THE MORE THAN 1,000 ACRES THAT JACK MYERS AMASSED just outside of Charlotte did pretty well for him as a cotton farm, but Myers considered that a temporary use until he could develop the property into something even more profitable: a suburb. Placing his trust and his land (not to mention his...
WHEN TEMPERATURES dip toward freezing, building officials routinely shut down foundation work
DURING A SPEECH TO THE Credit Union National Association in February 2004, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan proclaimed the virtues of adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs).
RANI HONG WAS A HOMELESS 8-year-old girl in India when an American family named Clark adopted her in 1979. One year later, Rani's future husband, Trong Hong, arrived in the United States from Vietnam when he was 9 years old under virtually the same circumstances.
AS IT BURST ON SHORE OVER the beaches and bayous of the Mississippi Delta region, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the homes and businesses of home builders, their subcontractors, and their employees, just as it wreaked havoc in every other part of the Gulf Coast community.
BUILDERS IN THE PHOENIX AREA HAVE AN enviable problem: Business is just too good.
SUNRIVER ST. GEORGE, A SOUTHERN Utah retirement community, now offers a home automation system that lets homeowners manage everyday tasks such as HVAC, lighting, and security over the same touchscreen panel or Web tablet that controls their cable television, home videos, and audio 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.
MARKET RESEARCHER BARB NAGLE doesn't consider herself a particularly fastidious person, but even she was surprised by what she encountered when she knocked on the doors of people who had recently bought new homes.
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This month's top shelf products include a cabinet and beer dispenser from Perlick Corp., a polyurethane-based construction adhesive from Liquid Nails, and weatherresist flashing tape from Owens Corning.
U.S.-CANADIAN RELATIONS TOOK A turn for the worse in August: The two nations' dispute over softwood lumber trade took center stage in Canada's political drama, and the long-simmering disagreement flared up into a hot diplomatic spat.
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Massachusetts' housing production level ranks among the lowest in the nation, and what's built is among the most expensive. Too few homes is “the biggest single culprit” in the state's lack of affordable housing, according to Clark Ziegler, executive director of the Massachusetts Housing...
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DAVID WEEKLEY HOMES RECENTLY PRESENTED its first “Partners of Choice” awards to 11 national account suppliers that their toughest critics—the builder's own rank and file—singled out for their consistent performances.
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The Home Depot said in September it will implement energy-saving measures in all of its U.S. stores in light of the government's call to conserve energy after Hurricane Katrina. Measures include reducing the use of ceiling lights in stores equipped with skylights and cutting back illumination of...
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California building industry leaders report that the $500,000-plus median cost of a new home prices about 81 percent of Californians out of the housing market. Builders are asking for tax relief on government fees that on average add $20,000 to the price of a new home. In some communities in the...
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BUYING A NEW HOME MAY BE the American dream, but most first-timers are unaware that it can be a nightmare. Even for experienced buyers, a new home's avalanche of decisions can be daunting.
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YEARS AGO, MINORITIES OFTEN WERE TURNED down when they applied for mortgages. Now, they're likely to be approved, but at a higher interest rate than whites.
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are giving a much-needed break to the thousands of homeowners left homeless by Hurricane Katrina, allowing loan servicers to temporarily suspend payment collections from affected homeowners. Freddie Mac told servicers to stop collection of mortgage payments for September...
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IF THE QUINCY, MASS.–BASED National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has its way, newly constructed one- and two-family residential dwellings will be required to have fire sprinklers.
ANYONE WITH AN ANSWER TO TODAY'S UBIQUITOUS questions—Is there a housing bubble, and where will it pop first?—is in high demand. Housing analysts, industry think tanks, mortgage companies, and even the government have presented their best guesses in recent reports.
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Led by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a coalition of state officials has filed suit against the U.S. Energy Department, accusing the agency of failing to set efficiency standards for household appliances. The states say the DOE is six to 13 years behind schedule and has not adopted any...
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Even before hurricanes Katrina and Rita, home builders in the Tampa, Fla., area included so-called “escalator” clauses into sales contracts. The clauses let builders offset the rising costs of lumber, concrete, and roof shingles. While buyers are torn because it's never clear how much the price...
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Walk-in closets, pantries, and garages are taking up ever-bigger chunks of space in modern floor plans, so an expected upswing in the home organization products market is no surprise. A recent study by The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industrial market research firm, anticipates that makers...
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Analysts predict rebuilding the Gulf Coast region after Hurricane Katrina will push cement consumption even higher then current record levels, the Skokie, Ill.–based Portland Cement Association says. Experts estimate that rebuilding New Orleans will require at least 4 million tons of cement over...
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Centex Corp. disclosed in September that it will sell Fairclough Homes, its United Kingdom home building operation, to The Miller Group, the UK's largest privately owned residential building and development company. After foreign and domestic taxes, net proceeds of the sale are expected to be about...
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Using a formula that weighs wage costs, taxes, electricity costs, and costs of real estate for industrial and office space, the Milken Institute recently declared Hawaii, New York, and Massachusetts the most expensive states in which to do business. Its annual Cost of Doing Business Index found...
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SullivanKreiss, an executive search firm based in Northborough, Mass., is offering free career placement help to architects, engineers, and construction professionals displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Call 508-393-4933 or e-mail info@sullivankreiss.com for more information.
HOME BUILDERS WORKING ON TEARDOWNS IN historic Myers Park in Charlotte, N.C., had a tough fight on their hands earlier this year when a neighborhood group brought up an arcane open-space rule that threatened to derail the lucrative teardown business for local custom home builders.