Call for Nominations--Builder, Associate, and Remodeler of the Year

We feature our Bridge Award winners in
our weekly column in the Greenville News.
Recent Builder of the Year Gus Rubio is shown
here featured in the column from 10/02/15.

Your Home Builders Association asks that you recommend a member for our annual BB&T Builder of the Year Award, Richard A. Ashmore, Sr., Associate of the Year Award, and Remodeler of the Year Award. The awards are given to a member who freely gives of his or her time, efforts and participation in order to make the HBA of Greenville a stronger organization for all of its members. These members serve the industry through participation on HBA Committees and with special projects of the Home Builders Association. Each represents the highest level of integrity and honesty in the home building industry. You can find a full list of winners on our website, but below is a list of recent recipients:

Builder of the Year:

• Gus Rubio, CMB, CGP, APB, Gabriel Builders, 2014
• Robert Markel, CGR, 2013
• Wayne Moore, 2012
• Thomas Dillard, CGP, 2011
• Brad Thompson, 2010
• Todd Usher, Master CGP, GMB, 2009
• Rick Quinn, 2008
• Ted Smith, 2007
• Coleman Shouse, 2006
• Ted Smith/Ron Taylor, 2005
• Keith Smith, 2004
• Jim Gregorie, 2003
• Dan Rawls, 2002
• Clyde Rector, 2001
• Bill Fuller, 2000

Richard A. Ashmore, Sr., Associate of the Year:

• Ron Tate, Esq., Gallivan, White & Boyd, 2014
• Bob Barreto, 2013
• Jon Statom, 2012
• Jason Freeman, 2011
• Scott Presley, 2010
• Eric Hedrick, 2009
• Chuck Childress, 2008
• Tom Ward, 2007
• Scott Presley, 2006
• Lou Hutchings, 2005
• Richard Powers, 2004
• Sandy Wiygul-Bell, 2003
• Robert Murphy, 2002
• Gary Gilliam, 2001
• Richard Powers, 2000

Remodeler of the Year:

• Alan Boone, APR, Advanced Renovations, 2014
• Mike Freeman, GMB, APB, ACA/Freewood Contractors, 2013
• Robert Markel, CGR, Hadrian Construction, 2012
• Clyde Rector, APB, Merritt Homes, 1998
• Miller Crittendon, 1999

In addition, these awards also may be given to members of the association:

• Community Service Award
• Membership Award
• Spirit of the HBA Award
• Committee Chairman of the Year Award
• Rookie of the Year Award 

These awards may be given to a political or community leader:

• Distinguished Service Award
• HBASC Champion of Housing Award 

Award winners will be announced at the Third Annual Southern Home and Garden Bridge Awards, presented by GBS Building Supply. The date of this event is still to be determined, but will most likely be in March 2016.  If you know of a member or other person who should receive one of these awards, please send your nomination to Michael Dey at mdey@hbaofgreenville.com. Your nomination will be confidential.

We had a Wonderful Time with the Past Presidents

Immediate Past President
Mike Freeman welcomes
Susan to the club.

Every year we take time to celebrate our past presidents for all of their hard work and dedication to improving the building industry. This year, we gathered on Tuesday for a luncheon at Larkin's on the River where we celebrated with good food, old friends, and plenty of laughter. We thanked current HBA President Susan Peace-Vernon for the commitment and grace she showed during her year of presidency. In order to welcome incoming president Joe Hoover, all the past presidents stood and shared a piece of advice from their own experience to help Joe--many simply wished him luck for the long year ahead.

This is always a wonderful event where we hear about lesser-known pieces of HBA history and marvel at how much the association has grown. The holiday season is the perfect time to come together for food and friends, and that is certainly what happened. Thank you to all who attended and to all who have served your HBA as president.

Current President Susan Peace-Vernon stands with
 incoming president Joe Hoover.

Thank you to all of our past presidents (not all are pictured).

Find more pictures from this event on our Facebook page.

Lucy Sabatine

On behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff of the Home Builders Association of Greenville, we extend our sincere sympathy to the family of Lucy Sabatine of Roseto, PA, mother of HBA member Nick Sabatine of Greater Greenville Association of Realtors.

Lucy Sabatine, 92, passed away Wednesday December 2, 2015 at home. Born October 21, 1923 in Landisville, NJ, a daughter of the late Peter and Madeline (Leggio) Provenzano. Her beloved husband, Anthony Sabatine, passed away in 1965. She was a seamstress in various garment factories in the Slate Belt Area for many years retiring from the former Girl Fashions in 1991. She was a member of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Roseto and UNITE-the garment workers union. She is survived by a daughter Philomena Drogo of Roseto and a son Nicholas and his wife Francine Sabatine of Greenville, SC and granddaughters; Jennifer Francis and her husband Chris of East Earl, PA and Jessica Bremer and her husband Bill of Harrisburg, NC and great grandchildren Kyle and Kyra Francis and William and Derek Bremer and a granddog Lilly. She was predeceased by brothers; Ambrose, Thomas and John and a sister Bessie Provenzano and a son-in-law Michael Drogo.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday December 7, 2015 at 11:00 a.m., in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Third & Garibaldi Avenues, Roseto. Burial will be in the New Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Roseto. Memorial Donations may be offered in Lucy's name to either the church, 560 North Sixth Street, Bangor, PA 18013 or to Celtic Hospice & Home Health 1619 N. 9th Street, Suite 14, Stroudsburg, PA 18360. Please keep Nick and his family in your thoughts.

Good News for Home Owners

In an important victory for NAHB and home owners, the House today approved a five-year highway bill that will not use guarantee fees (g-fees) collected by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to pay for transportation programs.

The Senate is expected to approve the measure tomorrow and President Obama will sign the legislation into law shortly thereafter.

NAHB led the charge to strip a provision that would have used g-fees to help offset a funding shortfall from the final legislation.

G-fees are a critical risk management tool used by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to protect against credit-related losses on mortgages they have purchased or mortgage-backed securities they have guaranteed. NAHB has always maintained that these fees should only be used for their intended purpose – to protect against mortgage defaults and ensure the safety and soundness of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Despite strong opposition from NAHB, Congress voted in 2011 to enact a 10-year, 10 basis point increase in g-fees to fund the extension of the payroll tax cut. To help fund the long-term transportation bill, lawmakers subsequently proposed what would amount to a $1.9 billion tax on home owners by providing a four-year extension of the previous 10 basis point increase through 2025.

In an official statement, NAHB Chairman Tom Woods called it “outrageous” that Congress would consider using a g-fee hike to pay for transportation programs unrelated to the housing government sponsored enterprises.

“With first-time home buyers still hesitant to enter the marketplace, it makes no sense to impose what amounts to a new tax on homeownership that will disproportionately affect low- to moderate-income borrowers. Homeownership cannot, and must not, be used as the nation’s piggybank.”

Working with our Democratic and Republican allies in the House and Senate, NAHB ultimately was able to get the g-fee provision removed from the final transportation bill.

Building Science Seminar 12/09/15

Join Prime Energy Group as they host a luncheon on December 9, 2015 at the Old Cigar Warehouse. Registration is free and includes lunch, door prizes, and the chance to hear several excellent speakers. This event is being presented by one of our Home Builders Association members, Prime Energy Group. Register today to learn about the benefits of spray foam and other energy programs.

Good News From the IRS Regarding Repair Regulations

Responding to concerns voiced by NAHB members and other groups representing taxpayers, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have made a taxpayer-friendly change to tax regulations regarding repair and improvement expenses that took effect in 2014.

In general, the new rules require business taxpayers to capitalize, rather than expense or deduct, expenditures used for certain repair or maintenance projects.

Under the first edition of the repair rules, a taxpayer without an applicable financial statement could elect to expense purchases that cost up to $500 on a per-item basis. A separate $5,000 safe harbor was established for taxpayers with applicable financial statements. These safe harbors were created as a taxpayer simplification measure to reduce administrative costs.

Many organizations, including NAHB, provided examples to the IRS indicating that the $500 limit for taxpayers without financial statements was too low given typical costs of computers, machinery or equipment and parts.

In response to these concerns, Treasury and IRS have increased the $500 limit to a $2,500 per item safe harbor for costs incurred after Jan.1, 2016. This is a favorable change for the construction and real estate sectors, which possess a larger concentration of small businesses.

Here’s an example: Suppose a business taxpayer makes a significant repair to the HVAC system of a small apartment building that involves the purchase of a part that costs $2,000.

Assuming that the repair would otherwise require capitalization because the repair is significant and critical to the operation of the system, under the new increase in the safe harbor amount ($2,500), that cost may now be deducted immediately by the taxpayer without financial statements.

Be sure to consult your tax professional regarding this change and the new repair and maintenance rules in general.

Conforming Loan Limits Unchanged in SC at $417,000

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2016 will remain at $417,000 for one-unit properties in South Carolina. That amount is the conforming loan limit for the majority of the county. The loan limits are established under the terms of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) and are calculated each year.

HERA sets maximum loan limits as a function of median home values. In 39 high-cost counties, loan limits will rise because those counties experienced increases in local home values. These metro areas include several west-coast counties as well as Boston, Denver, and Nashville.

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) established the baseline loan limit at $417,000 and mandated that after a period of price declines, the baseline loan limit cannot rise again until home prices return to pre-decline levels. The $417,000 loan limit will stay the same for 2016 because FHFA has determined that the average U.S. home value in the third quarter of this year remained below its level in the third quarter of 2007.

HERA provides for higher loan limits in high-cost counties by setting loan limits as a function of area median home value. Although the baseline loan limit will be unchanged in most of the country, 39 specific high-cost counties in which home values increased over the last year will see the maximum conforming loan limit for 2016 adjusted upward.

Although other counties also experienced home value increases in 2015, after other elements of the HERA formula — such as the statutory ceiling and floor on limits — were accounted for, these local-area limits were left unchanged.

A list of the 2016 maximum conforming loan limits for all counties and county-equivalent areas in the country can be found here.