Safety Protocol

Photo courtesy of Benjamin Custom Homes, LLC

COVID-19 Parade of Homes Safety Protocol

If you feel comfortable joining the Home Builders Association of F-M for the Fall Parade of Homes, please do your part to ensure a safe experience for all. Protect yourself and others by following this safety protocol.

If you are not comfortable seeing homes during Parade hours, please use this magazine and our website, paradefm.com. Builders are happy to arrange private showings and many have photos and video links online.

HBA of F-M is requiring all event participants showing a home to take the following steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

Those working the home must be feeling well and will be required to wear a face mask. No more than ten people will be allowed in a home at time. This includes staff working the home plus attendees. Builders with homes with lower square footage are encouraged to allow even fewer people inside to maintain 6-foot social distancing guidelines. Waiting areas outside each home will be marked with lines on the ground for people to wait at least 6 feet apart before entering. There will be one way in and a separate way out of homes to maintain social distancing guidelines. Builders will be encouraged to leave lights on and open all doors to minimize contamination. Frequently touched areas such as countertops, door knobs, stair rails, display areas, etc. will be cleaned and disinfected often.

As an attendee of the event, we ask that you:

Stay home if you are sick. Those displaying

COVID-19 symptoms may not be granted access to the home. You can contact the builder to set up a private showing when you are better, if the home is available.

It is suggested that seniors and persons with compromised immune systems not participate in or attend this event due to risk of infection.

Maintain 6-foot social distancing guidelines while waiting to enter the home and while touring the home (including following any signs or instructions posted at a home). Refrain from touching surfaces in the home as much as possible. Wear shoe covers that will be provided at each home. Please dispose of them after each home. Wear a face mask while in the home.

Bring hand sanitizer to use between home tours.

Your interest in the event is greatly appreciated by the Builders. We hope you enjoy the tour while still being mindful of the current health situation.

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Identify And Stash! Saving For A Down Payment

When it comes to affording a home, it’s essential to tackle one thing well ahead of time: the down payment.

Even a modest down payment can be more money than many firsttime buyers have ever put together in one place before. The median down payment for first-time buyers is around 7 percent. On a $200,000 house price, that comes to $14,000, or saving $1,167 each month for a year — so, for most people, accumulating that down payment would be a multi-year project.

One of the benefits of buying a home in North Dakota or Minnesota is that both states have great firsttime homebuyer programs to make the burden of a down payment more achievable. Some of these programs can get you into a home for as little as $500 out of pocket, based on certain qualifications! Talk to your lender for more details.

In theory, saving for a down payment has two simple parts. Identify money you can spare and stash it where it’ll stay put.

Consider these suggestions:

• Put your savings where it’s not in the mix of your regular spending money, like a separate savings account.

• Cut back on frequent small luxuries like coffee-shop drinks. • Make sure that savings go toward the down payment and don’t trickle out unnoticed in other incidental expenses or an impulse purchases. For example, if you cut a daily $5 coffee expense, then every Sunday transfer $35 to your separate down payment savings account.

• Analyze spending. Consider setting a budget for clothing or eating out. Check your credit card or bank withdrawals to get an idea how much you spend eating out each month. Decide how much you’ll cut back and bank the savings. • Set up an automatic pay day transfer. Choose an amount you can afford and have your bank automatically send that to savings. • Use a cash rewards credit card. Wait for the rewards to reach maximum dollars per point before you cash in and put the money in your down payment account.

• Bank any windfalls — tax refunds, bonuses on the job, or cash gifts. If you get a significant cash gift, you’re likely to need a letter for your mortgage lender confirming that it’s a gift and not a loan.

• Consider moonlighting. Perhaps you could babysit, walk dogs, do yard work, even a take part-time job for a few hours a week — then stow those checks directly in your down payment account.

Buying a home is a great longterm investment. The HBA of F-M has many members who can help you on your path to homeownership! From lenders, to Realtors to builders, you can find them all at www.hbafm.com/ FindAMember.

Photo courtesy of Benjamin Custom Homes, LLC

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Student Taps Into Industry Through Scholarship, HBA Member

by Kallin Baarstad, Communications Intern

As the saying goes, Dylan Bruner has maximized his options. Not only did he earn a scholarship from Home Builders Care of F-M Foundation last year, he secured a job with Home Builders Association of F-M member Roers Construction Joint Venture LLC.

Every year, Home Builders Care Foundation offers scholarships to students pursuing a degree within the trades industry.

Bruner graduated from West Fargo High School in 2019. He continued his education at North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, following a threeyear plan to obtain degrees in both building construction technology and construction management. In his free time, Bruner loves to hunt, fish and work on his truck, all of which demonstrate his affinity for an active, constructive lifestyle.

Bruner’s junior year of high school ignited his interest in the trades industry. allowed us to build a house from the ground up, and I really enjoyed working hands-on,” he says. “I prefer being able to physically see progress being made.”

One requirement NDSCS students have to graduate is logged hours with a construction company. Last summer, Bruner ended up getting a job offer from Roers Construction Joint Venture LLC and has gained a lot of knowledge.

Scott Wirth, Human Resource Manager at Roers hired Bruner

LEFT PAGE: Dylan Bruner gives a "thumbs up" while working on an NDSCS project: building an addition for Wahpeton High School. TOP LEFT: Bruner enjoys a day of fishing. TOP RIGHT: Bruner smiles for a photo with his team while competing at nationals for SkillsUSA.

and has kept him on the books since, even when he went back to Wahpeton for school.

“Working at Roers has vastly improved my experience level,” Bruner says. “I have learned how to do more finish work, a lot of tricks for rough carpentry and have done a small amount of steel and concrete work. All of it has opened my eyes as to how much really goes into putting up a commercial building.”

Although Bruner’s practical experience is crucial for his future career, he is thankful for the scholarship funds awarded by Home Builders Care Foundation.

“The scholarship money has really helped relieve the stress of loans for school and has helped me pay for my tools to start working in class and at Roers,” Bruner says.

Bruner is currently in his second year of his three-year plan at NDSCS. Along with gaining more experience with building, he plans to learn about the business side of the industry as well. Visit hbcfm.com for more details about Home Builders Care Foundation’s scholarship opportunities.