Industry News

• Energy-saving Features Any Builder Can Implement
  Any builder can implement specific energy-saving features at a client's request and the cost to incorporate them from conception can be almost negligible, according to this home builder. Here’s how.
• Home Star Program Faces GOP Skepticism
  Republicans in Congress are worried the Home Star program is too expensive and wouldn't be implemented efficiently.
• Waning Construction Industry Affects Need for Local Inspectors
  A lack of work for local building inspectors is causing some local government entities to trim staff.
• Atlanta Builders Adapt to Smaller Market
  Even amid a market that has forced many builders to the sidelines, those hanging on continue to find enough demand to justify new starts in the Atlanta market.
• Emerging Signs of Housing Shortage Seen by Analysts
  The current overabundance of available homes may be masking a need for more housing in certain parts of the country in the next few years, according to these analysts.
• Luxury Home Market Looking Up
  This Texas real estate professional says there are plenty of positive signs in their neck of the woods that the luxury housing market is turning around.
• Underwater Mortgages Halt Some Move-up buyers
  Even though move-up buyers want to take advantage of the current tax credit, they can’t because their current home is worth less than their unpaid mortgage.
• Denver Builder Goes Mobile with Website
  Richmond American Homes is hoping to hook up with the next generation of home buyer by creating a mobile website where prospects can access listings and other information on mobile devices. Nice idea. Check it out.
• Net Zero Energy Home Secrets Shared
  Here’s a look at a net zero energy home that was recently completed in Abilene, Texas.
• Kitchen Design Challenge Call for Entries
  Members of the professional design industry who design a Thermador kitchen in 2010 or 2011 could receive an expense-paid resort vacation in Scottsdale, Ariz., and up to $25,000 in prize money if they enter and win the firm’s Kitchen Design Challenge. Here are the details.
• Teaming Up to Trim Energy Use
  Here’s an idea you can use to help spur business. This of a group of contractors, builders and architects hold monthly meetings with interested citizens to discuss ways to make homes more energy-efficient.
• Profile of a Perfectly Green Roof
  This green roof system, which was used for Olympic Village housing, is a “blanket” type of system developed over the past 40 years in Germany.
• Estimating Software for Builders and Remodelers Released
  The NAHB has released construction estimating software that allows builders and remodelers to complete complex estimates quickly and accurately.
• A 21st-Century Bungalow: Something Old and New
  This Minneapolis architecture/design team set out on a mission to pack as many eco-friendly features as they could into a traditional-style house that looks completely at home with its century-old neighbors.
• Few States Require Making New Homes Resistant to Radon
  Home builders should be aware that a venting system for radon gas can be installed when a house is built for as little as $300 and can be a selling point.

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