In times like these, people often turn inward, focusing only on their own problems. This year's Hearthstone BUILDER Humanitarian Award recipients, however, took a different path and are changing lives in the U.S. and around the world.
With authentic detailing and conveniences to suit the modern boomer, this stately Gulf Coast plantation home brings a fresh look to Orlando’s luxury market.
Ever the optimists, a clear majority—55 percent—of the 744 home builders who responded to our "State of the Industry" survey say 2008 is the year the downturn hits bottom and the industry begins to recover.
Now more than ever, managing cash flow is crucial, as builders seek to survive and thrive during the downturn.
To say that jobsite theft is rampant in home building would be an understatement. In a recent Builder survey, 90 percent of respondents said they had been victims of theft within the past year. Losses ran from lumber and copper wiring to office supplies and diesel fuel. Of those who reported thefts,...
Of course, post-industrial houses do have their benefits (indoor plumbing, beer fridges, hi-def surround sound), so the task becomes figuring out how to integrate antiquity’s greatest green lessons into designs that meet the lifestyle demands of today. That is what Tradewinds, our show home for the ...
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News Flash: The sun is hot. there's renewed and widespread attention being paid to it as a legitimate home energy source—and this time that interest might stick. A perfect storm of factors has come together to keep solar solutions on the front burner, including record crude oil prices, federal tax a...
A 2003 United Nation report made a grim prediction: More than half of humanity will be living with water shortages within 50 years. That same year, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said 36 states expected to suffer water shortages in the subsequent decade. Those predictions have come to pas...
As they ponder whether the parched Western U.S. will have enough water to meet the future needs of growing populations there, most builders and developers see a glass that's more than half full.
The Southeast just suffered its worst year of drought in a century. Arizona is deep into its second decade of drought conditions. And wildfires that scorched Southern California in October provided an unwelcome reminder that this region went through 150 consecutive days without rain.
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Surely you've heard the industry's sales pitch by now: lower costs, speedy construction, excellent craftsmanship, and quality building products in a controlled setting. Builders who use modular systems say you can believe the hype. But before you run out to your local supplier or modular home manufa...
Like most real estate agents these days, Lori McGuire has had to step it up a bit to get buyers to sign a contract. A Realtor in Orange County, Calif., McGuire is working with three different builders in Covenant Hills, a gated community in the master planned development of Ladera Ranch. Prices star...
Ask builders where they'd like to expand, or start over (which is more likely the case these days), and eventually they'll mention these and a few other markets, all for the same reason: strong job growth that promises steady home sales for years to come.
Chris Coleman doesn't expect his housing market to get well anytime soon. As president of Northfield, Ill.–based The Dearborn-Buckingham Group, he assumes, only half facetiously, that his company “will not sell a single home” in 2008. But don't count Coleman among the industry's doomsayers, because ...
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The decision to bulldoze the ranch house that previously slouched on this narrow, shaded lot wasn't a tough one. With its dingy wood paneling and creeping structural rot, it was depressing, borderline hazardous, and not exactly coastal in feel.
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Subdividing old lots in established neighborhoods has become common practice in Portland, Ore., as in many other urban locales where land is at a premium. But when citizen complaints about lackluster new construction became louder than a grumble, city officials decided to do something proactive and ...
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Following the great Chicago Fire of 1871, the city adopted stringent ordinances requiring that homes be built with stone or other non-combustible materials. Not being situated on municipal land, however, the community of Lakeview quickly became a boomtown for shoddy, non-regulated construction, popu...
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The assignment wasn't exactly a piece of cake: a postage-stamp–sized lot (measuring 45 by 60 feet) in a flood plain with site requirements for a self-contained septic system and drain field. Some builders would have walked away, but Holbeck Construction teamed with the architects at Pelletier + Scha...
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Many a well-meaning tear-down builder has incited ire in Chevy Chase, Md., even while honoring the neighborhood's venerable architectural styles. The problem hasn't been with the interpretation, per se, but rather with what happens to classical forms when they are put on steroids.
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Five likeable projects prove that not all teardowns warrant a crackdown.
As the new year drawns, A blood-red sun rises on the horizon, warning of even bigger troubles for home builders than they experienced during a disastrous 2007.
Home building is in the blood of this year’s winning builders, and it shows in their products and companies.
Architects’ own houses often hold the keys to cost savings, building efficiencies, and new standards of beauty.
Big builders dominate the news, but small builders still make up the majority of companies and housing starts. Here’s a close-up look at how small builders are faring during the downturn.
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Focusing
Big builders dominate the news, but small builders still make up the majority of companies and housing starts. Here’s a close-up look at how small builders are faring during the downturn.
Builders in Ft. Myers/Cape Coral, Fla., struggle to hang on.
When a builder goes bankrupt, the damage is felt far beyond its own company.
A murky present has builders just hoping for better days ahead. But looking forward, futurists see clearer paths to energy-efficient homes and walkable communities.
Conventional wisdom hits the chopping block in this year’s kitchen and bath competition.
A builder’s bankruptcy can be devastating to home buyers.
Contractors left unpaid by a bankrupt Neumann Homes think twice about extending credit to other builders.
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Though many small builders closed their doors with little fanfare in 2007, public builders were in the national news on a weekly basis for slashing prices, losing money, or blaming the media and mortgage industry for the industry’s fall.
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At 30, BUILDER looks back at America’s largest builders and how they got to where they are today.
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Seminars for smaller and newly started Eastern hardwood manufacturers are scheduled for 2008.
Everybody knows that Congress tends todrag its feet when making decisions on the major issues of the day. But as we saw by the tail end of last year, that definitely was not the case when it came time to consider what to do to stop the nation’s deepening mortgage credit crunch and build a new founda...
The House Judiciary Committee on Dec. 12 completed its markup of the Emergency Home Ownership and Mortgage Equity Protection Act of 2007. Introduced by Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.), the measure would allow bankruptcy judges to reduce the value of a home loan, extend the terms of the loan, lower the int...
In recognition of the phenomenal growth of green building, the NAHB will celebrate Green Day on Thursday, Feb. 14, at the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla. On Green Day, the association will officially launch the NAHB National Green Building Program and will unveil the new Certified Gree...
Proposed legislation that would broaden the authority of the Clean Water Act is a leap in the wrong direction, the NAHB told the U.S. Senate Committee on Environmental and Public Works on Dec. 13. The NAHB has long supported the goals of the Clean Water Act, which is called into play when homes are ...
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TO HELP BRIDGE THE gap between technology innovation and the competitive home-building products marketplace, the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) and the NAHB Research Center have developed a new online resource that will guide building-product manufacturers and innovators thro...
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THE SUBPRIME-INDUCED TIGHTENING OF credit conditions in home mortgage markets now is being joined by tightening in credit markets where builders and developers raise funds—the markets for land acquisition, land development, and construction loans (AD&C). Some tightening in AD&C markets has been inev...
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When 800 registered voters were asked last fall about what would motivate them to either purchase a new green home or “green” their existing home, 64 percent said that reduced energy costs would be the biggest reason. With energy prices on the rise, now's the time to improve the energy efficiency of...
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- Fannie Mae announced plan to impose an “Adverse Market Delivery Charge."
- Home-price appreciation rates among resale homes vary significantly among the nation's top markets, according to the latest monthly S&P/Case-Shiller home-price statistics.
- The NAHB and NAHB Research Center to conduct 4...
As elections approach, do your part to put the friends of housing where we need them—in office.
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A new survey will measure potential market opportunities for North American building product manufacturers in China’s growing housing market.
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The NAHB Research Center is looking for qualified green building verifiers.
Take the law into your own hands by attending the 2008 Legislative Conference.
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Building Materials Holding Corp. will fold SelectBuild subsidiary into its retail operations.
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Amended financials show a $27.6 million gain for public builder for fiscal years 2003 to 2006. But the restatement couldn’t offset the company’s $411 million loss in fiscal 2007.
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Pennsylvania-based company reports $55.7 million net loss.
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Struggling public builder loses $216.4 million in Q1.
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California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week called for homeowners to aid the state in preventing wildfires by following landscaping laws designed to keep such fires from spreading.
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Updates on Zones A, V, and Coastal A
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Builders and developers grapple with rising tide of regulations.
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Pulte says it's pleased to be recognized as tops in green home performance by the recent Calvert report, but wonders whether it needs to be more vocal about its green building efforts.
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A professor tells Builder 100 CEOs that great leadership requires perspiration and inspiration.
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Former Jet Blue executive tells builders how a brand image starts with customer service.
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Not a rosy outlook, say home building execs at BUILDER 100 Conference.
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Home loan availability a factor, according to real estate agents and buyers.
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Mortgage giant forecasts national home price declines between 7 percent and 9 percent for 2008
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CEO Jerry Starkey calls it "a very tough and very disappointing quarter" for Florida-based builder.
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Investment management group evaluates 13 public builders on sustainability efforts.
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Texas-based builder plans to conserve cash, and build through land holdings.
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Reprieve would give builders a year or two to ride out downturn and resume work quickly when market rebounds.
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A weak housing market leaves the California-based builder strapped for cash, and without a bank to turn to.
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Last week, the Tampa, Fla.-based corporation stopped offering financing to its home buyers.
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Government jobs report shows residential construction jobs continue to disappear.
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Company leader Dan Fulton says housing downturn has had a "devastating impact" on the forest products company's overall performance in 2008's first quarter.
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Builders expand their marketing with on-demand videos
Experts say builders' Web sites and marketing need to change to take advantage of Web technology
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Builder closed more than 27,000 homes last year, plans to continually evaluate its assets for best return in current market.
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Affordable housing or philanthropy could be in the cards for Larry Webb, who will leave the California-based builder next month.
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Determined CEO discusses consumer confidence, rejects notion that new-home prices can’t go much lower.
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Federal funds rate now stands at 2 percent.
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Conference Board's consumer confidence index slips again in April.
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Public builder says it has significantly reduced debt and inventory.
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Starts come to a standstill; Reynen & Bardis founder files personal bankruptcy.
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State attorneys general say case-by-case approach is too slow to stem the flood of foreclosures across country.
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Case-Shiller index finds home prices down more than 12 percent year-over-year.
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Kimball Hill files for Chapter 11, economists fret at NAHB's spring construction forecast, and sales experts suggest how to ensure your associates are following up on prospects.
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Kimball Hill management maintains it will continue to build, sell, and deliver homes as it restructures its $632 million debt load through the Chapter 11 process.
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One day after officially filing a petition for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois, executives of Kimball Hill Homes received court approval for all of the company’s first day motions. Taken together, the approvals allow the company to continue normal operat...
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Just weeks after Centex announced a bulk land sale of 8,500 lots, the company continues its efforts to move to an “asset-light” model and confirmed its plans to exit the Michigan market by year’s end.
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Housing and economic experts deliver gloomy forecasts for housing, the economy for 2008.
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Inventories rise to an 11-month supply.
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Auction doesn't deter Seattle developer from considering future projects.
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David Weekley Homes eclipsed Shea Homes as the biggest private for-profit builder in the country last year, according to Builder magazine’s forthcoming Builder 100 survey.
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Voices From Capitol Hill
Excerpts from yesterday's housing bill discussion in the U.S. Senate.
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Existing-home sales are down 2 percent, and existing-home prices (median and average) are down as well, the National Association of Realtors announced Tuesday.
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After report reveals Denver builders’ failure to capitalize on leads, pros stress basics such as phone calls and handwritten thank-yous.
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Green advertising is not as effective as other forms of marketing, survey finds.
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If you didn’t have a chance to attend the Presidential Seminar in Aspen this year, here's an opportunity to catch up with what some of the country's foremost housing industry analysts are saying about the industry's outlook.
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Builders use video, blogs, and more to emphasize local market’s health and counter negative national housing headlines.
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Bush makes his pick for HUD secretary, housing starts fall below the one-million mark, and vacant homes are abuzz with activity
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac offer pricing and purchasing commitments to banks in effort to expand availability of bigger loans.
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Bush chooses Steve Preston, head of government’s Small Business Administration.
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New orders down 30 percent in 2008’s first quarter.
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Sobering report predicts 1 in 33 homeowners will be in foreclosure during the next two years.
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Pace of starts and permits falls below one-million mark in March.
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Hanley Wood product editors combed the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show, held last week in Chicago, in search of innovative and interesting introductions for you and your clients.
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March foreclosure level is nearly 60 percent higher than last year.
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Researcher predicts the condo crisis in South Florida will only worsen in 2008 and 2009.
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NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index stays at 20 for third month in a row.
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Nearly half still think housing market in their area is overpriced.
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McCain says he wants to help homeowners after all, Georgia builders rush to meet new licensing requirements, and the housing market is hot, hot, hot – on television.
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Bill includes $25 billion in tax breaks aimed at home builders and other businesses affected by the downturn.
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Senate Passes Housing Relief Bill
The U.S. Senate today passed by a wide margin a bill crafted to help stop the decline in the nation's housing markets, including $25 billion in tax breaks aimed at home builders and other businesses affected by the downturn.
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State’s first contractor licensing law goes into effect July 1.
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Managers acquired Ohio-based Wayne Homes from Centex earlier this year.
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Auctioning its entire standing inventory gives Buena Vista Custom Homes a fresh start.
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White House proposes expanding FHA program to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.
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One startup, Hancock Communities, buys land at bargain-basement prices for affordable home construction.
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A marker of future home sales dipped in February, sliding 1.9 percent, according to figures released Tuesday morning.
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"Operation Homewrecker" allegedly defrauded more than 100 homeowners out of more than $12 million in equity
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BUILDER catches you up with the news you might have missed.
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Housing industry watchers are relieved to see the Senate taking action on housing, but are unsure about some aspects.
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Nonfarm payroll fell by 232,000 in the first quarter of 2008.
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Timely, relevant responses to requests for information are rare.
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Excerpts from yesterday's housing bill discussion in the U.S. Senate.
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Senate agrees to throw housing market a lifesaver.
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Decline not as bad as economists expected.
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National Home Centers calls on state and federal lawmakers to impose controls over how construction loans are drawn upon.
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New mandates will hold contractors to more stringent safety protocols.
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Our research shows you what products and brands builders are using.
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Alphonso Jackson ends four tumultuous years under investigation for conflicts of interest.
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BUILDER Blocks: The Week in Review
BUILDER catches you up with the news you might have missed.
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BUILDER catches you up with the news you might have missed.
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The Los Angeles-based builder sees new orders plummet on the heels of significant reduction in its communities.
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High gas and food prices, declining home values, and job market cited as causes.
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Raleigh officials target garbage disposals as the culprit behind sewer clogs.
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City Council votes to stop processing a proposal for a community that would include more than 5,500 homes.
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Revenue down 62 percent, but company’s exposure to JVs, land has been reduced.
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Agreement does not include long-term health coverage or consultant responsibility for Stephen Scarborough.
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February sales down almost 30 percent from a year ago.
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Not all the results from the Builder 100 are in, but it’s already clear which companies will land in the top 10. D.R. Horton retained its title as the biggest builder in America. While the other members of the top 10 did not change, their places on the Builder 100 did.
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Single-family home prices down by nearly 20 percent in Las Vegas and Miami.
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Brian Conaway offers management and leadership advice, learned from constructing a house in under 3 hours.
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Report also finds slight decrease in housing inventory.
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BUILDER catches you up with the news you might have missed.
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Chairman waived salary, bonus last year.
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New leader Peterson to address "a whole host of things."
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