From committee meetings to educational programs to receptions to the installation of Diane Willenbring as the 2007 Chair and the 2007 Board of Trustees, a lot of business was accomplished in Orlando.

Much more information, including a complete wrap-up of award winners will be available in the Spring 2007 issue of Building Women magazine.

The 2007 Women's Council leadership team. [return to top]

• Date: Tuesday, May 22
• Call-in time: Noon to 5:00 p.m. Eastern
• Phone: 800-899-6242.
• Theme: NAHB Members: Leaders of the Pack. Logos, a PowerPoint presentation and other items are available for download from the NAHB Web site.
• Double Spike Credits: During the month of May, NAHB will award double Spike credits for every new member recruited. The same rule applies for the Women’s Council Spike Club.

For information on Women's Council National Membership Day competitions, visit www.nahb.org/womens or contact Petra Beane-Moore at 800-368-5242 x8433, or via e-mail at pbeane@nahb.com. [return to top]

Thanks to strong member support, NAHB was successful in defeating proposed fire sprinkler mandates at last fall's IRC Code Development Hearings. Now, fire sprinkler advocates are conducting a newly aggressive campaign to reverse that outcome at the ICC Final Action Hearings in Rochester this May. 

Let's make one thing perfectly clear: Home builders are dedicated to the safety of those who live in the communities we build. New homes are in fact safer than ever thanks to new building technologies and especially the widespread use of smoke alarms.

And, while families should have the OPTION of having fire sprinklers installed in their new homes if that is what they desire, the fact remains that those sprinklers are expensive to install and can be difficult to maintain. Also, fire sprinkler mandates have never been proven to do a better job of saving lives than smoke alarms and education programs.

If fire sprinklers are mandated, consumers will be forced to pay installation and maintenance costs for a product that will most likely never be used and associated costs that greatly outweigh the potential reduction in property loss. Keeping in mind that every $1,000 added to the cost of a home prices thousands of buyers out of the market — and that a credible NAHB consumer survey finds that most buyers do NOT want to pay for fire sprinklers — it's obvious that mandates are not the way to go.

That's why we must continue to fight this issue with as much strength as we can muster. How do we do that? We need to make sure there are enough ICC voting officials in attendance at the Final Action hearings in May who will vote against the mandates. With this in mind, NAHB kicked off a major grassroots campaign at the IBS that's aimed at getting as many HBAs and members to contact their local building officials as possible. Your mission is to communicate builders' concerns and encourage those who agree with us to make the trip to Rochester and VOTE.

Please, find out how you can help NAHB in this endeavor — take a look at our resources at www.nahb.org/sprinklers or contact Brian Sause at 800-368-5343 x8444. [return to top]

BUILD-PAC contributors understand the importance of advocacy on behalf of the industry, therefore will serve as a crucial component to the BuilderLink program. If you have any questions about BuilderLink, please contact Molly Murray at 800-368-5242 x8282, or e-mail mmurray@nahb.com.
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In the New Homes Month Kit you will have access to consumer articles, print advertisements, a New Homes Month Proclamation and other resources to help you and your association or company maximize New Homes Month throughout April. Consider using these materials to further promote your spring home shows or parades of homes and other special events you may be planning in April and beyond.

Please contact the Public Affairs area at NAHB if you have any questions about the 2007 New Homes Month Kit and other ways to bring positive attention to the home building industry in your communities. Call us at 800-368-5242 x8061 or e-mail nclark@nahb.com. [return to top]

In this month’s issue, Kenneth R. Harney, an award-winning, nationally syndicated real estate columnist, gives consumers searching for a new home some sound advice — Keep your eye on the ball!

“Leverage is one of the key differences between buying a house and buying stocks or bonds,” says Kenneth R. Harney, an award-winning, nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author of the article Keeping Your Eye on the Ball: The Financial Benefits of Homeownership in this issue of NAHB HouseKeys. “Flat or down markets, in fact, may well be the best times for buying a first house. Prices tend to be lower and more affordable. Home builders and sellers tend to be more willing to negotiate, and mortgage rates — like today’s — often are lower than during high-inflation periods.”

Find out why homeownership can lead to financial benefits and freedoms unheard of with stocks or bonds, in both surging markets and slow ones.

Also in this issue, the color of March? It’s Green! Learn which simple household products can green your home, how builders are bringing green to the mainstream and check out the latest and greatest in our green photo gallery.

In addition, find your perfect builder, go inside the International Builders’ Show, reduce your heating and cooling costs and get tax credits, avoid household headaches, read about the organic and eco-friendly architecture of the Southwest, plus much, much more.

To view the complete issue, click here.

All state and local home builders associations are encouraged to submit general, consumer-focused feature stories for consideration for this new publication. We invite you to share this issue of NAHB HouseKeys with your e-mail list of consumers. The e-newsletter is an opt-in only product, meaning the public has to sign up to receive it. Further, HBAs are invited to use non-bylined content in NAHB HouseKeys to repurpose and customize for your own consumer outreach projects, including your association web site, newsletter or magazine. We also will provide you with a graphic that you can post on your own web site or print product to promote NAHB HouseKeys as a free benefit for consumers.

To subscribe or view back issues, visit www.nahb.org/housekeys. For more information on leveraging this free resource with your consumers, contact Niki Clark at nclark@nahb.com. [return to top]

The name change took effect at the 2007 NAHB Winter Board of Directors Meeting in Orlando, Fla.
“NAHB is already the leading trade association for remodeling firms whether it’s membership, services or awareness, but we found that many inside and out of the industry were still confused as to what exactly is a council,” said Mike Nagel, CGR, CAPS, a remodeler from Chicago and the chairman of the 2007 NAHB Remodelers. “The change to NAHB Remodelers ensures that consumers and the broader industry associates NAHB with remodeling as well as new home construction.”

The name change is also expected to spur more remodelers to join NAHB and local HBAs.
Though there are roughly equal numbers of home building and remodeling firms in the country, at 80,000 each, according to the home building industry’s latest Census figures, NAHB represents a smaller percentage of remodeling firms than home builders.

“I believe once the broader industry realizes what NAHB provides remodeling firms we’ll see that number jump dramatically,” said Nagel. “I can’t even begin to count the NAHB benefits that have bolstered my ability to run a competitive business.”

“No one advocates more effectively, offers the top-notch educational opportunities or provides any other service to the remodeling industry better than NAHB,” Nagel added.

The name change does not automatically affect state and local Remodelors™ councils across the county. The councils have the option individually to keep their current name or more closely align their name with the new NAHB Remodelers name.

For more information, visit the NAHB Remodelers pages on the NAHB Web site.
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Attention Council members: the NAHB Membership Committee has made official federation membership available to Council members who are employed by a Builder or Associate member for a significantly reduced dues investment. The idea is a decrease in dues for the ‘employee’ membership category in exchange for an increase in official member participation — a structural shift that could yield big benefits for would-be members who currently participate in local-level events without being counted in industry totals.

This means if your employer is a Builder or Associate member, and your local HBA recognizes the Affiliate category, you are now eligible for full membership via the Affiliate category for a significantly reduced fee (the national portion of the dues investment is only $5). Why bother? Because it’s the full memberships that count when it comes to taking care of our industry.

By reducing the already low Affiliate member dues structure from $25 to $5 at the national level and breaking down the financial barrier to membership, the NAHB Membership Committee is raising priorities in other areas:

1. The dues decrease is designed to increase official participation and therefore our ability to protect and serve the industry.
   
   
2. The dues decrease will amplify valuable member involvement at all levels of the federation.

“Numbers are just as important in managing the business of our association as they are in the business of building homes,” said 2006 NAHB Membership Committee Chair Larry Stege who led the 2006 Committee in an exploration of possibilities regarding this membership category last year culminating in the change, “The only difference is that our bottom line is measured by the vitality brought to the scene by our members and by the strength we have in our legislature’s office…in order to lead this industry into the future, we have to be able to officially count and welcome in the thousands of Affiliate members who are involved in our Councils,” Stege added. 

As an Affiliate member, individuals may serve on NAHB committees, task forces, working groups and more, and are included in the official membership number of the federation. Council members who are eligible (employed by a Builder or Associate member) are encouraged to participate by seeking Affiliate membership. If your local HBA does not offer the category, contact your Executive Officer to request availability.

More details are available online at www.nahb.org/AffiliateInfo or contact Emily Fitzsimmons at efitzsimmons@nahb.com. [return to top]