Friday, April 13, 2018

April 2018


BANNJ President, Anthony Volpe
President's Message
The New Jersey Builders Association (NJBA) held its 69th Annual Atlantic Builders Convention on April 10th-12th in Atlantic City.    It was great to see our members participating with booths on the show floor, as attendees supporting the show and attending some of the outstanding events and educational seminars offered.  
Congratulations and thank you to longtime builder board member, Arnold DeMasi of DeMasi Construction, who was honored at the April 10th Board of Directors Meeting as an NJBA Life Director for 10 years of service representing BANNJ at the state level of leadership.  
Arnold DeMasi, second from right


The show culminated with the Sales & Marketing (SAM) Awards on Thursday, April 12th, and the following BANNJ Members were winners in the following categories:



Best Kitchen Remodeling/Renovation Project 
Belvedere Building & Contracting; Design By: Home Supply Inc.

Best Specialty Room Remodeling/Renovation Project 
Creative Design Construction Inc.; Design By: Glen Lumia & Sarah Roy

Best Extreme Home Make-over 
Farmhouse Revisited; Belvedere Building & Contracting

Salesperson of the Year - For Sales Housing 
Linda Nassaney; The Marketing Directors, Inc.

Sales Manager of the Year - For Sale Housing 
Angela Ferrara; The Marketing Directors, Inc.

Rookie of the Year - Rental Communities 
Leo Loyo; The Marketing Directors, Inc.

Leasing Team of the Year 
Edwin Blanco, Sharon Bloodgood, David Wrenn,
Joseph Runfola, Jr., Andy Tungka & Alyssa Sciangula
The Marketing Directors, Inc. 

Leasing Manager of the Year 
Martin Brady; The Marketing Directors, Inc.

Best Brochure for an Associate Member 
Caliber Home Loans

Best Ad for an Associate Member 
Caliber Home Loans

Best Social Media Campaign for an Associate Member 
Cahn Communications





If you have not done so, don’t forget to register for our informative presentation on Thursday, April 19th on what to include in your next business contract, updates in the Consumer Fraud Act, and learn how to protect your business bottom line from costly fines and penalties!  Join us at Ferguson in Ramsey to tour their beautiful showroom, mix with building industry peers and listen to our experts on how to Put the Law on Your Side.   We still have some excellent sponsorships and golf foursome and individual tickets available for our Annual Golf Outing & Scholarship Awards on Monday, May 21st at White Beeches Golf & Country Club.  Be sure to register soon to play at this beautiful private club as last year’s event sold out!  



Welcome New Member:
Atlas Senman
From the Ground Up Builders, LLC.
50 E. Ridgewood Avenue, #152
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
551-497-2785
njbuilder1@gmail.com






Looking forward, there are signs that conditions in the housing market should show continued improvement in the coming months:

·        While the economic recovery has been uneven, it continues to add jobs, a key driver for housing market recovery.

·        Low interest rates and post-bubble house prices that have settled back to normal in most of the country means that housing affordability is high in many markets.

·        Growing household formations, along with shortages of lots and labor, have resulted in tight housing inventories in many markets across the nation.



Housing Market Snapshot



Housing Starts                      (February 2018)
Total:  1.24 million            Single: 902,000                  Multi: 334,000

Home Sales*                         (February 2018)     
New: 618,000                     Existing: 5.54 million

Median Home Prices          (February 2018)
New: $326,800                   Existing SF: $243,400

*Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate; Arrows indicate direction from previous month for starts and sales and year for prices.



NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market IndexThe index, which measures builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes, fell one point to 70 in March from a reading of 71 in February. Any number over 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as good than poor.

NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz’s analysis: “A strong labor market, rising incomes and a growing economy are boosting demand for homeownership even as interest rates rise. With these economic fundamentals in place, the single-family sector should continue to make gains at a gradual pace in the months ahead. At the same time, builders need to manage increasing costs for labor, lots and building materials to keep their homes competitively priced.”










Congress Can Play a Role in Lumber Trade Dispute


·        Record high lumber prices are harming home builders and home buyers.


·        Since January of last year, rising lumber prices have increased the price of an average single-family home by $6,388.



·        Much of these unprecedented price hikes are due to tariffs averaging more than 20 percent on Canadian softwood lumber shipments into the U.S.



·        The tariffs are acting as a tax on American home builders and home buyers, making housing less affordable for American families.



·        This is why it is absolutely imperative that the Trump administration resumes talks with Canada to find a long-term solution to this trade dispute that will ensure American home builders and consumers have access to a reliable supply of softwood lumber at reasonable prices.



·        You can help by contacting your U.S. Representative and Senators and asking them to urge President Trump to re-start softwood trade negotiations with Canada.



·        Send a letter to your lawmaker by logging on to Capitolconnect.com/builderlink.



·        While it is important to find an equitable solution to the trade dispute more needs to be done.



·        Since the U.S. imports roughly one-third of its lumber from Canada and does not have the capacity to meet demand, NAHB is also working with Congress and the administration to take steps to increase domestic lumber production.



·        The recent spending bill approved by Congress includes several reform measures that would reduce the red tape that inhibits our nation’s forestry professionals from harvesting timber from federally-owned lands.



·        NAHB will continue working on all fronts to find solutions that will ensure a lasting and stable supply of lumber imports into the U.S. at a competitive price.



Premier Partner Spotlight 


 

Ferguson raises the bar for industry standards as the top-rated wholesale supplier of commercial and residential plumbing supplies. However, our expertise goes beyond plumbing. We are a diverse distributor that spans multiple businesses including HVAC/R, waterworks and industrial. In the past 63 years, we’ve grown from a local distributor to a $13.8 billion dollar company with more than 1,400 locations and over 23,000 associates nationwide. We pride ourselves on delivering world-class service and our customers know that “Nobody expects more from us than we do” is more than just a tagline to Ferguson associates. It’s a cultural belief that is demonstrated every day through exceptional customer service, product selection and industry knowledge.  For more information, contact Victoria Reczkowski at victoria.reczkowski@ferguson.com



  
Save the Date!


Thursday, April 19th-Educational Seminar Updates on Contracts & Consumer Fraud Act-Put the Law on Your Side.  Join us for this informative and valuable information and protect your business bottom line.  Learn from the experts what to look for BEFORE you sign your next contract.  5:30pm, Ferguson Showroom, 50 Spring Street, Ramsey NJ.  $30 per person


Monday, May 21st-Annual Golf Outing & Scholarship Awards-Don’t miss playing at a beautiful private club and join us for a day on the course or just attend our cocktail reception and dinner following the golf outing.  Excellent sponsorship and networking opportunities.  Early special pricing for foursomes until March 15th!


Wednesday, June 6th-Mid-Year Legislative & Regulatory Lunch & Learn-Join us for lunch and get an update from the experts at NJBA on the housing market legislative and regulatory issues affecting our industry and the forecast for building issues affecting our state.  $25 per person.


Be sure to register for all events on our new website secure payment portal at www.bannj.org!