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 needed to be done to jump-start housing.
Eventually, a special homebuyer tax credit was enacted. During the...
Standards provide crucial communication, alignment and compatibility at an international, national, industry and individual organizational level. These standards, accessible to everyone from global powers to developing countries, from international corporations to the Mom and Pop small business, provide guidance and infrastructure, state of the art technical knowledge and management best practices. In a global environment they ease the crossing of borders, cultures and languages...
An article in the Chicago Sun-Times this past Sunday featured the Chicago bungalow, an architectural style much beloved in the Windy City. Former Mayor Richard M. Daley launched an initiative in 2000 to encourage restoration of these iconic homes, which started to become popular in the United States in the early 20th century.
A CNN Money article this week elaborated on what many construction firms already know: good labor is now hard to find.
To a remodeling contractor, saying “no” to a potential client could possibly be the best decision you make for your company.
A few years ago, I was talking to a number of decorative concrete contractors during an industry event, and despite low, even non-existent margins, most contractors admitted they had a hard time turning down a job. Of course, their decision was influenced by the poor economy and the challenge of maintaining a client base when there were few jobs to be had. The...
For over 20 years, the National Housing Quality Award has been helping some of America’s best home builders improve their operations and make more money!
Learn how applying for the NHQ Award can help your company:
Submissions are due April 5, 2013.
This link will take you to the 2014 NHQA Application document.
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A new theme park just opened in Houston, and it’s not Six Flags. MainStreet America is a collection of 12 show homes, ranging from 1,800 to 6,000 square feet and representing a smorgasbord of architectural styles.
On the surface it sounds like a parade of homes, but the vision for this project is different, and much bigger. MainStreet America will be open all year round. It features an on-site restaurant and meeting...
I read thousands of customer surveys every year – THOUSANDS! This customer insight gives me a unique perspective on many home building topics, like today’s “Finding Your Special Agent 007s For Huge Sales Increases."
One of our customer satisfaction surveys' many purposes is to help identify “special builder agents.” By special agents I mean homeowners who are actively and effectively promoting their home builder by word of mouth, social media, etc. I am...
This thing will change your life.
There’s a new business buzzword spreading like Strep Throat. I’m betting it’s still in the early adoption phase, but these viral epidemics (pandemics?) move quickly.
