September 2014
Fall Parade 2014
Fall Award Celebration Page 3 Fall Parade Entries Pages 6-11 Associate Appreciation Month Page 15
Annual Clay Shoot Page 16
The Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City will welcome the public to the 67th annual Fall Parade of Homes, beginning September 27th and continuing through October 12th. The HBA is pleased to partner with the presenting sponsor of the 2014 Fall Parade, Stewart Title and the supporting sponsor, Laclede Gas. With 307 entries, this year’s fall parade is the largest since 2008. Located throughout seven counties of the metropolitan area, homes range in price from $150,000 to $1.4 million with a median home price of $384,000. A glance through the parade guides over the past 50 plus years provides a vivid example of how homes have changed over the decades. Fifty years ago, on the 1964 parade, 62% of the homes had 3 bedrooms and only the most expensive homes (priced in the upper $70’s) had four bedrooms and more than two bathrooms. Today, these features are found in most entries in the 2014 parade – with 83% of the homes featuring 4 or more bedrooms and 80% with 3 or more baths. What has not changed over the years are the reasons to Continued on page 3
Senator Pat Roberts Visits the HBA to Discuss Housing Finance Reform
Has the building industry reached a “new normal”? Find out on September 16 – see page 13 for details.
HBA members met with U.S. Senator Pat Roberts on August 25 at the HBA to discuss critical housing finance reform legislation. Members strongly urged the Senator to support S. 1217, The Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2014, which would help to ensure that 30-year mortgages remain readily accessible and available, increase private capital in the marketplace and protect American taxpayers. Senator Roberts expressed support for the effort and answered members’ questions ranging from
his policy positions to ending gridlock in Washington. Members also discussed the economic contribution of home building, the current state of the industry in Kansas City and how much work still needs to be done to revitalize the housing market and return to normal production. For additional background information and talking points on the legislation and to contact your U.S. Senator, please visit: www.kchba.org/2014/08/ contact-your-senator-today/.
Senator Roberts and Chris Ragland listen to HBA members’ questions.