| Wall Street Report |
Margot Crabtree reports on the declining housing market, fluctuating Product Manufacturers Index and the potential economic fallout -- inflation.
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| Selling Strategies |
Add today's market realities to all of your possible marketing alternatives and it's easy to see that you are facing the challenge of your life. And that challenge is all about choosing which strategy is best and then deciding when to use it.
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Home builders are in a perfect position to offer home buyers a mortgage, and most of the top builders do just that. Whether through a solely owned subsidiary or a joint venture, builders value and home buyers appreciate one-stop shopping. But should builders really be in the captive mortgage business? Some, such as KB Home of Los Angeles, have gotten out.
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| M and A Report |
First in a two-part series: You can't chat with a group of builders today without hearing about slowing sales, and the industry is anticipating a prolonged period of softer market conditions. This two-part series will explore the impact of valuations on home-building companies. In this issue, we debunk valuation myths and discuss how a softer market affects valuations.
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| Market Intelligence |
This month we look at two Midwestern cities where the employment situation has had a significant affect on the housing market. One market is very affordable and growing rapidly, while the other is overpriced and oversupplied.
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| Process Improvement Report |
In the old days, when building plans fit on two sheets of 18 by 24 paper, the industry built homes on a handshake between builder and trade. Needless to say, the industry has changed. Handshakes aren't enough anymore; today, builders need a contract from each trade partner outlining terms and conditions of work.
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Modular housing continues to make inroads because of its technological advantages and shrinking pools of qualified labor. In fact, the variety of styles and sizes modular companies now offer rivals what a stick builder can do on-site.
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| From the Editor |
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.
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