Key Building Materials Prices Far Surpassed Inflation in 2016

Softwood lumber, oriented strand board, ready-mix concrete, and gypsum products all posted price changes in 2016 well above the 1.3% average for the Consumer Price Index, according to the latest Producer Price index released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Oriented strand board prices surged 13.8% in 2016, while softwood lumber rose nearly 8.7%. In November, the cost of ready-mix concrete and gypsum products rose 3.5% and 5.0%, respectively, on a year-over-year basis.

In an ominous sign, the price of softwood lumber rose by 2.3% in December, which is the largest monthly increase since April 2016.

A nine-year softwood lumber agreement between the U.S. and Canada that established a system of fees and quotas on Canadian imports to the U.S. triggered in response to changes in the market price of softwood lumber expired in October 2015.

Negotiations on a new agreement have failed. U.S. lumber producers recently filed a petition with the International Trade Commission, reigniting a long-term trade battle between the two countries.

National Association of Home Builders is fighting to ensure American consumers have access to a stable, dependable, and affordable lumber supply.

For more details from this report, click here.

National PWB Elects New Chair

The National Association of Home Builders Professional Women in Building recently selected Juli Bacon, a long-time member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties in Washington state, as the council’s 2017 chair.

Bacon, owner of JB Consulting Systems LLC in Woodinville, Washington, assumes responsibility for managing council business and representing the interests of council members throughout National Association of Home Builders.

Building leadership strategies for women in the construction industry and setting up a mentoring program for women in construction will be her primary focus areas as the council begins the first year of its new strategic plan.

“Ensuring that women understand they have a place at the table and helping them find a way to get to that place at the table in construction is really important to me,” Bacon said. “We have a lot of young women wanting to know how to get there, and my goal as the Professional Women in Building chair is to help them in the most efficient way possible.”

Bacon has served as the National Association of Home Builders Professional Women in Building Region E Trustee for several years. In that role, she helped bridge the gap between national and local councils and served as an ambassador, extending Professional Women in Building’s reach and forming new councils in that region. She has been involved at the national level with the Professional Women in Building Council since 2005. She also serves on the National Association of Home Builders Construction Safety and Health Committee.

In 2013, Bacon received national recognition when she was presented with the Professional Women in Building Woman of the Year Award by her peers. She has received similar recognition over the years from her local association and local Professional Women in Building council, and was the Building Industry Association of Washington‘s Associate of the Year in 2005.

Bacon is dedicated to mentoring other women in business and gives back to her community through her own and her children’s volunteer efforts.

Your Chance to Meet Politicians

The annual Home Builders Association of South Carolina's Bird Supper is being held on Tuesday, March 28th. The Bird Supper will be the catalyst toward promoting a change to the business license fees, a S.C. Building Code, and many more issues for the housing industry, and the process to moving these issues forward has already begun. The annual Bird Supper provides the best chance to sit with our elected officials, as an industry, and drive home the need for these reforms. The more members that attend the deeper the impression is on the elected officials.

You can purchase tickets to this annual event by emailing Michael Dey.

Volunteers Needed for Home Show

Interested in what goes on behind the scenes at the Southern Home and Garden Show? Volunteer for a time slot to help us put on the show, March 3-5 at TD Convention Center!

Sign up here.

Reedy River Project Selected by NAHB for Funding

The National Association of Home Builders' Board of Directors approved six funding requests, including the Reedy River proposal from the Home Builders Association of Greenville. These proposals came from state and local HBAs requesting help with their advocacy efforts through the National Association of Home Builders State & Local Issues Fund.

The board acted on the recommendation of the State and Local Government Affairs Committee, which reviewed the requests during its meeting at the International Builders’ Show in early January.

The Reedy River, a signature part of the Greenville, S.C., community is impaired by nitrogen. The Home Builders Association of Greenville and a community coalition together have addressed the issue with stormwater regulations and modernization of sewer treatment facilities. Coalition partners have aggressively opposed the state’s efforts to place a Total Maximum Daily Load regulation on nitrogen on the Reedy River. They support an alternative called 5R, a community-based, bottom-up plan to accomplish same result as a Total Maximum Daily Load regulation but without costly litigation. The board approved $20,000 to build an economic model to show community-based collations in Greenville and other HBAs how they can solve environmental impairment problems without Total Maximum Daily Load regulations and costly litigation.

Click here to see the other five proposals.

It's Awards Season! We will unmask the winners on March 30th.

 

Help us unmask the winners at the I Heart Housing Bridge Awards! The black tie optional gala will take place on March 30, 2017 at TD Convention Center with GBS Building Supply as the presenting sponsor and WSPA's Megan Heidlberg as the emcee.
Click here to purchase your ticket.

**Entry Packets are due February 14th.** 

  
Click on the application below you want to complete

• Sales and Marketing- SMC Individual & Team, Million Dollar Circle, Lender of the Year Awards
• New Construction/ Remodeling/ Green Awards 
• Individual of the year- Builder, Remodeler, Associate of the year, Rookie, PWB of the Year Awards. 
• Full Packet- All awards.

Welcome to the newest Sales and Marketing Council members.

Please help us welcome our newest members-

Mattie Sanders, Mungo Homes
Nicole Brown, Mungo Homes
Jimmy Matthews, Mungo Homes
Amanda McCall,  Prime Lending
Jennifer Winton, Allen Tate Realtors
Melissa Tomberg, Allen Tate Realtors

Thanks for renewing-

Matt Vaughn,  Brand Mortgage
Melissa Morrell, Berkshire Hathaway C.Dan Joyner
Melissa Tofield,  Allen Tate Realtors
Deanna Philips,  Mungo Homes