Posted on May, 1st 2013 By Patrick O’Toole
Six months ago we asked Bob Toll, the executive chairman of Toll Brothers, how he saw the market recovery playing out. Back then the home building market was clearly improving, but the extent and path of the recovery were hazy. He predicted strong demand, very limited supply, and almost shockingly
Posted on Apr, 2nd 2013 By Patrick O’Toole
Recent house-price gains and a shrinking backlog of homes for sale suggest that we are at the front end of a seller’s market. This new reality is as much a surprise as was the unexpectedly strong rise in new-home sales during 2012.
Meanwhile, builders with lots in “A” locations are finding
Posted on Feb, 19th 2013 By Patrick O’Toole
A few years ago, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) initiated a lobbying effort to get Congress and the administration more focused on fixing housing. They called it Fix Housing First. At the time, billions were being spent on stimulus, and the industry argued that more
Posted on Nov, 2nd 2012 By Patrick O’Toole
Richard Dugas, the CEO of PulteGroup, did not want to throw cold water on the party, but he deserves credit for at least pointing out that housing still faces a number of regulatory and financial obstacles as the market recovery begins to get traction. Such was the tidal wave of positive energy and
Posted on Sep, 27th 2012 By Patrick O’Toole
Every so often, when a number of positive changes occur right on top of each other, it makes sense to communicate them directly to you, our readers. This month, I am pleased to highlight several significant changes and improvements to Professional Remodeler magazine and HousingZone.com.
First, when
Posted on Jun, 24th 2011 By Patrick O’Toole
SAN FRANCISCO -- One of my first stops on the PCBC show floor was to visit my friend Dave Wilson of Liners Direct, a manufacturer of acrylic bath products that is pushing the innovation envelope in many ways.
In December the company launched its Build-A-Bath iPad application that helps builders,
Posted on Jun, 24th 2011 By Patrick O’Toole
Notes from PCBC 2011
SAN FRANCISCO – This annual conference and trade show for builders hosted by the California Building Industry Association for more than 40 years has certainly seen frothier times. In 2004 and 2005, exhibits sprawled across three large show floors. This year, it fits neatly into
Posted on Apr, 23rd 2011 By Patrick O’Toole
Several of us at Professional Builder are traveling the country this spring, speaking at The Pro Expos presented by Pella. The events are being held in 30 cities. For us, it is an invaluable opportunity to connect with builders, architects, and developers and to hear their strategies and tactics
Posted on Mar, 13th 2011 By Patrick O’Toole
On a snowy Washington morning last December, a group of us from Professional Builder had the privilege of spending a couple of hours with NAHB chief lobbyist Joe Stanton and key members of his staff. The purpose was to conduct an interview, which appeared in PB in February. Our aim was to simply
Posted on Feb, 1st 2011 By Patrick O’Toole
1. Forget about it.
(For those in the Northeast, fuggedaboudit.)
Typically associated with senility and soft-mindedness, forgetting may be an asset in the coming months and years. Builders and remodelers must somehow purge the memory of the go-go housing market of 1995 to 2006. We will not see its
