Market needs determine building permits
BUILDER's annual Local Leaders ranking of the top 75 markets in the country, based on numbers of permits, and the top 10 builders in each, based on numbers of closings, proves correct once again the old saw of location, location, location. But this time around, the aspects of the location that appealed to buyers were not sunny climes and resort amenities but, rather, economic realities. Read more
Every spring, about 50,000 people gather together for one reason: to see the hottest new products for the kitchen and bath. The Kitchen/Bath Industry Show (KBIS) is not as large as, say, the NAHB International Builders' Show, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in quality. Read more
LAST YEAR SAW THE HIGHEST number of housing discrimination complaints ever filed in the U.S. in a single year. According to HUD's annual fair housing report, the federal agency and state and local government agencies received 10,328 such complaints in 2006. Race and disability, the report says, made up the lion's share of the cases. Read more
Loudoun CO VA builders restricted
BUSINESS IS BAD ENOUGH, SO it's understandable that builders in Virginia's Prince William County and nearby Loudoun County were upset when the board of supervisors in both counties passed resolutions saying they would take 12 months before approving any new residential project. Read more
MODEL HOMES ARE ESSENTIAL MARKETING tools for many builders. But these homes can also be among the more vulnerable elements on jobsites, which are often susceptible to illegal entry and theft. Read more
PATH Products
MOLD-RESISTANT GYPSUM and concrete made with waste from coal-fired power plants are among the top 10 home building technologies for 2007, according to the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH). PATH, a program run by HUD, says the 10 technologies are the future of home building and hold the most promise for improving the quality of homes."Our 2007 list focuses on PATH-profiled technologies at the nexus of technological advantage, market readiness, and market appeal," says Mike Blanford, in HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research. "Each product on the list has the potential to transform the way we build or finish homes, and many of them offer environmental benefits as well as strengths in other areas." Read more