Boyce Thompson: Boyce On Building
Boyce Thompson is editorial director of the BUILDER group of magazines published by Hanley Wood. Drawing on his years of experience covering home building, architecture, and retailing, Boyce tackles diverse and far-ranging industry topics in his twice-weekly blog.
Builders who have been around a while used to tell revealing stories about buyers who lived through the Great Depression. The so-called silent generation didn't understand HOA fees, especially ones that went up. They questioned the value of upgrades and wanted to know why they weren't included. They asked if they could buy a base home and do the finish work later, themselves. Some even treated model home decorations like party favors.
Ted Cushman: The Ten-Penny News
Ted Cushman covers the home building industry as a freelance writer from his base in the hills of Western Massachusetts. His blog promises insightful, accurate, and practical coverage of home building techniques, building science, and housing economics.
When an albatross meets his mate again after months of soaring over the icy, trackless South Atlantic, they bang their bills together and make a clacking sound. What does this have to do with you or me? Nothing, probably. For birds, it's purely instinctive. But for us, it's also cultural. And according to this article from RISMedia, the real estate information service, the way we do it may be changing these days.
Chuck Shinn: Rx from the Profit Doctor
Charles C. Shinn, Jr., PhD, often referred to as the Profit Doctor, is the founder of the Shinn Group of Cos., The Lee Evans Group, and Builder Partnerships. His constant focus is to help builders and manufacturers to improve the performance of their companies, enhance relationships, and ultimately maximize their total profits.
Now is definitely the time to get creative in your marketing efforts so if you do not have an existing formal referral program, you need to establish one. Referrals from existing clients are much easier to sell than cold prospects. And they cost hardly anything. You can generate a continuous flow of referrals by identifying contact points where staff can easily ask for referrals. In order to maximize results from this program, it is important to formalize it and communicate the specifics to your staff and customers.
Patrick Duffy: The Housing Chronicles
Patrick Duffy has consulted for nearly 20 years for the country's leading home builders, land developers, investors, and lenders on residential, mixed-use, commercial, and industrial projects. An expert on local housing markets, Duffy offers his thoughts on what’s happening around the country.
Think you'll have no problem renting out a house until the market rebounds? It's a great idea if you can cover (all or most) or your costs, but in many areas of the country, there's a growing backlash from HOAs and some cities in response to complaints that many tenants are ruining the neighborhood.
Scott Sedam: The Lean Builder
Scott Sedam is President of TrueNorth Development, an internationally-known consulting and training firm focused exclusively on the building industry. Scott’s blog, The Lean Builder, promises tips and tools for product and process improvement for your company.
I was invited to speak recently at two of the leading “green advocacies” – EEBA, the Energy & Environmental Building Association Annual Conference, in Phoenix, and the EnergyStar Summit, in Denver. The first surprising thing is that in this, the worst downturn in the history of the U.S. housing industry, was that the attendance at both of these events was up this year, each drawing more than 500 participants. Given the impact of the economy on many other long-standing conferences, this is both curious and impressive.
David Miles: Miles on Branding
David Miles’ award-winning advertising agency, Miles Strategic DNA, integrates business strategy with brand strategy through the use of a proprietary decision-making code. He shares some of his hard-won knowledge with you in this blog.
By the end of the 1970’s, more than 70% of the merchandise in a large department store was identical with that of any other department store. The shopping experience had become commoditized much like the home-buying experience today. In response, consumers have grown increasingly concerned with individualism. There is a growing demand for uniqueness, differentiation, and mass customization on every level, which in turn demands greater diversity and creativity in design.
Patrick Hendry: Going Green Globally
Patrick Hendry has been actively involved in the green building industry since 2004. For the last six months, he has been traveling around the world documenting the global green building revolution. Follow his amazing trip through his writings and photographs.
Pristine Beaches, tropical rainforests, exotic wildlife, and an inviting culture, Costa Rica is quickly becoming a model for the international Ecotourism boom.
Brad Haubert: Green Building 101
Brad Haubert is a home builder from central Pennsylvania who recently earned the NAHB Certified Green Professional designation. He has begun building his first green home and is writing regularly about his progress on it.
Today we met with the folks from Goods Tree Care on the lot itself. This is one tricky (and tree-filled) lot! It was a first-look for many at the lot. We decided it was best to have the engineer stake the centerline of the driveway - and the approximate location of the house.
Pauline Guntlow: Building a Thermal Mass House
Pauline Guntlow is a designer, renovator, builder, and consultant in the Mass/Vermont area. What was once a sideline hobby evolved into a full time business of designing and building homes. Pauline absolutely loves all aspects of the building industry including the latest innovations in building materials. Her designs are, above all, practical.
Great news today! The well crew arrived to hydro-fracture the well which had been dug several months ago to a depth of 600 feet. Initially the amount of water was 1 - 2 gallons per minute but the well driller was sure that the volume could be greatly improved by hydro-fracture. And it was. The gallons per minute increased to 5 – 6 gallons per minute.