By Miguel Salomon, P.E., Sandcastle Homes The year 2022 has been a whiplash for the real estate market. We started with a frenzied market. Interest rates were low (3.45 percent, per Freddie Mac). There were …
President’s Message: GHBA Goes to Washington
This week, I had the pleasure of attending NAHB’s Spring Leadership Meeting in Washington, D.C. While there, I participated in meetings on Capitol Hill alongside 600 of our fellow NAHB members. Our general message to …
GHBA Looks at National Policy Recommendations Ahead of Spring National Leadership Conference
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 2022 Spring Leadership Meetings and Legislative Conference is set for the Washington Hilton, June 14-18. Members of the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA) geared up to attend the …
President’s Message: Strength in Numbers
Our world is ever changing. Last month, I wrote about the increasing number of challenges the homebuilding industry faces including labor and lot supply shortages, material cost increases and inflation. Today, we can add new …
Tax Savings Strategies for Home Builders
Despite the tremendous need for new residential construction across the United States, the supply-chain backlogs stemming from the near two-year-old pandemic has frustrated the ability of home builders to truly maximize their profits even with …
Houston Economic and Homebuilding Outlook Remains Resilient
By LAWRENCE DEAN, Regional Director, Zonda Intelligence Houston continues to see remarkably strong new home starts growth in the face of supply chain and lot availability challenges. As the scorching hot Houston summer cedes to …
Don’t Leave $4,200 on the Table
Dear GHBA Members, Fortunately, Texas is still the number one housing market in the country, and business is booming. We are, however, facing some challenges that may seem insurmountable. Materials and labor shortages as well …
Will the Housing Boom Go Bust?
Article by Lawrence Dean, Regional Director, Zonda Intelligence Back in 2005 and 2006, I was a land acquisition manager for the Houston division of one of the finest privately held homebuilders that is unfortunately no …
COVID-19 Continues to Impact Home Purchasing Plans
Source: National Association of Home Builders According to NAHB’s latest Housing Trends Report (HTR), the share of Americans who are considering the purchase of a home in the next 12 months was 15% in the …
The Missing Middle: A Solution for Adding More Housing
Source: National Association of Home Builders In many communities, 2-4 unit multifamily housing (structures with two, three or four units) is the key to expanding the existing housing stock, in order to solve the housing …
Small Business Administration and Treasury Release Updated Loan Forgiveness Guidance
Source: NAHB Now The Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Treasury Department last night released loan forgiveness guidance and forms incorporating changes made by the recently enacted COVID relief legislation, including the much anticipated one-page …
Residential Construction: Net Job Gains Offset Losses from the Pandemic
Source: National Association of Builders (NAHB) From May through December, the number of new residential construction jobs that were created offset the total amount of jobs that were lost earlier in 2020 due to the …
PPP Rules Updated as New Loans Begin on Jan. 11
Source: National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) The Small Business Administration and U.S. Treasury Department have released new regulations on the expanded Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as amended through the $900 billion coronavirus relief package …
City of Houston Opens Applications for Small Business Relief Fund
The City of Houston has begun accepting applications for its recently announced $15 million Small Business Economic Relief Program (SBERP) with the application period running until September 4. The program is funded through the federal …
Renewed Focus on ‘Home’ Sees Sales, Remodels Surge
Happy August everyone! Seems like just yesterday I was penning this column for June and by the time you read this summer will be two-thirds over. Of course, from a weather perspective, the worst is …