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Housing & Construction

Builders Energy Code Position Confirmed by DOE

Posted on May 13, 2012 in Building Codes, Green Building and Housing & Construction.

Concerning what the requirement for adopting a code to comply with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding stipulations, DOE confirmed that it is the 2009 IECC or an equivalent code that must be adopted -- not the 2012 edition.

A Look at Why Housing is Healing

Posted on May 13, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

Northern Trust analyzes several housing data indicators, concluding with consumer sentiment about jobs expectations. Their bottom line: housing is healing.

Canadian Housing Starts Up

Posted on May 13, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was 244,900 units in April, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. This is up from 214,800 units in March.

Ranking Job Growth in US Cities

Posted on May 13, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

New Geography's Joel Kotkin and Michael Shires team up to rank the U.S.'s 398 metro areas, sorting them into like-sized buckets: small, medium, and large.

BFS Losses Narrow on Higher 1Q Sales

Posted on May 13, 2012 in Business and Housing & Construction.

Builders FirstSource, the Dallas-based pro dealer, posted net sales of $219.4 million for its first fiscal quarter of 2012, a 34.7% hike over sales of $162.8 million in the same quarter of 2011.

9 Fastest Growing Housing Markets

Posted on May 13, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

Only nine U.S. cities' home values are projected to grow by more than 3% in 2012, these nine housing markets are reviewed to try to identify the reasons behind their success.

Beezer Forms Home Rental REIT

Posted on May 13, 2012 in Business and Housing & Construction.

Beazer Homes USA Inc., is one of the nation's top home builders, has formed a REIT that will buy and then rent single-family homes, one of the largest and most talked-about asset classes in the real-estate business. 

Housing Hits Bottom, Future Decided in Next Eight Months

Posted on May 13, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

The U.S. housing market is reaching a bottom, according to Lewis Ranieri, the mortgage-bond pioneer. “I truly believe the future of the industry will be decided in the next eight months” as regulators come up with new rules, he said.

MN Governor Vetoes Anti-Sprinkler Bill

Posted on May 13, 2012 in Building Codes, Housing & Construction and Legislative.

Minnesota Governor Mark Dalton vetoed a measure (Senate File 1717) that would have prevented the adoption of building code provisions requiring the installation of sprinkler systems in new and existing single-family homes.

Builder Confidence Up Significantly

Posted on May 13, 2012 in Housing & Construction and Industry Announcements.

Builder confidence in the 55+ housing market for single-family homes had a significant increase of 10 points to  27 in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period a year ago.