NAHB News
NAHB Honors Industry Leader
The Building Systems Councils (BSC) of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) honored a member for a lifetime of service and achievement in advancing the systems-built industry and contributing to the efforts of the BSC.
Jim Webb, founder and president of Lok-N-Logs in Sherburne, N.Y., received the S.A. Walters Award at a ceremony held during the BSC's annual showcase event in Memphis, Tenn. The award is given annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to the U.S. industrialized housing industry.
"The S.A. Walters Award is a prestigious industry honor, voted on by the BSC Board of Trustees," says BSC Chairman Gary Grossman. "Jim Webb has made some tremendous contributions to the log home industry and is widely respected by his peers. He cares deeply about the systems-built industry and is very deserving of this award."
Webb served as the Log Homes Council (LHC) president in 1984. During his tenure, he helped develop the annual Log Homes Council President's Tour-a conference that goes behind the scenes of log-home manufacturing facilities to analyze best practices and innovative solutions.
NAHB Offers New Safety Resources
In an effort to increase job site safety and reduce the chance of job related accidents, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has added two new products to its catalog of safety resources, the trenching and excavation safety video and the NAHB-OSHA trenching and excavation safety handbook. The two products offer easy-to-follow instructions to provide effective training.
"The trenching and excavation safety video and handbook provide our industry with critically important information for maintaining a safe work-site environment," says NAHB Chairman of the Board Sandy J. Dunn. "The two products work together as easy-to-use resources for English and Spanish speaking employees."
The handbook explains how to comply with OSHA excavation standards on residential jobsites. Offered in a format that provides translation from English into Spanish, it provides guidelines for conducting safe trenching and excavation operations and identifies safe work practices that can prevent serious accidents and injuries.
The 30-minute trenching and excavation safety video can be used by builders to train workers to reduce accidents and injuries related to these operations on homebuilding jobsites. The video shows how to safely perform the most common trenching and excavation operations in residential construction, highlighting general requirements for complying with OSHA's excavation standards and identifying key prevention measures that address the most common hazards on the jobsite.
NAHB Reports Boomers Planning to Move
One in four baby boom generation households expects to move from their current home in the future with the majority looking for a single-level home that is more comfortable or convenient according to a new survey prepared for AARP.
Echoing past surveys, most boomers (79 percent) say they would like to stay in their current home for as long as possible. Less than 10 percent of boomers said they would like to stay in their current home but don't think they will be able to do so.
Many of those who expect to move said they will be looking for a better house, a better climate or a home that is closer to family and friends. About half said they will look for a newer or smaller home.
The poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for AARP was released to coincide with the announcement of the 2008 Livable Communities Awards from AARP and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) honoring innovative thinking in the field of home and community design. The 2008 AARP and NAHB Livable Communities awards recognize four companies in four categories whose projects enhance the daily comfort, ease and safety of the people who live in them.
Older boomers are significantly more likely than younger boomers to think that they will move into a single-level home, but age is not the only factor that affects expectations. Boomer men are more likely than women to believe they will move into a newer home or move into a home in a warmer or better climate. Boomer women are more likely than men to think they will move into a smaller home.
"While boomers will reflect the patterns of earlier generations and mostly age in place, the sheer number of boomers will increase demand for a whole variety of home and community options," says Elinor Ginzler, senior vice president of AARP. "The 2008 Livable Communities Award winners offer some great examples of appealing, user-friendly design."
Federal Backing will Reduce Mortgage Rates
To support the mortgage markets and bring down mortgage rates, the nation's homebuilders called on federal officials to clearly affirm that the government will provide long-term guarantees for the debt and securities purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
"Investors are confused over the extent of federal support for long-term obligations held by the housing government sponsored enterprise (GSEs) and that uncertainty has pushed spreads on GSE debt in relation to treasury yields to record highs," says Jerry Howard, president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). "As a result, mortgage rates are at unacceptably high levels, which is forestalling recovery of the housing market and creating a major drag on the economy."
Under the provisions of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), the treasury's temporary and unlimited authority to purchase GSE debt and equity and ensure that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have continuous access to liquidity on an as-needed basis will end on Dec. 31, 2009. Markets are unsure of the extent of federal support for the GSEs beyond that date. Additionally, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's recent guarantee program for senior, unsecured debt has caused investors to view those obligations as more secure than GSE debt. "This misperception has resulted in wider, long-term senior debt spreads for the GSEs, which has, in part, raised mortgage rates to unnecessarily high levels," says Howard.
To bolster investor demand for GSE securities and thereby reduce mortgage rates, NAHB is calling on the treasury to resolve investor uncertainty by explicitly guaranteeing GSE debt in the same way the FDIC has provided guarantees for bank debt. In addition, the treasury should increase its purchases of mortgage backed securities issued or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as authorized under HERA.
Builders Applaud Changes to Homeowner Program
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) applauded changes to the Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Hope for Homeowners program that will allow more distressed homeowners to take advantage of the program designed to prevent foreclosures and keep families in their homes.
The modifications announced by HUD secretary Steve Preston are also expected to make the program more appealing to lenders and to make homeownership more affordable for the owners.
"These changes will allow Hope for Homeowners to reach many more troubled mortgage borrowers," says NAHB Chairman Sandy Dunn. "In particular, increasing the mortgage loan-to-value ratio, which will reduce the required write-down of principal, and allow owners to refinance from 30- to 40-year mortgage terms will make more owners eligible for the program and help make homeownership more affordable so that families can stay in their homes."
The Hope for Homeowners program was authorized by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. Although the program's purpose is to help prevent foreclosures and keep families in their homes, borrowers must meet a number of qualifying criteria including the Federal Housing Administration's long-standing requirements for fully documenting income and employment.
Housing Eligible for NAHB Green Certification
NAHB green verification is now available for modular homes, bringing the green building certification process to the industry that produces a fifth of the nation's housing stock. The Modular Green Approved program was unveiled by the National Association of Homebuilders, the NAHB Building Systems Councils (BSC) and the NAHB Research Center.
Modular Green is a new service offered by the NAHB Research Center, which also administers the National Green Building Certification program for traditionally built homes-the verification service launched in February 2008 as part of NAHBGreen.
"This is a very important step for the industry as more and more builders rely on systems-built construction methods," says NAHB President Sandy Dunn. "Modular construction helps builders reduce their overhead and go green with ease by assembling a significant portion of the home in the factory. Because they are factory-built, modular homes can take advantage of resource efficiencies that make them less expensive to produce and that involves less waste-it's green as well as more affordable."
Traditional homes are inspected onsite by NAHB research center-trained verifiers who examine the insulation, framing and other components of the building envelope as well as the materials and products that help produce water efficiency, better indoor environmental quality and other hallmarks of green building.
While a modular or systems-built home is built to the same codes as a traditional, site-built home, the inspector can't see behind the walls when arriving at the building site, making the verification process more difficult. By ensuring that the house and its components meet green requirements in the factory through this new program, the rest of the inspection can be conducted onsite.
NAHB Announces New Green Professionals
The Certified Green Professional (CGP) educational program reached another milestone this week as the number of industry leaders who achieved their CGP designation grew to 1,500.
The CGP designation recognizes builders, remodelers and other industry professionals who understand how to incorporate green building principles into homes and provide green building expertise for consumers.
The designation is part of the NAHB National Green Building Program, which also includes a green home verification and certification service provided through the NAHB research center. So far, 69 homes have received national green building certification with another 160 awaiting inspection.
To qualify for the individual designation, applicants must complete 24 hours of green building and business management instruction, have two years of industry experience, commit to continuing education requirements and sign the CGP code of ethics.
"The CGP designation helps assure home buyers that their builder or remodeler can help them negotiate the path to a green-built home-as green as the home buyer wants it to be," says Ray Tonjes, chair of the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Subcommittee. Designers, bankers, home sales agents and other industry professionals can also bring additional value to their clients with the CGP designation.
NAHB Announces Finalists
NAHB's national sales and marketing council (NSMC) announced the finalists for its 2009 National Sales and Marketing Awards. Commonly referred to as The Nationals, the awards are the nation's largest and most prestigious awards for new-home sales and marketing professionals and communities.
Started in 1982 as the Institute of Residential Marketing (MIRM) Awards, The Nationals award program continues to recognize superior new home sales and marketing achievements. With 63 categories across various disciplines of the new home industry, the awards honor excellence in product and community design, advertising, marketing and sales achievements by individuals and sales teams. Award winners will be announced at an Awards Gala held on Jan. 20 at Caesar's Palace during the 2009 International Builders Show in Las Vegas.
"NAHB provides countless opportunities for its members to grow and learn in all aspects of the building industry, and The Nationals is a big part of what pushes us to become better at what we do every year," says Mary DeWalt, chair of the Nationals. "The Nationals program reminds us that we have accomplished much as sales and marketing professionals, despite the downturn, and deserve to be recognized for these efforts."
To view a complete list of Silver Award winners, visit thenationals.com
