Blog

McGraw-Hill Construction, in conjunction with the National Association of Home Builders, recently released a report on residential green building trends. And it seems green building may be one of the most successful word-of-mouth marketing campaigns of the past few years, according to the CNNMoney.com article talking points. The major findings of the report include: The green homes market is expected to rise from $2 billion to possibly $20 billion over the next five years(!) Pre-existing home remodeling jobs are including 40% green products. Green homeowners are recommending their sustainable home offerings much more than other industries are being recommended. Operating…

Times are a changin’ for subcontractors — and for once, we’re not talking about the housing slump. Even in the midst of the drastic U.S. housing downturn, there’s good news from the American Subcontractors Association. Its local chapters have lobbied for a number of public policy reforms, according to Contractormag.com, which should make working conditions, contracts and other building aspects easier. A few highlights achieved in 2007 through successful lobbying include: Colorado: Gov. Bill Ritter signed an indemnity reform bill (S.B. 87) on April 11 that prevents any party in a construction agreement from contractually indemnifying another party for damage…

Homebuilders and developers who embrace green building may not be sure how to market it — but as sustainability becomes more and more popular, there’s reason to. But where do you begin? Is it worth the expense of seeking a seal of approval from an official green building organization? Are there guidelines you can find to follow without having to use any that don’t apply to your project? All valid questions — which are nicely addressed in a recent article on HGTVpro.com, a Web site for professional homebuilders. The article offers some focus about what things to consider before building…

We’ve all received a number of big residential outlooks and predictions this week — some just today, as industry players like McGraw-Hill Construction and the Commerce Department weighed in on the current and future housing situation. Commenting on the residential decline is nothing new; but within these takes was hope — some actual positive findings that indicate improvement to balance out the negative — making this series of forecasts more encouraging than most from the past six months. And that’s newsworthy, indeed. The picture this week’s data painted, in fact, was somewhat rosier than many people — possibly even the…

For communities interested in green building, a little push may be all it takes to incorporate sustainability into future building and expansion plans. Supporting green building is one thing — encouraging it, entirely another. Aside from passing an all-construction mandate or instituting a fine, how can towns — and builders — inspire sustainability? Take a look at ways some communities are promoting green building: Test-Driving a Green Program. Los Altos, Calif. recently approved a 12-month green building program, which requires require new single-family homes to meet Build It Green’s standards, according to the Palo Alto Daily News. Increasing Home Sales…

We’ve become accustomed to hearing that home prices are down, housing supply is up and residential construction is sharply slowing down as a result. But there’s another threat looming on the new project horizon — construction costs — and developers are directly in its path, according to Financial Week. The Associated General Contractors of America warned builders that construction costs would increase in 2008 in its Construction Inflation Alert report, issued earlier this month. Even with the current residential decline? It’s possible. Why overall costs are rising: Wages. When the residential market fell this year, many workers switched into the…

An interesting article in today’s New York Times outlined the rising popularity of social networking sites designed for residential buildings — and the article makes a good case for building-exclusive online communities. Since March, more than 335 buildings have signed up for the Brooklyn-based LifeAt.com service for the $6,000 start fee, according to the Times. Since, as of now, LifeAt doesn’t charge an annual fee, that isn’t a bad investment for a building to make, considering the potential payoff with owners. Who could benefit from a social networking site? A number of residential buildings: Small Buildings. Condos with just a…

This summer, a New York Times article about parking introduced non-New Yorkers to a shocking concept: the $225,000 parking space. Think that sounds high? Some New Yorkers don’t — there’s a waiting list for those spaces in Manhattan. If that price tag blows your mind, considering we’re in the midst of  a national housing decline in which homes are losing value, the concept of the auto condo — essentially a purchasing living space for several high-end cars — likely won’t make much more sense. But some developers are revving up to build them all the same. Luxury on Main, opening late…

When real estate agents are offered swanky incentives by developers and other agents — which, as mentioned yesterday, can include gift cards, cars and more — does it create a conflict of interest? It’s a tricky issue — and one that’s playing out in the industry as declining home sales make developers and agents more and more anxious to sell. The National Association of Realtors’ Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice states that "REALTORS®, in attempting to secure a listing, shall not deliberately mislead the owner as to market value." But there isn’t a law that prevents agents from…

With today’s waning home sales, reports of real estate agents and developers offering unusual incentives aren’t uncommon. But what is unusual is that, in some cases, they’re not offering the incentives to the buyer — but instead to each other. Take, for example, a recent Wall Street Journal article that featured examples including a builder offering a $5,000 American Express gift card to agents as a thank-you for selling a Long Island City, N.Y., condominium and a fully paid lease on a BMW for an agent who brought in a buyer for a New York City penthouse. It may seem…