In a May 18, 2010 story written by Teresa Burney at Builderonline, it is noted that April housing starts were up 5.8% compared to March and up 40.9% compared with April 2009 according to the Commerce Department’s monthly residential construction report. Single-family starts were up 10.2% month over month, to a seasonally adjusted level of 593,000.

Compared with April 2009, all of the regions throughout the U.S. saw increases: the Northeast was up 66%; the Midwest, 25%; the South, 59.6%; and the West, 3.5%, all on a year-over-year-basis.

In terms of future construction, total building permits hit a seasonally adjusted level of 606,000 units, which is 11.5% lower than the previous month, but on an annual basis, April’s overall building permits were 15.9% above the same month one year ago.

So, after all of the negative news we have been hearing over the past few years, it seems as though there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel for builders and consumers. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a continuing trend back to normalcy.

Click here to read more at builderonline

Amendment 4 Appears Ripe for Special Interest Lawsuits

In an article written by Ryan Houck and published May 19, 2010 on the Florida Home Builders Association website, it is noted that in this coming November elections, voters will be faced with a number of very tough decisions at the ballot box. It says that one of the most important decisions should also be the easiest.  Amendment 4, a “Vote on Everything” proposal, would in all essence, kill jobs, raise taxes, and lead to endless litigation at taxpayer expense. This article affects everyone in the state and voters should pay close attention to this bill and its consequences.

As noted in the article, Florida is in the midst of trying to recover from a devastating recession and the last thing we need is a proposal that would empower special interest lawyers to raid taxpayer’s pockets in order to finance special interest lawsuits. So, this November, it just makes a lot of sense to VOTE NO on Amendment 4!

Click here to read the entire FHBA article on this issue

VALUES ARE DOWN & COSTS ARE UP!

According to a recent article in the Ocala Business Journal by Jeff Brooks, and noted by our most recent cost increases from our own suppliers, we have seen that building material prices have risen rather sharply over the past few months. From wire mesh and steel rebar, both of which are used to strengthen concrete, to plywood and OSB sheathing, to 2×4 studs and other nominal lumber, prices have gone up 15 to 30%.  When lumber prices go up, so do the costs of other lumber related products such as roof and floor trusses, baseboards, interior doors and even cabinets.

Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, recently said that while he hasn’t heard of any major hardships concerning shortages yet, he has noticed a notable price increase in almost every market segment of the construction industry.

In a time when home prices are already deflated, this is not very welcome news and just makes things even more difficult for home builders who are still trying to provide a product for the home buying consumer, while at the same time trying to keep prices affordable. In order to help to keep our homes affordable even in today’s market, we at American Housing are working closely with our suppliers and contractors so that we can keep abreast as to what these costs are today and where they are going.

Click here to read this entire article written by Jeff Brooks for the Ocala Business Journal

We at American Housing never underestimate the power of a woman. We have invested a lot of time in trying to get the female perspective on our homes. While we feel, as a company, that we are very talented and know how to build a quality home, we don’t want to overlook the realities of what a woman looks for in a home. We feel it is important to try and anticipate the needs of a family at a more personal and detailed level, and feel that a woman seems to come naturally equipped with that perspective.

In 2007, the Women’s Council of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) showed that women played a major role in up to 90 percent of home purchases and we consider that quite impressive. In talking to women who have purchased our homes, we have learned that one of their major concerns in purchasing a new home to be built, was that they wanted to know what their home was going to look like when it was finished. They wanted to know how the style of their home was going to look, from the roofline to the individual rooms. During construction, she wanted to be involved in the building process so that she could be sure that her vision would be realized.

American Housing saw that there was a need for a woman’s touch in our homes, and because of that, we wanted to create a home with a layout and style that a woman would expect in her home. We want to feel certain that American Housing’s homes are functional for both men and women and feel that a woman’s point of view is vital to accomplish that goal.