NAHB News Briefs
Model Green Home Building Guidelines Initiative Launched

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the NAHB Research Center recently announced their intention to develop "Model Green Home Building Guidelines." The green building guidelines will provide a nationally recognized baseline for determining minimum thresholds for resource-efficient, cost-effective home building that are practical for the entire industry.

The Model Green Home Building Guidelines will contain criteria to set the industry bar for land development, site planning, resource efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, operations maintenance and homeowner education. NAHB and the NAHB Research Center will provide the technical expertise in the guideline development process as well as a forum for builders to exchange green building ideas, initiatives and opportunities for potential collaboration.

New-Home Sales Top One Million In 2003
Sales Hit New Record High For Third Year In A Row

In January, the U.S. Commerce Department reported that sales of new single-family homes topped one million units in 2003, establishing a new record high for the third consecutive year.

Total new single-family home sales for 2003 reached 1.085 million, up 11.5 percent from the previous annual record of 973,000 in 2002. For December alone, new home sales hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.060 million units, down 5.5 percent from November's upwardly-revised pace of 1.117 million units.

Three regions recorded record-high sales for 2003. The Midwest had 189,000 sales, the South posted 512,000 sales and the West registered 306,000 sales. Sales in the Northeast topped 79,000, not a new record, but up 21.5 percent from 2002. For the month, the sales pace across all regions was mixed. The Northeast and Midwest posted 12.2 percent and 8.7 percent gains over the November rate, respectively. The South and West showed 8.1 percent and 11.2 percent declines, respectively.

 
Mississippi Builder Bobby Rayburn Elected President of NAHB

Mississippi builder Bobby Rayburn was recently elected as 2004 president of the 220,000-member National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Rayburn said he will dedicate his presidency to making it easier for working families to own homes.

Rayburn said that NAHB will focus its efforts in four critical areas during this election year:

• Policies that promote strong economic growth and low interest rates.
• Policies that support a strong and dynamic housing finance system.
• Smart growth and balanced land use policies that take into account the ongoing demand for housing created by a growing economy and population.
• Special programs that can help families who are at the edge of affordability.

Rayburn, president of Rayburn and Associates in Jackson, has built more than 3,000 homes and apartments throughout Mississippi during his 30-year career in home building.

Also elected during the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas are 2004 NAHB First Vice President David Wilson, from Ketchum, Idaho; Vice President/Treasurer David Pressly from Statesville, N.C.; and Vice President/Secretary Brian Catalde from Playa del Rey, Calif. 2003 NAHB President Kent Conine, from Dallas, remains on the leadership ladder this year as Immediate Past President. Rounding out the association's leadership is NAHB Executive Vice President and CEO Jerry Howard, from Washington, D.C. [ return to top ]