NAHB's fall construction forecast provides an upbeat tone.

Chief Economist David Crowe and his fellow presenters at NAHB's fall construction forecasting event carried a mostly upbeat tone. The focus of the event was regarding the housing industry and the evolution of housing finance policies. The speakers noted that the most recent data seems to be "in sync" with the notion that a recovery is truly underway. Much of the multifamily and single family remodeling has made considerable progress toward returning to  pre-down turn levels. Stating that remodeling is already back to 100% of production relative to 2000-2002 spending and multifamily is at 64%, and single family is around 40% of normal production. However, Crowe noted that weak job growth, credit issues, and appraisal problems continue to slow the pace of recovery. This forecast is contingent on Congress coming up with a solution to avoid the "fiscal cliff" posed by mandated government spending cuts.  
This year, Crowe is projecting that single-family starts will finish this year at 528,000 units, then rise 26% to 665,000 units in 2013 and another 30% to 865,000 units in 2014. Meanwhile, he expects multifamily starts to finish 2012 with 224,000 units, followed by a modest rise to 238,000 units in 2013 and another gain to 275,000 units in 2014. 

The longest to recover will be the local markets, because those were the hardest hit in the housing downturn. 

Areas that are at "normal" housing production levels include North Dakota, Washington, D.C., and parts of Wyoming and Texas. 

For more information or to read the full article please see NAHB Monday Morning.  

Best states for business- South Carolina is #2

Area Development Magazine has come up with the rankings for new and expanding businesses in the United States and South Carolina is ranked No.2. On the heels of Texas, South Carolina has moved up from fourth place in 2011 in part because of growing exports and $3.4 billion dollars worth of investments. Some of those investments include Bridgestone America's $1.2 billion expansion, BMW's expansion- bringing their investment in the state to almost $6 billion. There is also Michelin North America's investment of nearly $1billion in plants around the state creating 500 jobs.
So, you might ask your self why is South Carolina so appealing? Well, South Carolina offers great training/ development programs, competitive labor, and a willing workforce with the advanced skill sets needed for new operations. Editors of the magazine pointed out that Ready SC , South Carolina's workforce development program, has trained more than 250,000 workers for 2,000 companies.

More GREAT things happening in South Carolina: Ranked No.2 for overall business climate, No.3 for infrastructure and global access, and tied for No. 5 in leading the economic recovery.

For more information on this article please see GSA Business Journal or Area Development Magazine

Residential building permits rise 30.3 percent in the Upstate

Residential building permits in the Upstate rose 30.3 percent in the first three quarters of this year, a boost attributed to job growth. The Upstate had 2,611 building permits issued during the first nine months of this year, compared to the 2,004 issued during the same period last year, according to Knoxville-based The Market Edge, which tracks residential and commercial building trends in the Southeast.

Nationwide, building permits were up 11.6 percent last month -- the highest rise in four years, according to HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Read the entire article at Greenville Online.

DHEC Stormwater Permit issued effective January 1, 2013

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control issued the new NPDES Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities on October 15.  The new permit will be effective January 1, 2013.

There are changes to the new permit compared to the existing permit, although the changes were relatively minor.  As a result of the actions of NAHB, the Environmental Protection Agency dropped its plan to impose numeric limits on effluent.  Because the new permit is valid through 2017, any requirement to measure and limit effluent on construction sites will not be required in South Carolina before January 1, 2018.

To help HBA members understand the new permit, DHEC will hold three informational seminars:

• Upstate: Monday, November 19, Chapman Cultural Center, 200 East St. John Street, Spartanburg (9 a.m. until 12 noon)
• Midlands: Wednesday, November 28, Peeples Auditorium, DHEC Headquarters, 2600 Bull Street, Columbia (1 p.m. until 4 p.m.)
• Coastal: Friday, November 30, Horry County Government Center, 1301 2nd Avenue, Conway (1 p.m. until 4 p.m.)

Design engineers, CEPSCI inspectors, and others involved in land development are encouraged to attend one of these free sessions.

Study shows increase in South Carolina home sales for July

The S.C. Realtors said in their monthly home sales report that sales are up by 13.4% statewide. Which indicates a trend toward rising prices and more homes sold in a shorter time on the market. This is great for many sellers who have waited to place their homes on the market as new listings in South Carolina increased 2% and pending sales were up 11%. Another great sign for optimistic sellers is that the inventory of unsold homes has gone down 15.1% and low interest rates have helped as they dipped below 3.49% for a 30-yr fixed mortgage.  However, we still have a ways to go before sustained recovery as consumers are still lacking confidence in both the economy and their family finances.
The strongest increases in the number of homes sold were in the Spartanburg and Hilton Head markets reaching 25% in both areas.

Here are some market facts:

• The strongest price range was $200,001-$300,000 with a 15.4% increase in sales during July, compared with the year-earlier month.
• The bedroom count with the strongest sales in July was 4 bedroom or more, and sales up 15.1%.
• Condominiums were the property type with the strongest sales, up 11.4%. 

Verizon discounts just for HBA members.

Have you ever wondered how some people just always know how to get the BEST deals? Well, now you can be in the know. The National Purchasing Partners(NPP) update their deals frequently and often include the most popular brands and services. This quarter Verizon has several promotions to keep your phone up to date and the service to help keep you connected without such a hard tug on your budget. Listed below are the deals for Verizon however, for the most up to date info on the details click here .

• The latest Smartphone offers: the Casio G’zOne Commando for free, the LG Lucid for $29.99, Motorola’s Droid Razr for $49.99 and Razr Maxx for $149.99, when you activate a voice with data plan.
• Related voice/data discounts includes 450 Anytime Minutes with Unlimited Data for $51.19 per month, down from $79.99.
• Mobile broadband access to Verizon’s 4G LTE network. You can receive Verizon’s Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi for free, and the Franklin Wireless X720 for $49.99.
• Push to Talk devices at low prices, including the Casio G’zOne Ravine 2 $99.99, and the Samsung Convoy 2 for free.

For more information on the NPP program/membership please call  800.810.3909 or emailcustomerservice@mynpp.com. 

50+ University Day 10/18 8-5pm

The Atlanta 50+ Housing Council is proud to present its second annual 50+ University Day. This conference will feature education sessions taught by leading industry experts. It is a great opportunity to network with other colleagues in the industry who share a passion for this growing demographic. Some topics include: "Design Trends: The Multigenerational Builder and Buyer" and "Marketing to the 50+ Buyer." If you are interested in more information contact Janel Grant, 678-775-1446 or visit their website. Also, keep in mind that you can earn up to 6 Builder License Credits and 3 GREC credits.
The event will be held at The Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel
OCTOBER 18, 2012 | 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM BREAKFAST, REGISTRATION & NETWORKING
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EDUCATION SESSIONS
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM COCKTAILS

Pricing for this event is as follows:
$35.00 FOR 50+ COUNCIL MEMBERS
$50.00 FOR NON-50+ COUNCIL MEMBERS
GROUP RATES AVAILABLE
REGISTER ONLINE AT ATLANTAHOMEBUILDERS.COM