| December 14, 2009 |
By Joe Robson
NAHB Chairman and
Jerry Howard
NAHB Chief Executive Officer |
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You be the judge!
This holiday season, we invite you to take a brief time-out for something fun. Gather 'round the computer and give a listen to our aspiring contestants in the "nahb STAR" competition -- each of whom hopes to sing the National Anthem at the 2010 International Builders' Show Grand Opening Ceremonies next month.
 Keeping in mind that the top three finalists will earn a trip to Las Vegas where the final winner will be selected, view the auditions that have been submitted via the videos on this page and vote for your favorite. You may vote more than once, and voting will remain open through 5:00 pm EST on Friday, December 18. As you'll see, our aspiring crooners hail from all across the country, and each has his or her own particular musical style. It's a fun diversion that will take just a few minutes of your day, and give you a "voice" of your own at the most important trade show of the year for housing professionals. While you're on the BuildersShow.com site, check out all the new information and offerings that are available, including a list of our newest exhibitors, as well as searchable databases of planned educational sessions, education speakers and more. We hope you are looking forward to attending the 2010 IBS at the Las Vegas Convention Center this coming Jan. 19-22 as much as we are. See you there!
What the IBS means to you: The International Builders' Show is easily one of the biggest and most comprehensive benefits for NAHB members, drawing thousands of exhibitors with the latest products and services geared specifically to housing and light commercial construction and putting them under the same roof with top educational programs designed to help you grow your business. For many attendees, the value of what you learn and save at the IBS is far greater than your annual membership dues.
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FHA has announced temporary waivers for condo financing policies
 that took effect on Dec. 7, a development stemming in part from discussions held between NAHB Chairman Joe Robson and FHA Commissioner David Stevens. These waivers will apply through the end of 2010 to the agency's permanent baseline guidance for condominium project eligibility. Specifically, the exceptions include a temporary decrease in the pre-sale requirement to 30% (from 50% under the new policies) and an increase to 50% (from 30%) in the allowable concentration of condo units financed with FHA-insured mortgages. The FHA concentration can be increased to 100% for existing projects that are complete and meet certain additional requirements. New construction and conversions are not eligible for this higher exception.
At the end of the waiver period, the FHA’s condo requirements will revert back to those announced in Mortgagee Letter 2009-46B, which outlines the criteria that condo projects must meet to receive agency approval and describes the condominium project approval process. Under this policy, the FHA will continue to perform project reviews. Alternatively, lenders that receive the FHA’s okay may also grant project approvals, although by doing so they assume some risks. Projects located in Florida are not eligible for lender review at the present time. Meanwhile, in a significant change for owners of existing condos, after Feb. 1, 2010, lenders will no longer be able to grant “spot” approvals of FHA-insured loans for potential condominium purchasers who want to purchase units in projects that lack FHA approval. For your additional information, the temporary waivers are discussed in Mortgagee Letter 2009-46A and a the FHA has posted a Frequently Asked Questions sheet regarding its condo policy online. Contact: Bill Renner at 800-368-5242 x8597.
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A high-level meeting of the minds on housing finance issues
 was held at the National Housing Center this week as NAHB representatives joined with senior financial institution executives to discuss recent housing and economic developments, potential solutions to credit problems, appraisal issues and remedies, and possible future changes to the housing finance system. This invitation-only, closed-door meeting, called the Mortgage Roundtable, normally convenes twice a year and provides an ideal forum in which the best minds in the business can gather for the purpose of floating ideas and exchanging information.
What this means to you: NAHB continues to reach out to Wall Street, government agencies and key policymakers in an effort to press for solutions to the current credit crunch situation, provide recommendations for action, and build consensus and coalitions among various stakeholder groups. All such efforts ensure that home builders have a seat at the table as policies and strategies are being formulated that will affect our industry and members.
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Reaching out to the FHA on its plans to tighten lending standards
 for mortgage borrowers who count on its programs, NAHB staff attended an industry meeting at the FHA this week. Our goal was to try to ensure that the changes that were proposed by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan in recent testimony before Congress – including lowering the ceiling for seller downpayment assistance, raising required credit scores for borrowers, and other actions – do not end up cutting off financing for viable borrowers. Such proposals are tied to FHA's need to improve its own financial foundation at a time when the agency is helping finance an estimated 30% of all home sales in this country. Read more in NBN Online, or send queries to: MondayMorningQuestions@nahb.org.
What this means to you: NAHB constantly works to bring home builders' concerns and views to policymakers in the administration and lawmakers in Congress, and to reinforce the idea that housing must be a national priority. While we recognize the need for FHA to maintain its financial integrity, we must ensure that FHA's financing assistance remains as easily accessible as possible for qualified buyers.
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New storm water management requirements for builders,
 announced by the EPA and reported previously by this publication, will place significant burdens on the home building industry and result in higher costs for home buyers without effectively addressing water quality and environmental issues. Beginning next month, EPA will start placing stricter limits on the amount of pollutants in storm water legally allowed to leave a construction site after a rainfall and require that water to be virtually free of soil or sediment. As NAHB Chairman Joe Robson said in our press release reacting to the new rules, "That's a standard that no builder, anywhere, can consistently expect to achieve – and EPA's own studies show it's not the answer to reducing pollutants in our nation's waters."
The government's Effluent Limit Guidelines for the construction and development industry have been in the works since the EPA was ordered by a court to come up with them one year ago following a lawsuit that was filed by an advocacy group. NAHB has been diligently communicating with EPA throughout this process, which helped limit the extent of the final rules to some extent; but even so, the guidelines set out requirements without regard to the type of soil on the jobsite, or to the natural turbidity of nearby streams or other water bodies. Of particular concern is the fact that the additional requirements are more difficult – in some cases impossible – to meet on smaller lots and in urban redevelopment, thereby severely hampering "smart growth" projects and transit-friendly building.
"EPA specifically asked for, and NAHB provided, significant comments and alternatives that would meet these important goals at a lower cost and with less red tape, so we're quite disappointed that EPA did not take our suggestions," said Joe. Read more in our press release and the latest edition of NBN Online. Send questions to MondayMorningQuestions@nahb.org.
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The SBA criticized proposed changes to the EPA's lead paint rule
 in a recent comment letter sent to the agency. In particular, the U.S. Small Business Administration slammed EPA's decision to remove the "opt-out" provision that allows owners of homes built before 1978 to choose a non-certified remodeler for a given project. NAHB and its remodeler members have expressed a similar opinion, citing the fact that removing the provision will make nearly 70 million homes subject to the requirement. Echoing what NAHB has said in the past, the SBA noted that, rather than making the targeted homes safer, "EPA's proposal would instead impede low-income residents from improving their residences by imposing unnecessarily costly requirements." SBA also noted that, for example, "It seems overly burdensome for a window installer who is replacing a single window in a home with two resident 50-year-old adults to comply with the entire LRRP rule requirements." Read the SBA's comment letter here.
In related news over the past week, EPA has just reported that there are still only 99 approved training firms for the nearly 200,000 industry members needing to be trained in methods for complying with the lead paint rule. As part of NAHB's communications and advocacy efforts, a meeting between EPA representatives and our staff was convened at the National Housing Center on Dec. 3.
Be Ready
With the deadline fast approaching for remodelers and other contractors to be trained and certified in lead-safe work practices, now is the time to prepare your company. A list of approved training providers is available on the EPA Web site and a calendar of upcoming classes is available from the National Center for Healthy Housing. Additional information about the lead-based paint rule is also available at: www.nahb.org/leadpaint. Read more in NBN Online, or contact MondayMorningQuestions@nahb.org with your questions.
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Help promote green building in your local market
 using new resources within the NAHB green building toolkit. This toolkit has been extensively updated and new materials have been created for home builders associations and members who want to get the word out about green building in their communities.
The resources are broken down into two different categories — general green building and NAHBGreen affiliated programs. The general green building public relations materials include a media fact sheet, a consumer-focused brochure, a press release template and talking points, among other materials. These resources are available to any HBA or NAHB member regardless of their affiliation status with NAHBGreen. For HBAs that are affiliated with NAHBGreen, resources are available to promote your local program, including press release templates for both new and existing programs, talking points, two print ads, customizable articles and Web banner ads. Also included is a public relations guide that provides guidance on how to use these resources, as well as how to plan consumer and media events in your local community.
What this means to you: With the NAHB Research Center having just certified its 700th home under the National Green Building Program and media interest in such projects at an all-time high, now is the time to capitalize on marketing advantages tied to building homes that are more energy efficient, comfortable and environmentally sensitive. As an NAHB member, all of the above resources are accessible to you on the NAHB Web site at www.nahb.org/greentoolkit to help you expand recognition of your green building efforts and expertise among potential home buyers. (Note: you must be logged in as an NAHB member to access the referenced materials.) Contact: Brooke Fishel at 800-368-5242 x8061.
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Online certification programs in the building trades
 will soon be available from the Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of NAHB. The new programs are designed to provide instructor and student certification in residential construction. The Web-based instructor certification course will be administered through The Ohio State University. To be eligible, instructors must be at the journey level in their craft or have a minimum of three years teaching experience. Upon completion of the program, instructors receive two continuing education units (CEUs) and are certified for five years. Applications must be received by Dec. 18 for the upcoming session starting Feb. 1. Those interested in signing up for the program can submit an online application at www.hbicertification.org.
Residential construction students can also be certified online by taking tests administered through the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI). Certification is offered at entry, semi-skilled and skilled levels and is appropriate for both secondary and postsecondary programs. Trades testing available for the 2009–2010 school year includes carpentry, HVAC, house wiring and facilities maintenance. Plumbing and masonry testing will be available during the following school year. Further information on both programs can be found at www.hbi.org/certification and www.buildingcareers.org. For more information, contact Nathan Kelly at 800-795-7955 x8936.
What this means to you: NAHB and the Home Builders Institute are helping our members access the educational programs they need in the most cost- and time-efficient manner, while simultaneously promoting an ever-more professional and highly skilled workforce in the home building community.
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Congratulations to NAHB member Tracy Keyser,
 who was recently honored by NAHB’s Building Systems Councils (BSC) with the S.A. Walters Systems-Built Achievement Award during a ceremony at the BSC’s annual SHOWCASE conference and trade show. A vice president of M&T Bank’s Systems-Built Division, Tracy has been an active BSC member since 1998, served as president of the BSC Associates Council from 2001 to 2003, and was a member of the councils’ board of trustees from 2002 to 2007. She is also a longtime, active member of the BSC’s membership committee and its sales and marketing committee. Such dedication to the industry has previously brought her top honors; in 2007, Tracy received the BSC’s “Top 30 Under 40 Award,” which recognizes emerging leaders in the systems-built industry. We wholeheartedly congratulate and thank Tracy for her extraordinary contributions!
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