News

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced the finalists today in the 2011 NAHB Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Awards, which honors the best and most creative work in multifamily housing. Finalists represent a wide array of projects featuring innovative concepts and trends in multifamily housing such as green and energy efficient features, community amenities and proximity to public transportation.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is accepting entries for the Best in American Living Awards (BALA), the premier award program for the home building industry.Sponsored by NAHB's Design Committee, BALA recognizes exceptional design and uses the example of trend-setting designs to educate builders and improve residential design in all aspects of the housing industry

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A drop in some mortgage loan limits for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration scheduled to occur on Oct. 1 will reduce housing demand and place downward pressure on home prices in major housing markets, according to a new study from the Economics and Housing Policy Group at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of newly built, single-family homes declined 2.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 319,000 units in May, according to figures released by the U.S. Commerce Department today. The decline only partially offsets a larger gain that was registered in April."Today's report indicates that new-home sales are holding fairly steady at a relatively low rate, with both April and May sales numbers running above the first-quarter average," noted Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. "In view of the slow progress of economic recovery and the challenges builders continue to face with regard to rising materials prices, access to construction credit, competition from foreclosed homes and inaccurate appraisals, the averages for the last two months combined represent some very slow improvement which should continue as expected economic gains boost consumer confidence."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today expressed support for a five-year extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to ensure that the federally-backed flood insurance program remains efficient and effective in protecting flood-prone properties and creates more stability in the housing market.Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee, Barry Rutenberg, first vice chairman of NAHB and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla., told lawmakers that because the NFIP has had to undergo a series of short-term extensions over recent years, it has created a high level of uncertainty in the program and caused severe problems for the nation’s already troubled housing markets.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nationwide housing starts rose 3.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 560,000 units in May, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Commerce Department. The gain partially offsets a larger decline that was registered in April."While the upward movement registered in today's report is somewhat good news, housing production continues to bounce along the bottom near historic lows, and is only running at a level necessary to replace dilapidated or destroyed units," said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. He also noted that "Amidst this fragile marketplace, the nation's policymakers should be aware of a recent poll that confirms the strong value that most American voters continue to place on homeownership and housing choice.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- After holding at a low but steady level for the past six months, builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes declined three points in June to a reading of 13 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today. The last time the index was this low was in September of 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As Congress looks into mandating E-Verify, a voluntary Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S., the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today urged lawmakers to ensure it is a fair, efficient and workable system and noted that this should be only one component in achieving comprehensive immigration reform.Testifying on the "Legal Workforce Act" (H.R. 2164) before the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, Barry Rutenberg, first vice chairman of NAHB and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla., said that Congress should not end its efforts to address immigration issues after considering a compulsory E-Verify program for all U.S. employers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As Congress looks into mandating E-Verify, a voluntary Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S., the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today urged lawmakers to ensure it is a fair, efficient and workable system and noted that this should be only one component in achieving comprehensive immigration reform.Testifying on the "Legal Workforce Act" (H.R. 2164) before the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, Barry Rutenberg, first vice chairman of NAHB and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla., said that Congress should not end its efforts to address immigration issues after considering a compulsory E-Verify program for all U.S. employers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nearly three out of four American voters believe that it is reasonable and appropriate for the federal government to provide tax incentives to promote homeownership, a sentiment that cuts across partisan and regional lines across the country, according to a recent poll conducted on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Tuesday, June 14 at 1:30 p.m., the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) will host a media teleconference to reveal the results of a national poll looking at voter attitudes toward homeownership and key housing policy issues.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders’ quarterly Multifamily Production Index (MPI) recorded its third consecutive quarterly increase in the first three months of 2011 indicating continuing improvement in the multifamily housing market.The MPI, which tracks multifamily housing industry sentiment about the strength of the market on a scale of 0 to 100, increased from 40.8 in the fourth quarter of 2010 to 41.7 in the first quarter of 2011.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hears testimony on a suite of energy efficiency bills, including legislation to make residential housing more energy-efficient, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today urged lawmakers to take into account the differences in energy savings between the newest, highest-performing homes and older, less-efficient homes that comprise the vast majority of the nation's housing stock."With substantial amounts of energy lost in the nearly 130 million existing homes in the current stock, it is extremely important to develop an effective national energy policy that is not punitive to consumers who benefit from the most efficient new homes," Tony Crasi, a custom home builder from Akron, Ohio, told members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "Rather, the policy must promote an effective retrofit plan for older, less-efficient housing that allows builders and remodelers to create the benefits of energy efficiency for all housing."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Despite the ups and downs of the housing market, home owners and non-owners alike consider owning a home essential to the American Dream.That's the key finding of a recent survey of people likely to vote in 2012 that was conducted on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) by Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, Va., and Lake Research Partners of Washington, D.C.

SOUTH BEND — (May 25, 2011) — The Saint Joseph County housing market is showing significant improvement in one key measure over the first four months of 2011. According to the latest data compiled by RE/MAX of Indiana, average home sales prices in Saint Joseph County went up nearly 11 percent from January to April over the same period in 2010. But, that’s only part of the story.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman Bob Nielsen joined with Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and members of the Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati today to kick off National Homeownership Month at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new residential development in the city’s Bond Hill neighborhood. The development, called Villages at Daybreak, is a product of Cincinnati’s long-running CiTiRAMA® public-private partnership that has helped invigorate urban neighborhoods by encouraging the development of attractive and walkable new communities near the city center.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Thomas Vetter, MIRM, Master CSP, CMP, CSP, was appointed 2011 Vice Chair of the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) National Sales and Marketing Council (NSMC)this month during the NAHB Spring Board of Directors Meeting in Washington, D.C.Vetter is president of the western division at Accelerated Marketing Partners, a full service residential real estate marketing and consulting firm, based in Danville, Calif. He will begin his term as NSMC Chair during the 2012 NAHB International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) named David Reznick, co-founder and chairman of the board of Reznick Group, P.C., the 2011 recipient of the Daniel M. Grady Memorial Award, in recognition of his more than 30 years of contributions and dedication to the cause of affordable housing.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- With some members of Congress actively pushing to abolish Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and end the federal backstop for housing, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) told Congress today that maintaining an appropriate level of government support is absolutely essential to preserve financial stability.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Home builders who have embraced social media strategies for marketing their business, have seen extraordinary results. According to the second edition of Social Media for Home Builders 2.0: It's Easier Than You Think, builders have seen results ranging from a 25-300 percent increase in website traffic, to increased customer referrals through using social media. This popular resource recently released by BuilderBooks, the publishing arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) teaches builders and residential construction professionals how to use social media tools such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, to increase their visibility and improve their sales results.