Single-Family Permits Show Increase in February ibush Mon, 04/15/2024 - 09:44 Year-to-date ending in February, single-family permits were up in all four regions of the U.S. The first two months of 2024 saw the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reach 155,236, which represents a year-over-year (YOY) increase of 38.4% over February 2023 (112,131), according to the National Association of Home Builders' Eye On Housing. Year-to-date ending in February, the number of single-family permits had risen in all four U.S. regions: 54.2% in the West, 42 ..read more

What Does It Cost to Build a Single-Family Home? ibush Mon, 04/15/2024 - 08:07 A closer look at the itemized costs in each stage of construction for a single-family home To gain a better understanding of the costs involved in building a single-family home, news and research company ResiClub used data from the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) to create a pie chart. The data is from NAHB's construction cost survey, published in 2023, which presents national averages (rather than a specific geographical breakdown) and shows the total construction costs for the “average” single-fa ..read more

5 Ways to Silence Squeaky Floors ibush Sat, 04/13/2024 - 09:57 Take these tips to heart to deliver quiet floors and satisfied homeowners Roy Fanara Unless your home’s going to be the set for a horror movie, no one likes a new home with squeaky floors that creak and pop. The problem is that homeowners only notice (and call the warranty department) when their floors make unwanted noises, and then it’s too late to do it right and avoid being haunted by callbacks and customer complaints. 5 Tips for Quiet Floors That Don't Squeak Consider these five tips to deliver quiet floors and keep homeown ..read more

Carl Harris Carl Harris, a Wichita, Kan.-based small-volume spec and custom home builder with more than 40 years of experience in home building, remodeling, and light-commercial construction is the National Association of Home Builders' 2024 Chairman. Harris is co-founder and president of the Carl Harris Co., and managing partner of Harris Homes. ibush Fri, 04/12/2024 - 19:12 ..read more

Public Comment Period Opens for National Green Building Standard Updates ibush Fri, 04/12/2024 - 14:37 The 45-day public comment period for draft 2 of the 2024 NGBS begins on April 12, 2024 The National Green Building Standard (NGBS) is an ANSI (American National Standards Institute)-approved, third-party certified residential building standard that provides an affordable way to verify green construction practices in single-family, multifamily, remodeling, and land development projects. As an ANSI-approved standard, the NGBS is subject to periodic review and updates in light of advances in ..read more

Even With Inflation Running Hot and Elevated Mortgage Rates, Buyer Demand Rises ibush Fri, 04/12/2024 - 12:06 Mortgage rates will likely stay high for the next few months, but that doesn't seem to be deterring homebuyers Continuing elevated home prices and high mortgage rates make for steep housing payments: During the four weeks ending April 7, the median monthly U.S. housing payment was up 11% from a year ago, reaching an all-time high of $2,747. And it's likely mortgage rates will remain elevated for the foreseeable future, according to real estate brokerage company Redfi ..read more

Q1 2024 Foreclosure Activity Rises Slightly ibush Fri, 04/12/2024 - 09:27 Data show New York, Houston, and Chicago topping the list of major metros with the greatest number of foreclosure starts during Q1 2024 A recently released report from real estate data curator ATTOM shows that while foreclosure starts and filings increased slightly during Q1 2024, most notable was the overall decrease in the number of REO (real estate owned) properties. (While bank repossessions were up by 7% from the previous quarter, they're down 20% from a year ago.) ATTOM's Q1 2024 U.S. Foreclosure Market Re ..read more

Fortera Takes Concrete Steps to Reduce the Climate Impact of Cement ibush Thu, 04/11/2024 - 14:45 Clean-tech company Fortera, which uses technology to capture carbon emissions form cement manufacturing, will open its first commercial-scale operation on April 12, 2024, in California With growing concern about climate change, the race has been on to find solutions for manufacturing cement, a building material responsible for about 8% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. As part of that effort, California startup Fortera has developed a technology that reduces the amount of carbon dioxide ..read more

LIVE WEBINAR, April 18: 5 Tips to Build a High-Performance Home. REGISTER NOW ibush Thu, 04/11/2024 - 11:39 Join us to see and hear how the production team for The New American Home 2024 achieved a remarkable -45 HERS rating for the residence.       Discover details about how Sun West Custom Homes, in collaboration with green building consultant Two Trails, used an integrated approach to energy efficiency, air-tightness, and renewable energy to create this high-performance home that also improves indoor air quality and comfort for the home's occupants. Insights shared in t ..read more

6th Annual Most Valuable Product Awards ibush Thu, 04/11/2024 - 11:15 Drumroll ... Please join us in celebrating our 6th Annual MVP Awards winners, which represent the best in innovative building products James McClister, Editor Congratulations to our 6th Annual MVP Award recipients and thank you to all who submitted products for consideration. This latest class of MVPs represents a new level of innovation and sophistication in the residential building products industry.   Follow the links below to explore our full list of winners BY AWARD   BY CATEGORY    CONNECTED HO ..read more