In-Print and On-Line

The building industry continues to enjoy a robust time despite the clicking up of interest rates. Construction quality "generally" is considered lower than in previous years. Too few skilled workers, intense time demands, and continuing problems getting materials when you need them make for an edgy environment. How do you keep opportunity and momentum running at a rapid pace when so many factors seem against you? Information creates opportunities. History proves this premise.

The product information found in the pages of this Buyer’s Guide were laid out to the Professional Builder staff more than a year and a half ago by our subscribers. Make it reliable, make it usable and make it available when it is most needed.

This is Professional Builder’s second annual Buyer’s Guide. While it is simple in many respects, it is the result of dozens of mailings of thousands of items, hundreds of phone calls, tens of thousands of pages of information gathered, and more than thirty Cahners employees’ efforts. The desire to bring our readers a well-timed sourcebook requires more commitment than anyone initially expected.

The Buyer’s Guide doesn’t begin and end with these pages. It is one of the multiple pillars of HousingZone.com. By creating a dynamic web-based buyer’s guide we can continually update all aspects of the product selection process. The information continues to evolve on-line.

For any Buyer’s Guide to be successful it must rely on its industry to provide complete and accurate information to build trust in the product. The on-line component allows for hourly information improvements. If you need any information beyond what is published here please go on-line to HousingZone.com. You will quickly gain what you need.

HousingZone.com matches a number of key areas of interest. Like the Buyer’s Guide, this launch was determined by reader feedback. Everyday there is a reason to visit HousingZone.com:

Industry news is posted by 2 p.m. each business day.

HousingZone Campus presents industry courses available when you want to take them.

Topic information is drawn from multiple sources and not just the Cahners titles serving our industry.

Zone-In searches almost 3000 residential construction web-sites and filters out all non-relevant material.

Codes and regulations, new construction cost estimators, house plans, books, tools, equipment, how to choose/ how to find search engine locators and so much more is available when you need it.

By all indications HousingZone.com is a resounding success.

The funny part about all of this is that a few years ago many people proclaimed the end of print and traditional media. Today we find Internet companies dependent on all forms of media and advertising to establish their brands and build site traffic. The dollars spent on Super Bowl commercials by Internet companies proves the value of traditional media.

Print will continue to rely on Internet as well. While this new category of advertising spending is enjoyed by the business side of things, the opportunities for research and increased editor/reader interaction are exciting enhancements to traditional fact finding.

In-print and on-line, we hope you find this buyer’s guide the tool it is designed to be.