NORTH TEXAS HOMEBUILDERS ASSOCIATION
4410 Fairway Boulevard Wichita Falls, TX 76308
Volume 10, No. 4 • April 2017
P: 940.692.2211 F: 940.692.2214
www.nthba.com
From the President As many of you know, the mission of the North Texas Home Builders Association is to encourage the use and development of new materials, building techniques, equipment and improved methods of home financing, to reach the goal of giving the home buyer the greatest value possible in their investment. It takes us as advocates to be pro-active in keeping up with legislative changes that could affect the industry. Since January 6th we have been steadily attending meetings and working on projects to protect our industry. On January 6th, several builders and surveyors attended a meeting with city of Wichita Falls to review potential changes to the subdivision and development regulations. From this meeting spurred 3 new meetings which have been a positive step for the NTHBA builders. These meetings have not only produced a working relationship with the city but were also productive in getting some items that would have been costly to the industry removed or relaxed to allow other options. This project is still in progress and will be updated as new information develops. On February 22nd, Barney Brock, Steven Hinson, Justin Holcomb and I attended Rally Day on at the Capitol in Austin, which included meetings with each, Senator Craig Estes, Representative James Frank and Representative Drew Springer to express concerns state wide. • Prohibit fees and taxes that are placed on all new construction in order to subsidize housing for the few. Continues on page 3
Special Thanks to our 2017 NTHBA Partners: Diamond Atmos Energy Platinum Union Square Credit Union Gold First National Bank of Wichita Falls
What’s
INSIDE • Safety Tips for Builders & Realtors • The 115th Congress and You Can Make Housing Great • Home Appraisals to Include HERS Scores • Scholarship Announcement
General Membership Meeting April 6, 2017 11:30 AM at the Kemp Center for the Arts 1300 Lamar Street.
Guest Speaker: Rick Graham,
Welcome New Members McBride’s Steak House ...............................Ford Swanson Welcome!
March Birthdays Adam Wood...........................................................................6 Scott Flinn..............................................................................9 Allen Moore........................................................................14 Rick Belz..................................................................................16 Brandon Litteken..............................................................28 Happy Birthday!
2017 Calendar of Events April 1st...................................................................April fool’s Day
Renewals Absolute Insulation...................................Justin Jones Classic Builders ..........................................Michael Grassi David Bedingfield Homes .....................David Bedingfield Lance Friday Homes................................Dianne Brock Thanks for Renewing!
April 6th..................................General Membership Meeting 11:30AM April 11th........................Nominations Committee Meeting 3PM April 11th................Young Professionals Council Meeting 4PM
April 12th.......................Parade of Homes & Special Events Committee meeting, 11AM April 19th.............Budget & By-Laws Committee Meeting 10:15AM April 19th.....................................Board of Directors Meeting 11AM April 22nd...................................................Young Professionals Sporting Clay Shoot 8:30AM
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• Strengthen vested rights, which provide projects that are grandfathered against new regulatory requirements upon the filing of an application for a permit, by reestablishing the commonly held notion that the court costs and attorney fees are available to both sides in Vested Rights actions. • Protect the construction industry against the massive overhaul of the mechanic’s lien system, which would be significantly detrimental to the construction industry as a whole. • Supporting the existing title insurance system, which provides Texas consumers with choices, breeds competition, lowers risk and delivers transparency. These are just a few of the hundreds that have made their way to the 85th legislative session the Texas Association of Builders Legislative & Government Affairs Staff are battling every day during session on behalf of the building industry. We also attended several state meetings on February 23rd and 24th such as the Government Relations, Code Enforcement, Contracts, Area President & vice Presidents Council, Area II Caucus meeting and the Board of Directors meeting. There was a whirlwind of knowledge bundled in these few days along with a wealth of comradery among members from all over the state. I am proud to announce this is the 4th consecutive year the NTHBA received a HOMEPAC Star award, which was presented during the state Board Meeting, for reaching, or in our case, exceeding our annual goal. On another note, here are a few dates to remember of upcoming opportunities to support the association and promote your business: April 22nd -Young Professionals Sporting Clay Shoot, June 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th & 11th - 2017 Parade of Homes, August 1st – 4th - Sunbelt Builder Show and TAB Summer Committee & Board Meetings and August 28th annual golf tournament. Watch your emails and the newsletter for more information. Thank you for your continued support involvement. Have a Happy Easter.
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Safety Tips for Builders & Realtors Tips on safety and ways to avoid theft on construction sites was the topic for the North Texas Home Builders Association and Wichita Falls Association of Realtors joint luncheon March 2, 2017. Long time Wichita Falls residents Brian Bohn, a local Wichita Falls police officer and his wife Mindy, who own Signal 88 Security spoke to over 100 attendees at the Kemp Center for the Arts, Thursday, March 2nd.
The crowd was very attentive to what was being said. Brian told everyone as a business owner he knows the importance of advertising your business. For builders and realtors, showing the public the amenities of a home is a great way to advertise, however, Brian said, “With today’s technology and social media, we are not only allowing the public to see what a great product you have available but allowing thieves to shop online”. While we feel the best way to advertise a new home is through visuals on social media, it is important not to include items of value that would attract a thief. On the other hand, it is good for the insured to have pictures or videos and a list of items with model and serial numbers available to assist law enforcement in recovering stolen items. Other ways of preventing theft or capturing thieves is to have the home equipped with cameras. These cameras can be used for surveillance and can also be accessed through your smart phone. You can check in every now and again to see what’s happening.
Other tips offered by Mindy were having motion detecting entry lights. Burglars tend to shy away from areas that are lit up. Continues on page 5
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NTHBA Member since 1972
Helping Build Our Community Since 1907
Member FDIC
you are receiving a call while calling the Keep your hedges trimmed just below you office or someone and mention the window sills. Tall hedges provide cover for code word or phrase. That person would know you are signaling for help. burglars and even absorb sound. Take pictures of your clients, their Replace screws in your door hinges and vehicle and their license plate or get strike plates. Most door hardware from the number. Mindy told the audience manufacturers come with short ¾ inch screws allowing burglars to kick their way there are other things on the market like mace or pepper spray that would be through a door. Replacing the screws good to have on you and since Texas is with 3” screws will make forced entry much more difficult. Use metal bars in the an open carry state, having a gun is not a bad idea. Some may want to take a track of sliding glass patio doors or windows. While on vacation ask a trusted self-defense course, these are not only a good idea for men and women, these friend or family member to collect your courses can also help children protect mail and newspaper daily. themselves as well. Arrive early enough to If you have an existing home on the check out the surroundings. The reason for market and the sellers have moved this may not only be for your safety but away, make sure the mail is not being unfortunately we can be faced with a delivered anymore. You will also want to vagabond who has decided to find shelter make sure the lawn is maintained and in your vacant listing. Brian mentioned he there are no advertising circulars piling had encountered an instance when a up. Most importantly, do not advertise to homeless man was found in a storage shed the entire world via Facebook or Social who had passed away, while the police media you are out of town. Wait and were investigating, people showed up to relive the look at the property. It became a rather memories and awkward situation. One of the attendees said she had encountered an entire family share pictures that had moved into a rental one day. when you return.
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In conclusion, they said sometimes it’s just a good idea to hire a security company to stay on premises especially with new construction or to do an occasional drive by to keep it protected. In some cases the local police department can provide a drive by.
Mindy mentioned other safety tips for showing properties. She said it is important to have a safety plan and code word or phrase. Part of the safety plan should be letting your office or a co-worker know your itinerary. Give them a list of homes you are showing, the name Always remember of the client you are meeting and an never take anything for granite, we don’t approximate time you plan to return. If live in a society where you can let your you feel threatened, you can pretend guard down. Stay aware and stay safe.
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Along with the presentation from Signal 88, the President of the Wichita Falls Association of Realtors Sandie Hadsell gave the realtors their meetings announcements. Afterwards she introduced Jack Browne and Tom Lang who promoted a special event that was organized by the Lake Wichita Revitalization Committee and partnered with the Lake Wichita Chapter of Friends of Reservoirs, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Lakeside City, the city of Wichita Falls and Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation to raise funds for the Lake Wichita Revitalization project and the reservoirs. Mr. Lang said that Theodore Roosevelt IV, great grandson to President Theodore Roosevelt has volunteered to speak at the event “An Intimate Evening with Theodore Roosevelt IV”. His goal is to enlighten residents about the Roosevelt family history of conservation and for his endorsement to serve as further evidence of the project's vital importance in battling a leading conservation issue, aging reservoirs," Roma Martin, chairman of the Wichita Falls Association of Realtors TREPAC Committee invited everyone to join them for their BBQ on April 7th from 6-10 PM at the Park Place Event Center at 5400 Seymour Hwy. They will have a live and silent auction to raise money for TREPAC. She said the cost is $15.00 per person for dinner, dancing, music and a cash bar. The WFAR is asking that you please RSVP by March 30th. There was a great turnout for the luncheon and Johnnie Carino’s did a great job on the food.
The total new home permits pulled in the city of Wichita Falls through March is 22. March had a total of 6 permits pulled. 17 of the permits pulled to date are from NTHBA Builders.
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The 115th Congress and You Can Make Housing Great, Again The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and its over 700 chartered home builders associations (HBA) across the country, helps shape all of our future in the home building industry. Builders across the country, from single-family to multi-family as well as remodelers to mixed-use, benefit from NAHB and its efforts to help our legislators in Washington and the various state capitols understand housing's impact. Each state will have its own statistics to make their discussions with state legislators relevant and successful. In regards to Washington, D.C. we must focus on the 115th Congress and the wave of pro-business that has made our economy start to show signs of substantial growth which will have a positive and prolonged effect on housing. For those of you who want to engage in the reality of protecting your careers let's talk about what NAHB truly is; About NAHB • Federation of more than 700 state and local builder associations. • NAHB’s 140,000 members employ more than 7 million workers nationwide. • The residential construction industry directly employs more than 2.6 million workers, with millions more engaged in businesses directly relating to home building. • NAHB’s builder members will construct about 80 percent of the 1.2 million new housing units projected for 2017.
If we want to go further let's discuss; Housing’s Impact on the Nation Housing construction and the value of housing–related services account for about 16 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, making housing a major component of the economy. The construction of 1,000 single-family homes generates 2,970 jobs across all U.S. industries (including construction, manufacturing, trade and professional services. Also, approximately $162million in wages and more than $110million in federal, state and local tax revenues and fees. The construction of 1,000 rental apartments generates 1,130 jobs across all U.S. industries and approximately $61million in wages and more than $42million in federal, state and local tax revenues and fees. • For every $1,000 increase in the price of a home, about 152,903 households are priced out of the market for a median-priced new home. • About 64 out of 100 households own their own home. • Home equity accounts for a total of more than $13 trillion in wealth for American households. • Americans spend about $158 billion annually on home remodeling projects. • There are more than 134.7million housing units in the U.S.
Part 2 -115th Congress; It’s Time to Get Housing Back to Work During President Donald Trump's visit with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the president expressed that he knows how much we, as a home building industry, have been suffering. The president's own father was a member of NAHB so the president knows the value of what an engaged NAHB can do for builders and, by extension, associates. The beginning stages of reworking Waters of the US and the beginnings of the end of Dodd-Frank are very encouraging for our members across the federation. NAHB understands that they have a window of great opportunity in having a White House that has true business common sense and realizes that we are an industry that fuels our economy. Continues on page 8 7
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NAHB, volunteer leaders and staff, has other issues that they are working on with the 115th Congress and I'd like to share them with you.
NAHB Policy on Key Federal Issues
Tax Reform
NAHB supports housing incentives in the tax code, including the deductions for mortgage interest and state and local property taxes. These incentives largely benefit the middle-class in particular younger households and larger families, by making home-ownership more affordable. NAHB also supports the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), the primary tool for financing construction of new, affordable rental housing. The LIHTC is currently producing approximately 95,000 new apartment homes annually and serves households earning 60%or less of the area median income.
Housing Finance Reform
NAHB is a strong proponent of comprehensive housing finance reform that would increase the role of private capital in the U.S. housing finance system but maintain a limited federal backstop to the nation’s housing finance system. Federal support is particularly important for the availability of the affordable 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, which has been a staple of the U.S. housing finance system. NAHB also backs efforts to update and modernize the Federal Housing Administration and establish a strong framework for preserving rural housing.
Labor Shortage and Immigration Reform
NAHB supports comprehensive immigration reform that will safeguard our borders, establish a fair employment verification system and create a market-based visa system that will allow more immigrants to legally enter the construction workforce as the housing industry gains momentum and the demand for workers increases.
Environment
NAHB supports a common sense, scientific approach to safeguarding the environment that reasonably balances protection of endangered species, clean air and clean water, with the need to allow local communities to grow and thrive. NAHB is concerned with the Waters of the United States rule from EPA and Army Corps that would expand federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. This rule increases the federal government’s role in local land use and increases the costs of residential construction.
Property Rights
NAHB believes in allowing property owners direct access to federal district court review of property takings cases. Unfortunately, under the current legal system, the government can
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bounce the property owner between federal and state court, exhausting the property owner’s resources on legal fees, and avoiding court review entirely.
Federal Regulatory Reform
NAHB firmly believes that Congress must reassert its oversight authority over rule making agencies and that efforts to further regulate the housing industry must be subject to greater public scrutiny, based on sound data, and undertaken only after a careful consideration of potential effects on small businesses. On average, regulations imposed by government at all levels account for nearly 25% of the final price of a home.
Energy
NAHB supports voluntary, market-driven and cost-effectiveness measures that promote energy efficiency in the home and the use of sustainable green building materials and construction techniques. Policies, such as enhanced financing and green appraisals, can help make energy efficiency more affordable to the average home buyer. NAHB does not support mandates that neglect cost impacts, as they diminish housing affordability.
Association Health Plans
NAHB supports a market-based approach to health care reform. Action is needed to lower costs and provide better plan options of small businesses, such as association health plans (AHPs). Small firms pay more for a given benefit package than do larger organizations because of higher administrative expenses and less purchasing power. AHPs will ensure a level playing field for smaller employers who want to help their workers and their families with rising health care costs.
National Flood Insurance Program
NAHB supports a strong government-backed National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that is available, predictable, affordable and financially solvent. To continue the stability and growth of the housing market, homeowners in the 100-year floodplain must have access to affordable and reliable flood insurance and home builders must have access to accurate floodplain maps. NAHB urges Congress to swiftly pass long-term flood insurance legislation before the program’s expiration on Sept. 30, 2017. Submitted by Michael Kurpiel, CGA, CGP
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Home Appraisals to Include HERS Scores
A new partnership between the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) and the Appraisal Institute plans to include Home Energy Rating System (HERS) scores in appraisals. This will allow consumers to better gauge a home’s energy efficiency. Builders may also be more encouraged to add high-performance features. In this partnership, RESNET’s database of HERS-rated homes will be available to the Appraisal Institute in states where the rating system is prevalent, such as Texas. The HERS score will be added as a green building certification, similar to the ICC-ASHRAE 700 National Green Building Standard. The inclusion of the HERS score should help in the valuation of residential energy improvements. These enhancements are not always recognized in the appraisal process, and can be a hurdle to financing green features. For additional information about NAHB green and sustainable building initiatives, contact Jaclyn Toole at 800-368-5242 x8225.
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Join us for the:
Annual Sporting Clay Shoot When: Saturday, April 22nd Where:
Texas Field & Stream, 4472 Old Friberg Rd
Time:
8:30 AM Registration
9:30 AM Safety Meeting with Shoot immediately following
Cost:
Shooters $100.00 - Station Sponsors $250.00
Cash prizes paid out for: Top 2 - Male and Female Shooters Lunch sponsored by:
Lunch will be served between 12:30 & 1:30. Door prize drawings, shotgun drawing & award ceremony will begin as soon as all shooters are finished and score cards are turned in.
Squares can be purchased for a chance to win a 12 gauge shot gun at $15.00 each. Mulligans can be purchased for $10.00. Proceeds benefit the NTHBA Young Professionals Council to allow the continued representation at the state level in order to advocate for the home building industry and networking events to encourage NTHBA membership.