Register for the IBS Show by August 31 and Save

Register for the NAHB International Builders’ Show by August 31 and get a free exhibit pass—NAHB members who register for the 2011 NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando by August 31 can get a free four-day pass to the exhibit floor as well as take advantage of heavily discounted registration pricing.

Industry professionals who register for the show before September can save $100 on early-bird registration and $130 on regular registration. IBS, the single, most important and largest industry event of the year, will be held January 12-15.

In addition, spouses of members and non-members can register for free in August.

Specific online registration deals include:

Free Exhibit Pass for NAHB Members—Register by Aug. 31
NAHB members will be able to walk the show floor for free all four days of the show if they register by August 31. More than 1,000 exhibitors on 500,000 square feet of exhibit space will feature the industry’s leading suppliers displaying their latest innovations. Show exhibitors will also be available to discuss attendees’ specific challenges.

First-Time Member Attendee Registration—Reduced
Members who plan to attend IBS for the first time are eligible for the first-time attendee registration rate of $100, which enables them to attend any of more than 175 education sessions and tour the exhibit floor all four days.

One- and Two-Day Education Passes
Attendees can purchase one- or two-day passes for IBS education sessions. Passes will be available for education sessions held from Wednesday through Friday, Jan. 12-14. All seminars on Saturday, Jan. 15 are free. To take advantage of these passes, attendees must choose the day(s) they will purchase when registering for the show.

Click here to register now for the IBS Show in January and take advantage of these deals.

Tips for maximizing your first year of membership

So you are a new member. You are not alone. The HBA of Greenville has more than 100 new members in 2010 alone. So how do you get the most our of your membership?

· Get connected. Access members only content at www.HBAofGreenville.com and www.NAHB.com. Topics range from business management to effective networking to housing issues. Need help logging in? Email info@HBAofGreenville.com or login@NAHB.com.
· Learn more. The University of Housing of the Upstate provides opportunities ranging from lunch seminars to multi-day seminars that will lead you to earning industry designations. Find our programs at www.NAHB.org/Education.
· Save money on many services you probably already use. Visit our member savings section at www.HBAofGreenville.com.
· Show up. Check the listing of upcoming meetings at www.HBAofGreenville.com. Want to meet builders? Attend meetings that appeal to them. You may not be interested in building codes, but builders are interested in those types of topics, so that is where they will be.
· Talk to the experts. Your industry-specific questions can be answered by the staff at the HBA of Greenville, the HBA of South Carolina, and NAHB. Call on them for help.
· Look at the big picture. You are a member of three assocations: local, state, and national. Each branch of the federation offers distinct packages of benefits that will enhance your membership experience and your company's bottom line. Tap into all of them.
· Read our publications and online resources. Builder Review Online, our weekly e-newsletter, Builder Review Daily, our blog, Sales + Marketing Ideas magazine, Nations Building News, a weekly e-newsletter from NAHB, Builder Journal magazine, and Builder News Network. These publications and our website are your sources for the latest housing news and ideas.

Membership is what you make of it. Get the most out of your membership but getting involved, reading the news, and using the services of your Home Builders Association.

Usher Re-Elected Chairman of Greenville County Planning Commision

Todd Usher, GMB, CAPS, CGB, CMB, CGP, LEED AP, was re-elected Chairman of the Greenville County Planning Commission in May. Usher has been a member of the Planning Commission since 2007, and was first elected chairman in 2009.

Usher is a Past President of the HBA of Greenville and currently serves as the President's Appointee, an officer position within the association. He is a member of the association's Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and also serves as chairman of the association's Public Relations Committee. Usher also is chairman of the Education Committee of the Home Builders Association of South Carolina.

Usher is President of Addison Homes, LLC. He was honored by the HBA of Greenville as the 2009 Builder of the Year.

HBA of Greenville Holiday Hours

Your HBA of Greenville offices will be closed July 5 for the Fourth of July holiday.

Happy Fourth!

HBA of Greenville Wins Association Excellence Award

The Home Builders Association of Greenville was awarded an Association Excellence Award by the Executive Officers Council of the Home Builders Association of South Carolina.

The HBA of Greenville was recognized in the large association group for its first annual Fall Southern Home and Garden Show held in October 2009. "The HBA staff is gratified to receive this recognition from our peers," Michael Dey, Executive Vice President of the HBA of Greenville, said. "The Fall Southern Home and Garden Show was a team effort from a large group of volunteers, our staff, and our exhibitors. We are looking forward to the second annual fall show this October," Dey said.

Past Associate Vice President Richard Powers of Piedmont Natural Gas accepted the award on behalf of the association at the Celebration of Excellence banquet at the HBA of South Carolina Annual Conference and Trade Show in Hilton Head Island in June.

Gabriel Builders Wins Pinnacle Award

Gabriel Builders of Greenville won a Pinnacle Award in the $5 million or more category for the Brown Residence. The award was presented to Gus Rubio, President of Gabriel Builders, at the Celebration of Excellence banquet during the HBA of South Carolina Annual Conference and Trade Show in Hilton Head Island last month.

Rubio stated that the home, a private residence, "is an authentic Italian Villa consisting of 7,000’ on the main level with an additional basement area, expansive outdoor porches, a guest house, and an airplane runway and hanger located on 200 acres. The house has 12” plaster walls, bronze doors and windows and floor materials imported from Italy."

HBA Membership Drive Yields New Members

During the month of May five teams of HBA members collaborated to recruit 62 new members to the association. Our new members are:

Mr. Alex Acree, Freewood Builders
Ms. Lise Anzelone, Upstate Home Improvement
Mr. Russ Armstrong, PROBuild, East Region
Ms. Karen Arrington, The Appraisal Shoppe, Inc.
Mr. Everette Babb, Babb & Brown
Mr. William Babb, Jr., Babb Paint
Mr. Randy Beaty, Piedmont Plumbers
Mr. Jay Beeson, Mark III Properties, Inc.
Mr. Jeff Brown, PROBuild, East Region
Mr. Tommy Byers, Byers Concrete Construction
Mr. Kevin Chapman, Chapman Landscaping, Inc.
Mr. Ty Cheek, Square One Construction
Ms. Kym Childress, BB&T
Ms. Pam Cofer, ReMax Realty Professionals
Mr. Andrew Coln, Dillard-Jones Renovations
Mr. Howard Cox, Home Builder Ins., LLC a Palme
Mr. Jason Criscillis, Skolas Construction
Mr. Tom Croft, The Croft Company
Mr. Billy Crumpler, Freewood Builders
Mr. Kenneth DeYoung, Classic By Design
Ms. Jane Donaldson, Remax Realty Professionals
Ms. Marie Edlin, GBS Lumber, Inc.
Ms. Jeff Ellis, Closetpro
Mr. Andy Gibson, Three River Stone, LLC
Mr. Keith Goodson, A/V Innovations, Inc.
Ms. Sharon Hanel, SunTrust Mortgage
Mr. Devin Hinson, Central Vac Center, Inc.
Mr. Tim Howard, HGI Cabinetry
Ms. Sophia Jackson, Greenville Cabinets
Mr. Jerry James, Big J's Pressure Washing
Ms. Carol Johnson, Upstate Closets & More
Mr. Tommy Johnson, Citizens Building & Loan
Mr. Scott Johnston, Johnston Design Group
Mr. Tony Lambe, Lambes Grading And Services
Mr. Joe Mabry, Keys Printing Co.
Mr. Gerald Martin, G.J.C.Q. Patrick, LLC
Mr. Randy Mason, Foothills Exteriors
Mr. Gary Mast, Yoders Building Service
Mr. Mark Mayfield, Mayfield Fence & Supply
Ms. Amanda McCall, SunTrust Mortgage
Mr. Brandon McGee, McGee Brothers Co., Inc.
Mr. Dan McNamara, Metro Reprographic
Ms. Melissa Morrell, Prudential C. Dan Joyner Realty
Mr. Craig Perfect, Allcon, LLC
Mr. Mark Perfect, Supakleen
Mr. Tony Phillips, PROBuild, East Region
Mr. Sean Porter, Carolina Foothills Studio, LLC
Mr. Jim Price, ProSource, LLC
Ms. Karen Raines, PROBuild, East Region
Ms. Norma Rider, Norcon
Mr. David Rivers, Rivers Appraisal
Ms. Donna Roper, Remax Realty Professionals
Mr. Jonnathan Shepherd, Freewood Builders
Mr. Lex Stapleton, Donald A. Gardner Architects, Inc.
Mr. James Taylor, SunTrust Bank
Ms. Cindy Thompson, First Choice Custom Homes
Mr. Matthew Tompkins, Carolina Specialty, LLC
Mr. Mike Walsh, AAA Remodeling
Ms. Terri Watson, Crescent Home Referrals
Mr. Chris Wood, Executive Cabinetry
Mr. Larry Young, Remax Realty Professionals
Ms. Sheila Young, Remax Realty Professionals
Mr. Daniel Youngblood, Youngblood Development Corporation

Thirtyfive HBA members divided into five teams to work together to call on prospective new members and talk about the benefits of membership in the HBA. The teams and members competed for prizes and the honor of knowing that they have shared their association with others in the industry and helped make their Home Builders Association better. The recruiters included:

Team: Titans
Scott Presley, Captain
Christie Hannan
Stephen Wisdom
Eddie Sternberg
Ron McCoy

Team: Small and Mighty
Brad Thompson, Captain
Scott Lynch
Deana Long
Mike Bell
Roy Walters
Chuck Childress
Jim Price

Team: THE Winning Team
Tom Dillard, Captain
Robert Markel
Brian Lazarus
Hardie Peters
Stephen McCloud
Alan Boone
Chris Bailey
Mike Cloys
Elizabeth Stronkowsky
Susan Vernon

Team: THE YAY TEAM
Lou Hutchings, Captain
Keith Smith
Donna Smith
Marie Edlin
Louie Gambrell

Team: TEAM FREEWOOD MEMBERS
Mike Freeman, Captain
Tom Ward
Laura Majszak
Howard Newton
Erika DeRoberts
Frank Frew
Jonathon Sheppard
Roby Hale

The HBA of Greenville was part of a nationwide membership drive during the month of May. Captain Brad Thompson of the Small and Mighty Team was recognized by the HBA of South Carolina as the top individual recruiter in South Carolina.

NAHB's Political Clout Profiled on CNBC

The political clout of NAHB and its coalition partners, the National Association of Realtors and the Mortgage Bankers Association, were profiled by CNBC on the heels of Congress' extension of the Homebuyer Tax Credit.

Watch the report by clicking here.

General Membership Meeting June 10, 2010

Panel Discussion:
Legal Liability & Workplace Safety for Remodeling Projects

• Thursday, June 10, 2010
• 8:00 a.m.
• Greenville Hilton

Featured Panelists:

• Scott Bradley, Esq., Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.
• Jason Freeman, ChFC, J. Freeman & Associates, Inc.
• Danny Dilworth, ARM, S.C. Home Builders Self Insurance Fund

Topics to be discussed by the panelists:

• Lead Paint
• Asbestos
• Hazardous Materials
• Insuring Against Risk
• Protecting Your Employees on the Job Site

Come and learn the liability exposure on your job sites and the facts on what you are required to do to protect the safety of your workers, your clients, and your company.

• Register by clicking here.
• Download the event brochure by clicking here.

Sponsors:

• Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.
• S.C. Home Builders Self Insurance Fund
• J. Freeman & Associates

HBA Board of Directors Disavows Warranty Endorsment

The HBA of Greenville Board of Directors voted recently to disavow its endorsement of a warranty document that had been endorsed more than 20 years ago.

"Many of our builder members continue to use the warranty," Michael Dey, Executive Vice President of the HBA of Greenville, said. "However, the warranty has become outdated and the Board of Directors, in consultation with the association's General Counsel, Scott Bradley of Gallivan, White, and Boyd, determined it is no longer worthy of the association's recommendation.

The Board of Directors reaffirmed its endorsement of the 2-10 Homebuyer's Warranty Program and encourages members of the HBA of Greenville to consider the 2-10 program for its warranty needs.

Three New Publications Available for Home Builders Free from NAHB

Three new Biztools business guides are available free to NAHB members through the NAHB Web site, and we wanted to make sure you're aware of these handy resources. Created to help you manage your business more effectively and increase profits, the guides offer helpful tips on technology, business planning, ensuring the financial health of your business, and more. They are produced by the NAHB Business Management and Information Technology Committee and can be found in the business management resources section of our Web site. These three concise guides are written by experts in the field and can be downloaded at no charge at www.nahb.org/bbg. They include:

• Business Management for Home Builders: Poising for Recovery as the Market Turns
• Financial Management for Home Builders: Measuring Key Metrics to Plan Your Path
• Information Technology for Home Builders: Using Technology to Better Market Your Business

Of course, these are just the latest great Biztools to be produced by NAHB. The 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 builder business guides are also available to NAHB members for free, and can be downloaded in PDF format using this link.

HBA of Greenville Holiday Hours

Your HBA of Greenville offices will be closed December 24 and 25 for the Christmas holiday, and December 31 and January 1 for the New Years holiday.

Happy Holidays!

Energy Efficiency Certificate Now Available for Download

Your Home Builders Association of Greenville, in cooperation with the Home Builders Association of South Carolina, has developed a model certificate for members to download and use to comply with the new Energy Efficiency Conservation Code (IECC).

The IECC, which was effective July 1, 2009, requires that the home builder place a label in the electrical service panel of all new homes stating the efficiency details of the new home. The label can be downloaded in the Library area of the Members-Only section of www.hbaofgreenville.com. The label is set up to use Avery Label 6876, which can be purchased from any office supply store.

This is an exclusive benefit of membership of the Home Builders Association of South Carolina and the Home Builders Association of Greenville.

Download the label by clicking here.

Model New Construction Sales Contract Now Available

Your Home Builders Association of Greenville, in cooperation with the Home Builders Association of South Carolina, has made available exclusively to members a model sales contract for new homes.

The new contract addresses many deficiencies in the previous contract which has been in use for nearly 10 years. The contract was developed by a committee led by Attorney Ken Ormand. HBA of Greenville Director Brian Lazarus, CMB, of Lazarus-Shouse Communities was a member of the committee that developed the contract.

Members can download the contract at the Library Section of www.hbaofgreenville.com, a section viewable only in the the Member-Only area of the website.

To download the new contract, click here.

NAHB To Assist Members With Borrowing Needs

NAHB has announced a new service that will be available at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, NV, in January. NAHB will offer a Partnership Pavilion where association members can discuss their funding needs with representatives from a variety of capital sources and financing advisors. Read more.

Where Do My Dues Dollars Go?

Where do my dues dollars go? And what am I getting for what I pay?

These questions are most often asked by new members and members who have not been active in the association until a dues increase occurs or your membership is up for renewal. That is when the association is asked to prove itself. Once proven, the member usually discovers that the services provided, either directly or indirectly, are of higher value than the actual amount of the total dues.

Let’s take a look at the Home Builders Association of Greenville dues and what services are provided. The total dues that the HBA of Greenville currently invoices is $505 for Builder and Associate members and $90 for Affiliate members. It is important to know that these amounts are split four ways:

• NAHB: Builders and Associates—$150
• NAHB: Affiliates—$5
• HBA of South Carolina: Builders and Associates—$90.00
• HBA of South Carolina: Affiliates—$10.00
• HBA of Greenville: Builders and Associates—$250.00
• HBA of Greenville: Affiliates—$60.00
• S.C. Builders PAC: Builders, Associate, and Affiliates—$15.00

Let’s first take a look at the $150 that is sent to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The HBA of Greenville is affiliated with NAHB. When you join our local Association, you also join NAHB. That membership entitles you to everything from discounts on car rentals, hotels, and office supplies to mobile phones, shipping, computers and other services. Your NAHB dues also support the University of Housing, which provides training and certification programs through our local association. One of the most significant services your dues support at the national level is representation on behalf of members at our nation’s Capitol. Promoting legislation that is favorable to Home Builders is something that must be done. No member can afford to do it alone at the national level, and the industry can not afford to be without that representation.

Next is the $90 that we forward to the Home Builders Association of South Carolina (HBASC) on your behalf. At the state level, your dues support representation in the legislature, as well as various offices within state government. From building codes, to land use, to environmental and energy standards, taxes, property rights and job site safety, HBASC is working on your behalf in Columbia representing you. You can not find anyone willing to monitor the hundreds of proposed regulatory and legislative changes that are occurring for $90.00 a year.

The funds you pay to the S.C. Builders PAC are discretionary. You can choose not to pay that portion of your dues without recourse against you or any loss of benefit of membership in the home builders association. However, when you do pay that amount, you are doing your fair share to help the association’s government affairs program to elect people who will represent your industry’s interests in Congress, the State House, and at County Square.

Finally, there is the amount that stays here in Greenville. Your dues fund all of the programs your Home Builders Association of Greenville implements to meet your professional needs from government affairs to education programs to networking meetings to keeping you informed about what is happening in your industry. A professional staff is retained to manage your Association and carry out that work and implement the policies of the Association

Together the three Associations (local, state and national) form one of the nation’s largest and strongest trade organizations that benefit an industry of such fundamental importance. Our Associations comprise the only organization working around the clock exclusively in the interest of the residential home building and land development industry.

What Your HBA Has Been Doing For You Lately

To: Members of the Home Builders Association of Greenville

From: Michael Dey, Executive Vice President

I want to share with you some information about a couple of important meetings that have taken place in recent weeks that bear directly on how the Federal government has intervened in the housing industry.

Meeting with Congressman Bob Inglis

At the request of NAHB, several home builders met with Congressman Bob Inglis and his staff about the challenges being faced by home builders in the new economy. Hal Dillard (2004 HBA President and NAHB Congressional Ambassador to Congressman Inglis), President Bruce Pasquarella, President's Appointee Coleman Shouse (2006 HBA President), Legislative Chairman Rick Quinn, and I sat down with Congressman Inglis and Wayne Roper, his chief of staff, here in Greenville to talk with him about the need for the Federal government to take the following actions:

• Extend the $8,000 home buyer tax credit until December 1, 2010, and expand eligibility to all home buyers

• Urge federal banking regulators to improve acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) credit conditions

• Urge federal housing regulators to correct the flawed home appraisal process

• Co-sponsor net operating loss (NOL) relief bills: H.R. 2452 in the House and S. 823 in the Senate

We discussed with the Congressman the challenges our members have been having in tackling their credit relationships with their banks as well as the problems many of our members have had in obtaining credit for bona fide projects. We also were thorough in telling the Congressman that our banking members are equally challenged with the constraints of new regulatory oversight and the problems it has created for them in meeting the credit demands of the home building industry.

Congressman Inglis was very attentive to our needs and concerns, although it should be no secret that he is not a fan of stimulus efforts like the tax credit.

Nonetheless, the Congressman took our concerns very seriously and extended an invitation to me to return to his office the following day for a second meeting.

Meeting with Congressman Inglis and the Head of the Charlotte Office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

I returned to the Congressman's office the next day for a meeting with the Congressman and Matthew Martin, Senior Vice President and Charlotte Regional Executive for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

We discussed the challenges that Home Builders have had with the changing credit standards and the impact it has had on the industry and the real estate market, including home prices, as well as the industry's inability to meet housing demand, particularly at lower price points. While I do not think the meeting was fruitful in influencing the actions of the Fed, it was fruitful in educating Congressman Inglis about your challenges and the need to tackle over-burdensome regulatory standards and the need to extend the homeownership tax credit.

While we were meeting with Congressman Inglis, there were other meetings occurring around the state with other members of Congress. The meeting with Congressman Spratt was crucial because of the Congressman's position in the U.S. House of Representatives as Chairman of the Budget Committee, a key place in the House leadership.

Now that Congress is back in session, the efforts have shifted to Washington, but the need for our continued efforts to influence Congress on the tax credit and other issues remains important. If YOU have not called or written to Congressman Inglis, you should and you can by clicking on this link: http://www.capitolconnect.com/builderlink/

Property Tax Relief for Home Builders

Our efforts are not isolated to Congress. In June I wrote to you to tell you about the property tax relief your association successfully secured for you for spec houses that have never been occupied. Attached is a briefing paper on that topic from the S.C. Department of Revenue.

An important deadline is coming up that you may need to act upon. If you retain in inventory a spec or specs that were built in 2007 or 2008, that have NEVER been occupied, you can receive relief from the property taxes on the improvements (the house itself, the lot will still be taxed). But you need to apply for that relief by September 30.

Your association also has planned a Lunch and Learn so you can hear about all of the details from the official charged with granting the relief, Debbie Adkins, Greenville County Tax Assessor. Here are the details:

• Lunch and Learn: Tax Exemption for Home Builders

• Speaker: Debbie Adkins, Greenville County Tax Assessor

• Monday, September 21, 11:30 a.m., Hubbell Lighting

• Please RSVP by emailing info@hbaofgreenville.com

Sometimes in the most challenging of times, you might question the value of your membership. Actions like the ones above go on daily in the good times and the not so good times and they take time, energy, and money. Our Officers, Directors, Councils and Committees keep doing what is necessary to serve and protect this industry and I ask that you think about that as we work through these challenging times together. This is why we also ask you to think of our members first when you are in need of any services or products related to this industry. Members pay their dues which allow us to do what is necessary to watch all of our backs and it is only fair that we give them a chance to earn a living. Please do business with members of the Home Builders Association of Greenville. Find out who your fellow members are by clicking on this link: http://www.hbaofgreenville.com/findamember.jsp