Entries from September 2008
The Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland’s Political Action Committee recently voted to oppose a measure on this year’s ballot that would put Oregon homeowners at risk.
Measure 63 would allow homeowners to perform up to $35,000 in remodeling in a single calendar year without a permit.
“There simply are innumerable ways in which this proposal puts homeowners at risk,” said Steve Heiteen, president of Steven Heiteen Construction and a long-time leader of the HBA’s Remodeler’s Council. “This level of renovation to a home could very likely include work on the home’s plumbing and electrical systems, or even its structural integrity. The idea of removing oversight at that scale is a huge mistake.”
Heiteen said Measure 63 would create an enormous liability risk for homeowners, because it makes the homeowner directly responsible for all changes they make during renovation. Even if the home was sold, any future problems connected to the remodeling work would be the responsibility of the owner who commissioned the work. Worse, the measure would present health and safety risks from problems like electrical fires, burst plumbing, or even structural collapse.
Other home builders associations around the state are anticipated to join in opposing the measure as the election nears.
“As an organization, the HBA and its members fight battles regularly with government to reduce the red tape and unnecessary costs associated with home construction or improvement,” Heiteen said. “But we’ve never questioned the need for all builders to adhere to the state’s building code, and building permits represent the system to make sure everyone is doing their work in accordance with the code. Opposing this ballot measure is a no brainer.”
To learn more about Oregon Ballot Measure 63 see previous post.
Categories: Business Matters · Goverment Affairs · Press Release
Tagged: Oregon Ballot Measure 63, Remodeling
Even with the remodeling industry in the midst of its most challenging cyclical downturn since the early 1980s, a substantial number of home builders are diversifying into the home improvement and maintenance market, making the competition for jobs even tougher, according to remodelers attending the Sept. 9-12 Remodeling Show in Baltimore.
Home owner improvements, the key segment of the remodeling sector, were falling at a 4% annual rate by the end of last year, and that decline is expected to accelerate to a 9% pace by the end of this year and 11% during the first quarter of 2009, according to Kermit Baker, director of the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Baker said that the industry is likely to register further declines in 2009, averaging in the mid to upper single digits for the year as a whole, “unless the economy takes a turn for the better very quickly,” which appeared anything but certain in the week following the show when the U.S. financial markets suffered the worst tribulations yet of the ongoing credit crunch.
But home builders have been drawn to remodeling because the business has been holding up fairly well compared to residential construction and sales, which have taken a beating in many parts of the country, particularly on the single-family side. Green remodeling and modifications to homes to enable residents to age in place are two niches where demand appears to have been holding up better than average in today’s soft marketplace.
Read more here…
Categories: National News
Special thanks to
General Builders Supply for hosting our luncheon today and
Barbara Fisher for speaking to us about how to use awards to promote your business. Congratulations to Sherry Pollard and Jeremy Rosenbloom recepients of this years Home Builders Foundation Scholarship awards.
Jon Epley (Mascord Design) and Shelly Pollard (scholarship recipient)
Linda Florio (Progressive Builders NW), Jim Feild (Progressive Builders NW), Barbara Fisher (Fisher Business Management) and Glenda Mcadam (Standard TV & Appliance)
Joe Ness (Quadrant Systems), Shannon Frazier (Contract Furnishings Mart), Jeff McKenzie (N.W. Renovations and Design) and Mike Jacobs (General Builders Supply)
Categories: Luncheons
According to a Homeowner Confidence Survey released by Zillow last month 62% of homeowners believe their home’s value has increased or stayed the same in the past year despite the fact that 77% of U.S. homes actually declined in value
This is significant because of those surveyed 56% are planning major (e.g. replace the roof, remodel the kitchen) and/or minor (e.g. install new garbage disposal, repaint or wallpaper a room) home improvements, with 17 percent planning major improvements and 49 percent planning minor ones.
As we all know these perceived change in home value can impact home investment plans. Homeowners who believe their home has increased in value are significantly more likely to plan major home improvements (22%) than those who believe their home’s value has decreased (14%).
Read the entire Not My House! Sentiment Survey.
Categories: Business Matters
Oregon Ballot Measure 63 has been getting some play in the local media in the last couple of days including a story on KATU last night featuring our own Steve Stolze of SLS Construction. It is an initiated state statute that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot in Oregon. It allows homeowners to make improvements costing less than $35,000 to their home/real estate without first obtaining a building permit. The measure’s chief petitioners are Alan Grosso and Bill Sizemore.
Learn more at ballotpedia.org and follow the links there for full text of the initative and recent Oregonian coverage.
Categories: Business Matters · Goverment Affairs
September 10, 2008 · 1 Comment
The annual REX award officially call for entries was mailed today. Watch for your entry form in the mail soon.
This award program is sponsored by Contract Furnishings Mart and Wear-Dated Carpets and recognizes the professional talents of our members on a local level. Entries are judged by a panel of home building professionals from various fields of expertise and from outside our geographical region.
Winners will be announced at the REX Awards Banquet, which is scheduled for January 31. Along with receiving their award, winners will also enjoy local recognition and exposure at the Spring Home & Garden Show.
Call for Entries now available online. Click here….
Categories: Member Benefits
Theresa, Laura and Gail
- Hallie, Julie, Mark and Michael
Members of the Remodelers Council spent Friday, Sept 5th volunteering at the Street of Dreams. Thank you to the following volunteers:
Gail Hommel, Home Comfort Zones
Laura Hertner, Lisac’s Fireplaces
Theresa Springer, Pacific Residential Mortgage
Mark Tracy, Chelsea Audio Video
Michael Kecskemethy , Michael’s Finish and Trim
Julie Gieber, Classique Marble and Granite
And special thanks to the CFM crew who took the late shift.
Jeff and Shannon
Categories: Uncategorized
Don’t miss your chance to be inspired by the beautiful homes and unbeliveable views. Vist StreetofDreamspdx.com for more information.
Categories: Special Events
If you have been avoiding social networking sites like LinkedIn….it’s time to reconsider.
- According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, the top ages for remodeling are when homeowners are between 35 and 45.
- LinkedIn is intended to appeal to its average user: the 41-year-old white-collar professional with an income of $109,000 a year.
Do you see any conection between the homeowner you want to be courting in order to grow your business and the average user of LinkedIn?
How does LinkedIn work and why is it so popular?
According to the LinkedIn website, LinkedIn is an online network of more than 25 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries. When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by former colleagues, clients, and partners. You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you. Your network consists of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to thousands of qualified professionals (and potential clients!).
Linkedin is widely considered to be the most professional of all the social networking sites, with information strictly pertaining to vocational interests – this is one of the major reasons for its popularity. The target audience is typically business directors, professionals and CEOs of organizations in the 25-65 age group, who rely on the credibility of the Linkedin system and mutually recommend quality candidates through each other’s connections.
How do I get started on LinkedIn?
First things first…join LinkedIn set up your profile and add yourself to the Remodelers Council Group. Now start making connection to create your inner circle of professionals you know are good. At this point you should be networking stategically to create a quality network, you may end up with a quantity of network conncetions eventually but for right now concentrate on quality.
Now take a look at you network and choose a couple of people from your network you would be willing to recommend to others and write them a recommendation. It is in your best interest to generously recommend those who are worth recommending. Now ask for recommendations in return.
Don’t forget to make connections with past and present clients and to ask for recommendations from them. Remember, recommendations you give and get are seen by everyone in your network and everyone in THEIR network. Do you know of an easier way to get your clients to tell everyone they know that they love the remodel you just completed for them?
Learn more about LinkedIn and Social networking
Categories: Business Matters
