South Carolina ranked 37 among states for business tax climate

According to the State Business Tax Climate Index, published by the Tax Foundation, South Carolina is 37 in the nation in Business Tax Climate.  Factors include corporate tax (No. 10), individual income tax (No. 40), sales tax (No. 22), unemployment tax (No. 30), and property tax (No. 21).

The top five states are, from one to five, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nevada, Alaska, and Florida.  The bottom five states are, from 46 to 50, Rhode Island, Minnesota, California, New Jersey, and New York.

Read the rest of the report at GSA Business by clicking here.

NAHB: Shortage of Lots Slows Housing Recovery

A shortage of buildable lots, especially in the most desirable locations, has emerged as one of the key factors holding back a more robust housing recovery, according to the latest survey on the topic conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

“In our August 2013 survey, 59 percent of builders reported that the supply of lots in their markets was low or very low—up from 43 percent September of last year, and the largest low supply percentage we’ve seen since we began conducting these surveys in 1997,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “One reason is that many residential developers left the industry, abandoned certain markets or simply stopped buying land and developing lots during the downturn.”

The 59 percent includes 39 percent who characterized the supply of lots simply as “low” and 20 percent who said the supply of lots was “very low.” Another 22 percent said the supply of lots was “normal,” 10 percent said it was “high” and four percent said “very high.” Six percent said they didn’t know or weren’t sure.

The survey found that lot shortages tended to be especially acute in the most desirable, or “A,” locations. Thirty-four percent of builders said that the supply of A lots was very low, compared to 18 percent for lots in B and 12 percent for lots in C locations.
The shortages have also translated into higher prices for builders who are able to obtain developed lots to build on. In the same survey, 34 percent of home builders said the price of developed A lots was somewhat higher than it was a year ago, and 26 percent said the price was substantially higher. In comparison, 15 percent of builders said the price of B lots was substantially higher than a year ago, and 11 percent said the price of C lots was substantially higher. Ultimately, higher lot prices are passed on to buyers in the form of higher house prices.

The shortage of buildable lots has emerged against the backdrop of a housing recovery that is still modest by historical standards. To this point, housing starts have recovered from a low of 550,000 in 2009 to an annual rate of just fewer than 900,000 in the Census Bureau’s latest release. Historically, starts averaged more than 1.5 million a year from 1960-2000, without ever plunging below 1 million until 2008.

“There is still a substantial pent-up demand for housing waiting to be unleashed as the overall economy and labor situation improves,” said Crowe. “Lot shortages are one of several barriers that have arisen, restraining builders from responding completely to increased demand. Other barriers include a shortage of labor in carpentry and other key building trades, limited availability of loans even for credit worthy home builders and home buyers; and, more recently, an uptick in interest rates.”

Member Advantage saves members $3.4 million in just 6 months

Did you know the Member Advantage program saved HBA members nationwide $3.4 million in the first half of this year alone? Member Advantage gives members an easy way to reduce expenses, maximize profits and increase efficiency. Through agreements with leading national companies, NAHB offers exclusive discounts on a variety of products and services that can benefit your business, employees and family. Read all about it right here, and get much more great information about the value of your NAHB membership in this handy resource.

Richard Sendler

Richard Sendler

Richard N. Sendler, 69, a Columbia Home Builder, died Thursday morning after a long battle with cancer. Born in Charlotte, NC he was a son of the late Moses Aaron and Mary Pegram Sendler.

Sendler was Past President of the Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia and an active member of the Home Builders Association of South Carolina. Sendler was a leader in advocating for reasonable building codes and served on the S.C. Building Codes Council.

The family will receive visitors Monday, October 7, 12:30 p.m., at Northeast Presbyterian Church, 601 Polo Road, Columbia, 29223. Services will begin at 1:30 p.m. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Burial will be at Fort Jackson National Cemetery, 4170 Percival Road, Columbia, SC, 29229, at 3 p.m.

Memorials may be made to either the Charitable Foundation of The Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia, 625 Taylor Street, Columbia, SC, 29201, or The Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation, 100 Park Avenue, Suite 108, Rockville, Maryland 20850. Please sign the online guestbook at www.dunbarfunerals.com.

Richard graduated from Wampee-Little River High School, and Georgia Tech University with a Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering. He proudly served his country in Vietnam as an officer in the US Army. He was owner of Sendler Construction Co., Inc., where he enjoyed a long career working with his family and those he considered family.

He is survived by his high school sweetheart and loving wife of 47 years, Carolyn Adams Sendler; sons; Richard N. Sendler, Jr. and Michael Scott Sendler and wife Lisa, all of Columbia; grandchildren, Christian Hope Sendler, Bailey Ann Sendler, Mya Neomi Illingworth, Ava Zoelle Sendler, and Jacob Cade Sendler; brothers, Edward P. Sendler and wife Jayne of Venice, FL, Charles C. Sendler and wife Lynn of North Myrtle Beach, SC; sisters Mary Ann Newell and husband Bill of Pittsboro, NC, Jean S. Ayers and husband Bill of LeGrange, GA, and a sister-in-law, Joyce Sendler of Atlantic Beach, FL; and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, Richard was predeceased by a brother, Alter W. Sendler.

How the Government Shutdown Could Affect Housing and Home Building

The ongoing shutdown of certain federal government functions will affect housing and home builders. In most cases, the short-run impacts will be minor. A long-run shutdown, lasting several weeks or a month or more, could have significant impacts on mortgage accessibility and reduce housing demand. And over the coming weeks, the shutdown could merge with the issue of raising the debt ceiling, which could have very significant impacts on interest rates, as well as monetary and fiscal policy.

Compiled by NAHB, the following is a list of government programs that could affect home builders and housing stakeholders under the current shutdown.

Department of Housing and Urban Development

• FHA-insured single-family loans will continue to be endorsed in the near term, although some delays in processing and closing should be expected.
• FHA multifamily insured projects with firm commitments and scheduled closings may go forward, although no new firm commitments will be issued.
• Section 8 Project Based Rental Assistance Contracts, rent supplement, Section 236, and PRACs with permanent or indefinite authority or multi-year funding will have payments made from budget authority available from prior appropriations or recaptures.
• No Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) inspections.
• CDBG, HOME and other block grant funds will be dispersed in cases where failure to address issues result in a threat to safety of life and protection of property.
• Authorized drawdowns for approved CPD program activities (homeless assistance programs, CDBG, HOME, HOPWA) using pre-FY2014 program funds will continue uninterrupted unless it is necessary for a HUD employee to approve a voucher or lift a system edit prior to a draw down.

Department of Agriculture

• Most Rural Development programs will not continue without appropriation.
• The Section 521 Rental Assistance, Section 542 Rural Housing Vouchers, and Single Family Section 502 Guaranteed Loans will continue until funding is exhausted.
• A shutdown of more than two weeks is likely to have a significant impact on rural development programs.

Department of Homeland Security

• E-Verify, the Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S., is unavailable due to the government shutdown. While E-Verify is unavailable, employers will not be able to access their E-Verify accounts. More details on how this could impact your company’s operations can be found here.

Small Business Administration

• The SBA will not initiate new loan guarantees during the shutdown.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

• With the exception of “imminent danger” to life or property and other emergency situations, OSHA’s investigation and enforcement activities will cease during the shutdown.

Department of the Interior

• Businesses who seek permits from the Fish and Wildlife Service could be affected. New permits or applications currently under review will not be processed during the government shutdown, which will increase costs and delays.

Environmental Protection Agency

• Businesses that file the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit in states where EPA is the primary permitting authority may notice a delay in issuance of their stormwater permits. These states are Idaho, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Mexico, along with the District of Columbia.
• The Energy Star program is shut down until further notice and the processing of all partner applications and partner inquiries has been put on hold. Updates to Energy Star qualified product lists and release of draft Energy Star specifications will also be delayed.

Internal Revenue Service

• Some lenders require home borrowers to file IRS form 4506-T to verify the mortgage applicant’s income and Social Security number. With the IRS shut down, this could result in major delays in some mortgage application approvals.

Economic Data

• Due to the shutdown, the August Census construction spending report was not published. The important monthly jobs report for September from BLS is unlikely to be published. And future reports on items like housing starts and new home sales could also be postponed.

In general, expect delays for any housing-related federal government programs that are still operating and plan accordingly. NAHB continues to closely monitor the situation, and we will keep you posted on any new developments.

S.C. Leading Indicators Rising

After recording three straight months of declines, the South Carolina Leading Index bounced back in August, the S.C. Department of Commerce reported Monday. August’s index of leading economic indicators was 100.96, gaining 0.29 points, the agency said. A value of 100 indicates improving economic conditions for the next three to six months. Key housing-related factors include:

• Single-family homes prices rose 1.2% to $164,950.
• Residential building permits issued dropped 10.1% to 1,814 in August.

Read more at GSA Business by clicking here.

E-Verify System Suspended for the Government Shutdown

E-Verify is currently unavailable due to a government shutdown.

While E-Verify is unavailable, you will not be able to access your E-Verify account. As a result, you will be unable to:

• Enroll any company in E-Verify
• Verify employment eligibility
• View or take action on any case
• Add, delete or edit any User ID
• Reset passwords
• Edit your company information
• Terminate an account
• Run reports
• View 'Essential Resources.' Please note that all essential resources may be found by visiting dhs.gov/e-verify.

In addition, E-Verify Customer Support and related services are closed. As a result:

• Employees will be unable to resolve Tentative Nonconfirmations (TNCs).
• Telephone and e-mail support will be unavailable. You may send e-mails, however, we cannot respond until we reopen.
• E-Verify webinars and training sessions are cancelled
• E-Verify Self Check will not be available

In the states that require E-verify, unavailability may have an impact on your company’s operations. To minimize the burden on both employers and employees, the following policies have been implemented:

• The 'three-day rule' for E-Verify cases is suspended for cases affected by the shutdown. We’ll provide additional guidance once we reopen. This does NOT affect the Form I-9 requirement—employers must still complete the Form I-9 no later than the third business day after an employee starts work for pay.
• The time period during which employees may resolve TNCs will be extended. Days the federal government is closed will not count towards the eight federal government workdays the employee has to go to SSA or contact DHS. We will provide additional time once we reopen.
• For federal contractors complying with the federal contractor rule, please contact your contracting officer to inquire about extending deadlines.
• Employers may not take any adverse action against an employee because of an E-Verify interim case status, including while the employee’s case is in an extended interim case status due to a federal government shutdown (consult the E-Verify User Manual for more information on interim case statuses).