A survey taken from February 23 to March 12 2012 with 38 leading real estate economists/analysts representing major real estate investment, advisory, and research firms and organizations provided the following information:

The ULI Real Estate Consensus Forecast for March 2012 projects broad improvements for the U.S. economy, real estate capital markets, real estate fundamentals, and housing over the next three years. While there are certainly geopolitical, economic, and other events that could upset this forecast going forward, the respondents to this survey of leading real estate economists and analysts believe that most facets of the U.S. real estate economy will strengthen considerably or remain healthy through 2014.

Rents are expected to increase for all property types, with 2012 increases ranging from 0.8 percent for retail up to 5.0 percent for apartments.

Housing starts should nearly double by 2014, and home prices should begin to rise in 2013, with prices increasing by 3.5% in 2014.

Finally, the beleaguered housing sector is expected to begin a turnaround in 2012, with signs of improvement already appearing in recent months.

Single-family housing starts, which have been near record lows over the past three years, are expected to rise from 428,600 starts in 2011 to 500,000 in 2012, 660,000 in 2013, and 800,000 in 2014.

The average home price, which has declined somewhere between 1.8% and 4.1% over each of the past three years, according to the FHFA, should stabilize, with no change in prices expected in 2012 followed by a 2.0% increase in 2013 and a 3.5% increase in 2014.

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According to CNNMoney, builders are anticipating a strong housing construction season.

Another sign of recovery in the long-battered housing market is the fact that building permit filings are higher than they have been in more than three years.

The starts are more affected by weather factors states CNNMoney. But the permits are generally seen as an indication of builders’ confidence in the market and the demand they are seeing. Mortgage rates near record lows and an improving jobs market both are feeding stronger demand.

The article goes on to state that the home construction industry is an important driver of the overall economy, creating demand not only for construction workers but also manufacturers of various goods used in new homes, from major appliances to furniture to general housewares.

That’s one of the reasons that housing and home construction have historically helped to lead the U.S. economy out of downturns. So the strong hopes for the building season ahead are seen as good news for the broader economy as well.

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Alamo Stone is opening a brand new gorgeous showroom! “Pietra Rustica”

It will feature beautiful stone tile, exquisite fireplaces, outdoor kitchen ideas, mosaics, and of course some of their thin stone veneer.

Many of their selections are one of a kind, but are easy on the budget.

The new showroom will be conveniently located directly across the street from their Stafford location.

Grand Opening Coming in May so stay tuned for updates!

All CBUSA Houston Builder and Vendor Members are invited to attend.

Click Here to View the Invitation

CB/USA Business Development Series

Think, Learn, Prosper

It’s no secret that the most successful business owners make time to work on their companies, not just in them.

This month, CB/USA will be taking a critical look at how top builders use their Charts of Accounts to effectively manage their company’s operations. Regardless of how well you build, how good your team is or how well you market yourself, if you’re not optimizing the use of your accounting system to help you manage your business …you’re costing yourself money every month on every project.

Seminar Information: ”Effective Use of Your Charts of Accounts”

Featured Speaker: Bob Whitten of SMA Associates

Bob is a well-known advisor and noted authority in the industry with more than 25 years of experience in the areas of business, accounting and financial management, as well as management reporting, organizational development and cost control systems Implementation. During his presentation, Bob will provide CB/USA Members with an overview of:

• The Custom Builder general ledger Chart of Accounts for great budgeting & management decision making
• The builder job cost accounting Chart of Accounts for tying estimating, purchasing, accounting, job costing & scheduling together into one cohesive functional system.
• Benchmarks of performance for both charts of accounts – comparing your results to industry standards.

March 2012 Webinar

Tuesday, March 27th

1:00 PM (eastern)

The March 27th session will last one hour and 15 minutes (1:15) and will be open to questions both during and after the presentation.

To register for the Session, please click the link below:

Effective Use of Your Charts of Accounts

We look forward to your participation in this valuable webinar series and hope it will help you to improve your business and your bottom line.

For more information about CB/USA and the competitive advantages our members enjoy in their local markets, please contact me directly at bill@cbusa.us, or visit our website.

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NAHB Green Conference Offers Building Professionals the Tools to Succeed in a Changing Market

Builders and remodelers looking to expand their knowledge of building green, and find out where the market is going, are invited to attend the 2012 National Green Building Conference and Expo in Nashville April 29-May 1.

Held this year at the Nashville Convention Center, the annual conference will feature an exhibit hall with the latest cutting-edge green products, a wide variety of education courses, unmatched networking opportunities and notable speakers and special events.

“More and more homes are becoming green and energy-efficient, whether by consumer demand or code requirement,” said Eric Borsting, Chairman of the National Green Building Conference and Expo. “This is the way the industry is moving, and this conference is the best place for any building professional to get ahead of the game and learn about best green practices and techniques. With its unmatched networking opportunities, education courses, impressive tour of homes and exhibit hall, this event is not one to be missed.”

The educational courses offer participants a deeper knowledge of the building science of green and provide the analysis of the green building market—the economic impact, the policies and the latest building techniques and trends.

The Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) will offer a new special education track, EBBA: Houses That Work. These sessions will serve as in-depth workshops on topics including air-sealing homes, proper HVAC System Replacement techniques to maximize energy efficiency, and Remodeling for Energy Efficiency.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to take part in a green tour of homes. The tour will showcase several local green built homes, and participants will be able to talk to the builders to learn about the rationale behind the design, green building certifications they used and the value the homes bring to their owners.

Early-Bird Deadline Extended Until Friday, March 23

For more information or to register – click here

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In his message on Realtor.org, he states:”Our industry is facing a crucial moment. Never before in the history of our great nation have housing and real estate been forced to defend the benefits they provide our country. The very foundation of civilization is no stronger, nor more enduring than the integrity of the homes on which they rest.”

“We must have a sustainable, durable housing economy for generations to come. Congress and the President should see their job as bolstering the housing economy and strengthening our commitment to the country’s health. If the housing market continues to falter, the economy cannot fully recover. Over the next 18 months Congress will begin reshaping the role of housing in achieving the dream of owning a home. That is what we are facing. REALTORS® have something to say about this. And this is our opportunity to ensure housing remains the fiber that binds together the fabric of America.”

We are going to defend the American Dream from the doubters who say home ownership and real estate have run their course. That is why we are holding the Rally to Protect the American Dream on May 17th in Washington, D.C. I am asking you to be there and stand with your fellow REALTORS® from every corner of America — from Alaska to Illinois to Texas to Guam.

“We are going to show Congress that no one cares more about revitalizing real estate for future generations than REALTORS® do.”

“It is critical that you register to let us know you are attending the rally. We want to plan a great event and make sure wet have enough food, water, lunches, t-shirts and buses. If you would like to come, we will help you connect with transportation via your state or local association. Just complete our Rally Registration. If you request transportation, we will forward that request to your association to follow up with how they can help you get to Washington, D.C. Note that if you plan to stay longer than one day, NAR is not able to cover or reimburse for lodging expenses. However, if your room is over $300/night, NAR will reimburse $100/night up to two nights ($200) to help defray housing costs to attend. Simply bring your hotel confirmation with your room rate and NRDS ID (members only) to the NAR Registration desk at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel, and NAR will initiate a refund. For housing requests, please visit our housing resources information page.”

“This is our time. This is our moment. We can’t do it without you. Join us.”

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On March 2, 2012 the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced a new comprehensive framework for housing finance system reform that would transition Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to a new mortgage securitization system for single-family and multifamily conventional mortgages.

NAHB Chairman Barry Rutenberg, a home builder from Gainesville, Fla. stated, “Our plan seeks to overhaul the housing finance system to ensure that housing credit is available and affordable in the future and is delivered through a competitive, efficient, sound, safe and stable system.”

To achieve this goal, Rutenberg said the system must include private, federal and state sources of housing capital; offer a reasonable menu of sound mortgage products for both single-family and multifamily housing that is governed by prudent underwriting standards and adequate oversight and regulation; and provide a federal backstop to ensure that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages are available at reasonable interest rates and terms.

NAHB’s housing finance reform blueprint also proposes to:

• Restart a carefully regulated fully private mortgage-backed securities system. NAHB believes reforms are needed in the system for rating mortgage-backed securities and is supporting the development of new securities ratings agencies that would use criteria developed by securities investors to assure objective evaluations and avoid conflicts of interest.
• Continue the role of the federal government housing agencies. The housing finance support roles of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Housing Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) would be preserved.
• Enhance the position of state and local housing finance agencies (HFAs) as a source of housing funds. The HFAs should have a more prominent housing finance role through the development of original programs for new homes and multifamily rental units involving partnering with federal and private providers of housing capital.
• Expand the role of the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks) in the housing finance system. The FHLBanks should continue their current activities to serve as an ongoing liquidity source for institutions providing housing credit. Existing programs, such as the FHLBanks’ mortgage purchase programs, should be enhanced by allowing the banks to move beyond portfolio purchases to securitization.
• Repair flaws that produced the housing boom and bust. It is extremely important to continue and complete steps to close the gaps in standards and oversight that allowed and facilitated the improper and illegal activities in financial and mortgage markets. This should be done by undertaking a series of comprehensive reforms to ensure sound mortgage products and prudent underwriting; requiring sound mortgage securities structures and full transparency for investors; and imposing adequate oversight on previously unregulated segments of the mortgage and financial markets.

Read the entire article here

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