Building Business News
Volume Volume17 18• •NO.7 NO.11
www.kchba.org
November 2012 November July2012. 2011
The Official Newspaper of The Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City
Recruit New Members in November! Your Business Wins When the HBA Grows
A membership in the HBA is an important business investment that provides your business and career with a wealth of information and opportunities in homebuilding. As a member you appreciate the advantages of having access to educational classes and governmental affairs support to unique marketing and social opportunities. Share
Awards Recognize Outstanding New Home Building The top local home builders were awarded with the presentation of the 2012 Pick of the Parade and Distinctive Plan & Design awards. Nearly 200 people attended the HBA’s Fall Awards Ceremony at The Gallery in the Power & Light District, October 3, as the awards winners were announced. Each fall local home builders compete for top honors in the awards competitions held in conjunction with the HBA’s Parade of Homes. The annual Parade provided consumers the opportunity to visit 242 new homes throughout metropolitan Kansas City during the 16-day, three-weekend event that opened September 29 and continued through October 14. The Pick of the Parade Awards showcase winners based on criteria such as outstanding construction techniques, selection of
materials and craftsmanship with judges examining everything from exterior siding to interior framing. The Distinctive Plan & Design Awards focus on interior design and architecture. Winners are determined based on furnishings, accessories, functionality and curb appeal of the homes. Teams comprising more than 20 industry professionals consisting of home builders, architects, interior designers and other construction trades from outside the Kansas City metro area canvassed the region September 29-30 to evaluate the entries. Homes competed in categories based on price range. Sixteen Grand Award winners and sixteen Runner Up honors were awarded for the Pick of the Parade. The Distinctive Plan & Design Awards competition had twelve first place winners and fifteen second place winners.
Award Winner Dusselier & Marks Homes
Award Winner Homes by Chris
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Housing Starts, Permits Post Big Gains in September these benefits with your industry peers by recruiting them to join the HBA this month during the membership drive. For HBA membership information and to volunteer contact Phil Yancey, phil@kchba.org, 816-733-2245. See Eric Blaney’s story (page 5) on why he values his membership in the HBA. Shamrock Cabinet’s experience is a powerful member recruiting message.
Nationwide production and permitting of new homes rose sharply in September to their highest levels in more than four years, according to newly released figures from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. A 15 percent gain brought the pace of new housing construction to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 872,000 units, while an 11.6 percent gain brought the pace of permit issuance to 894,000 units. These were the strongest numbers seen in both categories since July of 2008. Local numbers reflect similar gains (see page 14). “Builders are responding to the rising
demand for new homes as consumers begin to feel more confident about their local markets and put back into motion purchasing plans that were on hold during the recession,” said Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla. “Yet, while September’s surge in activity is certainly encouraging, we need to remember that we still have a long way to go back to a fully functioning market -- and in order to get there, significant challenges must still be addressed in terms of credit availability and appraisal issues, as well as the increasing
Inside this Edition Awards Party pics
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Building Business News
cost of building homes due to rising materials prices and a declining inventory of buildable lots.” “Today’s strong report corresponds with the significant gains we’ve seen in builder confidence over the past year, and confirms our view that a housing recovery is solidly underway in a growing number of markets nationwide,” added NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “That said, we are now almost at the half-way mark in terms of what would be considered a normal amount of newhome construction in a healthy economy, Continued on page 7 and we need to
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Pick of the Parade Winners
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