Builder - February 2009 - (Page 70) BEAT floor under declining home values, restoring confidence in housing and the economy, and getting buyers back into the market. Specifically, we have pressed for enhancements to the home buyer tax credit, below-market 30-year fi xed-rate mortgages for home purchases, and additional measures aimed at preventing foreclosures. I think it’s safe to say that we have left no stone unturned in our efforts to take this important message to Congress, the incoming Obama administration, and the public. We conducted high-level meetings with key members of Congress, Presidentelect Barack Obama’s transition team, and the Bush administration; alerted NAHB members to the critical importance of the stimulus campaign; stepped up news media coverage; and worked with the Fix Housing First Coalition on full-page advertisements in major publications. As part of this effort, we also tapped the power of the grassroots. More than 80 builders came to Washington in early January in a targeted fly-in focused on key members of Congress. We also held a series of press conferences in markets throughout the country where our grassroots members told the press and the public how their businesses and lives have been THE NAHB affected by the worst conditions in the housing market since the Great Depression. We have also focused considerable effort on working with financial regulators and elected leaders to relieve the ongoing credit crunch that is crippling our industry. For some time, members have been reporting to the NAHB that it is extremely difficult to get credit for viable projects. Builders with outstanding construction and development loans say they are experiencing intense pressure as the result of requirements for significant amounts of additional equity, denials on loan extensions, and demands for immediate repayment. As a result, performing loans are being rendered nonperforming, adding to foreclosures and increasing inventories. Hopefully, by the time you read this message, President Obama’s economic stimulus package will be well on its way to final passage in Congress. Whether the Obama plan turns out to be the right prescription for the nation’s economic woes will take months to determine. But I can assure you of this: The NAHB will stay on top of this situation, and we will do whatever is required to push for aggressive and meaningful policies that will help put our industry back on its feet and end the credit crunch. B CENTER CORNER NATIONAL NAHB BRIEFS of including in its supervision of lenders a system that will monitor how institutions are using the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) money and other federal liquidity assistance that they are receiving. At the meeting, Bair also indicated that the FDIC would reiterate its existing supervisory guidance that encourages lenders to work with borrowers to avoid foreclosure. Keep in Touch A RESEARCH Win While You Work Winners of the 2009 EnergyValue Housing Award take the spotlight. T welve builders were recipients at this year’s EnergyValue Housing Award (EVHA) at an awards presentation that kicked off the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas. The EVHA is the nation’s preeminent energyefficiency award honoring builders who voluntarily incorporate energy efficiency into all aspects of new-home construction. Scott Homes of Olympia, Wash., was selected by the judges as the 2009 EVHA Builder of the Year and took home a gold award for a cold climate custom home. Other 2009 EnergyValue Housing Award Gold winners include: Aspen Homes of Col- orado, Loveland, Colo. (cold climate, production category); Scandia USA, Glen Allen, Va. (moderate climate, production category); Coastal Green Building Solutions, Ridgeland, S.C. (hot climate, production category); Yavapai College, Residential Building Technology Program, Chino Valley, Ariz. (moderate climate, affordable category); McIntyre Builders, Rockford, Mich. (cold climate, custom category); Clifton View Homes, Coupeville, Wash. (moderate climate, custom category); and Ferrier Custom Homes, Fort Worth, Texas (hot climate, custom category). Urbane Homes in Louisville, Ky., won two Silver awards for its moderate climate entry in both the production and affordable categories. Other recipients of the 2009 Silver EnergyValue Housing Award were: R Godfrey Homes, Glen Rose, Texas (hot climate, affordable category); Seville Consulting, Decatur, Ga. (moderate climate, custom category); and GreenCraft Builders, Lewisville, Texas (hot climate, custom category). Now in its 14th year, the EVHA is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America program, the NAHB, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the NAHB Research Center. The EVHA challenges builders to elevate standards for energy-efficient construction, provides educational opportunities for home builders, and fosters the adoption of energy-efficiency principles throughout the home building industry. s the nation’s credit crunch spreads into the remodeling market, undermining the financial viability of many projects, remodelers are reporting some success working proactively with customers and lenders to avoid problems with financing remodeling projects. Vince Butler of Butler Brothers in Vienna, Va., suggests that clients tap their lines of credit and set aside the money so that it is available when they need to pay bills. Remodelers can also ask their customers to obtain a guarantee letter from the bank to confirm the amount and availability of the line of credit. 70 ■ B U I LD E R f ebrua ry 2 0 0 9 W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM
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