50 Ways for Home Builders to Waste Money
Builder Online
“Little things have a way of adding up. In the current economy, they could kill your business. Or they could save it. … If you’re looking to shore up your bottom line, run a tighter ship, and maintain the time-honored American tradition of turning a profit, then read these tips as a cautionary tale.”

Energy-Efficient Homes Generate Lower Utility Bills and Power Grid Returns
Green Homebuilder
“While having a home that is energy self-sufficient may seem like a futuristic dream, today it’s possible for anyone to build a home that produces as much energy as it uses. The net-zero energy home (NZEH) is a well-built, high-performance home that employs a combination of energy conservation measures with onsite renewable power generation to break even on energy use. … Through their Builders Challenge initiative, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has assertively started to promote net-zero energy homes.”

Building a Future
Remodeling
An interesting look at whether the Home Star Energy Retrofit bill will “put remodelers back to work or out of work.”

Mortgage Role for U.S. Is Affirmed
NY Times – Business Day
“Mr. Geithner said continued government support was important “to make sure that Americans can borrow at reasonable interest rates to buy a house even in a downturn.” The absence of such support, Mr. Geithner said, would deepen future recessions because unsubsidized private companies would curtail lending.”

Are Housing Tax Breaks In Jeopardy?
Big Builder Online
“The government spent $230 billion last year to promote homeownership through tax breaks and spending programs. The biggest chunk — $80 billion — went toward the mortgage interest deduction, according to the Congressional Budget Office.”

More Developers Are Building on ‘Spec’
NY Times – Real Estate
“Regardless of the economy, people always want a new home,” said Mr. Morris, the owner of Morgan Creek Development.

While he may be the exception rather than the rule, builders who stuck largely to custom building during the downturn are starting to follow his lead and give the “spec” market a try again.”

Connect the Lots
Big Builder
“As the housing market fell, lot t development stood still. After more than a year’s land rush for ready-to-build lots, the pickings for right-priced finished lots in prime locations are slim to none. So, even while home sales remain lackluster, many production builders find themselves keenly in need of land.”

Breaking Down the Housing Policy Debate
The Atlantic (Blog)
“With the Wall Street regulation bill behind Congress, it has already begun to tackle the next big fiscal issue: housing policy reform. With the government sponsored entities (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shaping up to be the most costly of all bailout recipients, it’s a problem that deserves serious attention. What should Washington decide?”

Women as a Growing Force in the Housing Market
Fine Homebuilding (Blog)
“…Generation Y women are now 1.5 times more likely than men to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees, and, in many metropolitan markets, single women in their 20s earn 105% of what their male counterparts earn.”

Please let us know which sites you find the most informative, and feel free to post any of your favorite blogs or twitter accounts in the comments section!

Twitter Accounts:

NAHB Green –  “The National Green Building Program offers resources & tools to help builders, remodelers, home building associations, and homeowners learn how to build green.”

NAHB Remodelers –  The National Association of Home Builders has its remodeling experts keep you up-to-date on what is new in the remodeling industry.

Green Intel – Christine Costa, Sustainability Practice Leader, tweets on environmental issues. Check out her blogs as well!

Sarah Susanka -  Architect and best-selling author of “The Not So Big House” comments on architectural trends, the homebuilding industry and why bigger isn’t always better.

Blogs:

Construction Informer – This blog, geared toward the construction industry, is an excellent place to find quality information and discussion about building. Topics covered range from products to processes, finance to industry news.

Build Intel – “Marketing experts [with construction/homebuilding industry expertise] share their views on the building industry.”

Matt Rinsigner’s Blog –   Homebuilder Matt Risinger writes a very informative blog with his first-hand experience in the business.

Constructonomics -  “[This] blog covers everything in the architecture, engineering, construction and real estate industry and focuses on economics, leadership, and management. Constructonomics tries to provide readers with valuable and useful content that is also quite fun to read. ”

Ebuilders -   “From flooring to roofing and everything in between, find valuable technical advice and design ideas to ensure your success and boost your pride of ownership.”

The Handy Guys Podcast -  Two avid DIYers share their experiences working around the house. Q&A, tool tests, how-to’s, the works!

A Design Makeover for Affordable Housing
NY Times – Real Estate
“A design revolution has taken place in affordable housing since the 1980s, when the federal government essentially stopped building income-restricted apartments. The featureless red-brick monoliths are gone — replaced by stylish buildings that resemble market-rate condominiums, with expensive finishes, attractive lobbies and landscaped grounds.”

Are Forestry Groups Talking to the Wrong People About the Green Wood Certification Fight?
ProSales Online
“The forestry community is scoring headlines from its campaign enlisting governors, members of Congress, and ordinary citizens to persuade the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to open up its LEED wood-certification standards. But that effort raises a so-far unanswered question: Why spend so much money and effort persuading people who don’t have a say on the issue and focus instead on the people who do-USGBC members?”

Affordability Remains Housing’s Biggest Challenge
Builder Online
“The rate of job growth will determine the pace of recovery for a housing market whose prosperity could also depend on how it provides more affordable and sustainable options to the diverse buyer segments likely to drive the industry in the next decade.

That is the familiar refrain that the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University reiterated on Monday morning at the Ford Foundation in New York City, where it presented “The State of the Nation’s Housing 2010,” its annual analysis of where America’s built environment was, is, and might be headed.”

Green Homes Sell Faster, But Harder to Appraise
HGTV Pro – NAHB (Nation’s Building News)
“While official statistics may be lacking, many builders attending the NAHB National Green Building Conference in Raleigh, N.C., on May 16-18 said that they have been able to sell sustainably built homes considerably faster than the traditionally built new homes that have been languishing in today’s tough market.

Green builders, however, have little immunity from the tight financial conditions that have been plaguing the housing market and imposing difficulties for both home buyers and sellers. And the widespread problem of low appraisals — driven largely by a glut of foreclosed properties and a slow market — has been doubly frustrating for green builders because the vast majority of appraisers are unable to recognize the value that green features add to the home.”

New Lead Paint Laws Updated
Charles & Hudson
“The new lead paint rule instituted by the EPA that requires special handling when remodeling all pre-1978 homes has now been slightly altered.”

Home-Efficiency Program Takes Hit
WSJ – Developments Blog
“White House-backed effort to encourage home-energy improvements was dealt a blow Tuesday after a federal regulator said the program posed significant risks to mortgage lenders and investors. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, suggested the mortgage finance titans should avoid participating in the program or should tighten their lending standards where the initiative moves forward.”

U.S. Average House Size Shrinks in 2009
Big Builder Online
“The average size of a new single-family house shrank significantly from 2008 to 2009, the census figures show. Nationally the average decrease was 51 square feet, to 2,422 square feet.” The Wall Street Journal Developments Blog also comments on this trend here.

Job Growth is Key for Housing Recovery
Residential Architect
“According to the JCHS report, the housing recovery will hinge on employment recovery. Historically, high employment rates have driven both existing-home purchases and new-home purchases. Unemployment is at an all-time high, and as of April 2010, 6.7 million workers had been out of work for six months or longer.”

Demand for Windows Forecasted to Rise
Pro Sales Online
“Demand for windows in the United States will reverse a four-year slide in 2010, climbing 10.5% to 43 million units and then continuing to rise steadily through 2013, a research group working for two major trade associations has forecast.”

To support this growth, many sites such as USA Today and the Wall Street Journal are now offering well-trafficked “Second Home Destination” pages. Furthermore, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlights the slow rejuvenation of the luxury second home market and lists the top 10 places to buy a second home, going into detail on the specific locations and even celebrity neighbors.

Now you may wonder: How can anyone other than celebrities afford to buy a second home in times like these? The majority of buyers were most likely minimally affected by the sub-prime mortgage crisis and are now taking advantage of low prices — up to 40 percent off the peak. Ideally, what drove the vacation home market in the earlier part of the decade will continue to do so for the years to come: baby boomers.

A BusinessWeek article cited that, in 2009, 39.2 million people in the U.S. were between the ages of 50-59 and an additional 44.8 million people were between 40-49. A very large percentage of vacation homes are purchased by people in these age brackets, which align closely with the baby boomer generation.  These boomers are now within their peak earning years or are even moving towards retirement, providing either extra cash or extra time to devote to a second home. While these purchases did drop in 2008 and 2009, there was slight growth in recent months and the long term demand looks favorable.

As aforementioned, the reasons behind purchasing a second home vary. Some people just need a place to get away, relax and spend time with their family. Others use it as an investment, a potential future primary residence or simply to diversify their portfolio. However, investors beware. Although we’ve stopped our downhill slide, it may take quite some time for your new abode to appreciate in value.

So whether you are actually considering purchasing a vacation home (take a look at these tips!) or if it is just wishful thinking, take some time to check out these sites and enjoy the fact that while prices are down, this market is looking up.

Photo courtesy of Alex. E Proimos on Flickr

Is bulldozer the best option for some boom-time housing?
Local Address Blog by the Washington Post
“Douglas Duncan, vice president and chief economist for Fannie Mae, raised a provocative idea this morning at a meeting of real estate journalists in Austin: Some of the misconceived housing developments built during the boom years might have to be torn down because they don’t make financial sense.”

Opposing view on housing finance: Go back to the old design
USA Today
“A main goal of financial reform should be to promote simplicity and efficiency. In the case of housing finance, this means keeping Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as publicly run companies.”

Want Referrals? Clean the Jobsite, Manage Expectations
RD&B Blog by Residential Design & Build
“The results of a survey of homeowners who had completed remodeling work within the past two years clearly indicate homeowners place a high degree of value on keeping the jobsite clean and having their expectations managed.”

Detroit turnaround
Architect Magazine
“Talk to enough people in the Motor City, and you start to believe the buzz about a comeback. There’s a renewed sense of purpose in Detroit, ushered in by the return of beloved Mayor Dave Bing and a new City Council. … Developers are using tax credits—for preservation, green renovations, workforce housing, and more—to leverage Detroit’s incredible stock of architecture. And over the past 10 years, more than $15 billion has been invested in the city.”

Consumer confidence rises in May
Builder Online
“Americans are feeling better about their job prospects, pushing consumer confidence higher in May. But signs that shoppers are slowing their spending as stocks fall could pose a roadblock on the path to recovery.”

Credit Suisse Analyst: Tax-Credit Hangover Is Here
Developments blog by WSJ
“Buyer interest in real-estate seems to have evaporated along with the expiration of the home buyer tax credit on April 30. Since then, traffic has plunged to the lowest level since January 2009, says Dan Oppenheim, Credit Suisse’s builder analyst.”