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BUILDERS FRAMEWORK
FREDERICKSBURG AREA BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
OSHA-30
HARD HAT
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Business Planning Workshop for 2020
Volume 4: Issue 1 │ January 2020
FREDERICKSBURG - STAFFORD - SPOTSYLVANIA - CAROLINE - KING GEORGE - ORANGE
Thursday January. 16th 5 pm - 7 pm at Kickback Jack's Click here for info
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Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes increased five points to 76 in December off an upwardly revised November reading, according to the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). “While we are seeing near-term positive market conditions with a 50-year low for the unemployment rate and increased wage growth, we are still underbuilding due to supply-side constraints like labor and land availability,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “Higher development costs are hurting affordability and dampening more robust construction growth.” Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for 30 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as “good,” “fair” or “poor.” The survey also asks builders to rate traffic of prospective buyers as “high to very high,” “average” or “low to very low.” Scores for each component are then used to calculate a seasonally adjusted index where any number over 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good than poor. All three HMI components registered gains in December. The HMI index gauging current sales conditions rose seven points to 84, the component measuring sales expectations in the next six months edged up one point to 79 and the measure charting traffic of prospective buyers increased four points to 58.
4 Classes: Feb 3, 4, 10, 11 Member Price: $200
Builder Confidence Reaches 20-Year High
Congress Moves on Tax Extenders Congress has approved a package of tax changes that include a number of provisions sought by NAHB, including provisions known as “tax extenders.” The bill extends a number of tax provisions through 2020, including: Section 45L Tax Credit for Energy- Efficient New Homes; Section 25C Tax Credit for Qualified Energy-Efficiency Improvements; Section 179D Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings Deduction; and a deduction for mortgage insurance (subject to an income cap beginning at $100,000).
Congress Funds NFIP Through September Congress has approved spending bills that will keep the government running through Sept. 30, 2020, the next fiscal year. The measure keeps the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) funded through next September. NAHB is working with Congress to achieve a long-term reauthorization of the NFIP that will keep the program fiscally sound and let builders provide safe and affordable housing. FHA Announces 2020 Loan Limits The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced its loan limits for 2020. The nationwide rise in median home prices indicates most buyers across the country will see increases. The FHA floor will increase from $314,827 to $331,760 for single-family home loans. FHA’s high-cost conforming loan limit and will increase from $726,525 to $765,600 for single-family home loans.
Proposal Would Modernize CRA Rules The FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recently announced a proposal to modernize the agencies’ regulations under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) that have not been substantively updated for nearly 25 years. The proposed rules are intended to address digital banking and to encourage lending to low- and moderate-income borrowers.
Deal Reached on USMCA Trade Pact The White House and House Democrats have agreed on a deal to advance the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agree- ment (USMCA). The House ratified the trade pact on Dec. 19. The Senate is expected to follow suit soon. Trade policy affects housing costs and the USMCA has important implications for the home building industry. The U.S. residential construction and remodeling industries rely on tens of billions of dollars in building materials sourced from Mexico and Canada annually.
MIT Report Suggests Greater Use of Factory-Built Homes
HBI Opens Fort Campbell Facility HBI, NAHB’s workforce development arm, has opened another facility dedicated to preparing U.S. service members for careers in residential construction. The facility, located along the Kentucky-Tennessee border, opened with support from the Home Depot Foundation and Fort Campbell’s Soldier for Life Transition Assistance Program. The program is designed for active duty service members who are nearing separation from the military. The Fort Campbell facility uses HBI’s Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT), which combines academic learning and hands-on experience to help graduates emerge highly skilled and certified in brick masonry, carpentry, electrical wiring, HVAC, plumbing, solar installation, or other trades.
NGBS Certifies 200,000th Home The National Green Building Standard (NGBS) Certification Program hit a major milestone recently – certification of its 200,000th home. The program, which had more certifications in 2018 than any previous year, continues to experience increased interest in certification, fueled in part by growing consumer interest as well as the incentives provided to both consumers and developers for third-party certification. Consumers are seeing the monetary value of green certification as well — not only through incentives, but also from the rising value of green-certified homes and reduced utility bills, thanks to energy- conserving features and high-performance designs. Builders continue to increase consumer awareness around the wellness benefits of sustainable homes.
Factory-built houses — i.e., modular, panelized or pre-assembled homes — could help increase affordable housing stock and significantly aid in disaster response and recovery, according to a new study from the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab. But factory-built homes comprise just 3% of single-family homes in the United States. The report, “Disaster Housing Construction Challenges in America,” seeks to inform emergency managers, state housing agencies, policymakers, community leaders, home builders and other stakeholders about how to make better use of factory-built homes. The recommendations are intended to better address the challenges faced by disaster housing, leverage the potential of factory-built housing at scale, approach the nation’s affordable housing challenges from a new direction, and produce better disaster recovery outcomes for all Americans.
Caroline County Quarterly Meeting Wednesday, March 4th, 11:30am Stafford County Bi-Monthly Meeting Monday, February 10th, 9:00am Fredericksburg City Quarterly Meeting Friday, March 6th, 9:00am Orange County Quarterly Meeting Friday, Jan. 31st, 2:00pm Spotsylvania County Bi-Monthly Meeting Monday, Feb. 3rd, 3:00pm Spotsylvania County Builders Roundtable Tuesday, Feb. 4th, 11:30am King George County Quarterly Meeting TBD
Legislative Impacts
Code Updates -- HBAV spent countless hours in meetings and testimony providing input and guidance on Building Code updates to save building costs: Defeated Mandatory Arc Fault – SAVING $250 per home Defeated mandatory fire sprinklers – SAVING $5000 per home Impact Fees – Advocated and successfully defeated two pieces of legislation to allow local government to collect impact fees on all new home permits. SAVING a minimum of $5k per home, up to as much as $20k per home (as it is in Maryland) Building Permit Fees – Advocated to pass legislation stating that building permit fees must only be used to run the building permit and inspection office. Fees can’t be used as a profit center. SAVING a minimum of $100 per home Tree Replacements -- Defeat of three pieces of legislation that would have required builders to replace all trees with the same size diameter as removed. SAVING a minimum of $500 per home Stormwater – Advocated to protect the construction general permit grandfather clauses and working on the new construction general permit for stormwater discharge. SAVINGS to developers in the thousands of dollars. Waste Management -- Stopped the regulations from requiring ALL dumpsters at building sites to be covered. SAVING a minimum of $100 per home. Plus, dozens of mandatory affordable housing bills were defeated! Total Snapshot of savings per home-$10,950
SAVE THE DATES! Upcoming County Meetings
Update on recent savings yielded from HBAV advocacy in the last 12 months
Tuesday, January 14th Building a Winning Business Strategy and Plan for 2020 11:30am-1:00pm FABA Boardroom Thursday, January 16th Legislative Committee Meeting 8:30am FABA Boardroom Thursday, January 16th Hard Hat Networking 5-7pm Kickback Jack's in Southpoint Saturday, January 25th 2020 Presidents Gala 6 - 11 pm Silk Mill Wednesday, January 29th Associates Committee Meeting 9:00am FABA Boardroom Wednesday, January 29th Membership Committee Meeting 10:00am FABA Boardroom February 3-4 and 10-11 OSHA-30 Training 8:00am-4:30pm FABA Boardroom
The Associates Committee meets the second Wednesday of each month at 9 am. This committee is chaired by the Associate Vice President and plans and organizes several FABA events, and keeps the association focused on the needs of all members.
Calendar at a Glance
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The Membership Committee meets the second Wednesday of each month at 10 am. This group is responsible for coordinating membership recruitment and the new member mentor program to increase membership retention. Emphasis is placed on recruitment and retention of members with Spike Club, new member receptions, and networking opportunities. The 1st Vice President serves as co-chair.
January 2019 Membership Report
Renewed Associate Members (December 2019) 1. Columbia Gas of Virginia 2. Fletcher Construction 3. Jim Carpenter Companies 4. Legacy Engineering, P.C. 5. Quarles Petroleum Incorporated 6. Robert B. Payne Inc 7. Sheli Schneider – Samson Properties 8. Stone Center, Inc.
Renewed Builder Members (December 2019) 1. C.C. Carpentry 2. Coleman Homes 3. Embrey Mill by Newland Communities 4. Fairway Custom Homes and Renovation, LLC 5. Mr. Fix It 6. Simply Home, LLC 7. Tricord Homes
FABA Education
OSHA-30 Safety Training Class
January 14th, 11:30am FABA Boardroom This workshop discusses the key steps to successful annual business planning. Mike will review the Vision and Mission of your business, as key components, as well as discuss the importance of being strategic in your approach to planning for 2020. You will learn how to identify and develop winning goals and objectives for your business, and build a winning strategic plan for 2020. This is a great business building session for any organization! It is sponsored by FABA and lunch will be served! If you plan on attending, please RSVP by January 13th!
Building a Winning Business Strategy and Plan for 2020
February 3-4 and February 10-11 8:00am-4:30pm The OSHA 30-hr course is designed for commercial and residential contractors, both company owners and their employees and anyone who has a safety responsibility on the jobsite. Learn from actual claims that have occured -- one misstep or unsafe behavior can affect you and your company. We will employ hands-on discussions of real life situations that you may have experienced and the solutions to correct them. All participants must be able to pass the final test to earn a course completion card. If you have already taken the 10-hr course, it's time to deepen your understanding of the construction safety standards. You will be required to attend all 4 days to complete the certifcation.
NAHB Student Chapters
FAB Foundation
The FAB Foundation is chaired by group of voluntary directors who work to help the Fredericksburg area community through several initiatives. FAB financially supports non-profit organizations in the Fredericksburg region that specifically coordinate and provide home repair and safer living conditions for those in need. Helping make repairs and improvements related to home ownership affordable. With a greater emphasis on the growing need for Workforce Development in our region, FAB has partnered with local educators and has established two local NAHB Student Chapters in Stafford and Spotsylvania counties, and will continue working toward the establishment of student chapters in all the municipalities that we serve. FAB Foundation has grant opportunities available for those looking to learn a trade and to potentially partner with member mentors and job placement opportunities. For more information on all the good that FAB Foundation does, call Maria Moore, Fredericksburg Area Builders Association Executive Vice President, at 540-898-2730, email at mmoore@fabava.com, or go to www.fabava.com and select FAB Foundation tab.
We currently have 3 active high school student chapters 1. Stafford High School 2. Spotsylvania Career and Technical Center 3. Caroline High School
Why Volunteer? Part of being a great volunteer is loving what you're doing. Find something that you're passionate about or something that inspires you, and then find a need in your community. There are dozens of reasons why you should volunteer - you just need to find the one that feels right. 20 GREAT REASONS TO VOLUNTEER - Help others - Make a difference - Find purpose · Enjoy a meaningful conversation · Connect with your community · Feel involved · Contribute to a cause you care about · Use your skills in a productive way · Develop new skills · Meet new people · Explore new areas of interest · Meet good people · Impress your mom · Impress yourself · Expand your horizons · Get out of the house · Make new friends · Strengthen your resume · Feel better about yourself
Community Service
The Community Service Committee plans and organizes FABA's outreach and service in the local community and partners with members and non-profit groups to find ways to give back.
Gold Cornerstone Sponsors
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2020 FABA Board of Directors
President Stacey Lampman Spaces Design Studio 1st Vice President Scott Hine Assurance Financial Group 2nd Vice President Gene Brown Atlantic Builders Secretary Jeh Hicks Jarrell Properties Treasurer Jeremiah Horstick CORELOT Immediate Past President Marc Simes Vakos Companies Associate Vice President John Reid Embrace Home Loans Executive Officer Maria Moore FABA Legal Counsel Charlie Payne Hirschler Builder Director Dan Sandoval Republic Home Builders Builder Director Sean Halsey Halsey Homes Builder Director Tim Hall Tricord Homes Builder Director Teressa Taylor-Griffis Foundation Homes Builder Director Michelle Hall J. Hall Homes Builder Director Allen Harrison Battlefield Homes Associate Director Bruce Reese Legacy Engineering, PC Associate Director Frank Sigmon Builders FirstSource Associate Director Greg Schmidt Pest Solutions Associate Director Sara Fila Legacy Engineering Associate Director Michael King Ray's Siding
The Legislative Committee meets monthly to discuss the status of local and state level legislation that affects the building industry. For more information from each county, plan to attend the Legislative Committee meeting - Thursday, Jan. 24, 8:30 am The FAB Foundation board of directors meets monthly to discuss ways to involve the association with local workforce educators and help promote workforce development in our area. If you would like to be invoived with these students, contact FABA for more information.
Legislative News
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FABA works to educate, promote and represent the building industry while enhancing the region’s quality of life.
NEWS AND HAPPENINGS Send us your press releases, news, and event information! We can post it here in our newsletter and on the Member Happenings page of our website! Contact admin@fabava.com for more information.
JOB OPENINGS? Do you have job openings, apprenticeships, or internships to fill? Contact us today! FAB Foundation is working with FABA's workforce partners to help you fill these positions with qualified and trained local students. FABA also posts job openings on the FABA website. Contact admin@fabava.com for more information or assistance.
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