HousingZone.com

Jul 19 2007 8:19AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
Blog This! using: Blogger.com | LiveJournal |

As much of the country swelters under some of the highest temperatures ever recorded, the demand for energy skyrockets. This increase in demand is caused by air conditioners being left on all day in an effort to beat the heat. Several states have reported power outages due to inadequate energy supplies. Can compact fluorescent bulbs help alleviate these conditions?

It is well known that compact fluorescent bulbs use substantially less energy than standard light bulbs. The Green movement sweeping the country is encouraging th...Read More

Jul 19 2007 7:38AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
Blog This! using: Blogger.com | LiveJournal |

Welcome to the LAMPS PLUS Professionals Housing Zone blog! I would like to introduce the company in this first entry so you can get a sense of who we are. Established in 1976, LAMPS PLUS is the nation's largest specialty lighting company, with over 40 stores throughout the western United States. Five million customers are served each year an...Read More

Apr 16 2007 2:52PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
Blog This! using: Blogger.com | LiveJournal |

If you're crying in your beer about the condition of the market in your neck of the woods, look no further than Texas for evidence it didn't have to be this way.

There's no downturn in our national economy. Job growth is still strong. But housing markets are now in the doldrums in much of the country. And yet, many Texas builders are selling houses as fast as they can build them. Why?

Consultant and GIANTS columnist John Burns offers some insight. He reports Houston, with 54,364 single-family building permits pulled in the last 12 months, and Dallas, with 32,151, are both o...Read More

Mar 20 2007 4:03PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
Blog This! using: Blogger.com | LiveJournal |

Colorado-based management consultant Chuck Shinn simplifies the route to double-digit builder profitability with a set of financial ratios that target cost control. In this space over the next six months, we'll detail each ratio - and Shinn's pointed advice about how to hit the target.

Target   Typical Sales Price 100%   100% Cost of Sales

...Read More

Mar 20 2007 3:41PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
Blog This! using: Blogger.com | LiveJournal |

There are signs of life in housing markets across the country. This is only anecdotal evidence, not hard data, and it's coming from builders — known to be notorious optimists. Moreover, it's mostly about increasing traffic, and that may mean even qualified people are interested in buying, but only contracts mean they are willing.

Bigelow Homes President Jamie Bigelow says traffic is up in Chicago. "It's decent," he says. "We're keeping our spec count low, but I'm cautiously optimistic."

John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods' former CEO Terry Russell said in January Atlanta is still choking on excess inventory, especially at higher prices. He doesn't expect a turnaround until 2008: "We've got a 15-month supply of homes above $500,000," he says. "Land prices just got too high and caused peop...Read More