Builder - August 2008 - (Page 7)

V O L U M E 3 1 I S S U E 1 0 A U G U S T 2 0 0 8 74 F E AT U R E S Trade Secrets: Staying Aﬂoat Plummeting land values and a lack of cash ﬂow are creating more and more desperate ﬁ nancial situations for builders and for their lenders. While both sides are looking out for No. 1, the ultimate goal for each is the same: to remain solvent. Many banks are beginning to realize that the standard operating procedure of foreclosing on these loans won’t help either party. They also know that you can build and sell homes better than they can, and they don’t want to own your half-ﬁnished projects any more than you want them to. But it’s up to you to take the initiative to show them that you have a credible plan, that you will be around to execute it, and most of all, that it will be in their best interest . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 86 Sign of the Times The old saying that “art reflects life” takes on a slightly different meaning in this day and age, as issues such as climate change, the price of oil, carbon footprints, and the tightening of lending standards become the basis for changes in the way housing looks and functions. This year’s Gold Nugget Awards celebrate homes that have gracefully adapted to the changing dynamics that dictate what buyers want and need in a home. Running the gamut of construction types, from single-family detached to multifamily, from custom infill to sky-scraping condos, these projects provide a vein of gold rich in design and planning ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Volume 31, number 10. BUILDER (IS SN 074 4 -1193; USP S 3 7 0-600) is published 14 times per year: monthly in Jan., Feb., May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. and semimonthly in March and A pril by Hanley Wood, LLC, One T homas Circle, N.W., Suite 600, Washing ton, D.C. 20005, for the National A ssociation of Home Builder s and printed in the USA . Copyrig ht 2008 by Hanley Wood, LLC. A ll rig hts reser ved. Opinions ex pressed are those of the authors or persons quoted and not necessarily those of the N A HB. Reproduction in whole or in par t prohibited without writ ten authorization. Sing le-copy price: $12.00 (except House Plans issues, w hich are $12.95). Periodicals postage paid at Washing ton, D.C., and at additional mailing of fices. Pos tmas ter: Send address changes to BUILDER, P.O. Box 3532, Nor thbrook, IL 60065 -353 2. Member: Business Publications Audit, A merican Business Media. W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM augus t 2 0 08 B U I LD E R ■ 7 http://www.builderonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Builder - August 2008

Builder - August 2008 Contents Editor’s Notes Bmail Book It Inside Story Success Stories Top Shelf Green House Sales Strategies Products Digital Home National Beat Seiders' Economy Trade Secrets: Staying Afloat Sign of the Times Missing Links Ad Index Last Word

Builder - August 2008

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