Builder Magazine: Home Building News, Home Planners, Home Design Ideas and Building Products for Home Builders

Gold Nugget Winners Signal New Era in Housing Design

Top projects in this year's "Best in the West" architecture and design competition highlight trend toward smaller, greener, more affordable...

Latest News

Impact Fee Freeze Gets Lost in Arizona’s New Budget

Local home builders were banking on at least two years of relief.
Federal Charges Detail Beazer's Misdeeds

Atlanta-based builder committed mortgage fraud and more, according to government.
Beazer Homes Strikes Settlement With Federal Investigators

Beazer agrees to pay as much as $50 million in restitution for mortgage and securities fraud.

All articles in Latest News

The 15 Healthiest
The 15 Weakest
The Rest

The Healthiest Housing Markets for 2009

Virtually every market was down last year, but a close look at the numbers reveals that some markets have way outperformed others during the last four years and are likely to continue to do so this year.

The Weakest Housing Markets for 2009

The fundamentals are so poor in many of these markets that they are likely to be among the last to recover from the national housing downturn. The weakest markets for 2009 are comprised primarily of bust markets in Florida and California, along with a few rust-belt cities with economic difficulties.

See The Rest of The Top 75 Local Housing Markets!

You’ve seen the 15 healthiest and the 15 weakest, now see the remaining markets on our list of the top 75 local housing markets, ranked from healthiest to weakest.

Builders Gone Bust

Economic turmoil forces a growing number of firms into bankruptcy.
Revealed: The Top 10 Builders for 2008

Early returns from our Builder 100 survey identify the top 10 builders in America last year.
BUILDER’s Twitter Directory for the Housing Industry

Are you on Twitter? Is your competitor? Better check this list.

Stimulus Package
Recovery Watch
Pulte/Centex Merger
Web Only Features

Stimulus Package

New SBA Loan Program Could Offer Lifeline to Builders
America’s Recovery Capital program will lend up to $35,000 interest-free over six-month period to qualified small businesses.
How to Help Your Buyers Tap Into the $8,000 Tax Credit
The process of getting first-time buyer tax credits to the closing table is possible but tricky.
Movement To Expand Home Buyer Tax Credit Gains Steam
Some federal bills would increase amount available for all buyers. But budget deficits raise questions about the extent of state programs, particularly in California.
Andersen Makes It Easy For Customers to Get Energy Efficiency Tax Break
Products with EcoExcel brand will qualify for credit, and Andersen will also provide documents to consumers for claiming benefit.
Stimulus Bill Causes DOE to Increase Energy Standards for Windows and Doors.
Window Makers Brace for Tighter Energy Star Criteria.

All articles in Stimulus Package

Recovery Watch

Impact Fee Freeze Gets Lost in Arizona’s New Budget
Local home builders were banking on at least two years of relief.
Home Price Declines Slow Slightly in April
Former housing hot spots continue to suffer, but pain seems to be subsiding.
New SBA Loan Program Could Offer Lifeline to Builders
America’s Recovery Capital program will lend up to $35,000 interest-free over six-month period to qualified small businesses.

All articles in Recovery Watch

Pulte/Centex Merger

Pulte Doesn’t Foresee Revenue Rebound Until 2011
But merging with Centex might push the company into the black by next year.
Analysts Surprised by Pulte-Centex Deal
But many appear to think the merger makes sense.
Ratings Agencies Cast Wary Eye on Big Builder Merger
Moody's and S&P quickly put watches on the $6.2 billion in debt that will be carried by a combined Pulte-Centex, but Fitch takes a more positive view.

All articles in Pulte/Centex Merger

Web Features

The best of Builderonline's web -only content.

Slideshow: The Narrow House
Slender homes make single-family infill feasible.
Builders Indicate ‘Cautious Optimism’
Sales, traffic improving even in move-up and active adult markets.
Gold Nugget Winners Signal New Era in Housing Design
Top projects in this year's "Best in the West" architecture and design competition highlight trend toward smaller, greener, more affordable homes.

All articles in Web Features

2010 America's Best Builders Call For Entries

A panel of industry experts—your peers—selects outstanding builders for overall achievement in housing.

In The Current Issue

June 2009

Flip through the entire June 2009 issue digitally or read each story individually on the web. Navigate the Product Maze: The 50 most-requested products; Our readers' favorite brands; Listing of 300 product categories; 10,000 manufacturer offerings and more.

In the June 2009 Issue

Favorite 50 Products as Chosen by Builder Magazine Readers

Find out what products piqued readers curiosity over the course of 2008.
2009 Builder Brand Study

Find out what brands builders recognize most, use most, how they rate the products' quality, and which companies are best at communicating...
Download2009 Manufacturer's Di...(1118kb)

Download the complete 2009 Maunufacturer's Directory.

Flip through the digital issue of Builder

HousingCrisis.com

Coming to an apartment near you? Rent concessions. All of this and more on http://www.housingcrisis.com !

Interactive Features

Join BUILDER on LinkedIn

Join the BUILDER group on LinkedIn and connect with other home building professionals.

Follow Builder on Twitter

Get the latest Builder news delivered directly to your computer, cell phone or PDA.

Daily Housing Feed

Up to the minute stories from around the web for and about the housing industry.

The 2009 Watermark Awards

Builder's annual look at the best in kitchen and bath design

Sales Strategies

A Primer on Pay-Per-Click Marketing for Home Builders

Most small business owners have never used this powerful tool for connecting with prospective customers and driving traffic to their Web...
AARP Survey Says Almost 25% of Baby Boomers Expect to Have a Parent Live With Them.

Growth in multi-generational households offers opportunity for builders to offer homes and neighborhoods that meet their unique needs.
Builder Web Sites Need to be Designed for Access on Mobile Phones

Pared-down sites with most popular information work best.

All articles in Sales Strategies

The Builder Blog Network

Recession Likely to Change Home Buying Behavior

Boyce Thompson: Boyce On Building

Boyce Thompson is editorial director of the BUILDER group of magazines published by Hanley Wood. Drawing on his years of experience covering home building, architecture, and retailing, Boyce tackles diverse and far-ranging industry topics in his twice-weekly blog.

Builders who have been around a while used to tell revealing stories about buyers who lived through the Great Depression. The so-called silent generation didn't understand HOA fees, especially ones that went up. They questioned the value of upgrades and wanted to know why they weren't included. They asked if they could buy a base home and do the finish work later, themselves. Some even treated model home decorations like party favors.

Meet the New Boss - And Bump His or Her Fist

Ted Cushman: The Ten-Penny News

Ted Cushman covers the home building industry as a freelance writer from his base in the hills of Western Massachusetts. His blog promises insightful, accurate, and practical coverage of home building techniques, building science, and housing economics.

When an albatross meets his mate again after months of soaring over the icy, trackless South Atlantic, they bang their bills together and make a clacking sound. What does this have to do with you or me? Nothing, probably. For birds, it's purely instinctive. But for us, it's also cultural. And according to this article from RISMedia, the real estate information service, the way we do it may be changing these days.

See all the blogs in the Builder Blog Network

9 Hot Design Ideas on a Budget

You don't need a big budget to win style points. Want proof? See the pictures.
Top 10 Best-Selling Consumer House Plans

These top-selling house plans speak volumes to current home buyer dreams.
5 Ways to Build Affordable, Energy Star-Rated Houses

South Carolina builder captures green buyers by spending just $1,000 more per house.

2008 Builder 100 Coverage:

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In The Current Issue

In the June 2009 Issue

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Interactive Features

2008 Builder 100 Coverage:

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