, who make a living providing custom and one-of-a-kind homes for their clients, can enjoy a customized experience of their own at the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando on Feb. 8-11 when they visit Custom Building Central.

Sponsored by the Custom Home Building Committee, builders at the Custom Building Central lounge area — which will be located in room W309 of the Orange County Convention Center — can meet to share knowledge, swap ideas with like-minded professionals or relax and unwind during the show. They’ll also be able to participate in events and education designed to provide the tools, knowledge and resources to assist them with their business.

During breakfasts, luncheons and other events held at Custom Builder Central throughout the show, IBS attendees can meet with experts, discuss the issues that custom builders face and learn effective strategies that address changing trends in the custom home industry.

The custom building hub and events are available to all registered Builders’ Show attendees interested in the custom home building market.

Custom builder events will also include the 2012 Custom Home Tour — a short trip off-site showcasing examples of custom and niche building in the Orlando area. In addition, the winner of NAHB’s 2011 Custom Home Builder of the Year Award will be named.

Some of the events and discussions planned at Custom Builder Central include:

Wednesday, Feb. 8

• “Social Media and the Custom Home Builder”
• “Design Trends and Solutions for Custom Builders, Large and Small Floor Plans”
• The Excellence Awards Luncheon — presented by Residential Design+Build magazine
• Custom Builders Mix and Mingle Happy Hour

Thursday, Feb. 9

• Custom Home Tour — offsite tour showcasing custom and niche homes in Orlando
• “Strategic Thinking for the New Reality Series”
• Design Application Workshop — Creating & Designing Product Using a Team Approach
• “Rediscovering the Art of Creating Value”

Friday, Feb. 10

• “Top 10 Technology Trends”
• “Collaborative Approach to Incorporating Technology into the 2012 New American Home” speaker
• NAHB Custom Home Builder of the Year Award Luncheon

Saturday, Feb. 11

• “You Survived: Custom Builders Preparing for the Future”
• What Your Electrician Doesn’t Know — Partnering With an Electronic Systems Contractor

For a full list of education and events held at Custom Building Central, visit www.buildersshow.com/custombuilding.

For more information, email Marcia Childs at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8388.

Register for Spokesperson Training Sessions at the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show

NAHB members and home builders association staff can register online for the NAHB Spokesperson Training seminars at the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando on Feb. 8-11.

The seminars can help NAHB leaders be more persuasive and effective in media interviews and while giving speeches and making presentations.

Three training seminars will be offered at IBS:

• Interview Skills – Tuesday, Feb. 7
• Interview Skills – Wednesday, Feb. 8
• Presentation Skills – Thursday, Feb. 9

Secure online registration using a credit card is available on the IBS online registration page.

Interview Skills teaches master strategies for broadcast and print interviews, including message development, the “bridging” technique and controlling the interview. The training also helps participants learn how to give clear, concise answers while in a high-pressure, spur-of-the moment interview.

Members attending the Presentation Skills session 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.

During Interview Skills, participants will learn master strategies for broadcast and print interviews, including message development and controlling the interview using the “bridging” technique and other methods.

The training can also help participants learn how to give clear, concise answers while in a high-pressure, spur-of-the moment interview.

"Being put on the spot and seeing it on TV was very helpful, and the information was top-notch," said attendee Rick Parmeter, of Clear Creek Log Homes in Eau Claire, Wis.

The sessions are led by professional communications consultants with more than 30 years of experience; focus on issues and situations frequently faced by home builders, HBA staff and affiliate members; and include on-camera role playing.

Each full-day session is $495 per person. Registration is limited to 12 participants.

To Register

To learn more about Spokesperson Training, visit www.nahb.org/spokespersontraining.

To register online on the IBS website, click here; or for registration information, email Andrea Raggambi at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8153.

For more information about Spokesperson Training content, contact Gwyn Donohue, x8447.

Builders Respond to Proposed Lowering of Southern Pine Design Values

An Oct. 6 proposal by the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau (SPIB) to lower the design values for all grades and sizes of visually graded Southern Pine by approximately 25% to 30% would have a serious impact on home builders.

The SPIB was seeking immediate implementation of its proposal at an Oct. 20 meeting of the Board of Review of the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC).

However, NAHB and other industry groups moved quickly to delay any action until all affected parties had time to review SPIB test results on which the proposal was based and provide comments. 

The board of review announced at its Oct. 20 meeting that it will take no action on the issue until after it holds a second meeting on Jan. 5 in order to give all interested parties the opportunity to comment on the proposal.

Affected parties are being encouraged to submit their comments in writing or in person.

Attending the Oct. 20 meeting, NAHB and members of its Building Systems Councils presented comments in opposition to the proposal.

They were joined by representatives from the timber industry, the Structural Building Components Association and universities engaged in wood research, all of whom opposed the proposal.

NAHB questioned the need for an immediate change, citing the lack of access to SPIB’s test results, which had only been provided to the ALSC board.

The association subsequently requested and received these materials and is reviewing them in preparation for providing additional comments to the board. 

NAHB will be looking to determine if the test results supporting the lower design values are from a single species of lumber classified as Southern Pine or from the rapid-growth, juvenile portions of lumber cut from newer Southern Pine forests.

If the results are from a single species, then the proposed reduction in design values should be limited to that species. If they are from the juvenile portions of some lumber, then changes to the grading process should be considered.

While the delay is good news for NAHB members, it does not resolve the issue.

If the ALSC board approves the change on Jan. 5 and it is published in SPIB’s “Supplement No. 9 to the 2002 Standard Grading Rules for Southern Pine Lumber,” this will have a severe impact on many housing projects currently in the pipeline, as well as on the design of future homes constructed of Southern Pine.

NAHB will continue to work with members and industry partners to address this issue. 

More details on the SPIB proposal are available in the Q&A document prepared by the Southern Forest Products Association.

For more information, email Gary Ehrlich at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8545.

Universal Design, Assistive Technologies Combine to Meet Needs of Growing 60+ Market

With the Census Bureau estimating that the 60+ population will grow to 73 million by the end of the decade and NAHB predicting that the aging-in-place remodeling market will be between $20 billion and $25 billion, panelists of the recent webinar, “Build Profit and Possibilities With Home Health Technology,” discussed how builders and remodelers can get traction in the market through the application of universal design principles and assistive home health care technologies.

“As builders, we are all looking for an edge or a way to differentiate ourselves from the competition,” said Tony Crasi of The Crasi Company, a design/build firm based in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Rather than cut profits to stay competitive as a builder, Crasi diversified into the aging-in place market, particularly since an overwhelming majority of seniors — as many as 89% according to some surveys — indicated they want to remain in their homes as they age.

“What we are trying to do is meet the challenging needs facing people as they grow older and apply building principles such as accessible design, good planning and the assistive technologies associated with in-home health and wellness,” he said

Crasi admitted that he ventured into the market of home and assistive technologies “kicking and screaming” because he was unfamiliar with the technologies. “Now, I’m using the technology to gain an edge on the market and stay in business.”

Getting Started

Crasi recommended that builders and remodelers work with electronic systems contractors (ESCs), who will help them address the market’s needs. “An experienced ESC will, no doubt, showcase where the opportunities are. ESCs are like any other expert contractor, but a one-on-one partnership is key.”

Ric Johnson of Right at Home Technologies, an ESC based in Waynesfield, Ohio, who provides home automation, energy management, entertainment, security and health and wellness services, said assistive technologies — such as remote monitoring, cognitive exercises for brain stimulation, prescription and medicine reminders — can help residents stay in their homes much longer.

“Meet with all parties involved — the mother, father, son, caregivers, medical staff and others — so that both the builder and ESC can create a comprehensive plan together and build based on the customer’s specific needs,” Johnson said.

“Go over their medical needs,” he said. “Talk about their exercise habits, if it’s applicable. You want to create spaces and install technology that add value to the routine in their daily lives and make it easier.”

Crasi said that builders, remodelers and ESCs should discuss more than the home owner’s needs when reviewing options with families and caregivers.

“Talk about lifestyle and hobbies — and be sensitive to the individuals involved during the interview process,” he said. “It’s very important to be sensitive to the older person when meeting with a group. It’s easy to forget that, regardless of where their level of comprehension lies, they need to be included and welcomed into the discussion.”

Comprehensive discussions are needed, Crasi said, because “we are not medical professionals. If there are some issues that are beyond our scope of knowledge, we need to be made aware of them.”

He cited the example of the need for more suitable flooring for a client who uses a walker or shuffles when he walks. “These types of details need to be established,” Crasi said.

“Everything should remain familiar and comfortable for owners of the home,” Crasi said.

Building and Remodeling Opportunities

Johnson said clients generally have two possibilities — they can downsize by building a new home, or they can remodel their existing home so it better meets their needs as they age.  

He said he worked with a builder using universal design concepts “such as a no-step entry, everything on one level, wider entry ways and more lighting.”

With such a home, Johnson said, “there is no need to modify the house as the owner ages. It can be prepared in advance.”

He said the technology infrastructure can be pre-wired in the home and, when the need arises, the home owner can add appropriate technologies, such as “a telephone system that works independently without a handset so, in an emergency situation, there is no need for the home owner to try to get to the phone or find it.”

Johnson said that the second option of remodeling the home for aging-in-place enables home owners to “keep their memories of living in their house as they age, but they maintain their health as well.”

Options for the home owner, he said, can include opening up the home for more natural light options and having all the necessities on the main level and leaving the second level for guests. Home automation systems can be added to control the lighting or send temperature information to smart HVAC systems.

Also, providing elderly home owners or their adult children with peace of mind are security systems that monitor for any intruder who might come into the home and also safeguard against the occupant wandering away.

Remodeling a home for aging-in-place and including assistive technology help the home owners on several levels, Crasi said.

Both panelists said adult children can also remodel their homes with aging-in-place features to accommodate an elderly parent moving in with them.

An aging parent can help defray the cost of the renovation, and the improvements to the home can be considered cost-effective if they are less expnsive than nursing home care or they increase the value of the property.

The panelists also pointed out that assistive technology features can be installed at manageable cost. Crasi and Johnson said they worked together on an affordable home project where they provided lighting control, HVAC and security for roughly $1,500.

“In the aging-in-place market where there is a great deal of technology associated with care, the builder creates a custom living space, and the ECS provides solutions to aging-in-place realities,” Johnson said.

Webinar Replay Available

For a replay of the webinar, click here, or email Marcia Childs at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8388.

For more information on home technology, visit www.nahb.org/HTA or www.cedia.net; or email Agustin Cruz at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8472.

New Categories Reflecting Trends Added to Best of 50+ Housing Awards; Enter by Nov. 7

Firms that design, build or market housing for the mature market are invited to apply for the 2012 Best of 50+ Housing Awards ― the industry’s most prestigious national awards program honoring excellence in the market serving boomers and beyond.

Entry forms are due on Nov. 7. Entry packages are due Nov. 21.

The NAHB 50+ Housing Council has added 13 new competition categories.

Sponsored by Lowe’s Commercial Services, the awards also highlight innovation and quality housing and showcase the best in active-adult and service-enriched communities across the country.

Among the 44 categories are awards for specific-built projects — including individual homes, rental and for-sale communities, green building, best use of universal design principles, best integration of technology and best streetscape or neighborhood.

The competition also includes design awards for 50+ housing projects that are on the architectural drawing board.

Traditions of America at Silver Spring near Harrisburg, Pa., earned a silver award in the Best Detached Home in an Active Adult Community (under 2,000-square-feet) category.

This year, there will also be awards for lifestyle amenities and programs including the best fitness/wellness program, best lifestyle program and best dining/cafe experience.

In addition, the 2012 Best of 50+ Housing Awards will honor the best in several marketing categories.

The awards are presented to active adult communities, , rental communities, assisted living communities, remodeled homes and repositioned communities, as well as homes built with green features and technology or built according to universal design principles.

Winners will be announced on Feb. 9 during the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando.

To read profiles of past winners in NAHB’s 50+ Housing Online Magazine, click here.

To Apply

To apply and for information on categories, entry deadlines and more, visit Call for Entries.

For more information on the awards program, visit www.nahb.org/50plusawards; or email Lynn Basso at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8130.

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.

Commercial Construction Slowly Turning the Corner, Despite Tighter Public Funding

With uncertainty continuing to hang over the U.S. economy and construction industry, Robert A. Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction, offered some good news and some bad news in his address at the Outlook 2012 Executive Conference in Washington, D.C.

“The corner is being turned, but it’s being turned ever so slightly in a very hesitant and uneven manner,” he said.

Without the economy coming back, the building industry won’t either.

Congressional decisions on spending cuts and the resulting availability of public funds could largely impact construction, he indicated.

In addition, private financing, which has shown mixed signals, will be essential to a return in commercial projects.

2012 Outlook

Overall, nonresidential building was down 6% in 2011 and is expected to increase a slight 2% in 2012.

Some nonresidential construction sectors, on a square footage basis, grew in 2011 and are projected to grow in 2012, with increases of 17% expected for warehouses and hotels, and manufacturing buildings looking at a 6% expansion.

The positive outlook for warehouse construction may be a sign of changing trends in retail purchases.

Murray said that warehouse construction is “getting away from its prior relationship of following stores and actually perhaps leading the path that we would be expecting from stores.” Internet retailer Amazon.com built three new warehouses just this year.

Institutional types of buildings reliant on public funding will fare much worse this year due to fiscal tightening at the local, state and federal levels.

Trending gradually downward since 2008, educational and public building construction will drop 9% next year.

Airports, which climbed in 2009 and subsequently lost altitude, are expected to head 5% lower next year.

A sector that hasn’t felt the downturn as sharply as others, health care facility projects will hold relatively steady next year — losing 0.1%. Uncertainty over health care reform may be one factor delaying its quick recovery.

Other sectors expected to improve just slightly from exceedingly low levels are stores (up 2%) and offices (up 4%).

Office construction relies heavily on job growth, which has been occurring at a snail’s pace.

A time of transition for retail stores, according to Murray, finds chains like Borders being shuttered but others such as Dollar General and Family Dollar thriving.

Megastores like Wal-Mart are downsizing to smaller stores better suited to breaking into urban markets, while Best Buy in Texas has started subleasing space in its stores to other retailers to keep up its revenue.

Amusement and recreation projects are not expected to change in 2012 after gradually declining since 2008. However, changes in casino legislation could contribute to more amusement-related projects in the coming years, according to Murray.

To view a video of Murray’s presentation, including projections for residential and nonbuilding construction, click here.

For information on NAHB resources available to small commercial builders, click here; or email Lisa Leone, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8455.

Building Materials Prices Mostly Down in Flat Market

With commercial and residential construction down significantly and an already weak U.S. economy faltering, building material and labor costs are likely to remain relatively low through 2012, but a prolonged period of under-building is “sowing the seeds” for a resurgence in prices in the not too distant future, according to Julian Anderson, president of Rider Levett Bucknall.

Demand from construction bids sets the stage for the supply and cost of materials, he told the McGraw-Hill Construction Outlook 2012 Executive Conference in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 19, and the trend has been weak since late 2008 when contractors started realizing the market was softening.

“What’s happening in the contractor economy at the moment?” Anderson asked. “Almost nothing is happening in terms of increasing demand. Activity isn’t there.”

In 2005, $1.2 trillion in construction was put in place, straining the pipeline. That number is projected to decline to a disappointing $750 billion this year flowing through a pipeline that has slackened, with many jobs having been shed.

On Anderson’s list of building materials:

• Lumber prices are being depressed by a dramatic slowdown in residential construction and remodeling — which account for three-quarters of domestic lumber usage.
  
  According to the Lumber Price Index from the Department of Labor Statistics, prices softened in 2006 and saw a minor recovery last year.
  
  “Prices will spike in the future as housing recovers,” he predicted, with the resurgence of housing, an inevitability since current production is running far below the 1.2 million to 1.5 million units needed to meet long-term demand and population growth.
  
  The lumber pipeline, he noted, didn’t expand during the housing boom even though the amount of lumber going through it soared by a third.
  
  
• Although prices were climbing from 2009 until fairly recently, steel will remain flat until there is an uptick in the general economy that drives demand up and the utilized capacity down.
  
  Utilization of domestically produced steel — which is not the same industry it was 20 years ago — was up to around 90% of capacity in 2008. As the economy soured and demand for contractors and automobiles slumped, it fell to 40% and has since recovered to around 75%.
  
  
• Demand for drywall plunged from 35,000 million square feet in 2006 to 17,700 by 2010, along with declines in new residential construction and home remodeling and repairs, which account for 50% and 17.5% of its consumption, respectively.
  
  Imports have fallen to 15% of the supply, down from 27% in 2006, and pricing for jobs has become intensely competitive.
  
  The gypsum industry has been moving to boost prices, without much success, and is hoping to push through a 35% price increase in 2012. Anderson said it is unlikely to stick because the market will continue to be too soft. “When housing recovers, the price will go up,” he said.
  
  
• No uptick in the price of cement and concrete is expected in the next year or two.
  
  Residential construction accounts for 25% of the cement and concrete used in the U.S., commercial buildings take an 8% share and streets and highways are responsible for 27%.
  
  The price of cement has been on a fairly consistent downward trail since 2009.
  
  
• From 2006 to 2010, copper consumption has declined from 2.1 million metric tons to 1.7 million, and capacity utilization has not yet recovered.
  
  Demand for copper is not very sensitive to price changes; buildings account for 48% of the demand and 21% is used for electrical applications.

Anderson said that construction prices are likely to remain depressed in 2012, but at some point demand for construction jobs will rebound, and the capacity, which has shrunk, won’t be able to meet it.

Price increases may become evident beyond 2013, when the U.S. construction industry will be growing strongly, he said.

"The 2011 summer of deflating confidence leads into a lackluster year and into a do-nothing presidential election year," Anderson said, leaving industry survivors continuing to hang on.

"A permanent decrease in capacity will sow seeds of future upward price pressure," he predicted.

However, "despite a temporary setback, commodities will face ongoing price increases driven by global demand and scarcity," he said.

Remodelers See Market Soften a Bit in Third Quarter as U.S. Economy Wobbles

Reflecting the impact of the nation’s weak economy on the remodeling industry, NAHB’s Remodeling Market Index (RMI) dropped to 41.7 in the third quarter from 43.9 in the second quarter, after reaching a four-year high of 46.5 in the first quarter.

"Remodelers report that while many consumers show interest in having remodeling work done, they are slow to commit to projects,” said NAHB Remodelers Chairman Bob Peterson, CGR, CAPS, CGP, a remodeler from Ft. Collins, Colo.

“Consumers are in a wait-and-see mode with regard to current economic conditions,” he said

On a scale of 1 to 100, the overall RMI combines remodelers’ ratings of current remodeling activity with indicators of future activity, like calls for bids.

Current market conditions for the third quarter of 2011 fell to 43.0 from 44.8 in the second quarter and future market indicators dropped to 40.4 from 43.0 in the previous quarter.

An RMI below 50 indicates more remodelers reporting a decline in activity compared to the previous quarter than reporting an increase.

Regionally, current remodeling market conditions declined from 48.1 to 43.9 in the Northeast and from 48.2 to 40.9 in the West.

The index rose from 44.4 to 46.8 in the Midwest and from 42.9 to 47.1 in the South. 

The components measuring current market conditions all decreased in the third quarter: major additions from 46.2 to 45.2, minor additions from 48.5 to 45.7 and maintenance and repair from 38.4 to 37.1.

All four future market indicators decreased as well: calls for bids from 49.8 to 45.4, amount of work committed for the next three months from 32.3 to 29.9, backlog of remodeling jobs from 45.7 to 43.0 and appointments for appraisals from 44.2 to 43.3.

“The current economic instability continues to affect consumer confidence, therefore we have seen a drop-off in remodeling activity for the last two quarters,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.

“In order for the remodeling market to pick up, home owners need to have access to less restrictive lending requirements and see their economic future stabilizing,” he added.

For information on remodeling resources at NAHB, go to www.nahb.org/remodel; or email Therese Crahan, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8211.

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.

Nurturing Leads Key to Increasing Sales in Competitive Remodeling Market

Remodelers concerned about keeping business coming through their door at a time when they are closing fewer jobs and contending with cutthroat price competition need to take a second look at how they handle their leads, Victoria Downing, president, Remodelers Advantage, told the Oct. 12-15 Remodeling Show in Chicago.

“A strong nurturing leads program can move up to 70% of what used to be lost back into the sales funnel,” Downing told an educational seminar at the show.

She cited the example of a remodeler in San Diego who was making do with only two sales people to handle the “tons of leads” emanating from his online marketing, “picking what looked like the most worthwhile.”

The sales staff followed up on 50% of the leads, but the problem, she said, was that the company could have been lining up some business from the 50% who were being qualified out.

Typically, 25% of customers being funneled through the marketing and sales process may be great leads looking to move directly into a contract, she said.

An equal share may be comprised of poor leads who simply aren’t qualified, and 50% may be interested but not ready to commit to having work done.

Many leads “probably will be ready to buy at some time in the near future,” Downing said, “but leads are lost. They dribble through your fingers.”

A Nurturing System

Even hot leads can be mishandled, she warned, if customer service doesn’t respond quickly with a job estimate, but it is the warm leads especially who need to be nurtured until they are ready to become customers.

Downing said that the nurturing system preferably should be automated, automatically adding information on prospects into the database.

She recommended ACT contact and customer management software, which can be purchased for under $300.

The system, she said, is aimed at following up on leads by developing “a positive long-term relationship through meaningful dialogue and tracking their development until they are ready for sales.”

The process can also be educational, turning leads into more qualified prospects.

“What used to work doesn’t. You need to be more creative,” Downing said, and as more and more remodelers are beginning to realize, that means establishing a presence on the Internet through a good website and presence in the social media.

Getting Online

Remodelers should start generating leads by marketing to their circle of influence, which includes “anybody who can refer business to your company, not people to whom you would hard sell. Let them know what’s going on in your company” and look to them as a source of referrals.

Monthly e-newsletters are a worthwhile communications tool. She advised testing their frequency to see how often is too often. “The key is being a soft sell,” she said.

Remodelers can establish both company and personal pages on Facebook. They should be attending community events; inviting previous customers to trade shows and special events, such as barbecues or shopping sprees tied to charitable causes; presenting educational seminars; looking at blogs; and joining Angie’s List and YouTube to encourage happy customers to provide third-party testimonials.

Downing cited Main Street Design Build of Michigan as a company that is doing things right and worth emulating.

Capturing Contact Information

The trick is capturing leads from the website so that some rudimentary information on them — a name, phone number and email address — can be entered into the database.

Investment in Infusionsoft technology can be used to start an e-marketing program, creating a simple form that interested consumers can fill out in exchange for receiving “something of interest that will target and attract people to the kinds of things you are looking to sell.”

For instance, a report — a few pages in length, on design trends, how to choose a contractor, how to prepare for a remodeling program, 10 things you need to know to hire a remodeler — can drive people to fill out the form.

“Add sizzle to make it compelling,” she said, and don’t make the form too complicated. If the form asks for too much information, people are unlikely to respond.

“All we want is the email address”; once that is obtained, send a thank-you along with a bonus offer for a free downloadable e-book, coupons, special offers, a raffle ticket at a home show — in exchange for providing a bit more information, including checking off the services they are looking for.

Remodelers should put the law of reciprocity on their side, she said. “When you give something of value to people, they feel obligated to return the favor.”

Sending Emails

“Get started on emails, because it is such an affordable way to market,” Downing said. Much of the material can be ghostwritten at an affordable price by a freelancer, a college intern or a part-time marketing consultant.

Invite leads to download a report on kitchen projects. The next day invite those who obtain the report to attend a kitchen design seminar. Add, or return, those who do not RSVP to the nurturing list, which receives marketing materials over the longer term.

Turning leads on the nurturing list into actual customers might take 20 steps, she said. However, “don’t send a million things to them or their reaction will be, 'Get me off this list.’”

Only 2% of sales are made on the first contact with a lead, she said, and 80% of sales are made somewhere between the fifth and 12th contact.

Unfortunately, 87% of leads are never pursued, and 48% of all sales leads are dropped after the first call or meeting.

Variety helps in marketing communications, she suggested, and can include snail mail, phone calls and e-invitations — with some help from ConstantContact.

“This is a new learning curve, but it can really pay off,” Downing said. The nurturing list of leads can be built up gradually, but “you have to use automation to make it work. Once it’s done, it’s done.”

For information on remodeling resources available from NAHB, click here; or email Therese Crahan, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8211.

‘Cheap and Easy’ Marketing Can Give a Boost to a Remodeler’s Business

In today’s weak economy, persistent marketing is more important than ever for remodelers, according to speakers at the Remodeling Show in Chicago earlier this month, and businesses can conduct their own grassroots public relations relatively inexpensively.

Robert Criner, of Criner Remodeling, in Yorktown, Va., said that he has tripled his budget to find customers and now spends 25%-35% of his time on marketing.

People-to-people networking is one of the most valuable marketing strategies out there, and making presentations for groups like a local Lions Club, or at the Remodeling Show, can establish a remodeler’s professional credentials and also bring in business.

Criner said that one seminar resulted in $100,000 in new work coming his way. In making presentations, he said, remodelers should skip the sales pitch and focus on what’s useful and informative for the audience.

Linking with various associations is another way to network. Affiliation with local and national organizations can raise the profiles of remodelers and give them extra credibility in the eyes of potential clients.

Participating on local boards is another good networking idea, demonstrating involvement in the community.

Doug Walter, of Doug Walter Architects in Denver, said that in lieu of charging clients for visiting their site he asks them to write a check to a local charity, which enables him to raise $2,000 to $3,000 a year in donations through his company.

Criner and Walter discussed a number of other fairly easy ways of drumming up new remodeling business:

• Personalized marketing. Birthday and holiday cards can increase the company’s profile with new potential customers and help stay in touch with previous clients.
  
  Walter draws attention to houses he has worked on by sending out postcards of them decorated for the holidays.
  
  Remodelers should prepare a marketing calendar for the entire year. If there are a couple of months where not much is scheduled, mailings should be used to fill the gap.
  
  
• Press releases. Local papers are often looking for content, but the key is finding the hook they might be interested in — such as current remodeling trends, or the top five projects home owners are undertaking.
  
  Criner and Walter noted that it can take time to cultivate a relationship with a newspaper, and remodelers shouldn’t be discouraged if releases aren’t at first getting picked up.
  
  Both discouraged spending money on advertising, which is costly and often ineffective.
  
  
• Awards. These are another way for remodelers to get their names in the press, creating publicity that can attract new clients.
  
  If there are no local awards programs, Criner and Walter said, a remodeler can create them. That’s what they did in their respective areas.
  
  Remodelers also have an opportunity to compete for awards in a multitude of categories as a benefit of membership in local and national professional organizations, such as NAHB, they said.
  
  Among the do’s and don'ts of entering a remodeling awards competition, Walter stressed the importance of investing in professional photography, which is much cheaper nowadays and can be used for multiple purposes afterwards — on the company’s website or in marketing brochures.
  
  Before and after shots should be provided to highlight what was accomplished by the remodeling project.
  
  For a full list of the do’s and don’ts, click here.
  
  
• Electronic marketing. A top-quality, good looking website is essential for remodelers because it is one of the first places prospects look when researching contractors.
  
  Third-party testimonials are an imperative for promoting business on the site.
  
  Remodelers should also consider establishing a presence on social media sites — such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin — which are visited by many potential customers.

For more information, email Stephanie Pagan at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8254.

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.

Top Remodelers, Councils Honored at Annual Gala at Remodeling Show in Chicago

During the NAHB Remodelers Annual Awards Gala earlier this month, Mike Nagel, CGR, CAPS, of Men at Work Chicago, was named the 2011 Remodeler of the Year, and other top NAHB remodelers and councils were honored for their leadership and community involvement.

The awards gala was held during the Remodeling Show in Chicago.

Nagel Named Remodeler of the Year

Nagel was recognized as the Remodeler of the Year for his remodeling achievements and for his efforts and support of professionalism in the remodeling industry.

“Mike Nagel is a strong advocate for professionalism in the remodeling industry and has led successful businesses for 25 years,” said NAHB Remodelers Chair Bob Peterson, CGR, CAPS, CGP, of ABD Design/Build in Fort Collins, Colo. “I’m excited to present this award to a remodeler who has achieved success in business, contributed to community service causes and represents remodeling industry concerns to all levels of government.”

Nagel joined NAHB Remodelers in 1992 and has served in many local and national leadership positions in the association. He is currently the president of the Home Builders Association of Illinois and served as chairman of the NAHB Remodelers in 2007.

Nagel advocates on behalf of remodeler concerns to government agencies and elected representatives and serves as a speaker on remodeling topics at meetings and conferences and for groups across the country.

“What makes this award so special to me and sets it apart from other similar awards in this industry is how heavily it weighs involvement on all levels, in both the industry and the community. It is this part I am proudest of,” said Nagel.

The award was sponsored by Pella Corporation.

Renda, Schwieterman, DeVol, Millar Earn Homes for Life Awards

The Major Space winning entry

Major Space

Marnie Renda, CAPS, of Destination Home in Cincinnati; Brian Schwieterman, AIA, CAPS, of WiFIVE Design and Build in Cincinnati; and Jeff DeVol, CAPS, of DeVol Design Build Remodel in Loveland, Ohio, were recognized in the Major Space category of the Homes for Life Awards for remodeling a master bedroom and bath for a woman with muscular dystrophy.

The winning project — which improved accessibility and the aesthetics of the rooms — expanded the bathroom for easier navigation and included such features as a no-threshold shower, a footrest for the shower seat, easier shower controls and pull-out coffee station.

The remodelling project also included custom cabinets and drawers, better positioned outlets and switches and occupancy light sensors.

Small Space

The Small Space winning entry

Bart Millar, CAPS, of Home Care Design and Construction in Santa Barbara, Calif., earned top honors in the Homes for Life Single Space remodel category for remodeling the bathroom shared by a grandmother, her daughter and two granddaughters.

The upgraded bathroom included a flared skylight, bi-level countertop with two sinks, a low-curb shower, grab bars, non-slip ceramic tile, task lighting and large faucet and cabinet handles. Changes to the layout created more space and improved the room’s aesthetics.

The awards were sponsored by Propane Education & Research.  

CADRE Award Winners

Winners of the CADRE awards recognizing local remodelers council excellence included:

• Member Service and Education
  The Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders Remodelers for developing a successful local remodeling expo event and promoting the products and services of member businesses to consumers
  
  
• Community Service
  The Professional Remodelers Organization of the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland, Ore., for its extensive remodel of a home for at-risk boys.
  
  
• Public Relations
  The Home Builders Association of Hartford County Remodelers in Connecticut for earning positive media accolades with a charity project benefiting a local children's camp
  
  
• Recruitment and Retention
  The Greater Houston Builders Association Remodelers for developing a successful membership ambassador program for recruiting new members
  
  
• Government Affairs
  The Greater Houston Builders Association Remodelers for working with the local historical commission to increase education about remodeler concerns

Recipients of the individual CADRE awards included:

• Associate Member
  Judy Bonica Crane of the Greater Houston Builders Association Remodelers for membership recruitment and continuous support of the council
  
  
• Council Chair
  Rob Hellyer of the Greater Houston Builders Association Remodelers for his council leadership and government advocacy efforts
  
  
• Executive Officer/Council Coordinator
  Hallie Gentry from the Professional Remodelers Organization of the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland for her work to grow and support the council

The awards were sponsored by Pella Corporation.

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.

Congress Recognizes NAHB Member for Helping Homeless Women Veterans

Campobello, S.C., home builder Chip Smith and his company Blue Ridge Log Cabins were recently recognized by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for building a home for women veterans.

The home was donated to the Jubilee House program of Steps-N-Stages, a non-profit agency founded by Navy veteran Barbara Marshall that provides housing for homeless and disabled women veterans and their families in Fayetteville, N.C.

“Chip’s generosity and Barbara Marshall’s vision have provided an invaluable service to those who have sacrificed their safety for ours,” Gowdy said during his remarks. “When it comes to our veterans, it is imperative that we encourage efforts like this that support those in need.”

“It is truly humbling to be recognized at the highest level in the country,” said Smith. “We felt very strongly about the plight of homeless women veterans and couldn’t let this opportunity to make a difference pass us by.”

The construction of the home was featured on the season premiere of the ABC television series “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," on Sept. 25, with First Lady Michelle Obama appearing as a special guest volunteer worker.

In addition to transitional and permanent housing, Steps-N-Stages provides mentoring, life coaching, job search assistance, peer counseling and other support services for veterans.

More than 30 homeless women veterans and their families will be served by the housing and resources in Jubilee House.

The log home was assembled from 13 modular units over seven days with the help of more than 4,000 volunteers.

Smith, a member of NAHB’s Building Systems Councils and Log Home Council, donated the home, and local companies and individuals donated supplies, materials and funds to help complete it.

Click here to read a Sept. 19 Nation’s Building News story on  the construction of the home.

Rep. Gowdy also recognized Smith as an innovator and a leader in the modular log cabin industry.

“I am very proud of what our company has done,” said Smith. “Our creativity and innovative practices have allowed us to be successful and give back to the community through this tough time for home builders.”

About 90% of a Blue Ridge home is constructed in the factory, which reduces costs and allows the home to be completed faster than a conventionally constructed log home.  

“The First Lady told me, ‘I hope other people look at what you’re doing and are inspired to build homes like this around the country,’” said Smith. “It would be the best outcome imaginable for these deserving veterans for that to happen.”

For more information, email Gwyn Donohue at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8447.

Modular Care Cottages an Independent-Living Alternative for the Elderly and Disabled

NAHB Building Systems Councils member Nationwide Homes, based in Martinsville, Va., has created a modular alternative to full-scale home adaptations — a one-bedroom, one-bathroom, 642-square-foot home that can easily fit in a back yard — for people with disabilities or the elderly who want to live independently but close to their caregivers.

Nationwide Homes has created what it calls a Care Cottage for Angie Plager — who was paralyzed from the chest down in an auto accident — to give her the independence and privacy she craved while also enabling her to live on the same property of the home she shared with her mother, who helps her with her daily tasks.

Plager and Nationwide worked together to custom-design the wheelchair friendly Care Cottage, which was installed 10 feet from her mother’s home. The Heartland model modular cottage provided the family a cost-effective alternative to the extensive and expensive home renovations Plager would otherwise have required.

After the accident, Plager moved back into her mother’s two-story, farm-style home in rural Iowa, but since the bedrooms were all on the second floor, they converted the living room into Plager’s bedroom. Those living arrangements changed once the Care Cottage was installed.

The cottage features wide doors as well as a custom-designed kitchen, bathroom and shower facilities that are easily accessible — without looking or feeling institutional.

“It’s awesome,” Plager said. “It has increased my independence, improved my accessibility and enhanced my quality of life.”

The cottage gives Plager the ability to live independently, except for caregiving assistance and occasional help cooking meals.

Dan Goodin, Nationwide’s director of sales and marketing, said Care Cottages are ideal for families assisting loved ones who want to live independently. He said the cottages can be freestanding, like the Plager cottage, or added onto an existing home.

“Our typical clients are people with health or disability issues who need the assistance of family members, but also want to live their own lives and maintain a certain level of independence,” Goodin said. “The market potential is limitless when you consider the aging demographics of the nation.”

To view The Heartland floor plans, click here.

Efficient and accessible, the Care Cottage offers an independent-living alternative to whole-house renovations for the disabled or elderly.

Building Systems Manufacturers, Builders Awarded for Marketing and Design Excellence

The Building Systems Councils (BSC) recently announced the 2012 winners of the Jerry Rouleau Awards for Excellence in Marketing and Home Design, presented by the BSC and Log Homes Council.

The annual competition invites NAHB builder members and manufacturers in the concrete, log, modular and panelized home building industry who belong to the BSC to enter their most exceptional work from the past 24 months.

This year, 12 winning entries and 12 honorable mentions in a dozen marketing and design categories were awarded. Recipients covered the spectrum of the building systems industry, from diminutive cabins to sprawling estates, and interactive websites to inspirational marketing booklets.

“Even though the housing market recovery continues to be slow, this year’s award winners are a testament to residential marketing and home design concepts, and make positives strides for the building-systems industry as a whole," said 2011 BSC Chairman Harry Junk.

The 2012 awards and their respective recipients include:

Excellence in Marketing

• Presentation of Home Plans Winner: Lindal Cedar Homes
• Presentation of Home Plans, Log Homes Council, Winner: Honest Abe Log Homes
• Builder/Dealer Marketing Materials Winner: Rocky Mountain Log Homes
  • Honorable Mention: Barden Building Systems
• Website Winner: Expedition Log Homes
  • Honorable Mention: Stratford Homes
• Print Ad Winner: Rocky Mountain Log Homes
  • Honorable Mention: Honest Abe Log Homes 

Excellence in Home Design

Modular

• Under 2,000 square feet Honorable Mention: Builder-Tony Hirst and HandCrafted Homes
• 2,001-3,000 square feet Honorable Mention: Simplex Homes
• 3,001-4,000 square feet Winner: HandCrafted Homes and Builder-Tony Hirst
  • Honorable Mention: Sterling Homes and Preferred Building Systems
• Over 4,001 square feet Honorable Mention: HandCrafted Homes
• Multifamily Winner: Signature Building Systems
• Green Building Winner: Simplex Homes
  • Honorable Mention: Builder-Tony Hirst and HandCrafted Homes

Panel

• Over 4,001 square feet Honorable Mention: Insulspan SIPs and Riverbend Timber Framing 
• Green Building Winner: Insulspan SIPs and Riverbend Timber Framing  

Log

• Under 2,000 square feet Winner: Honest Abe Log Homes
  • Honorable Mention: Expedition Log Homes
• 3,001-4,000 square feet Winner: Honest Abe Log Homes
  • Honorable Mention: PrecisionCraft Log & Timber Homes
• More than 4,001 square feet Winner: Rocky Mountain Log Homes
  • Honorable Mention: PrecisionCraft Log & Timber Homes

To see the award-winning projects, visit the 2012 BSC Excellence Awards presentation.

Floor plans of the design award winners will be featured in more detail in future issues of Nation's Building News. They also can be found in the Floor Plans and Featured BSC Homes and Floor Plans sections of the NAHB website immediately after they are featured in NBN.

For more information, email Donna Peak at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8577; or visit www.nahb.org/bsc.

Nov. 2: Webinar Looks at What’s Cooking in Kitchen Design

With current home design trending to less space and more quality, a panel of architects and designers participating in a webinar on "Reinventing the Kitchen” will explore the dynamic concepts, products and materials that add value to today's kitchens.

Sponsored by the NAHB Design Committee, the webinar will be held from 2:00-3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

Panelists will discuss a survey of lifestyles and trends that affect home owners' preferences and provide insights into how to compete in the current housing market.

Attendees will:

• Learn how priorities are changing in kitchen design, products and materials
• Take away a list of action points for improving their next kitchen plans Increase their knowledge of current trends in kitchen design
• Broaden their understanding of the kitchen elements that are most attractive to buyers

Participants can earn one hour of continuing education credit toward their designations.

To Register

The fee is $19.95 for Design Committee members, $24.95 for NAHB members and $44.95 for non-members.

To register online, visit the NAHB Webinar Wednesdays registration page; or call NAHB’s Office of the Registrar at 800-368-5242 x8338, or email registrar@nahb.org.

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

Nov. 9: Learn to Create and Market on a Budget That Does More With Less

With marketing departments having to accomplish more with less, the webinar, “Creating the Modern Marketing Budget,” will explore how to create a budget that helps maximize current resources to ensure reaching and engaging targeted audiences.

Presented by the National Sales and Marketing Council (NSMC), the webinar will be from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

The webinar can help decision makers understand what consider before they begin developing their budget, and the resources they need to allocate in order to achieve their desired results.

Paul Stern, director of Realtor® outreach with Builders Digital Exchange, will lead the webinar.

Attendees will:

• Learn about demographics and how to identify the right methods for reaching their target audience
• Learn about the importance of having a good mix of "old-school" and new method sales and marketing tactics
• Learn how to allocate funds for maximum results

Participants can earn one hour of continuing education credit toward their designations.

To Register

The fee is $19.95 for NSMC members, $24.95 for NAHB members and $44.95 for non-members.

To register online, visit the NAHB Webinar Wednesdays registration page; or call NAHB’s Office of the Registrar at 800-368-5242 x8338, or email registrar@nahb.org.

For more information, email Sonora Munks at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8694.

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.

Nov. 16: Webinar Explores Strategies, Best Practices for Changing 50+ Market

Builders and developers of 50+ lifestyle communities will have to reset their expectations and adapt their operations to prepare for the “new normal” as today’s increasingly diverse 50+ consumers demand a much different product from those offered before the downturn.

In the webinar, “Adjusting to the ‘New Normal’ — Strategies and Best Practices From 50+ Builders,” attendees will learn how leading 50+ builders are adjusting to the changing landscape and preparing their companies for success as panelists candidly share how they plan to serve the coming wave of boomer buyers.

The webinar, presented by the 50+ Housing Council, will be held from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Nov. 16,

During the webinar, panelists will:

• Provide insights on how their 50+ customer base has evolved and how they intend to meet market demand
• Offer best practices on how to streamline operations and reset priorities in a rapidly evolving business climate
• Explore changes in the development of 50+ lifestyle communities, with a focus on product, design and amenities.
• Offer strategies that are resulting in increased sales in today’s challenging economy

Participants can earn one hour of continuing education credit toward their designations.

To Register

The fee is $19.95 for 50+ Housing Council members, $24.95 for NAHB members and $44.95 for non-members.

To register online, visit the NAHB Webinar Wednesdays registration page; or call NAHB’s Office of the Registrar at 800-368-5242 x8338, or email registrar@nahb.org.

To learn more about NAHB 50+ Housing e-Learning events, visit www.nahb.org/50pluswebseminars.

Find Out What 45+ Housing Buyers Want

“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.

Nov. 30: Learn to Create Expensive Looking Details Within an Affordable Budget

Builders will gain a marketing edge from tips and practical examples of how to make their homes greener, deliver more home technology and offer greater architectural design — all within a reasonable budget — during the “2011 Affordable Million Dollar Details and Sneak Peek Into 2012 Cost-Saving Details” webinar beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

Presented by the NAHB Design Committee, participants will:

• Learn how to create expensive-looking details within a budget
• Explore proven methods for offering basic, economical home technology
• Acquire field-tested tips for ways to offer greener homes without adding too much to the buyer's bottom line
• Gain proven strategies for designing and building homes that compete on value rather than price alone

Participants can earn one hour of continuing education credit toward their designations.

To Register

The fee is $19.95 for Design Committee members, $24.95 for NAHB members and $44.95 for non-members.

To register online, visit the NAHB Webinar Wednesdays registration page; or call NAHB’s Office of the Registrar at 800-368-5242 x8338, or email registrar@nahb.org.

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

Dec. 7: Webinar to Teach How to Make Networking Fun, Productive, Less Stressful

With more than three-quarters of all business transactions involving some form of networking, the webinar, “Taking the Strange Out of Meeting Strangers,” will teach participants the basics of networking and how to make it fun and productive, not stressful.

Presented by Professional Women in Building, the webinar will be held from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

This webinar will teach participants how to develop their 30-second elevator pitch — a short summary that quickly defines their product, services or company — break into the crowd and focus on quality, not quantity.

Participants will learn how to:

• Become comfortable in networking situations
• Make networking enjoyable and productive
• Identify contacts that are meaningful for you and your business

Participants can earn one hour of continuing education credit toward their designations.

To Register

The fee is $19.95 for Professional Women in Building members, $24.95 for NAHB members and $44.95 for non-members.

To register online, visit the NAHB Webinar Wednesdays registration page; or call NAHB’s Office of the Registrar at 800-368-5242 x8338, or email registrar@nahb.org.

For more information, email Carmel Nayman at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8410.

Submit Online Nominations for 2011 Top Designee, Educator Honors by Friday, Nov. 4

NAHB is now accepting nominations for the 2011 Designee of the Year awards — which honor leading builders, remodelers and associates who hold NAHB professional designations — and the 2011 Educator of the Year award, which honors quality instructors of NAHB’s designation courses.

Nominations can be submitted online and are due by Friday, Nov. 4.

“Earning a designation means you are committed to the industry and wish to maintain the highest standards of professionalism,” said Michael Copp, senior vice president of NAHB’s Member Services and Education.

“The Designee of the Year winners go the extra mile to share what an NAHB designation has done for them personally and professionally," he said. "They encourage others to continue to learn and expand their industry knowledge.”

2011 Designee of the Year nominations are being accepted for the following designations:

• Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS)
   
• Certified Graduate Associate (CGA)
   
• Certified Graduate Builder (CGB)
   
• Certified Green Professional (CGP)
   
• Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR)
   
• Graduate Master Builder (GMB)
   
• Graduate Master Remodeler (GMR)
   
• Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP) 
   
• Master Certified New Home Sales Professional (Master CSP)
   
• Master Certified Green Professional (Master CGP)
   
• Master in Residential Marketing (MIRM)

To be eligible to receive a 2011 Designee of the Year award, candidates must be active designation holders and members in good standing.

Members of the designations’ governing bodies and home builders association staff members are not eligible.

The Designee of the Year winners will be selected by the respective governing bodies based on criteria set for receiving each award, including a review of the answers to the questions and support documentation submitted.

To Apply

Nominations for the awards may be made by active designees, home builders associations and other organizations. Self-nominations also are accepted.

To apply online by Nov. 4, click here.

Top Instructors to Be Honored

New this year, the 2011 Educator of the Year award honors instructors who promote the value of earning a designation and contribute to the growth of NAHB’s education programs.

“NAHB’s designation programs would not be what they are without quality instructors,” Copp said. “We’re excited to launch the Educator of the Year award to showcase our top instructors and motivate others to become teachers and share their expertise with their peers in the housing industry.”

2011 Educator of the Year awards will be presented in four categories:

• Builder/Remodeler — for CGA, CGB, GMB, CGR and GMR
   
• CAPS
   
• Green — for CGP and Master CGP
   
• Institute of Residential Marketing/Sales & Marketing — for CSP, CMP, Master CSP and MIRM.
   

Active designees, students, HBAs that hold a joint-venture license and instructors are encouraged to nominate outstanding instructors by Nov. 1.

To Apply

Nominees must be in good standing, have maintained high speaker ratings and taught at least four classes over the past two years. Members of the designation boards are ineligible for the award.

To apply online by Tuesday, Nov. 1, click here.

Winners of the 2011 Designee of the Year and Educator of the Year awards will be recognized at NAHB Education’s Designation Achievement Reception on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at The Peabody Orlando during the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show.

Registration information on the reception will be available soon.

For more information, email Lynette Jones at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8445.

NAHB Seeks Professional Designation Holders Who Are Breaking the Mold

NAHB wants to hear from NAHB professional designation holders who are meeting their customers’ needs and advancing the housing industry by working on a project that is interesting, innovative or breaking the mold.

NAHB is looking for examples of how those who have earned NAHB designations have succeeded in using them to improve their businesses.

Builders, developers and remodelers who hold NAHB designations such as Certified Graduate Builder (CGB), Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR), Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) and Certified Green Professional (CGP) are encouraged to share their unique projects that have been completed or are in the works.

Projects can include new homes, remodeling jobs or communities of all sizes and types, including single-family, multifamily, custom, aging-in-place/universal design and green.

In addition, NAHB wants to hear from sales and marketing professionals who have earned the Master in Residential Marketing (MIRM), Master Certified New Home Sales Professional (Master CSP) and NAHB’s other sales and marketing designations.

Sales and marketing pros are invited to share any unique marketing approaches that have been effective in today’s tough marketplace.

The most interesting projects will be featured in Nation’s Building News and other NAHB publications.

Submit your project and ideas today; or email Calli Schmidt at NAHB, or call her at 800 368-5242 x8132.

Education Calendar

Nov. 2	"Reinventing the Kitchen”	Webinar
Nov. 9	"Creating the Modern Marketing Budget"	Webinar
Nov. 9-11	NAHB Summit on Association Excellence	Dallas, Texas
Nov. 16	"Adjusting to the 'New Normal' — Strategies and Best Practices From 50+ Builders"	Webinar
Nov. 30	"Affordable Million Dollar Details & Sneak Peek Into 2012 Cost Saving Details"	Webinar
Dec. 7	"Taking the Strange Out of Meeting Strangers"	Webinar
Dec. 14	"LIHTC Webinar — Combining LIHTCs with Other Programs"	Webinar
2012
Feb. 4	"Advanced Green Building: Building Science"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 4	"Advanced Green Building: Project Management"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 4	"Business Management for Building Professionals"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 4	"The Challenge of New Home Sales Management (IRM IV)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 5	"Green Building for Building Professionals"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 5	"Marketing & Communication Strategies for Aging & Accessibility (CAPS I)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 5	"Train the Trainer"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 6	"Design/Build Solutions for Aging and Accessibility (CAPS II)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 6	"Lifestyle Merchandising, Advertising, and Promotion Strategies (IRM III)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 6	"Project Management"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Builder Assessment Review (BAR)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Design/Build"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Home Technology Integration"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Negotiating Skills"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Sales & Marketing for Remodelers"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Professional Remodeler Experience Profile (PREP)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	NAHB/Builders Mutual Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE) Awards	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 8-11	2012 NAHB International Builder's Show	Orlando, Fla.

Learn More About NAHB Professional Development Offerings

View the variety of professional development offerings available through NAHB and its local associations at www.nahb.org/education.

Search for Upcoming Courses in Your Area

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

Apply for NAHB Custom Home Builder of the Year Award by Friday, Nov. 11

Entries for the NAHB Custom Home Builder of the Year Award honoring home builders who are masters at transforming client wish lists into one-of-a-kind custom homes are due by Friday, Nov. 11, and can be submitted online.

Sponsored by the Propane Education and Research Council, the award recognizes custom builders who create exceptional and innovative custom homes, as well as demonstrate effective leadership and dedication within the industry and their local community.

Candidates can apply themselves or be nominated by a colleague or their HBA executive officer or president.

The winner will be honored at a luncheon on Feb. 10 at the Custom Building Center during the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando. The winner also will be featured in national trade magazines and NAHB publications.

To Apply

For more information or to apply online, visit www.nahb.org/customaward; or email Marcia Childs at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8388.

Water Quality Trading Could Reduce Rising Stormwater Regulatory Costs for Home Builders

With requirements around the nation growing fast to reduce stormwater sediment or nutrients into streams, lakes and reservoirs, water quality credit trading programs are seen as a significant opportunity for home builders and developers to reduce the cost of stormwater management regulations.

In its efforts to push the environment to the top of national priorities, the Obama Administration has been intent on increasing the use of Low Impact Development (LID) for controlling stormwater from new development.

A number of new national stormwater rules are expected to be proposed next year to address impaired waters and new LID requirements.

In many areas of the country, home builders are already feeling the bite of more stringent water quality standards by states and localities, which will be required to develop thousands more of such programs over the next several decades.

Water quality trading programs have appeared on the landscape in a number of states to help achieve water quality goals in a cost-effective manner, reducing the financial impact of stricter water quality standards.

These programs provide options under which traders can participate on a voluntary basis to lower their costs.

Builders Not Included

Many of these programs address stormwater discharges such as those that can occur during home building activities. In states like Pennsylvania, some developers are already water quality trading participants.

However, most home builders do not have the option of participating in trading because their stormwater permits are short in duration, much shorter than the normal five-year permit for publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) which — along with agriculture — constitute the bulk of trading participants.

NAHB has been working with the water trading community to come up with ideas that would enable home builders to participate in the trading programs under development.

On its website, the Environmental Protection Agency describes water trading and its advantages.

The agency calls it “an innovative approach to achieve water quality goals more efficiently.

“Trading is based on the fact that sources in a watershed can face very different costs to control the same pollutant.

“Trading programs allow facilities facing higher pollution control costs to meet their regulatory obligations by purchasing environmentally equivalent (or superior) pollution reductions from another source at lower cost, thus achieving the same water quality improvement at lower overall cost.”

Trading Stormwater Retention Credits

In those areas of the U.S. where developers have been able to participate in state water quality credit trading, the programs are generally small and focused on a particular state watershed or a body of water that is impaired.

And there seems to be few existing programs where a home builder with a short-duration stormwater permit can purchase credits to lower a project’s costs.

However, for the first time, a major U.S. city — Washington, D.C. — is considering trading stormwater retention (volume) credits.

Since one of the new federal stormwater rules expected to be proposed in 2012 may impose quite strenuous water retention requirements, this type of trading program would greatly benefit cities such as Washington that are installing LID stormwater measures and also help builders and property owners who might want to generate and sell stormwater retention credits under such a trading program.

Chesapeake Bay, Ohio River Basin Lead the Way

New trading programs for the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and the Ohio River Basin are among large trading programs now being developed that may provide helpful models for other areas.

Both programs will be bigger in scope than anything tried before, and both are in response to nutrient reduction mandates that will be difficult to achieve without trading programs.

Spanning eight states, the Ohio River Basin trading program is being put together by a collection of partner organizations to improve the hypoxic (low oxygen) zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

The program is being developed to sell credits for nitrogen and phosphorous discharges, and greenhouse gas emission reductions.

Home builders are not being considered as trading participants in the program at this time.

Details of the program are available from the Electric Power Research Institute (search on its site for Ohio River Basin).

Under the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, large portions of six states and all of Washington, D.C., face a strict new rule to reduce nutrients and sediments into the bay.

Although water quality trading will be critical to lowering the costs of what is expected to be the most expensive water quality rule ever developed, the affected states have just begun to consider the advantages of trading.

Creation of a robust trading program for the bay clearly faces many hurdles, but without trading it will be extremely difficult to meet some of the requirements under the new rule.

Seeking Builder Feedback

The EPA, the states and NAHB have all endorsed the market-based concept of allowing permit holders to purchase water quality or water quantity credits generated from stormwater best management practices on farms or other properties in order to comply with stormwater regulations.

NAHB is seeking feedback from home builders who are currently participating in a water quality trading program or others interested in discussing the potential of trading as a way to reduce costs and provide regulatory flexibility to home builders.

To respond, or for more information, email Glynn Rountree at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8662.

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.

SAFE Awards Make Safety a Selling Point for Residential Construction Companies

Builders, remodelers and developers who have top-notch safety plans and practices are highly encouraged to apply for the 2011 NAHB/Builders Mutual Insurance Company Safety Award For Excellence (SAFE),

There is no fee to apply and registrants are automatically entered to win a $500 Visa gift card.

The award — the only safety awards program for the home building industry — recognizes home builders and contractors who have developed and implemented high-quality, work-site safety programs, and also honors government officials and NAHB-affiliated associations working to advance safety in the home building industry.

“We take job safety very seriously,” said Barbara West, location manager of Handyman Connection, a 2010 recipient of the NAHB SAFE Award.

“This award has given us the opportunity to showcase the importance of safety to our customers,” he said. “Customers now have more confidence in Handyman Connection, which will results in increased business.”

Specialty trade contractors, remodelers and light commercial and multifamily builders — as well as NAHB-affiliated associations and federal or state occupational safety and health officials who have been nominated by an NAHB member or association — are also welcome to apply.

Winners of the award receive recognition from NAHB for their achievements in improving construction safety.

NAHB provides year-long marketing and exposure for winners on its website, through national press releases and through electronic news outlets with distribution to more than 160,000 housing industry professionals.

There can also be more tangible benefits for award winners.

“We received a 5% discount on our workers compensation insurance for having our safety program in place,” said Rebecca Fowler, director of marketing for Charter Homes and Neighborhoods.

“Not only that, we got kudos from many local businesses after we won the award — everyone from bankers to insurance agents sent us notes of congratulations,” she said. “And most importantly, it gave our program legitimacy with our trade partners.”

The awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 2012 International Builders’ Show in Orlando on Feb. 7 at the Peabody Orlando Hotel.

Award categories include, among others, Safety Program of the Year for single-family builders, remodelers, specialty trade contractors, multifamily builders and more.

For a detailed list of categories, requirements and an online nomination form, visit www.nahb.org/SAFE.

Applications are due Dec. 2.

To Apply

For more information on the NAHB/Builders Mutual Insurance Company SAFE Awards program, go to the award application; or email Tonia Green at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8163.

About the Title Sponsor

Builders Mutual Insurance Company has provided more than 25 years of uninterrupted insurance coverage exclusively to the home building industry.

"Where Builders Come First" has been its focus since 1984, when the company grew out of the North Carolina Home Builders Association to provide workers compensation to eligible members.

Builders Mutual’s close ties to home builders associations in North Carolina and other states is one of the reasons for its consistency and stability. 

Builders Mutual and its customers benefit from aligning themselves with influential home builders associations, whose mission is to foster and promote a healthy home building economy and protect the interests of those in the industry.

Help Make Job Site Safety a Priority With Video From NAHB BuilderBooks

The “Jobsite Safety Video,” available through NAHB BuilderBooks, is the first-ever job site safety video for home builders.

The video provides an overview of the key safety issues that residential builders and workers need to focus on to reduce accidents and injuries.

Based on the NAHB-OSHA Jobsite Safety Handbook, this DVD is intended to be used as part of an essential residential construction safety-training program and includes two 20-minute videos on one DVD.

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

OSHA Requires an Up-to-Date Communication System on Hazardous Job Site Chemicals

To ensure that their hazard communication system on dangerous chemicals on the job site is up-to-date, employers should review the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Hazard Communication (HAZCOM) standard, which was third on OSHA's top-10 list of the most frequently consulted standards last year.

The standard is designed to protect employees who are working with or around hazardous chemicals ranging from paint to concrete, which typically fall into three categories: flammables and combustibles, compressed gases and toxins.

The performance-based standard gives employers the flexibility they need to meet the needs of their workplace instead of following specific, rigid requirements.

Labels, other forms of warning, material safety data sheets (MSDS's) and employee information and training are included under the HAZCOM standard that employers are required to develop and maintain.

Employers are responsible for obtaining an MSDS for every hazardous chemical used on their job site. If an MSDS does not accompany a shipment, it is the employer’s responsibility to request one.

The data sheets must be readily accessible to all employees when they are on the job site and during their shift. Some employers keep the MSDS's in a binder in a central location — such as a pick-up truck or construction trailer — while others use an electronic-delivery software service.

Once an MSDS collection and labeling system has been established, all employees need to be trained on how to use it. There must also be training on safe work practices for using hazardous chemicals.

On multi-employer job sites, employers who produce, use or store hazardous chemicals that may expose other employers must establish a system to communicate with those employers how to access the MSDS's.

In order to assist employers in developing a written HAZCOM program, OSHA has created a model Hazard Communication Program.

For more information, email Marcus Odorizzi at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8590.

Help Make Job Site Safety a Priority With Video From NAHB BuilderBooks

The “Jobsite Safety Video,” available through NAHB BuilderBooks, is the first-ever job site safety video for home builders.

The video provides an overview of the key safety issues that residential builders and workers need to focus on to reduce accidents and injuries.

Based on the NAHB-OSHA Jobsite Safety Handbook, this DVD is intended to be used as part of an essential residential construction safety-training program and includes two 20-minute videos on one DVD.

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

HBI New Orleans Volunteers Help Rebuild Two Homes Damaged by Hurricane Katrina

As part of Rebuilding Together New Orleans’ annual “Christmas in October” rebuilding effort, which has been underway since Hurricane Katrina devastated several parts of the city in 2005, volunteers from two Home Builders Institute (HBI) programs in New Orleans spent two weekends making needed repairs on shotgun homes owned by low-income seniors.

Twenty pairs of coaches and students from HBI’s C-CORE (Construction Coaching Opportunities to Reach Employment) mentoring program andtwo instructors and 11 students from HBI’s Operation Reconstruct built a fence, added staircase handrails, installed subfloors, repaired and finished wood and tile floors and painted the homes of an elderly woman and a couple who had to evacuate during the hurricane.

Operation Reconstruct is a partnership with the Jefferson Parish Workforce Investment Board and the Paxen Learning Corporation, a private, for-profit corporation that specializes in accelerated education, training and curriculums for at-risk youths and adults.

While working on the homes, one of the program leaders, Marty Grissom, of Operation Reconstruct, and several students were interviewed by a television reporter from WDSU-TV in New Orleans about their volunteer efforts.

HBI — the workforce development arm of NAHB — provides training, mentoring, curriculum development and job placement services in support of the housing industry.

An integral part of HBI programming is teaming with organizations such as Rebuilding Together New Orleans in order to provide on-the-job service and learning opportunities that help build students’ confidence while helping rebuild their communities.

HBI C-CORE is a national mentoring program that pairs young adults who are interested in working in the construction industry with adult coaches who offer them career guidance and teach industry skills. C-CORE has partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters in New Orleans to match coaches and students.

HBI Operation Reconstruct — which boasts an 80% job placement rate for its graduates — provides life skills, construction training and certification for adjudicated youths, giving them an opportunity to turn their lives around while also acquiring valuable job skills.

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot,” said Damon Larkin, an HBI Operation Reconstruct student. “And the program has helped me with all the things I want to do.”

Grissom, along with his son, Roger Grissom of HBI C-CORE in New Orleans, organized the HBI volunteer assignments for the October renovation effort.

For more information, email Dennis Torbett at HBI, or call him at 800-795-7955 x8908.

Upcoming Siding Conference Looks at Integrated Building Envelope Systems

Cladding, barriers and insulation, which all need to be considered as an integrated system when designing the building envelope, are among the topics at the SIDING 2011 Conference & Exhibition on Nov. 14-15 at the Charlotte Marriott City Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Hosted by Principia, SIDING 2011 is the first conference specifically focused on residential and light commercial siding.

Peter Dachowski, a former CEO of CertainTeed, will deliver the keynote address on the future of the industry. First day sessions include discussions on “Curb Appeal” and “Distribution Channel Dynamics,” which will be followed by a panel discussion with builders and siding contractors on issues of the day.

Aaron Wood of BASF will discuss energy-neutral construction and the Passive House during the second day, which will also include the session, “Energy Efficiency and Comfort.” Throughout the day, attendees will learn the latest techniques for designing energy-efficient wall systems. The session will conclude with a builder and contractor roundtable on energy-efficient design.

Siding industry products and system demonstrations — ranging from colorants to natural wood enhancements to brick and masonry veneer options — will be on display in the exhibition area throughout the conference.

To Register

NAHB members can attend the conference at a special priceof $500.

For a full agenda, registration form and information, visit www.principiaconferences.com; or call Al Rossi of Principia at 860-283-5300.

Members should mention Builder's Code E123 or enter it on the online registration form when registering.

Uponor Fittings, Valves, Manifolds and Accessories Available on Autodesk

Design professionals in the radiant, plumbing and fire sprinkler industries can now specify Uponor products in their projects even faster and easier.

Autodesk Seek, the online source for product specifications and building information modeling (BIM) for building design, now features Uponor parts in its database library.

By searching "Uponor" in Autodesk Seek, architects, engineers and other design professionals can gain access to information on more than 70 Uponor parts for use in Revit, AutoCAD, 3ds Max, Maya and other CAD applications.

The comprehensive Uponor offering includes various engineered plastic (EP) fittings and multi-ports, lead-free brass fittings, valves, manifolds and other accessories for use in Uponor plumbing, fire sprinkler and radiant heating and cooling systems.

“At Uponor, we are constantly striving to make it easier for our professional partners to specify, design and build with Uponor products and systems,” says Chris Moore, vice president of information technology at Uponor.

“Having our products available in Autodesk Seek gives architects and engineers quick access to everything they need to specify and use Uponor in their projects.”

Headquartered in Apple Valley, Minn., Uponor is a member of NAHB's Leading Suppliers Council.

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.

Five Texas Undergraduates Awarded 2011-2012 Herman J. Smith Scholarships

Five undergraduate students majoring in construction-related fields at Texas universities were recently named winners of the 2011-2012 Herman J. Smith/National Housing Endowment Scholarship.

The Herman J. Smith Scholarship Fund, honoring 1981 NAHB President Herman J. Smith, provides assistance to graduate and undergraduate students studying construction management, mortgage finance and related fields. Scholarship awards are made each year by the Greater Fort Worth Home Builders Association education foundation.

The students, who were awarded $2,500 scholarships each, include:

• Brandon Colquitt, a sophomore at Texas Tech University majoring in construction engineering
• Douglas Doucette, a senior at Texas A&M University studying construction science
• Aldo Guerra, a sophomore at the University of Texas at San Antonio majoring in architecture
• Jacob Hernandez, a freshman at the University of Texas at San Antonio majoring in architecture
• Rodolfo Rodriguez, a senior at the University of Texas in Austin majoring in architecture

“The local Fort Worth, Texas, scholarship committee is inspired every year when we review biographies, academics and future plans of students in housing-related careers who apply for the Herman J. Smith/National Housing Endowment Scholarship,” said Patsy Smith, who established the scholarship in her husband’s memory. “We are happy to serve in making an impact for the future of housing in America.”

Patsy Smith is also an endowment life trustee and a trustee and past chair of the Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of NAHB.

Since its inception in 1994, the Smith scholarship fund has awarded more than $197,500 to 116 students.

“We are so honored to present these scholarships that honor the memory of Herman Smith,” said Bob Mitchell, endowment chairman and 2000 NAHB president. “His legacy and spirit lives on in the scholarship and ambition of these students.”

$20,000 Grant Awarded to HBI Fund

The Smith scholarship committee also awarded a $20,000 grant to the Home Builders Institute Fund to create certification testing for the home building-related trades.

More Endowment Scholarship Programs

The endowment awards more than $300,000 in scholarships each year to students pursuing careers in residential construction and related fields.

For more information, visit the endowment website at www.nationalhousingendowment.org.

Help Support Student Chapter Travel to IBS When Registering for Builders’ Show

As part of their online registration to the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando,  attendees now have an easy way to make a $5 donation towards  scholarships that will enable NAHB Student Chapter members to offset some or all of their travel and attendance expenses at IBS.

NAHB and the National Housing Endowment, which provides the scholarships, have provided a “Help a Student Attend IBS” check-off box as part of the online registration that attendees can click if they wish to make a $5 donation.

This is the fifth year the endowment — and the NAHB Student Chapters in conjunction with the Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of NAHB — have awarded scholarships to students traveling to the Builders’ Show. Student chapters can receive grants for up to $2,000 and home builders associations can receive matching grants for up to $2,000 to help send students to IBS.

The scholarship program has been instrumental in helping student chapter members learn outside the classroom and prepare for careers in the home building industry. Since its inception, the program has awarded scholarships to more than 2,500 students attending IBS and competing in the Residential Construction Management Competition.

The IBS scholarship program also helps give young NAHB members the tools to enter into the federation as graduates and to become future industry leaders. But, students and faculty are challenged every year to raise travel money to attend the events and participate in activities and competition at IBS.

“IBS is an incredible learning experience for students interested in the home building industry,” said Gregory Gritter, a Student Chapter member at Louisiana State University who attended IBS last year. “I would definitely recommend that students new to the show attend as much as possible to ensure maximum exposure to everything IBS has to offer. From the show floor to the competitions to the ceremonies, it’s an unforgettable experience.”

“We learned that the housing industry is still alive and well and that there are so many dedicated people willing to help us,” added Jodi Crabree, president of the Student Chapter at the University of Florida. “Everybody at IBS seemed to be working to help each other.” 

Bob Mitchell, endowment chairman and 2000 NAHB president of NAHB, said that the new check-off box is an easy and inexpensive way for industry professionals to “pull together and keep investing in our future by helping give students the opportunity to learn about careers in residential construction."

“When you register for this year’s IBS, join your fellow attendees in supporting the next generation of builders and NAHB members by donating $5 to ‘Help a Student Attend IBS,’” Mitchell said.

Carl Grant, First President of Tennessee HBA, NAHB Life Director, Dies at 92

Carl J. Grant — who with just $267 to his name started his first company after graduating from high school before becoming a successful builder and president of both his local and state home builders associations — died on Oct. 13 after a brief illness. He was 92.

Born in Duck Hill, Miss., Grant served in the Navy from 1942 until the end of World War II. In 1948, he founded his home building company, Carl Grant Homes, and built more than 1,000 single-family homes as well as apartments and light commercial in the Memphis, Tenn., area before retiring.

In 1957, Grant was named the Home Builder of the Year by the Memphis Area Home Builders Association. He became the HBA’s president two years later. In 1960, he helped organize the Home Builders Association of Tennessee and served as its first president. He was inducted into the association’s Hall of Fame in 1994.

Grant also served as an NAHB director for eight years before being named a life director.

Grant was president of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors® in 1980 and was selected its Realtor® of the Year in 1981.

With only a high school degree, Grant believed in the importance of education and a strong work ethic and, upon retiring from the building industry, established the Carl J. Grant Scholarship Trust at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. He also donated generously to the university building fund to help rebuild it after a tornado in 2008. The university named its new student center the Carl Grant Events Center in his honor.

Grant is survived by his wife, Peggy Jo Grant; three children, Phyllis G. Taylor, J. Richard Grant and Milton C. Grant; six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Nancy L. Grant.

Apply for NAHB Associate of the Year, Bill Polley BuildPAC Awards by Nov.14

Nominations are being accepted for the 2011 NAHB Associate of the Year and NAHB Bill Polley/Build PAC awards recognizing associates who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to NAHB and to Build PAC.

Nominations are due on Nov. 14.

The awards will be presented during the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando from Feb. 8-11.

Associate of the Year Details

The NAHB Associate of the Year Award, the highest honor awarded to an associate member by NAHB, recognizes associates who have made outstanding contributions to their local, state and national associations and to the home building industry.

Each state is invited to submit one application. Entries can be submitted by state presidents, executive officers or NAHB state representatives.

Nominees must be associates in good standing with NAHB.

To Apply

To download an entry form, click here.

Bill Polley BuildPAC Award Details

Named in honor of the late Bill Polley, a past NAHB Associate BuildPAC subcommittee chairman and NAHB Associate Members Committee member, the award acknowledges the associate member who epitomizes Polley's loyalty and diligent fundraising efforts for BuildPAC.

To Apply

To download an entry form, click here.

NAHB Associate members represent a diverse group of occupations involved in the home building industry, including subcontractors, utilities, title companies, interior designers, building material manufacturers and dealers and real estate agents, among others.

For more information, email Betty Thweatt at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8246.

NAHB Calendar of Events

Nov. 2	"Reinventing the Kitchen”	Webinar
Nov. 9	"Creating the Modern Marketing Budget"	Webinar
Nov. 9-11	NAHB Summit on Association Excellence	Dallas, Texas
Nov. 16	"Adjusting to the 'New Normal' — Strategies and Best Practices From 50+ Builders"	Webinar
Nov. 30	"Affordable Million Dollar Details & Sneak Peek Into 2012 Cost Saving Details"	Webinar
Dec. 7	"Taking the Strange Out of Meeting Strangers"	Webinar
Dec. 14	"LIHTC Webinar — Combining LIHTCs with Other Programs"	Webinar
2012
Feb. 4	"Advanced Green Building: Building Science"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 4	"Advanced Green Building: Project Management"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 4	"Business Management for Building Professionals"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 4	"The Challenge of New Home Sales Management (IRM IV)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 5	"Green Building for Building Professionals"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 5	"Marketing & Communication Strategies for Aging & Accessibility (CAPS I)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 5	"Train the Trainer"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 6	"Design/Build Solutions for Aging and Accessibility (CAPS II)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 6	"Lifestyle Merchandising, Advertising, and Promotion Strategies (IRM III)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 6	"Project Management"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Builder Assessment Review (BAR)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Design/Build"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Home Technology Integration"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Negotiating Skills"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Sales & Marketing for Remodelers"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	"Professional Remodeler Experience Profile (PREP)"	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 7	NAHB/Builders Mutual Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE) Awards	Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 8-11	2012 NAHB International Builder's 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 brochure.

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