Along with the increase in housing permits and new building activity comes a story from Construction Informer suggesting builder optimism is up, as well. Citing the Q3-2012 Construction Executive Survey from Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Duane Craig of Construction Informer notes several encouraging trends compared to Wells Fargo’s survey from previous years: “Nearly half of construction [...]

In a recent article from Professional Builder, the magazine declares that the concept of universal design has gone mainstream. Contributing editor Susan Bady writes: Universal design (UD) isn’t just for the elderly or the permanently disabled. As Americans age, they’re beginning to realize that their homes need to accommodate future life changes. Consumers are more [...]

Just how quickly is the building industry adopting social media? A survey from Professional Builder claims 45 percent of builders use social media networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. That’s up from just over 30 percent last year — a considerable hike, to be sure. The same survey found 45.1 percent of respondents believe [...]

Make a list of the top five factors that impact a home’s value. Where did you rank location? Likely No. 1. But what, exactly, makes a location valuable? Increasingly, it’s something called “walkability,” which is exactly what it sounds like. According to research from the Brookings Institution, an increasing number of homebuyers — especially Millennials [...]

A new survey from real estate listing website Zillow suggests buying is now a better option than renting for owners content with staying in one place for just a few years. According to a new survey — Zillow’s first of this nature — in 75 percent of the top 200 metro areas in the country, [...]

Buyers have long been told to focus on the three Ls when shopping for a home: location, layout and lot size. But it turns out more buyers are focusing on HD — as in home design. According to the 2012 Consumer Insights survey from John Burns Real Estate Consulting, 58 percent of 15,548 respondents ranked [...]

Professional Builder recently released findings from its annual Home Exteriors Survey, and in what could hardly be deemed a surprise, great design/curb appeal, energy efficiency and a low-maintenance threshold were by far the most important areas of concern for buyers. The survey was completely voluntary and without incentive, which may explain why only 168 of [...]

Unfortunately for builders, there’s no “one size fits all” approach to social media marketing. What works for one builder may not work for another. In fact, marketers across industries far and wide are constantly searching for best practices as social media continue to emerge and evolve. Still, there’s value in seeing how peers are utilizing [...]

In the latest edition of FourPlans from BuilderOnline.com, Aurora Zeledon features four plans with very basic footprints. But just because the footprints lack dynamic elements does not mean the homes do. Each of the four homes includes all of the modern amenities homeowners are looking for, but the footprints practically address smaller lot sizes faced [...]

Perhaps the most encouraging news from the National Kitchen and Bath Industry Show is the welcomed return of innovation. The annual event took place this week in Chicago, and while every attendee has their own list of favorite products, there’s a sense of excitement with the industry. Innovation would appear to be a byproduct of [...]