Table of Contents August 2008

Editor's Notes

• The Long Haul

  In our desire for good news, we may be failing to focus on the things we can control.

   

Products

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  Efficiency Experts

  Window manufacturers up the ante on energy-efficient glass.

   
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  Slow Growth

  Tool manufacturers are pursuing strategies to counter the housing slowdown.

   

Inside Story

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  Mile-High Matchmaking

  A Denver builder pairs investors and renters at one of its projects.

   
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  Apples and Oranges

  The cascade of foreclosures puts a new spin on pricing and selling houses.

   

Success Stories

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  Big Sky, Small House

  Cute condos in a western town deliver a lifestyle that’s just right.

   
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  Sliding Scale

  Flexible floor plans and an online “build your own design” feature have sparked steady sales in this inland California community.

   

Top Shelf

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  Topshelf Products: August 2008

  The latest and greatest building products.

   

Green House

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  Engaging the Industry

  The National Green Building Standard is anticipating ANSI approval. Now what?

   
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  Setting a Solar Standard

  Forced to offer solar as an option to gain its permits, Vantage of Palo Alto went a step further and made PV a standard feature.

   

Sales Strategies

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  First Five Minutes

  The first words out of your mouth should never be, “Can I help you?”

   
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  Team Players

  Builders team up with sports figures to boost their brands.

   

Seiders' Economy

• Feeling the Heat

  As the credit crunch deepens, the noose around AD&C lending is tightening.

   

Features

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  On The Shoals

  Resolving unpaid loans backed by depreciating assets at a time of diminished sales is testing builder-lender relationships.

   
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  Bailing Out

  Getting a lender to renegotiate a loan requires all hands on deck. And when that doesn’t work, help may come from private money lenders.

   
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  Trade Secrets: Staying Afloat

  Renegotiating debt can be a lifesaver for builders swamped by the market.

   
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  The 2008 Gold Nugget Awards

  Projects with both beauty and brains win the highest accolades in the 2008 Gold Nugget Awards competition.

   

National Beat

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  Credit Concerns

  The tightening of AD&C credit has put an extra burden on builders.

   

• Straight to the Source

  A new NAHBRC survey illuminates conditions in the slumping market.

   

Last Word

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  Last Word: Chuck Shinn

  “If you run out of cash, you’re out of business.”