Thursday, May 17, 2012
Professional Builder's 2012 Housing Giants Rankings
Professional Builder's
2012 Housing Giants Rankings
http://www.housingzone.com/awards-giants/professional-builders-2012-housing-giants-rankings
Friday, May 11, 2012
NAHB has launched a new website for Homeownership!
Despite the fact that Americans overwhelmingly support
homeownership, legislative and regulatory proposals now under
consideration would greatly harm home owners, home buyers, the housing market
and the nation's economy. NAHB has launched a new website, http://www.protecthomeownership.com, to bring
attention to the threats to homeownership and inspire the public to take action
to protect it.
“American families aspire to homeownership because they know that it promotes
stability and is critical in creating wealth and providing upward mobility and
financial security for families. Equally important, homeownership supports the
economy by creating jobs,” said NAHB Chairman Barry Rutenberg, a home builder
from Gainesville, Fla. “Government policies that negatively impact families’
ability to own a home would be devastating for home owners, the housing market
and the nation’s economy.”
Tax, legislative and regulatory policies currently under consideration would scale back or eliminate the mortgage interest deduction and make mortgages and small business loans unaffordable and even more difficult to obtain.
ProtectHomesownership.com explains some of these threats and documents homeownership's importance to individual households and to local, state and national economies through an FAQ, poll data, economic analysis and reports.
The site also provides multiple ways for the public to take positive action to protect this very important aspect of American life. These include an online petition urging policymakers to keep housing a national priority, information about how to participate in homeownership rallies that are being held in a number of communities in 2012, and links to social media communities on Facebook.com/ProtectHomeownership and Twitter.com/4Homeownership.
“New home construction spurs productivity, creates jobs for millions of Americans and generates revenues for all levels of government,” said Rutenberg. “This website will help educate the public about the imminent threats to the American Dream of homeownership and empower them to make sure their voices are heard.”
Tax, legislative and regulatory policies currently under consideration would scale back or eliminate the mortgage interest deduction and make mortgages and small business loans unaffordable and even more difficult to obtain.
ProtectHomesownership.com explains some of these threats and documents homeownership's importance to individual households and to local, state and national economies through an FAQ, poll data, economic analysis and reports.
The site also provides multiple ways for the public to take positive action to protect this very important aspect of American life. These include an online petition urging policymakers to keep housing a national priority, information about how to participate in homeownership rallies that are being held in a number of communities in 2012, and links to social media communities on Facebook.com/ProtectHomeownership and Twitter.com/4Homeownership.
“New home construction spurs productivity, creates jobs for millions of Americans and generates revenues for all levels of government,” said Rutenberg. “This website will help educate the public about the imminent threats to the American Dream of homeownership and empower them to make sure their voices are heard.”
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Richmond Homearama Furniture Sale
Richmond Homearama Furniture Sale!
Discount furnishings and décor are on sale throughout the show in addition to the Homearama Furniture Sale held on May 7th!
How do I buy an item?
* Inside each home is a listing of available furniture and items are marked with prices.
* Simply ask the host to assist in your purchase.
* Your item will be tagged for sale and available for pickup on Monday, May 7 from 10 am until noon.
* For sale, May 7, return with your show ticket stub!
FURNITURE FOR SALE in the following homes:
Biringer Builders,Inc. • Homesmith Construction, Inc. • R.S. Hulbert Builders, Inc. • Ray A. Williams Construction Co.
LifeStyle Builders & Developers, Inc. • JP Orleans Development Corp. • Southern Traditions, LLC
Visit: www.richmondhomearama.com for more information!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Richmond Homearama 2012
Richmond Homearama 2012
This exciting show returns featuring eight new idea homes at Summer Lake in Chesterfield County. Each home showcases the very latest in home construction, design, and technological innovations. The homes are furnished and decorated by regional interior design teams. Opening April 21 – May 6, 2012, Wednesday – Sunday, 12–8 pm. Admission is $10 for adults and free for children 12 and under
Historic Richmond by Biringer Builders
This exciting show returns featuring eight new idea homes at Summer Lake in Chesterfield County. Each home showcases the very latest in home construction, design, and technological innovations. The homes are furnished and decorated by regional interior design teams. Opening April 21 – May 6, 2012, Wednesday – Sunday, 12–8 pm. Admission is $10 for adults and free for children 12 and under
Historic Richmond by Biringer Builders
Our 2012 Richmond Homearama Winners:
CURB APPEAL
SILVER The New Old House R.S. Hulbert Builders, Inc.
GOLD Modern Craftsman Ray A. Williams Construction Co.
MASTER SUITE
SILVER Simply Flexible Orleans Homes
GOLD Vintage Rediscovered LifeStyle Builders & Developers, Inc.
KITCHEN
SILVER Vintage Rediscovered LifeStyle Builders & Developers, Inc.
GOLD Modern Craftsman Ray A. Williams Construction Co.
OUTDOOR LIVING
SILVER Swift Creek Cottage Southern Traditions, LLC
GOLD Historic Richmond Biringer Builders, Inc.
INTERIOR MERCHANDISING
SILVER Modern Craftsman Ray A. Williams Construction Co.
GOLD European Elegance Homesmith Construction, Inc.
FLOOR PLAN
SILVER Modern Craftsman Ray A. Williams Construction Co.
GOLD The New Old House R.S. Hulbert Builders, Inc.
CREATIVE HOME
SILVER The New Old House R.S. Hulbert Builders, Inc.
GOLD Swift Creek Cottage Southern Traditions, LLC
People's Choice Award Winner...coming soon! Visit Homearama to place your vote!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Updated Calculator Shows Highest Priced Home You Can Afford to Buy
http://eyeonhousing.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/updated-calculator-shows-highest-priced-home-you-can-afford-to-buy/
If you see a house of a certain price and have a little experience with spreadsheets, it’s fairly easy to calculate the mortgage payment and compare it to your income to see if you can afford the home. But if you want to do the reverse calculation—start with your income and see what price home you can afford—it’s a little more difficult.
For that reason, NAHB makes the spreadsheet calculators it uses to find a maximum affordable house price available on its web site. Using one of these calculators, if you know what your income is and how much you have for a down payment, you can enter them as shown below.
The calculator will then show you that, if you earn $60,000 a year and have $10,000 for a down payment, under national average assumptions about the mortgage and tax and insurance rates, you can afford to a buy a home priced up to about $218,500, based on conventional mortgage underwriting standards. The result looks like this:
The spreadsheet is designed to perform the calculation with a single combined key stroke, although you need to have Excel set up correctly to make this work. The NAHB web site contains instructions for setting up Excel. The site also contains a second version of the calculator that lets you specify the loan-to-value ratio instead of a down payment. For convenience, the updated versions of the calculators contain national averages for the required assumptions and links to current interest and local property tax rates.
Possible applications of the affordable spreadsheet calculators include buyers using them to get a quick idea of how much home they can afford, as well as builders or realtors doing the same for prospective customers.
For access to both versions of the affordable house price calculator, and instructions for setting up Excel to run them, click here.
If you see a house of a certain price and have a little experience with spreadsheets, it’s fairly easy to calculate the mortgage payment and compare it to your income to see if you can afford the home. But if you want to do the reverse calculation—start with your income and see what price home you can afford—it’s a little more difficult.
For that reason, NAHB makes the spreadsheet calculators it uses to find a maximum affordable house price available on its web site. Using one of these calculators, if you know what your income is and how much you have for a down payment, you can enter them as shown below.
The calculator will then show you that, if you earn $60,000 a year and have $10,000 for a down payment, under national average assumptions about the mortgage and tax and insurance rates, you can afford to a buy a home priced up to about $218,500, based on conventional mortgage underwriting standards. The result looks like this:
The spreadsheet is designed to perform the calculation with a single combined key stroke, although you need to have Excel set up correctly to make this work. The NAHB web site contains instructions for setting up Excel. The site also contains a second version of the calculator that lets you specify the loan-to-value ratio instead of a down payment. For convenience, the updated versions of the calculators contain national averages for the required assumptions and links to current interest and local property tax rates.
Possible applications of the affordable spreadsheet calculators include buyers using them to get a quick idea of how much home they can afford, as well as builders or realtors doing the same for prospective customers.
For access to both versions of the affordable house price calculator, and instructions for setting up Excel to run them, click here.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
"The Value of NAHB: Volunteerism as a Benefit"
"The Value of NAHB: Volunteerism as a Benefit"
Two weeks ago, I published an article by NAHB's CEO Jerry Howard highlighting (click here)"The Value of NAHB Membership." The article described several areas where builder members benefited, financially, by NAHB actions. On the surface, an associate would remark, "that's great but what benefits do I gain by being an NAHB member?" I won't go into detail here, as I have written in past blog articles, but as I am known to say, "if it affects builders, it will affect associates." Let's move from the legislative benefits that provide sales opportunities and let's look at the "other" benefits of membership for an associate. If you look closely, these types of benefits are rewarding IF you take advantage of all the HBA has to offer you and your company. Past articles, here on "Association Maximization," such as (click here)"Social Capital" can help you understand the value of NAHB membership. Read the article, then come back and continue reading Here:
http://associationmaximization.blogspot.com/2012/03/value-of-nahb-volunteerism-as-benefit.html
http://associationmaximization.blogspot.com/2012/03/value-of-nahb-volunteerism-as-benefit.html
Monday, March 12, 2012
urge your senators to co-sponsor S. 2148, the Lead Exposure Reduction Amendments Act of 2012
On March 1, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced S. 2148, the Lead Exposure Reduction Amendments Act of 2012. This legislation improves the Lead: Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule (RRP) which has hampered remodelers with burdensome compliance costs that are inevitably passed on to their clients.
NAHB is asking members and HBAs to urge your senators to co-sponsor S. 2148, the Lead Exposure Reduction Amendments Act of 2012, by writing them at www.capitolconnect.com/BuilderLink.
Read the full lead paint Builder Alert.
NAHB is asking members and HBAs to urge your senators to co-sponsor S. 2148, the Lead Exposure Reduction Amendments Act of 2012, by writing them at www.capitolconnect.com/BuilderLink.
Read the full lead paint Builder Alert.
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