Are you a builder or realtor who has sold homes recently to first-time buyers?
NAHB is looking for consumers who were motivated by the $8,000 tax credit to buy a home this year. We need testimonials both to create momentum by keeping stories about the housing market upswing in the media, and to take up to Capitol Hill. NAHB has set up an easy online form for consumers to share their stories at: www.nahb.org/taxcreditstory.
Builder Input Needed for New AD&C Lending Action Plan
NAHB is expanding its efforts on the AD&C lending crisis with a new member-focused game plan. The centerpiece calls for developing solid and specific examples of the ongoing AD&C problems that builders and developers are experiencing. NAHB will use these to create case studies that will bolster our arguments with federal regulators, legislators and others, and illustrate the degree of the crisis at hand. NAHB is soliciting input from individual members who have compelling AD&C experiences to share—especially those members who are operating in relatively stable markets, since these can best put a spotlight on inappropriate regulatory actions. Please share your AD&C experiences using the online template at: www.nahb.org/adccasestudy. (NOTE: You will be required to login using your NAHB username and password to use this site.)
NAHB’s Land Development Committee with support from the Multi-Family Council is offering the Webinar Top Trends in Impact Fees on April 21 at 2 p.m. to discuss the latest trends in impact fees nationally and give you the tools you need to shift the conversation to other financing mechanisms.
Who should participate: HBAs, builders, developers and others will learn how to argue back fees, identify erroneous assumptions in impact fee calculations, avoid common administration and implementation problems in ordinances, and shape effective legislation if you’re stuck with them.
Learning outcomes: This session will introduce you to the resources available from NAHB as well as give you strategies to argue for impact fee rollbacks. You will also have access to DPFG’s extensive experience with infrastructure finance including evaluating the appropriateness of development impact fees being imposed by local government for their private sector clients.
Moderator: J. Michael Noonan, Division President, Rottlund Homes, 2009 NAHB Land Development Committee Chair Speakers: Carter Froelich, Managing Principal, DPFG Consultants, and Thais Austin, Infrastructure and Public Finance Specialist, NAHB
The deadline is fast approaching to nominate individuals to the North Carolina Housing Hall of Fame. The primary purpose of the NCHHF is to honor men and women who have made significant and lasting contributions to housing in North Carolina, the building industry and to the North Carolina Home Builders Association. Nominees do not have to be active or a member of the North Carolina Home Builders Association.
If you know of an individual who has excelled in making a significant and lasting contribution to the building industry, please complete the nomination form and return it to the NCHBA office at the address below. All nominations must be postmarked by April 15, 2009.
The inductee(s) will be announced at the June 2009 NCHBA 2nd Quarter Board of Directors meeting. The induction ceremony will take place during the Installation Dinner at the 2009 NCHBA 4th Quarter Meetings on December 8, 2009.
Induction into the NCHFF is a prestigious honor. All nominations will be carefully screened and given thorough consideration by the NCHHF Board of Governors. If you have any questions, please contact Erin Jones at NCHBA at 1-800-662-7129 or by e-mail at .
North Carolina Home Builders Association
Attn: Erin Jones
P.O. Box 99090
Raleigh, NC 27624
Social media isn’t just for teenagers anymore ... learn how home builders, developers and others in the real estate industry are utilizing social media for a competitive advantage in the Lunch & Learn Seminar, "Where is the ROI for Social Media?". From social media to social networking and blogging, see case studies of how builders and associates are benefiting from embracing these powerful tools and using social media in their Internet marketing plans. There is more to it than Facebook; see how social media can help your ROI.
Carol M. Flammer, MIRM, CAPS, CSP, will be the featured speaker. Carol is Managing Partner of mRELEVANCE, LLC, a firm that combines the power of Internet marketing, social media and public relations.
Join the Associates Committee June 9 at Bonefish Grill at the Lassister for this cutting-edge seminar. The seminar is scheduled in conjunction with the NCHBA 2nd Quarter Board Meeting being held across the street at the Renaissance Hotel. Tickets are $23 if you pre-register and will include lunch. The seminar will be from 12:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Registration is required. Tickets purchased on-site will be $28.
The North Carolina Home Builders Association invites you to join us at the annual Builders Classic Golf Tournament April 17 at Whispering Pines Country Club. All proceeds go to the North Carolina Home Builders Educational & Charitable Foundation Inc., a program that awards scholarships to college students majoring in a construction-related field at a two-year or four-year college.
The tournament, sponsored by Builders Mutual Insurance Co., promises to be an exciting event, with players having the opportunity to network with other industry professionals as they contribute to a worthy cause. The 18-hole course offers large greens and rolling fairways lined with pines and strategically-placed bunkers. Check-in is at 8 a.m., with a 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. The tournament is Captain's Choice format. The cost is $85 per person or $340 per team, and includes green fees, cart fee, beverages, Thursday evening barbeque dinner and lunch Friday. To register or for more information view, the Builders Classic Golf Tournament Flyer.
In 2007, a challenge was issued to all current or former presidents of a local, state or national association to put together a foursome and compete in the "President's Challenge." We plan to continue the competition this year, and once this year’s winner is announced after the tournament, the actual President’s Cup will be monogrammed and delivered to the winning president at his/her local association where it will reside (with full bragging rights) until next year when it will come back out and be competed for once again. Congratulations again to the 2008 winner, Buddy Hughes of the HBA of Davidson County.
To add to the competitive spirit of this year’s NCHBECF Golf Tournament, Bonded Builders Home Warranty is offering an incentive to those who recruit new members through the Spirit of Membership program. If any member at the tournament brings a new member paid application to the tournament, the recruiting member will receive a $35 gas card. If the applicant plays in the tournament, both get a $35 gas card. The new member may be a builder, associate or affiliate member. Click here for more information on the Spirit of Membership program offered by Bonded Builders.
National Membership Day is Tuesday, May 19. The theme for this year's membership drive is "Membership Defenders, Unite!"
For local associations that sign up to participate in March, membership recruiters will earn DOUBLE SPIKE CREDITS in March, April and May for members recruited and for members retained. This is an added incentive for spikes who have previously recruited members coming up for renewal. In years past, NAHB has only doubled Spike credits during the month of May. Due to the distressed membership climate this year, the NAHB Membership Committee has broadened the playing period so local associations and local councils can achieve greater numbers and more sustainable recruitment practices. Quality counts in membership, and this campaign is designed to help participating members discover their superpowers and truly become Membership Defenders.
A game, Apathy Attacks, will also add to the fun of this year's campaign. The new game helps locals form teams that compete against one another during the playing period, complete with Power Jolts and Team Challenges to help keep the teams focused and having fun.
A three-tiered prize structure is in place to continue to incentivize and reward membership heroes who contribute to the strength of their local association and local councils. As always, the prizes are available, free of charge, to all participating local associations at the conclusion of the campaign.
If local associations don't sign up until April, double credits are only available for April and May, so sign up now! Local associations can sign the Participation Pledge online at www.nahb.org/membershipdefenders. For more information on the Apathy Attacks, visit www.nahb.org/ApathyTracker. To talk to one of NAHB’s Membership Defenders, contact or dial 800-368-5242, ext. 8440.
The North Carolina Home Builders Educational & Charitable Foundation, Inc. is now accepting nominations and applications for its college scholarships. The foundation awards scholarships based on a combination of need and merit to four-year college students entering their junior or senior year and technical school students entering their second year who have declared their major in a construction related field.
To be eligible a student must meet the following criteria:
Applicants must be nominated by a NCHBA member firm.
Nominees shall be immediate family members (i.e. children, step-children or grandchildren). Students related by marriage, (i.e. son-in-law, daughter-in-law, etc.) shall not be eligible.
Immediate family members of any current trustee of the NCHB Educational & Charitable Foundation, Inc. shall not be eligible.
Awards are for one year, but scholarship winners may submit a renewal application and be considered for renewal if they make satisfactory progress in their studies.
Only full-time students will be considered. NCHBA defines a full-time student as one taking a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.
The deadline for entries is April 30, 2009. For a nomination form or an application packet, contact NCHBA at (800) 662-7129; (919) 676-9090 or e-mail: . Mail completed applications to: North Carolina Home Builders Association (NCHBA), P. O. Box 99090, Raleigh, NC 27624.
The Asheville Home Builders Association will be offering the Green Building for Building Professionals Course on May 13-14 and the Business Management for Building Professionals Course on May 15. Please click here for course details and sign up info. Deadline to register is April 29. Please contact the AHBA at (828) 299-7001 or e-mail at
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The Lake Norman HBA is offering the Green Building for Building Professionals class May 19-20 and Business Management for Building Professionals class May 21. Go to http://www.lakenormanhba.com/certifiedgreenprofessional.html for more information and registration. The deadline to register is May 13.
Code Update Seminar Scheduled
The Moore County HBA BUILD-PAC Committee is hosting a N.C. Building Code Update Seminar on May 14. Robert Privott, Director of Codes and Construction, will be the guest speaker and will highlight the changes between the 2006 and 2009 North Carolina residential code. Some of the code changes he will be addressing become effective July 1, 2009.
If you have a question about building codes, this is your chance to ask! The seminar will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the MCHBA Office located at 10022 Highway 211 East in Aberdeen. The fee is $20 and lunch will be provided. Proceeds go to BUILD-PAC. Contact the MCHBA at 910-944-2992 or .
With Affordability Up, Home Buyers are Starting to Return to the Market
Thanks to record low mortgage rates and declining home prices, 55 million families – or half of all U.S. households -- can afford today’s $200,000 median-priced new home, according to figures released by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
“That’s an increase of 17 million households from conditions just two years ago and the best housing affordability number we have seen in years,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder from Tulsa, Okla. “We are now seeing the first signs that buyers are returning to the marketplace.” Click here for the entire article.
NAHBGREEN Expands to Whole Communities
A neo-traditional community in Northwest Indiana is the first in the country to earn land development certification under the National Green Building Standard, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced Wedmesdau.
The 60-acre parcel was carved from unused farm fields and old commercial sites in the town of Burns Harbor, a once-dying steel town an hour from Chicago by train. The successful – and documented -- focus on environmental stewardship earned the development its certification. Click here for the entire article.
National Membership Day is Tuesday, May 19. The theme for this year's membership drive is "Membership Defenders, Unite!" 
