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    Continuing Education Channel Front

     
  • Home Prices Continue Downward Spiral

    Oct. Case-Shiller indices drop another 2.2%; prices now back to March, 2004 levels.

     
  • Bair on a Hot Tin Roof

    The FDIC chair defends her mortgage modification crusade, bank bailouts, and more.

     
  • Builders Move to Preserve Tax Benefits

    Meritage and Ryland follow Hovnanian in adopting provisions meant to prevent "change in ownership" under tax law.

     
  • Bair on a Hot Tin Roof

    The FDIC chair defends her mortgage modification crusade, bank bailouts, and more.

     
  • Barratt American Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

    Company aims to continue operations while it restructures its debt under protection of the bankruptcy court.

     
  • Survey: Lure of the Land Bank

    Big Builder Online survey for the week of 12/22/08

     
  • Comstock Restructures Another $22M in Debt

    Wachovia Bank has finalized the deal to restructure $22.2 million of Comstock Homebuilding Cos.' outstanding borrowing base by distributing it across three new loan facilities.

     
  • Home Sales Drop Precipitously

    November new home sales off 2.9%; existing home sales dive 8.6%.

     
  • Meet the New Boss at Standard Pacific

    Standard Pacific Homes's new CEO might not have a home building background, but since there aren't many homes being built these days, his particular skill set might be more valuable to the company.

     
  • Capitol Access: Who's Who On Housing Stimulus

    With an economic stimulus sequel on the fast track on Capitol Hill, special interest groups from sectors as diverse as aviation and banking are trying to elbow their way closer to the front of a long line of industries in need of some help from their lawmaker friends.

     
  • Standard Pacific, TOUSA Could Have a Deal by January

    Without offering specifics on the nature of any possible transaction, a TOUSA spokesperson said, "I think we can safely say that we would hopefully have something more concrete...a term sheet or something along those lines...by the end of January."

     
  • Builders Exit Phoenix Project, Give Land Back to State

    Pulte Homes, Toll Brothers, and D.R. Horton have exited Phoenix's Desert Ridge project, giving back approximately 689 acres of land purchased from the Arizona State Land Department for $82.5 million.

     
  • Survey: Foreclosures Remain Big Problem

    Big Builder Online survey for 12/15/08

     
  • Standard Pacific Confirms Talks With Bankrupt TOUSA, Inc.

    After shares dive on heavy volume, company issues unusual statement confirming that discussions "regarding a possible transaction" are underway.

     
  • Builders Find New Ways to Battle Foreclosures

    Home builders are marketing against the pitfalls and warts associated with foreclosed properties as well as developing product to address the potential buyer of a foreclosed house.

     
  • Leading Economic Indicators Decline 0.4%

    Conference Board index provides fresh evidence of the deep downturn in the economy

     
  • Standard Pacific Chooses New CEO

    Standard Pacific Corp. (NYSE: SPF) early Thursday announced that its board has elected Ken Campbell president and CEO, succeeding Jeffrey Peterson, who will remain on the company's board.

     
  • Lennar 4th-QTR Loss is $811 Million

    Takes $221.1 million in impairments and write-downs as well as a FAS 109 charge to deferred tax assets of $730.8 million.

     
  • Meritage Ups Davis to COO

    Meritage Homes Corporation (NYSE:MTH) late Wednesday announced the promotion of Steve Davis, its executive vp of national home building operations, to the newly created position of chief operating officer.

     
  • KB Pulling Out of Atlanta

    KB spokesperson Cara Kane stated in an email: "KB Home has made the strategic decision not to invest in additional communities in Atlanta and make a gradual transition out of its operations in the market."

     
  • Cash to Remain King at Hovnanian in '09

    CEO Ara Hovnanian says the company will maximize cash flow, even at the expense of margins, as it awaits a turnaround in the market.

     
  • What Women Want: Getting Ready for WINKs in the Housing Market

    Watch this Web seminar to hear consumer trend expert Shyam Kannan share the results a year-and-a-half long study on the new wave of home buyers. Learn what they want, how they want it, and how to market your homes to them.

     
  • Hovnanian 4th-QTR Loss is $450.5 Million

    Company takes $319.9 million in impairments and write-offs and a FAS 109 charge to deferred tax assets of $169.5 million for the quarter.

     
  • Consumer Prices Plunge on Drop in Energy Costs

    Consumer prices in November fell at the fastest rate since the government began its tracking series in 1947, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.

     
  • Housing Starts Fall to Record Low

    Seasonally adjusted annual rate falls to 625,000 units, shattering the previous record low of 798,000 set in January, 1991.

     
  • Survey: No Ease Up in Credit Markets

    Results of Big Builder Online survey for Dec. 8, 2008

     
  • NAHB Cuts 52 Jobs

    Economy, housing slump take toll on industry association.

     
  • Builder Confidence Remains Stuck at Record Low

    Housing Market Index remains at November's record low of 9, prompting futher calls from NAHB for government action to stiumulate the housing market.

     
  • Retail Sales, Producer Prices, Decline

    Retail sales declined 1.8% in November, better than the 2.2% decline that was expected by economists, and producer prices continued their march downward, falling 2.2% during the month, according to a pair of government reports issued Friday morning.

     
  • Meritage Chief Accountant to Leave

    CFO Larry Seay will take over duties in mid- to late January.

     
  • Meritage Chief Accounting Officer to Leave

    CFO Larry Seay will take over duties in mid- to late January.

     
  • Toll's Rassman Diagnosed with Leukemia

    Rassman, who will soon begin treatment, "will continue to maintain his positions and perform his duties with the company and will continue to lead the strong department that he has built," the company said in a statement.

     
  • October Pending Home Sales Index Drops Marginally

    Reading of 88.9 is down 0.7% from September; Realtors say market is in a "stable" range.

     
  • Citi Analysts See More Foreclosures Ahead

    Analysts at Citigroup are forecasting approximately 6.5 million to 8 million foreclosures will occur within the next few years.

     
  • JP Morgan Sues Builders Over Inspirada Development Near Las Vegas

    The bank, which formed a lending syndicate to fund the $557 million purchase from the Bureau of Land Management as well as the property's development, alleges breach of contract by subsidiaries of Beazer Homes USA, KB Home, Meritage Homes, Pardee Homes, Toll Brothers, Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Co....

     
  • Despite Downturn, Design Centers Endure

    Builders are cutting back everywhere, but they are finding creative ways to keep their design centers open.

     
  • Survey: Lower Rates Not Enough

    Big Builder Online Survey for week of 12/1/2008

     
  • Icahn Sells Bulk of WCI Holdings

    Company chairman sold 6,096,175 shares in a private transaction to an unidentified investor who plans to hold the stock, according to an SEC document filed Friday, Dec. 5. He originally paid an average of $16 for each share.

     
  • Jobs Drop by 533,000

    Employment falls at fastest pace in more than 30 years; unemployment rate rises to 6.7%.

     
  • Toll Hopeful on Government Actions

    CEO Toll said the company is seeing a slight ease in liquidity and is working on a couple land deals that are "appropriate in quality, but not in price."

     
  • Consultant: Land Buried Kimball Hill

    "The land holdings weighed down too much to generate any amount of revenue. It was too much for them," said Lance Ramella, principal at RW Real Estate Advisors in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.

     
  • TOUSA Reports Losses for 1st QTR to SEC

    Operational results were ugly--the company saw its losses quadruple the previous year--and the expectation was set that the results through September were worse. However, the company doubled its cash position in the quarter from the previous year and was working on a plan that would address...

     
  • Pulte Chairman Files for Stock Sale

    William J. Pulte, chairman of Pulte Homes, Inc., on Wednesday filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a sale agreement covering 5 million shares of company stock, or approximately 12% of the shares he controls.

     
  • Toll Reports $78.8 Million 4th-QTR Loss

    Loss of 49 cents per share, in line with estimates, includes impairments and write-downs of $175.9 million.

     
  • Comstock Restructures $8.8 Million in Debt

    An agreement with Bank of America was reached Dec. 1 to restructure $8.8 million of debt; the builder also agreed to cooperate with the bank in regards to foreclosures on three of its Atlanta real estate projects.

     
  • Kimball Hill Calls it Quits, For Good

    Company drops reorganization plan; will finish started homes and liquidate remaining assets.

     
  • Beazer Busy with Balance Sheet

    Even with more than $584 million in cash on hand, Beazer Homes USA must tend to its financials to get its debt-to-capitalization ratio down below 75%, executives said during a Tuesday, Dec. 2 earnings conference call.

     
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    Closer: Wiser Each Day

    Dinner with M.D.C. Holdings chief Larry Mizel.

     
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    Big Money: Fiscal Forecast

    2009 financial outlooks from a behavorial economist, a traditional economist, and a policy expert.

     
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    Feature: Purchasing Power

    Purchasing agents and suppliers put aside past differences to find a recipe for improvement in 2009.

     
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    Feature: Smooth Operators

    In troubled times, home building industry professionals collaborate to rethink systems and processes for improved efficiency and savings on the back end.

     
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    Feature: Sales Meet Savings

    Three opportunities for builders to improve their top and bottom lines by better putting to work their sales and marketing dollars.

     
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    Feature: Redesigning Deals

    Builders must adjust product lines while obtaining loan terms that make sense in prime locations.

     
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    Feature: Nickel & Dime Time

    From asset-light to tax carry backs, the finance group finds ways to make the most out of less.

     
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    Feature: Build a Better Tomorrow

    Key home building executives collaborate during a one-of-a-kind industry event.

     
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    Big Picture: Industry Outlook: 2009

    Figuring out foreclosures, tapping liquidity, and a strong housing stimulus will lead to improved market numbers.

     
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    Starts

     
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    Starts: Fix Housing First

     
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    Editor's Notes: Pre-Holiday Note

    There's no time like the present to remember your value to society.

     
  • Beazer, Stung by Tax Charge, Reports $475 Million Loss

    Company determines that heavy trading in its stock did constitute an ownership change under IRS tax law, resulting in a $398 million charge to deferred tax assets.

     
  • Beazer, Among Others, Scrambles to Track Stock Transactions Before Yearend

    IRS ownership change rule could prove costly: At stake is the ability to write losses against income taxes paid in prior years.

     
  • Accounting Consolidated at Pulte HQ

    Move will bring 150 jobs to ailing Michigan economy.

     
  • Pulte Plans Land Sale to N.J. Town

    Pulte Homes is in the process of making a deal with the New Jersey Clinton Township council to sell 292 acres of its Windy Acres development for $7 million, with the condition that the town purchase the property before year's end; in turn, Pulte will drop a lawsuit against the town that has been...

     
  • Landsource Seeks Quick Land Sale Process

    LandSource Communities Development is asking a bankruptcy court judge to allow it to sell off land through a streamlined approval process in order to generate cash more quickly.

     
  • Uncertainty Prevails Regarding Stimulus Plans

    Big Builder Online Survey for week of Nov. 24, 2008

     
  • Pulte Cancels Dividend

    In extreme cash preservation mode, Pulte Homes announced Monday Nov.24 there would be no quarterly dividends for stockholders after the new year. Shareholders of stock on Dec. 22 will be paid 4 cents a share.

     
  • Case Shiller Reports 16.6% Drop in Home Prices During 3rd QTR

    10-City and 20-City Composite Indices continue to set new records, with annual declines of 18.6% and 17.4% in September, respectively.

     
  • Horton Has $799.9 Million Loss

    Fiscal fourth quarter results include $1.15 billion in impairments and write-downs as revenue drops 50% and closings decline 40.7%.

     
  • Residents Sue Hovnanian Over Lack of Water

    Home owners claim water stops midshower, washing machines halt midcycle, toilets take hours to refill, and at times no water at all comes out of faucets.

     
  • Horton Rushed to Sell Land Before Deadline

    In the weeks since the close of D.R. Horton's Sept. 30 fiscal year-end, news of the company's efforts to shed land has cropped up in markets from

     
  • Survey: Death of the Design Center

    When asked if they felt centralized design centers would remain prevalent as builders return to core activities and business practices, results were pretty evenly mixed, with 42.5% of respondents saying yes, 45.0% saying no, and 12.5% remaining unsure.

     
  • Existing Home Sales Drop 3.1% in October

    National median price falls to 2004 level after the sharpest decline on record.

     
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    Closer: Goodbye, Glass Ceiling

    Who says you can't have your cake and eat it, too?

     
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    Feature: Urbane Renewal

    Quite apocryphally, Hovnanian Enterprises CEO Ara Hovnanian gets credit for one of the residential construction industry's most quotable quotes: “Home building is a 200-year-old tradition, unimpeded by progress.” As eloquent and astute as Ara may be, he didn't coin that phrase, but he certainly...

     
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    Feature: Not Exactly Barbie's Dream House

    Looking for insights into one of the fastest-growing demographics in the U.S.? Well, look no further. Born in 1979, my name's Sandra Brown—Sandy, for short—and I am Gen-Y.

     
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    What A Girl Wants

    As Gen-Y —all 80 million of them— climb toward their peak home buying years beginning in 2012, a certain female subset known as WINKs—women with income and no kids—is poised to rock housing's world.

     
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    Feature: A Wink and A Smile

    When Allison Crouch bought her first place at the age of 24, she knew she wasn't going to live there forever.

     
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    Feature: Meet Your Next Customer

    In fewer than four years, the great population bulge that has been dubbed Generation Y will begin entering the new-home market, and as they move in, they are likely to change the way things are done in the home building business.

     
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    Big Picture: The Secret Mind of A Gen-Y Woman

    You likely have heard of DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids), but have you heard of WINKs? Well, you had better get familiar with them, because they are coming fast—if they haven't knocked on your door already.

     
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    Starts: Land Locked

    In mid-October, the U.S. government turned on a $250 billion heater in an attempt to thaw the iced-up world of credit markets, announcing a three-pronged initiative to reignite the flow of funds between banks and encourage lending to customers.

     
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    Editor's Notes: Yesterday's Gone, Yesterday's Gone

    For the predominantly patriarchal organizations that home building companies large and small are, the late 1970s Fleetwood Mac anthem “Don't Stop (Thinkin' About Tomorrow)” never carried so critical a chorus line.

     
  • Builders Help Buyers Improve Credit

    In search of sales, companies are helping potential buyers fix their credit and put money aside to be used as a down payment.

     
  • Sun Cal CFO Resigns

    Struggling devleoper says Ed Nolan is leaving to pursue other interests.

     
  • Leading Economic Indicators Sag

    The Conference Board reported Thursday morning that its Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators declined 0.8% in October, following a 0.1% increase in September, and a 0.9% decline in August.

     
  • Taylor Morrison Buys Arizona Tract

    In its largest land purchase since the July 2007 merger of Taylor Woodrow and Morrison Homes, Taylor Morrison has bought 116 acres of land in Surprise, Ariz. from CPI Surprise Farms, LLC.

     
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    NAHB, Realtors Team Up on Ad to Congress

    Organizations urge Congress to pass a housing stimulus package that addresses demand.

     
  • Starts, Permits Fall to Record Lows

    Commerce Department reports new residential construction falls to annual rate of 791,000 units and permits decline to 708,000 units.

     
  • Nosedive Continues For Giant Home Improvement Dealers

    This morning, The Home Depot reported a 30.7 percent decline in earnings, to $756 million, for the three months ended Nov. 2. The Atlanta-based retailer's revenue during that period was off 6.2 percent to $17.8 billion, and sales from stores open at least a year fell 8.3 percent. Through the first...

     
  • NAHB Gears Up for Fix Housing First Lobbying Effort

    Builder group working "hand in glove" with Realtors to present unified front in pushing Congress to stimulate demand for housing.

     
  • NAHB Confidence Index Plummets

    Builders' view of the market, the dimmest ever, falls to an index level of 9--that's on a scale of 100.

     
  • Realtors: Home Prices Fell 9% in 3rd QTR

    Declines in the West drive national median price down to $200,500 as four of five metro areas post year-to-year losses.

     
  • Kyle Canyon Foreclosed; Bank Suing Builders

    Wachovia siezed property, bought it back on behalf of creditors at auction, and now seeks $358 million in completion guaranties from the original builder partners.

     
  • Builders Support Stimulus, Unsure it Will Pass

    Results of Big Builder Online Survey for week of Nov. 10, 2008

     
  • Comstock Narrows 3rd-Qtr. Loss

    Comstock Homebuilding Companies, Inc. (Nasdaq:CHCI), Reston, Va., on Monday reported a net loss of $2.2 million (-$0.13 per share) for the third quarter, ended Sept. 30.

     
  • Another Exec Leaves WCI

    Albert F. Moscato Jr., senior vice president of business development for WCI Communities, has become the most recent executive to pass through the swinging employment door at the company, which is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

     
  • Bank Backs Off Landsource Liquidation

    Barclay's Bank has agreed to hold off on a court hearing seeking to force an auction off all the assets of LandSource while it negotiates with the operators of the giant land development now under Chapter 11 bankruptcy court protection to develop a plan to reorganize the company.

     
  • Orleans Posts $21.9 Million 1st-QTR Loss

    Closings fall 23.9%, orders plummet 59% as company takes impairments and write-downs of $22.3 million.

     
  • Hovnanian Points to Positive Demographics

    CEO plugd Fix Housing First at UBS investor confab and delivers a message of hope with demographic statistics pointing to the favor of home builders.

     
  • Public Builders Release Numbers, Discuss State of Market

    CEOs of Toll, Meritage argue for housing stimulus.

     
 

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