Home Builders List

Shea Homes announces that they will continue to build energy-efficient homes through a partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star® Program.

New energy-efficient homes provided by Shea are at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes currently built in accordance with the 2004 International Residential Building standards, and rumor has it that these new homes could be up to 30 percent more energy efficient.

Shea will be building Energy Star® Certified new homes in Peoria and Litchfield Park in the near future.

“Shea Homes continually strives to provide environmentally friendly options for our home buyers increasing the value of our homes, and reducing our reliance on the earth’s natural resources,” said Ken Peterson, vice president of sales and marketing for Shea.

Homebuyers can locate a Shea Home at around 30 new home communities located in and around the Metro-Phoenix area. Shea Homes in the Valley range between the $80s to the upper $500s.

See more:

Bizjournal.com - Shea Homes to roll out Energy Star brand

Shea Homes’ Communities

Defective Chinese Drywall

Lennar Corp, one of Florida’s largest single-family home builders, recently disclosed that they have been named in a class action lawsuit involving defective Chinese drywall, according to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings on Monday.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Two plaintiffs claim to have purchased new homes from Lennar with defective Chinese drywall, which apparently emits sulfur gases, fumes, and erodes air conditioning connectors.

Lennar Corp was one of the first large home builders to address the situation, and has been working with homeowners to replace the defective drywall. In Lennar’s SEC filings, the company has stated that a reserve fund account will be used to replace drywall imported from China and any additional costs will be covered by insurance.

Lennar is not the only builder to have been affected by the defective drywall. National builders and prominent Florida home builders have also constructed thousands of homes with Chinese drywall, including Meritage Homes, Standard Pacific, Ryland Homes, Transeastern, Taylor Morrison, and WCI.

Some analysts suggest that enough Chinese drywall was imported to construct over 100,000 homes. The states affected include Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia.

See more:

http://www.newhomessection.com/blog/chinese-drywall-suit-names-lennar-corp/2009/04/21/

http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2009/04/23/lawsuit-filed-south-florida-homebuilder-lennar-corporation_200904231163.html

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090423/ARTICLE/904231089/-1/NEWSSITEMAP

According to a recent report by NAHB (National Association of Homebuilders), confidence among home builders in the US remained at a record low during December, and the 6-month outlook appears that conditions won’t improve during the beginning of 2009.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo index of builder confidence stayed at 9 in December, according to the Washington-based association. A measure below 50 means most respondents accept conditions as poor.

While foreclosures continue to mount and continue to oversaturated real estate markets, builders’ are finding their profits are shrinking. Another issue is the lending standards that mortgage brokers have set, adding to the problem of getting home buyers approved, while further clogging the credit market.

Several economists and industry-experts have gone on the record with a similar message - that continued declines in prices will continue over the next 6-months. Stating that foreclosures are a main issue for preventing many builders’ ability to lower their inventories.

The median forecast of 36 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News predicted the builder confidence index would rise to 10 in December. The projections ranged between a decrease to 7 and a rise of 13. First published in January 1985, the gauge averaged 27 last year.

This survey asks that builders establish sales as “good,” “fair” or “poor” and to analyze prospective buyers’ traffic. In addition, the survey asks participating builders to approximate their position over the next six months.

Single-family home sales fell one point to 8, over November’s builders’ group index. The buyer traffic estimate remained at 7, while the evaluation of expected sales over the next two quarters has declined to 16, from 18 last month.

In December, confidence declined in two of the country’s four regions, with the major reductions occurring in the South, where the index dropped to 10 from 12 last month. In the Midwest, the measure also declined from 7 to 6 during the same period. The Northeast gauged remained steady at 11, while the West’s reading rose from 6 to 7 in November.

Sandy Dunn, chairman of the NAHB and a builder from Point Pleasant, West Virginia, said, “the crisis continues.” Dunn added that congress and the current administration should step in with with substantial incentives, aimed at bringing qualified buyers back to the table.

Victorville, California Housing Information

Victorville is in the Victor Valley of western San Bernardino County in the Mojave Desert of California. According to the 2000 census it has a population of 64,029. It has grown rapidly, however—the state of California estimates the population at 107,72 as of May 2008. Victorville is on historic Route 66 and is in fact the home of the Route 66 museum. There are many fascinating wilderness preserves in the Mojave Desert. Its dry, warm climate, natural beauty and romantic association with the historic Route 66 may make it the ideal place for you to build your dream home.

Home prices have plummeted, due to the tanking economy If you can afford to buy, however, this revaluation of property ensures that your property will almost certainly go up in value. Besides, if you need a house, and dream of building it yourself, no time is a bad time to build.

There are several advantages to buying a home now. For starters, building supplies are cheap. The cost of drywall has dropped 40 percent. Lumber has dropped too, somewhere in the range of 20 percent. With the falling land prices, its’ already looking like a bargain. The downturn in the economy has also affected labor rates, leaving many skilled tradesmen looking for an entrance into the labor market. Chances are the labor rates will be good. Before you build, you have to cost it out, and don’t forget to include the cost of the land prepping the lot (grading, utilities, etc.), the cost of a building permit, school fees and, of course, the house itself.

Seattle, Washington Housing Information

Seattle is the largest city, population-wise, in the state of Washington, and even the whole Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. Seattle is a port city, in the western part of the state of Washington between Puget Sound and an arm of the Pacific Ocean. It is very close to Canada,–approximately 96 miles south of the border. Seattle is a major economic, cultural and educational center for the region.

Seattle’s climate is mild; it is wet in winter and dry in summer, not unlike the Mediterranean. Temperature extremes are moderated by the adjacent Puget Sound, the Pacific Ocean, and nearby Lake Washington. The region is partially shielded from Pacific storms by the Olympic Mountains and from Arctic air by the Cascade Range. The only downside climate-wise is the city’s reputation for frequent rain.

Seattle is really a city of neighborhoods; it grew together out of a lot of smaller communities. Thus as cities go, it can provide the best of both worlds—small town living and big city living. It is a great city to build a home in. Once you’ve decided to build your home, you must find the right home site. Having done that, you have to cost it out, and don’t forget to include the cost of the land prepping the lot (grading, utilities, etc.), the cost of a building permit, school fees and, of course, the house itself.