Top 10 Actions by NAHB in the Last Month

1. NAHB’s Executive Board focused during its summer meeting on finding new approaches to resolving the credit crunch for home builders.

2. On June 30 Fannie Mae released new appraisal policies and additional guidance that addresses many of the concerns that NAHB has raised with the agency regarding inappropriate appraisal practices.

3. NAHB and a coalition of trade groups announced a joint lawsuit against the EPA for removing the “opt-out” provision from its Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (LRRP).

4. In the months leading up to passage of the most sweeping overhaul of the financial sector since the Great Depression, NAHB worked closely with congressional leaders to ensure that changes to financial regulations do not impede the flow of credit to the nation’s housing finance system.

5. In a victory for NAHB, before adjourning for the July 4 congressional recess Congress approved stand-alone legislation that extended the National Flood Insurance Program through Sept. 30. President Obama quickly signed this bill into law.

6. A successful grassroots effort that included NAHB and a group of Midwestern HBAs has derailed a proposal, EC123, to add new provisions to the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code banning the installation of electric resistant heating in new home construction except in limited circumstances.

7. Citing inconsistencies, faulty data and regulatory overreach, NAHB and the Wisconsin Builders Association have filed a principal brief in support of a lawsuit against the EPA over the new effluent limitation guidelines and new source performance standards that builders and developers must now follow under the Clean Water Act.

A new study by NAHB economists employs data from the annual census of our members to construct detailed profiles of particular subsets of the home building community, including single-family home builders. For example, according to the research, in 2009 NAHB's typical single-family builder member did about $1.36 million in business activity, employed 7.5 people and started 19 housing units. View the report at www.HousingEconomics.com.

Recently approved grants from the NAHB Legal Action Fund will provide funding assistance for builders who are fighting attempts by municipalities and agencies to make development pay more than its fair share of infrastructure improvements. Cases include the Idaho Building Contractors Association and the Cabarrus County Building Industry Association (North Carolina).

NAHB members are being offered some substantial incentives to sign up right away for the 2011 NAHB International Builders’ Show. Registration for the show officially opened on Monday, August 2, and NAHB members who sign up during the month of August will be able to register for a FREE four-day exhibit pass during August ONLY. Also, all spouse registrations will be free during the month of August ONLY. Also, those who register in August will automatically become part of the IBS Early Adopter Program, which enters you in a weekly drawing for great technology prizes. The show takes place January 12-15 in Orlando, Fla. To learn more about our August promotions and help spread the word, please visit www.BuildersShow.com/August.