-
Giant distributor also launches proprietary brands and program that targets builders' specific customer service and marketing needs.
-
Business groups and pro-immigration forces were dealt a blow Friday afternoon when a federal judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order on the state's new immigration law, a move that paved the way for the law to go into effect Jan. 1. Under the law, builders and other businesspeople...
-
Pulte Homes CEO Richard J. Dugas Jr. says he doesn't expect the housing downturn to end anytime soon-in fact, he doesn't expect the downturn to end until 2009. Regardless, Pulte will remain focused on goals the Michigan-based builder set as it entered the fourth quarter.
-
As many heating costs rise, heating a home is becoming increasingly expensive for your buyers. Good insulation and an efficient furnace or heat pump can help, but you can also give your buyers an energy-efficient supplemental heat source that will not break the bank: a pellet stove or insert.
-
Water is a central element in the site plan development of BridgeWater, which was built on reclaimed phosphate-mining land and includes five deep, crystal-clear lakes. As a result, 90 percent of the lots in the community have a lake view. In brainstorming names for the lakes, the sales and...
-
In this segment, expert panelists cover current sales and marketing challenges, business plan predictions for 2008, and long-term prospects for the industry.
-
Orland Park Crossing, 30 miles southwest of Chicago, has lots of what its target market—young professionals and downsizers—wanted, including good commuting options, top-notch interior features, and proximity to a new redevelopment area in the Village of Orland Park.
-
The top executives of the two government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, told the House Committee on Financial Services today that they plan to offer programs to help homeowners facing delinquent subprime loans with opportunities to refinance and stay in their homes. Daniel Mudd...
-
A slower pace, streamlined choices, and more education lead to higher options sales at Ryland Homes in Phoenix.
-
Spring is always an important time for home builders, as nearly 40 percent of new-home sales take place between March and June. This year's spring season is more important than ever, as Wall Street, economists, and the industry at-large try to gauge whether the home building industry can bounce...
-
How often do buyers enter a splendidly appointed model home and say, “I want that,” but are frustrated because the cost of those furnishings would bust their budgets, or they have no way of purchasing the products? Apparently too often for D.R. Horton, which is why the industry's largest builder is...
-
Softplan once again proves why it's still one of the most popular architectural CAD programs among builders with its latest release, Version 13.
-
KB HOME, THE INDUSTRY'S FIFTH-largest builder, accepted the retirement of its CEO and chairman, Bruce Karatz, after an investigation conducted by members of KB's board of directors concluded that he and two other senior-level officials were involved in a scheme to backdate stock option grants to...
-
NOT SO LONG AGO, THE GARAGE door was a humdrum slab that lacked any style or design options. Today there are seemingly limitless options so home buyers no longer have to settle for the ordinary.
-
INSTEAD OF TRYING TO COMBINE ITS SALES EFFORTS AND DESIGN selection process at its multiple communities around Boise, Idaho, Hubble Homes centralized the latter function with a 10,000-square-foot showroom adjacent to its corporate headquarters. Once buyers sign a contract, they have 45 days to...
-
TO FIND THE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL, FIRST-TIME BUYERS FOR Bonneyville, a 35-acre, 249-unit row house neighborhood in Denver's Northern Range, builder Amber Homes went to a hockey game.
-
On June 1, Holiday Builders launched a monthlong sales promotion covering virtually all of its houses, built or presold, in Florida, where buyers who plunked down a deposit received a card entitling them to free gasoline for a year, a $2,000 value. Within the first eight days of the campaign...
-
It's a rainy Saturday in February, and home buyers Lisa and Chuck Brousseau have an appointment at Creative Touch Interiors (CTI), in Landover, Md., to select the hardwood and vinyl flooring, carpeting, padding, and window coverings for their new 4,700-square-foot home. The task doesn't seem...
-
For years, home builders have been looking for a reliable software tool that would let home buyers view home plans and models and select options in 3-D and then integrate with a builder's back-office system.
-
THE BAD NEWS ANNOUNCED EARLIER this year is that we may be facing serious hurricane activity for the next 15 to 20 years. This means a vicious cycle of destruction and cleanup for those along the coasts, but it also means harsher weather for inland dwellers as well.