The one- and two-bedroom units are selling from $130,000 to $180,000, undercutting the competition, which sells from $210,000 to $229,000. "We're finding that the magic number is under $200,000," says developer Kevin Moats of Moats and & Associates.
Our buyers here were not what we call 'traditional' home buyers," says Dana Craig, director of marketing for Colonnade Homes in Denver. The Primrose plan also includes an attached, two-car garage.
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An alley-loaded plan in a house of this size and price is new to the marketplace. Heretofore, Brookfield Homes had only used alley-loaded plans in entry-level houses.
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Recent court settlements on mold lawsuits.$32.1 million awarded late last year to a Texas family by an Austin court for a case involving extensive mold damage.$1.5 million awarded to Texas homeowners for mold-related damages.
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If your broker doesn't care about its business, it is simply going to get what it can get with little effort spent to make certain [the policy cost] is the best price out there."
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The world's largest home improvement retailer said net income was $710 million, or 30 cents per share, up from $465 million, or 20 cents per share, in the same period of 2000.
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Lowe's Companies Inc., the nation's second biggest home improvement retailer, said Monday its fourth quarter profit rose 55 percent, fueled largely by the eagerness of American consumers to invest more money in their homes.
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New home sales plunged 14.8 percent in January, declining at the fastest pace since 1994, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of 823,000 came as surprise, especially in the wake of upward adjustments to the Census Bureau's November and December figures.
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What makes America's Best Builders winners? This anonymous aphorism certainly describes the 2002 group of America's Best Builders. Simonini Builders has found just the right business formula to tap the celebrity home market.
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Stephen K. Hann remained cautiously optimistic but had already launched a series of business-boosting strategies--just in case.Carefully balancing risk and reward has grown Hann from a lone wolf custom builder partially funded by an angel investor to Stephen K. Hann Custom Builders with a robust...
Lennar's gain is Fortress' loss.Lennar made no secret that its 2001 goal was to move into the mid-Atlantic, so it did, with three late-year purchases that gave the builder strong positions in the Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., and Baltimore markets.Left in a weaker position was The Fortress Group...
New farm bill could slow development.Land suitable for development could be in even shorter supply if a new measure to keep farmers from selling their acreage succeeds. The Agriculture, Conservation, and Rural Enhancement Act would pay farmers to keep their land out of developers' hands.
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After lobbying Missouri state legislators for five years to get authority to implement development fees, Boone County's Commission took a new tack. The Boone County Smart Growth Coalition analyzed data and found that each new home in Columbia adds $30,177 in costs for new schools, roads and sewer...
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Suburbia isn't swelling as it has in the past, according to the Brookings Institution and the University of Virginia. While suburbs grew from 1990 to 2000, population growth was uneven: 37 percent of 2,586 suburbs in the 35 largest metro areas lost population or remained stable. Small suburbs...
Prime sites remain out of reach as the specter of liability continues to hover over underground storage tanks.When the brownfields bill made it through Congress at the end of December, it ensured modest reform of the existing law. I say it's a matter of cross-purposes because while Congress was at...
Asheville, N.C., is shifting from baby food to more sophisticated fare. Developers there are at work on plans for a 305,000-square-foot mixed use village on 24 vacant acres where a Gerber baby food factory once stood. The Village at Gerber features 465 multifamily units--the for-sale/rental mix is...
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Savannah, Ga., may be more well-known for its southern charm than its roads, but according to the editors of Expansion Management and Transportation & Distribution magazines, it's the most logistically friendly city in the United States. The editors found that the cities that scored the best...
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By Jan. 2004, EPA will not allow wood products treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) for any residential uses. The move is a voluntary decision by the industry, the EPA announced in a press release.
Cultured Stone, a manufactured stone product, was installed in various portions of the home's exterior. TNAH builder, Michelle Horstemeyer, was excited about the installation of the product. Another major advantage of Cultured Stone manufactured products compared to real stone, which is often mined...
"We have wonderful architecture in California, and Monterey is one of the richest," says Gonzalez of his understated elevation. An essential element of historic Southwest homes is reintroduced here, complete with a fireplace for chilly evenings and a wall fountain and cistern for cooling off during...
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Four architects, a 40-by-70 lot, an inventive challenge: What's the best way to design a home for the trickiest site builders face today? BUILDER asked four architects from different corners of the country to solve the common dilemma of creating great-looking elevations and livable floor plans for...
Devereaux and Associates: Builder Bill Devereaux warmed up the facade of this small house with a front porch wide enough for a few chairs. His- and -hers garages flank a rear courtyard, creating private outdoor space. Views go from master bedroom to great room and through two-story glass to garden.
The story-and-a-half Craftsman house is perfect in scale and style for an in-city Pacific Northwest neighborhood. "Each gets a private backyard and great public space out front."
Plans of the TNAH 2002 will be made available through Hanley Wood's Home Planners.
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Showcase of the latest in new-home products and energy efficiency.
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Zoned for life: TNAH 2002 is a home focused on lifestyle. A move-up home as resort.
Older neighborhoods in the Southeast are full of small Craftsman-style bungalows, which continue to be popular among young buyers. The light-filled living room features a low media wall with gas fireplace, sound system, and television, and access to the wraparound front porch.
The slowing economy and the crash of some high-profile dot-coms have left some builders skeptical of the Internet and advanced technology in general. But a number of builders believe that being connected is more important now than ever; in fact, they're responding to a contracting economy by...
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If your structured wiring vendor offers an Internet gateway (and most plan to) quiz him on what the thing does. The most advanced residential gateways take incoming digital services--cable TV, phone, Internet, and other services--and translate them for use on each type of in-home network, whether...
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The Continental Automated Building Association bills itself as "a not-for-profit industry association that promotes advanced technologies for the automation of homes and buildings in North America." The organization produces an informative technical newsletter ($99 per year). By spring or early...
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Have you wondered what technologies will be included in every home in 2010?
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The new Kelix (www.kelix.com) air-conditioning system, which is still in prototype, replaces the compressor with a coiled, refrigerant-filled tube mounted on a spinning rotor. As the coil spins, centrifugal force moves the fluid through it, compressing it on one side and decompressing it on the...
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In late September, a miniature subdivision will sprout on the National Mall in Washington as 14 teams of design students each assemble a prefabricated, 800-square-foot solar home. The event will top off a 17-month design competition called the Solar Decathlon, in which teams design homes where...
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Big telecommunications companies are continuing the trend of partnering with big builders/developers. Sprint announced in November that it had entered an agreement with SouthWood, a 3,200-acre master planned community in Tallahassee, Fla., (www.southwoodflorida.com) that will include 4,700 homes...
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With more buyers using the Web to focus their search for a home, having an updated Web site is crucial. One new product that targets this need is CommunityBuilder, a Web site construction and management program from the Denver-based BD Group. It's designed to help builders quickly generate...
As a teenager growing up in the 1970s, Paul Douglas, self-admitted weather freak, used to get on his CB radio to give weather reports to long-haul truckers. The result, launched just last month, is Mobile MyCast (866-775-4655), which, for $15 to $20 per month, sends dynamic weather maps to a...
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There was a collective sigh of relief from BuildSoft's 2,000-plus users last fall when word hit the street that the granddaddy of integrated accounting/project management software had been rescued from bankruptcy by HomeSphere and would live to generate another purchase order. The new owners have...
Will builders pay for the ability to send and receive faxes from their PDAs? According to Rovenet's Chuck Schwartz, subscribers get a number that routes faxes to the handheld (or to a traditional fax machine), letting them view faxes right on the screen. Right now, it requires Palm OS, but the...
Atlanta-based Morrison Homes recently discovered two truths about Internet- enabling a company's business practices. According to project manager Greg Goldenberg, SAP will integrate Morrison's finance, purchasing and estimating, scheduling and vendor communications, sales, and warranty processes...
With housing starts uncertain next year, now is the best time to get a jump on the competition by developing creative new ways to brand your company and sell homes--including more exciting grand openings, indispensable community guides, and memorable new-home buyer gifts. Sales soared 200 percent...
Until recently, however, politics and the inertia of an entrenched building industry have conspired to suck the wind out of modular's plans to sail in and capture vast segments of market share. Finally, old-fashioned pride in workmanship kicks in. "There's a fear that their self worth will be...
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The following builders and consultants met at the NAHB fall board meeting in Maui, Hawaii, last autumn to judge this year's competition:Mike Gaffney, Gaffney Homes, LLC, Charlottesville, Va. Tom Gratias, Gratias Construction, Inc., Clive, Iowa Dan Green, The Green Companies, Newton Center, Mass...
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Thanks to flat earnings, escalating mold and home defect lawsuits, increasing worker compensation claims, and the enormous losses suffered Sept. 11 by the reinsurance industry that stands behind the major insurers, insurance rates are skyrocketing. You have a full-blown forest fire, where we are...
You have to have more land in various entitlement stages than you used to," Village president and COO Donn Eley adds. Osborn, Eley, and Schuette, all partners, are the triumvirate who operate Village Homes.
"This year, Rutt not only built and sold two Hope homes himself, he has also convinced builders in Hanover and York, Penn., to build a Hope house each and helped get two Hope homes built in Minnesota," says Lancaster Sunday News real estate writer Paula Wolf. One day, while leaving his home in York...
Because both areas have proven in the past to be more recession resistant than other areas of the nation, Simonini expects to sell about the same number of homes in 2002 as it did last year.
"Winners never quit. Stephen K. Hann, president, Stephen K. Hann Custom BuildersStephen K. Hann, president, Stephen K. Hann Custom Builders 1-30 units; Stephen K. Hann Custom Builders; Stafford, Texas Stats Stephen K. Hann Custom Builders
The Craftsman-style exterior, pillared front porch, and single-family design of the Crown Pointe model are unusual in this Colorado market and proved to be a fresh new alternative.
Units feature 11-foot ceilings with exposed ductwork, hardwood and Italian marble floors, and either a terrace or a balcony.Most popular upgrades are Whirlpool stainless steel appliances and upgraded Moen bath fixtures.
The simple design with generous space on two levels in this master planned community was the most popular.
If you're looking for someone to lead you through troubled waters, Gary Garczynski is your man. For the next year, Garczynski will be the NAHB's president and have the task of guiding the association and its members through these uncertain times. "Participation in the association automatically...
In November 2001, the Somerset County Builders Association, the Pennsylvania Builders Association (PBA), and the NAHB presented eight volunteer fire departments in Somerset County, Pa., each with a $10,000 check. From left to right, Bob Mitchell (2000 NAHB president), Toni Rogan (Pennsylvania...
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Housing typically has been the most volatile sector of the U.S. economy, leading the overall economy into recessions and losing an inordinate amount of ground during cyclical contractions. The United States fell into recession last March and the contraction deepened as 2001 rolled along, while...
As I write my first article as the president of the NAHB, I can't help but reflect, especially in these fluid times, about how important housing is to this nation. We in the housing industry realize that housing drives the economy, strengthens families and communities, and helps build financial...
- The NAHB disappointed that the House and Senate didn't go further to address brownfields in legislation.
- AARP's executive director named as keynote speaker for the 2002 Seniors Housing Symposium, "Building for Boomers and Beyond."
- More than 450 building industry professionals attend the...
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These are the construction specs for the 2002 American Home Feature Article.
The tradition of innovation continues with The New American Home 2002: a move-up plantation-style cottage with colorful Caribbean appeal. Showcasing the latest in new-home products and energy efficiency, the home offers builders a compelling example of how to combine timeless good style and high...
The Atlanta metro area is one of the fastest growing in the United States and Its continuing demand for bigger and better move-up housing inspired TNAH's design team to find a fresh perspective on suburban living.
Southern homes require verandahs--or if not verandahs, at least a front porch. The exterior backyard by the southern corner of the lower level functions as an indoor/outdoor verandah. An integral part of the home management system is the Home Controller gateway, which works with the home network...
Like many building product categories, window manufacturers are pumping out composite units that combine great performance and authentic looks. CertainTeed's Haverford replacement windows have an extruded wood-fiber composite on the frame and sash, while Marvin's Integrity windows feature an...
In addition to being a hotbed for products and networking, the expo will feature special industry events and nearly 200 educational seminars ranging from design and construction to business The company currently offers the product in two solid colors, white and vanilla, as well as four speckled...
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While Federal Reserve chair-man Alan Greenspan did his best last month to warn Americans that the recent economic recovery could yet sour, the housing industry continued to rally as it began the year with steady increases. John Stanley, home building analyst for UBS Warburg, took issue with...
With the economy now being stimulated in the form of new government spending and with interest rates at historically low levels, signs of improvement in the economy should start to appear before the end of the second quarter. However, housing industry participants should not just wait for the good...
One of the biggest liabilities for a developer or home builder is the business of managing the homeowners association for a new community. While there are no guarantees that a construction defect attorney won't show up at your door, here are 10 precautions you can take to minimize the likelihood:...
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The percentage of households in California able to afford a median-priced home increased two percentage points in December compared with the year-ago figure.
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Homebuilder.com, a Homestore company, and the Builder Homesite consortium on Friday announced an online marketing and advertising alliance.
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Last year's boom in home mortgage refinancing has the potential to continue this year if interest rates remain at low levels, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association of America.
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Manufacturers gathered at the 2002 International Builders' Show here this weekend to showcase their latest innovations. Here are a few of the most interesting products we saw at the show.
At the recent meeting of the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) in Baltimore, the guys (and they're pretty much all guys) who make concrete blocks voiced their frustration about selling their time-honored system to home builders. "It's not fair to compare a stick-framed building to...
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Last June, Alan Merrill was saying there were only three numbers that mattered when it came to talking about Homestore.com: "We have $500 million in revenues, $400 million in cash on hand, and a market capitalization of $3 billion. When I bring that up to investors, concern about Homestore...
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With national housing data through November of last year confirming the market's resiliency, John Stanley, home building analyst for UBS Warburg, believes that single-family starts, permits, and sales are "on pace for full-year gains to record or near-record levels." While many economists have...
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Denver-based HomeSphere announced Jan. 9 it has worked three separate deals that will provide home builders with a complete front- and back-office software system. The package will wrap either BuildSoft or BuilderWorks, back-office accounting systems, with BuildTopia, an Internet-based workflow...
Who will they buy? Well, it's no secret all the top five have been looking hard at medium-sized regional leaders in the Northeast to increase, or in a couple of cases create a presence there," says one home building analyst who requested anonymity on such a speculative topic. I have been called...
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Better late than never. A group of 15 scientists calling themselves the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM) has begun to forge a "Life Cycle Assessment" of the environmental performance of wood and alternative materials throughout their useful life--from acquisition...
A class action termite case filed back in 1998 and long since settled still haunts Lennar Homes. "There's just no way to satisfy every single complaint," notes Lennar's general counsel and vice president, David McCain. The trouble began in 1996, when homeowners in Hillsborough County, Fla....
Florida has long been a leader in Traditional Neighborhood Development, and now Miami's Dacra Development Corp. is proving that New Urbanism doesn't have to be all gingerbread and front porches. Aqua, a new community on 8 1/2 acres at the southern tip of the city's Allison Island, is what the...
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By now, most builders have heard of frost protected shallow foundations (FPSF). Alternative energy experts suggest that homes in hot, southern climes would see little or no cost savings with a FPSF--but in cold regions, the shallow, insulated walls amount to both immediate and ongoing (homeowner)...
Home builders are expected to benefit from the recently approved 2002 VA and HUD financing, which creates hybrid loans that should enable an estimated backlog of 40,000 home buyers to qualify for mortgages. In 15 of the nation's largest and most expensive cities in which to build, not one apartment...
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Millibar's Kevlar protects buildings from most natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes. Millibar, developed by New Necessities of Gainesville, Ga., is a high-wind, severe-storm, and seismic structural reinforcement ribbon made of Kevlar. Check out the Web site at...
David Weekley Homes' new-home buyers can scrutinize their homes under construction and show them off to family and friends, no matter where they are. "We understand that choosing a home is a very personal decision, and home buyers want to be as involved as possible during the construction process,"...
John Schleimer, an industry consultant with Market Perspectives in Roseville, Calif., and former president of the NAHB's Institute of Residential Marketing, has seen a lot of builders come and go. Indeed, says Tom Weston, president of The Weston Group, a Los Angeles-based consulting firm, "builders...
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GM Corp. is accepting design proposals for a new mixed-use residential and retail area to create a downtown across from its vast Warren, Mich., Tech Center complex. Warren has no established downtown, and the area and timing are "correct at this juncture," says GM spokesman Gerry Holmes. GM's Tech...
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More than 2,200 businesses and consumers filed for bankruptcy protection in the metro Atlanta area in November 2001, compared to 1,753 in the same month in 2000. This is a 29 percent increase over last year.
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Sixty-four homeowners have filed a lawsuit in State District Court in Tarrant County, Texas, against KB Home and its affiliates for not disclosing that the Southridge Hills subdivision was built on the site of a former military bombing practice range. According to Marcel Weiner of Weiner, Glass and...
Noting the "tremendous demand for affordable product," Lennar Corp. COO Robert Strudler is busy overseeing the introduction of Lennar's NuHome division across Texas. To keep prices down, NuHome develops its own land, and the lots it builds on are small. NuHome will sell about 500 homes in Texas...
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While most industrialized nations are bracing for a recession, things are up Down Under as Australia has one of the world's fastest growing economies. A gross domestic product gain of over 4 percent in the third quarter of last year was due, in large part, to the home building industry. Plenty of...
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According to David Lereah, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, home buyers who choose to live near shopping and amenities may not have 40,000-square-foot box stores in mind. In fact, he says, being too close to one of these megastores can negatively impact property values. New...
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Marketed as an easy-to-use, step-by-step interface, Residential Estimator 7 software covers single-family and low-rise, multifamily dwellings, along with townhouses and duplexes. To use it, you either choose an existing floor plan, or customize data to fit your own plans. Then, for better or worse...
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Before leaving office, former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani unveiled a new blueprint for revitalizing Manhattan's midtown section. "It's bordered by some vibrant neighborhoods: Chelsea, midtown, and Clinton," says Guiliani. New multifamily housing and waterfront access are also in the plan.
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HomeBuilder.com(TM), and the Builder Homesite Consortium, two of the building industry's leading sources of online sales leads, today announced an alliance to increase the online advertising reach of America's home builders.
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Homeownership Alliance, a coalition of more than a dozen organizations, announced today that Habitat for Humanity has joined the group.
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The former NYC mayor says home ownership is one of the typically American values that terrorists attempted to destroy with their Sept. 11 attack.
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The 2002 International Builders Show features gigantic exhibit hall, seminars, and home tours. The event is expected to draw 70,000 building industry pros from more than 100 countries during its run Friday through Monday at the Georgia World Congress Center.
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Home ownership gains during the 1990s were the strongest since the 1950s, according to separate studies conducted by the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and the nonprofit Fannie Mae Foundation.
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Toll Brothers Inc., a builder of luxury homes, today reported record first quarter results for contracts and home building revenues for the quarter ended January 31, 2002.
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HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa. (Inman News Features) - Luxury home builder Toll Brothers and California energy producer Aera Energy have agreed to develop 1,035 home sites in Yorba Linda, Calif. The sites are within a master-planned community called Vista Del Verde. The endeavor follows the partnership's...
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President George W. Bush's proposed fiscal year 2003 budget would roll back U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development mortgage insurance premiums on new apartments projects by 23 basis points to 57 basis points.
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Homestore.com's brand-new executive management yesterday announced the sale of the company's eNeighborhoods business unit.
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A coalition of 26 housing and community development groups voiced its supported for President Bush's fiscal year 2003 budget proposal to create a new tax credit to help increase the supply of affordable homes built in low-income communities.
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Network Communications, a provider of real estate advertising and publishing, and Citysearch, a core businesses operated by Ticketmaster, today announced an agreement with Builder Homesite, a consortium of 63 national home builders.