NABA News
NABA Supports NAHB Effort
The downturn in the economy has been extremely difficult for the nation and the residents of Arizona. In particular, one of the hardest-hit segments of the workforce has been that of housing and related businesses, where an estimated three million jobs have evaporated. When you consider that the housing industry accounts for about 15 cents of every dollar spent in the U.S. and up to 25 cents for every dollar in the state of Arizona, it is clear just how crippling a blow the economy has sustained nationally and locally.
Realizing how shell-shocked today's consumers have become, it will take a combination of powerful incentives to bring buyers back to the market. To break out of this downward spiral and stimulate demand, Congress should enact a meaningful program to help the building industry. Most importantly, this stimulus will put thousands back to work across the nation and in Arizona.
One group that is actively trying to be at the forefront and bring some relief to the housing market is the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), which is spearheading Fix Housing First, one of the largest coalitions of housing advocates ever assembled in the U.S., to push for a housing recovery plan that will revive the economy. "If we are going to successfully pull our nation out of recession, we must address housing first," says NAHB President and CEO Jerry Howard.
Fix Housing First, which consists of more than 600 organizations, homebuilding companies and manufacturers, is pressing for a major stimulus package to stem the decline in home values, stabilize financial markets and reignite consumer demand. To get the economy moving again, the coalition is urging Congress to support enhancements to the home buyer tax credit and provide below market 30-year fixed-rate mortgages for home purchases.
NAHB has been doing an outstanding job in actively pursuing numerous programs on a national basis and it is imperative to get involved on a local and national basis. We have all watched while the financial markets were bailed out and listened to the current discussions for the auto industry. And while this is a major part of the economy, the building industry is in the worst condition that it has been in recent memory.
It is time to actively pursue programs from government, local and national, to come to the aid of the building industry and help the industry so it can in turn help the country pull itself out of its financial woes. Contact your local homebuilding association and local or national elected officials to make a difference and help the economy, the building industry and yourself.
NABA Sponsors Local Event
NABA's Christmas party was held in December at Jotini's on the Green at the Continental Country Club. Members socialized and remembered events from past years. As part of the Christmas party, NABA sponsored CanBuild, an event in which local high schools collected over 10,000 canned food items and constructed sculptures made of the collected cans. The prize for most cans collected went to Sinagha High School, and the most creative can sculpture-that of a tank-went to Northland Preparatory Academy.
NABA also co-hosted a Christmas party with Amanda and Jon Kaufman from Brown Drilling. On Dec. 19, guests enjoyed live entertainment, food and drinks at the Brown Drilling office complex in Kingman.
