See the most innovative designs for the 50+ market
by attending the 2003 Best of Seniors Housing Design Awards Gala during the NAHB International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas. The ceremony will take place at noon Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the legendary House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.

The NAHB Seniors Housing Council will recognize the Gold and Silver winners in 28 categories. See the “best of the best” in active adult, service-enriched, and independent living community and home design. The awards ceremony will be presented in true Las Vegas style, with a social hour, a sit-down luncheon, and announcement of the winners. Make your reservations early, as seating is limited. Tickets are $60 in advance.

Other Council-sponsored events during the IBS include the Leadership Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at Sun City Anthem and the Marketing Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, in the Council's Hospitality Suite in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Cost for the Leadership Dinner is $65, while the fee for the Marketing Breakfast is $18.50. To make reservations for any of these events, please call 800-368-5242 x8220 or e-mail Eucklan Matthews at ematthews@nahb.com.

Another highlight of the IBS is the introduction of Smart Planning for Active Adult Communities, the pilot course in the Council's Seniors Housing Specialist Program. The research and trends course is slated for 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20. It will provide profiles of boomers and mature consumers, show how these buyers affect new home sales, and assess their unique housing needs, expectations, and preferences. Attendees will gain a better understanding of research techniques and use them to make the best decisions about their own developments. Cost for the course is $125 for Seniors Housing Council members, $175 for NAHB members. To register, click here or contact NAHB's University of Housing at 800-368-5242 x8338, or registrar@nahb.com.

Click here to register online for the International Builders' Show or visit www.buildersshow.com for more information.

Register now for the 2003 Seniors Housing Symposium
and learn more about the future of the housing industry. Join industry leaders at this year's event, Building for Boomers & Beyond: Emerging Trends, Evolving Markets, to be held April 28 - 30, 2003 at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in Indian Wells/Palm Springs, CA.

Considered the nation's premier educational and networking event dedicated to the 50+ housing market, the Symposium will feature 19 educational sessions, an exhibit hall with the latest products and services, a tour of the country's top communities, and much more. New this year are plan evaluations by design experts, ad reviews by marketing pros, an in-depth analysis of rental housing for seniors, and Under the Microscope, where builder Ralph Spargo and his Standard Pacific team will give an inside look into the development of their Talega project.

To register for the 2003 Symposium, click here or contact NAHB's University of Housing at 800-368-5242 x8338, or registrar@nahb.com. For more information, visit www.build4boomers.org. [return to top]

Membership in the Seniors Housing Council remains a great value
for industry professionals who serve the 50+ housing market. Although Council dues will increase to $125 in 2003, your membership has a total value estimated at $552. On top of that, it costs the Council $222 to provide services to each member. Even at the new rate, your membership remains a bargain. Membership in the Seniors Housing Council is your connection to the most exciting sector of the housing industry, providing you with the tools you need to be successful. No organization features the scope of services offered by the Council.

As a member of the Seniors Housing Council, you receive:

• An annual subscription to the Council's quarterly publication, Seniors' Housing News
• The latest research and trends on the 50+ housing market
• Legislative and economic updates affecting the seniors housing industry
• Substantial discounts to the annual Seniors Housing Symposium, entry fees to the Best of Seniors Housing Design Awards, and other educational programs
• Regular industry, NAHB, and Council updates through Seniors Housing e/Source
• A wealth of networking opportunities
• And much more!

The decision to raise dues resulted from recent NAHB budget meetings and a mandate from the NAHB Budget Committee and Executive Committee to close the budget gap between income and expense. Balancing the rising cost to provide programs with the Council's commitment to offering quality products and services at the lowest fee possible, the Council's trustees voted to increase dues on Oct. 16. Continue to look for new value-added member benefits in 2003!

Please call 800-368-5242 x8220 or e-mail your comments to seniorscouncil@nahb.com. [return to top]

HUD grants will allow states to convert assisted living facilities
from existing multifamily housing projects. These upgraded apartments will be equipped to meet the physical needs of older residents. In all, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development distributed $54.3 million in grants to 12 states for the actual conversion of the facilities, not for funding services to residents. The goal is to allow some older adults to remain in familiar surroundings, maintain independence, and not be forced to prematurely move into nursing homes.

Grants were awarded on a competitive basis, with HUD making decisions on the quality and effectiveness of the proposals. States receiving grants were Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. For details, click here or contact Lemar Wooley at 202-708-0685 x6631. [return to top]

California moves a step closer to making homes more accessible
after California Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill this fall to develop a model ordinance on universal design for people with disabilities and seniors. Assembly Bill 2787 charges the state's Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) with creating universal design guidelines for new homes. The guidelines are intended for local jurisdictions that may wish to consider ordinances requiring or encouraging the use of universal design in residential construction. Common universal design features include no-step entrances, wider doorways, lowered countertops, and open floor plans, which make homes more accessible, or at the very least “visitable.”

Over the next year, builders, disabled persons, architects, and building officials will assist in the writing of the new guidelines. In addition, the bill requires HCD to develop at least one model ordinance for use by jurisdictions wishing to require certain universal design features in residential construction.  It also requires the model ordinance to be available by 2004, and as of Jan. 1, 2005, local jurisdictions will have the option to require new homes to include universal design features in their designs. State lawmakers have directed HCD to draft no regulations that significantly increase housing costs.

For more information on universal design and accessible housing, contact Jeff Inks, assistant staff vice president for Construction, Codes & Standards in NAHB's Advocacy Group, at 800-368-5242 x8547, or e-mail jinks@nahb.com. [return to top]

NAHB court victories are significant for builders and developers
and will save time, money, and potential frustration. The three victories include expanding access to data on the pygmy owl, overturning critical habitat designations for the arroyo toad and fairy shrimp, and a sign-off on new highway projects. These recent wins will give builders, including those who serve the 50+ market, more flexibility and opportunity, and will eliminate the potential for possible development and building roadblocks. For details, contact Neil Gaffney at 800-368-5242, x8495, or ngaffney@nahb.com or read more in Monday Morning Briefing. [return to top]

Maximize your company's financial performance
by purchasing Accounting and Management, 4th Edition from BuilderBooks.com.  A solid resource for any builder, developer, or contractor involved in residential construction, this revised and expanded edition provides an understanding of how an accounting system operates and the basic principles for processing financial data. This book includes the NAHB Chart of Accounts.

Cost is $23.99 for NAHB members, $29.99 for non-members. Visit www.builderbooks.com for more information. [return to top]

Member Advantage: eMaritz provides 10% discount on sales incentive programs
NAHB Seniors Housing Council members can take advantage of a partnership between NAHB and eMaritz, a division of Maritz Inc., the world’s largest source of integrated performance-improvement, incentive travel, and marketing research services for more than 70 years. For every sales reward and employee recognition program you launch as an NAHB member, you’ll receive a 10 percent discount on program fees. Call 866-eMaritz (866-362-7489) and identify yourself as an NAHB member to request a demonstration.

For details on more than a dozen other money-saving Member Advantage discount programs, click here or send a blank e-mail to membersavings@nahb.com. Go to www.nahb.org to find out the numerous advantages associated with membership in your local, state, and national home builders association. [return to top]