Let’s be Frank...

Hanley Wood Vice Chairman, Frank Anton, is one of the foremost experts on the residential and commercial construction market. In his bi-monthly e-Newsletter Frank delves into the current state of the housing market, what to expect in the future and advice about how to take advantage of short and long-term market conditions.

In July 2006, when the housing market still seemed to be--with the emphasis on seemed to be--booming, there were 572,000 unsold new homes in inventory, a record number. At that point, most builders were still pretty confident and still building.

Builder to Builder

Mollie Elkman: Modern Marketing

Mollie is president of Group Two Advertising, one of the largest homebuilder marketing and advertising agencies in the United States. Mollie¹s blog initiates thought provoking conversations within the building industry. She focuses on new and controversial trends in the increasingly Internet savvy world we live in.

How many times a year do you sit down with a group of 20 other builders or remodelers to share industry insights? If your answer is less than two, then you are not taking advantage of one of the NAHB's best kept secrets.

Using Social Media to Promote Events

Mary Lou Denny: Educating The Trade

Mary Lou Denny, co-founder and executive vice president, heads the public relation division of Walt Denny Inc., an advertising and public relations agency in Hinsdale, Illinois. She and her husband Walt, started the agency twenty years ago based on the credo to provide creative marketing solutions, combined with a high value on personal relationships and accountability.

Whether real-world or virtual, special events can do wonders to promote your company. They help you capture new customers, retain existing clients, and assist in building your brand. And here's the great news: the arrival of social media delivers outstanding new ways to promote these events.

Self-Inflicted Pain

Jane Meagher

Jane Meagher is President of Success Strategies, the nation’s premiere design studio strategy, training, and consulting company, and the creator of many national award-winning design studios. Jane shares insights from working with leading builders in over 30 states and Canada, through extensive studies of consumer shopping behavior and retail-based on-site presentation, and from over 20 years experience in new home sales and marketing.

Are all your buyers indecisive, penny-pinching liars who work 80 hours per week and live 2 hours away? Well, maybe some buyers are, but come on, is it always your buyers’ fault when things go wrong in the design center? Until the end of this month, I’m offering you a truly free, information packed video on how to get out of your own way and avoid many typical builder mistakes and omissions that result in loss of options revenue, and which create unsatisfied buyers.

Smarter Than Cordwood?

Tim Garrison: The Builder's Engineer

Tim Garrison, the Builder's Engineer(tm), is the president of ConstructionCalc Software, Inc. He is the author of four books, including, Green Framing, An Advanced Framing How-To Guide. Tim stays current with industry trends as a practicing professional engineer.

What do I think of the old saying, “Measure Twice, Cut Once?" Not much, actually.