As soon as President Obama signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law on Feb. 17, NAHB launched a new set of comprehensive online resources to help the federation promote the new $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit, which is the most prominent provision in the stimulus for housing consumers.

The resources are posted at www.nahb.org/taxcreditmaterials, and include materials to educate both members and consumers about the credit, and to promote the credit to potential home buyers. Ready-to-use promotional materials such as a consumer flyer, radio spot scripts, Web banner ads, a public service TV announcement and print ads for consumer and member audiences can be customized with the member’s or association’s contact information.

To help associations educate their members about the credit, there are talking points, a tax credit article for home builders associations to use in their newsletters and a print ad to put in HBA newsletters.

Associations are also encouraged to reach out to their local media using resources that include two letters to the editor and an article entitled “New Home Buyer Tax Credit Is Bigger and Better” that can be submitted under the association president’s signature.

Additional resources currently being developed include a short video, a podcast and a PowerPoint presentation. The popular “Opportunity Knocks” consumer brochure is also being updated with real-life examples of how the $8,000 tax credit can save home buyers money.  Most of the resources are accessible only to NAHB members and affiliated associations, and you must be logged in to NAHB.org to view them.

Nearly Two Million Visitors

All the promotional resources direct consumers to the tax credit Web site that was created by NAHB — www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. The site was initially launched in July 2008 with information about the previous tax credit, and since then has drawn nearly 2 million visitors.  The site features a detailed Q&A, a list of home buyer resources and a summary of the other key housing provisions in the new economic stimulus law that will benefit home buyers and the housing market.

The interest in the new $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit has far surpassed earlier numbers, however, with more than 800,000 visitors accessing the site last month alone — more than twice the highest number of visitors for any previous month.

An updated Spanish-language version of the site will go live soon.  For more information, e-mail Gwyn Donohue at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8447.

For more information or to contact us directly,
please visit www.nahb.org l ©2009, National Association of Home Builders