Not too many years ago, A stroll along a downtown Minneapolis street after quitting time would be a lonely jaunt. Same for downtown Houston, in-town Atlanta, and even office-laden Washington, whose daytime population hopped in cars for a commute to the suburbs when offices closed for the evening.
IN 1988, AFTER NEARLY 20 SUCCESSFUL years in real estate and home building, Gene McKown went belly-up, a victim of an economic slide in the Southwest brought on by collapsing oil prices. Two decades later, the 62-year-old McKown—in partnership with co-owners a generation younger—not only has...
Much like race-horses wearing blinders, America's Best Builders—Gaffney Homes, The Green Co., Touchstone Homes, and Ideal Homes—have kept their focus on what's ahead despite a year of suffering sales. Last year's closings may reflect consumer caution, but the leaders of these four leading-edge...
THE CLIENTS WERE A YOUNG COUPLE IN THEIR late 20s with lots of creativity, plenty of stamina, and a fair sprinkling of idealism. They were determined to build their own digs on upscale Bainbridge Island, Wash., in spite of a budget that would have sent most home buyers in search of a nice townhouse...
LAST YEAR, FORBES PROCLAIMED SAGAPONACK, N.Y., the country's most expensive zip code, with a median home price of $2.7 million. When architect Michael Lomont staked out a street address for his young family in this once agrarian community on the eastern tip of Long Island, he paid less than half...
FILLING IN ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING LOTS IN A New Urbanist enclave of 950 homes wasn't an easy task for the design team at Memphis, Tenn.–based archimania. Sixteen years into the development of Harbor Town, a suburb of Memphis, the community's steady march of wood siding and tidy trim was...
-
A REVAMPED TEXAS RESIDENTIAL Construction Commission Web site allows consumers to conduct background checks on builders and remodelers with whom they are considering doing business. Visitors to www.texasrcc.com can search the state's online database for the scoop on a builder's registration status...
-
WHEN THE HOME DEPOT retained Lehman Brothers in February to evaluate the long-range future of its $12 billion HD Supply business unit, the home-improvement retail giant may have finally waved the white flag on its quest to gain a stronger foothold with professional and commercial customers.
-
IN SOME OF ITS NEW COMMUNITIES IN THE southeast, D.R. Horton is gaining notoriety by offering a unique technology package that includes a 24/7 “tech concierge” who will take home buyers' calls and either troubleshoot a tech problem over the phone or send out a technician.
-
AS A GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCHING how to make houses more hurricane-resistant, Ed Sutt looked at the damage from hurricanes Marilyn and Opal, which hit the Caribbean and the Florida Panhandle in 1995, and saw that much of it was related to the nails not holding. So, Sutt started working on a new...
- A new deduction for mortgage insurance premiums gives buyers another financing option.
- A Florida circuit court in January awarded Pulte Homes $1.16 million for impact fees it paid to cover school construction in Osceola County.
- Builders looking to get out from under pricey inventory...
-
Beazer Homes USA confirmed on Wednesday that it had received a request from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte, N.C., for documents "generally related to its mortgage business," Beazer Mortgage. That subsidiary of the Atlanta-based builder was the subject of a scathing four-part series of...
-
The Florida HBA won an important round in its fight challenging the constitutionality of the inclusionary zoning ordinance the city of Tallahassee passed in spring 2005 when a circuit court judge denied the city's motion to dismiss the trade group's complaint against the city.
-
Mar. 23, 2007: Al Gore's solar-home dream is caught up in red tape; Fannie Mae predicts a 7 percent to 8 percent drop in new-homes sales; and the best home building Web sites trends are announced. BUILDER Online catches you up with the news you might have missed.
-
One priority is maintaining the growth of the sizzling grilling segment. "With state-of-art grills, the latest technology, and must-have accessories, manufacturers are bringing a whole new meaning to grilling," says Leslie Wheeler, director of communications for the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue...
-
SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. -- David W. Berson, chief economist for Fannie Mae is predicting a drop of 7 percent to 8 percent in new-home sales for the remainder of 2007 but says the worst declines have passed. Berson made his presentation Monday morning to more than 100 home building executives at the...
-
For more than two decades BUILDER has enlisted top builders and residential architects to judge our most prestigious competition. With each passing year, the level of quality and innovation increases, thus raising the bar ever higher in this exclusive contest.
-
"Despite the slowdown in new-home sales across the country and the unusually warm, early winter weather in some regions, the hearth, patio, and barbecue industry still is enjoying solid sales - with nearly 3 million hearth units shipped last year," says Jack Goldman, president of the Hearth, Patio...
-
Mar. 16, 2007: Subprime mortgage delinquencies hit a high, California new-homes sales are on the rise, home builder stocks plunge, and a Missouri home builder gets a second crack at an "extreme makeover." BUILDER Online catches you up with the news you might have missed.
Sales at California's major new-home communities rose in January by 9.4 percent compared to December 2006 according to a California Building Industry Association (CBIA)/Hanley Wood Market Intelligence (HWMI)report. The study finds that more than 6,000 single-family homes, townhomes, and...
-
Sales at California's major new-home communities rose in January by 9.4 percent compared to December 2006 according to a California Building Industry Association (CBIA)/Hanley Wood Market Intelligence (HWMI)report. The study finds that more than 6,000 single-family homes, townhomes, and...
-
According to a Mortgage Bankers Association national delinquency survey, the delinquency rates for prime, subprime, Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and Veteran Affairs loans all increased in the fourth quarter of 2006. The report also reveals that subprime delinquencies are at a four-year...
-
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is auctioning off some of the 145,000 manufactured homes it bought in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to provide relief to those who were homeless after the storms. Although mobile home dealers are saying otherwise, FEMA insists its...
-
During this 30-minute Web seminar, Thompson identifies the major trends that he expects to influence the industry during the next five years.
-
After two years and "thousands of reports," the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) announced its findings on Polyvinyl chloride(PVC) last week. The Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee (TSAC) turned over its final report final report to the USGBC's LEED Sterling Committee (LSC) and...
-
Mar. 9, 2007: Horton CEO predicts a lackluster 2007 (to put it nicely); a weak housing market is increasing the risk of housing related layoffs; FEMA is auctioning off Katrina/Rita manufactured homes much to the chagrin of mobile home dealers; and the housing market is thriving...in Canada. BUILDER...
-
In the face of rosy projections from some industry economists that the homebuilding market has already hit rock-bottom and will recover in the second half of 2007, the country's biggest builder is sounding a different note. "2007 is going to suck," D.R. Horton CEO Don Tomnitz said Wednesday at the...