"Northern Lights": October 2026

President's Message

BANNJ President, Alan Archuleta

Thank you to all members and guests who joined us for a Multi-Association Networking and CEU Event on September 9^th hosted by Stone Source in Carlstadt. Many thanks to Donna Rana and her team for their incredible hospitality to make this an amazing event in their beautiful showroom.

All attendees enjoyed premium networking with members from ASID, NKBA, NARI and BANNJ to bring together builders, remodelers, designers, trades and real estate professionals, suppliers and more. Attendees also learned some valuable product information from CEU presentations by both Zip Water and Stone Source. See photos from this and all events at https://www.bannj.org/image-gallery/.

Join us on October 1^st at 4:00PM for a Virtual Presentation on How to Protect Your Residential Construction Business: Mastering NJ and NY Home Improvement Contractor Rules & Consumer Protection Laws. Free for all BANNJ members so be sure to register at https://members.bannj.org/events to receive the event login on Zoom.

Our Professional Women in Building Council presents Let’s Learn Mahjong hosted by Garden State Mortgage on Wednesday, October 28^th. Just a few seats remaining, so be sure to register for this exciting team building event to keep up with this trendy game and sponsorship packages available!

Don’t miss our joint event with the Metropolitan Builders and Contractors Association on Thursday, November 19^th, Meet the Builder and Remodeler Night, at the beautiful Ferguson showroom in Fairfield, NJ. Take this opportunity to introduce your company to builders and remodelers from the two association locals in the Northern part of the state. Lots of great conversation and business connections hosted by Premier Partner Ferguson Home. Informative presentation given by builder member Builder’s Edge to learn about new and innovative concepts in the building industry for builders and associates.

At Home with Kristie

BANNJ has launched a new podcast, called At Home With Kristie, created as a series to introduce BANNJ members and PWB members in a more personal and meaningful way-giving listeners the opportunity to get to know the person behind their title. Through relaxed, engaging conversations, BANNJ Associate Vice President and PWB Chair, Kristie Davida, sits down with the builders, developers, architects, designers, tradespeople, real estate professionals, and industry leaders to explore their stories, passions, and the paths that brought them to where they are today. At the heart of every great organization are great people and At Home with Kristie is where you’ll get to know some of the members who represent BANNJ. Be sure to follow us on Instagram (@buildersassociationnnj) and our Facebook Page (The Builders Association of Northern New Jersey) to view shorts and see complete podcast episodes by subscribing to Builders Association of Northern NJ YouTube Channel (see button on bannj.org) and At Home with Kristie on Spotify.

Dianna Ivanov

Chair Kristie Davida and Vice Chair Dianna Ivanov thank everyone who helped launch BANNJ’s first-ever PWB Council.

Your support made this milestone possible!

PWB October 2026 Newsletter

U.S. mortgage rates climb above 7% in another blow to housing market

Environmental advocates disappointed by flood rule rollbacks, call on Sherrill to adopt nation-leading protections to lower costs, protect public safety

As N.J. housing costs soar, Booker proposes $300B plan to build homes near transit

NJ gets a revenue boost as home prices continue to rise

NAHB Responds as Immigration Enforcement Keeps Legal Workers Off Job Sites

New Home Sales Rise as Affordability Challenges Continue

by Michael Kurpiel

84 Lumber Market Report

October 2026 looks more like a soft-to-stable lumber market than a price-spike market in New Jersey.

Where the market stands

The NAHB/Madison's framing-lumber index was $515.93/MBF on September 18, down 1.6% week-over-week and 2.6% month-over-month, although still 8.4% above last year.
The current CME lumber market is around $536/MBF, while the November 2026 contract is about $537/MBF. That's important because November is essentially telling us the market isn't currently pricing in a major October/November run-up.
Lumber futures fell about 11% during August, reflecting weakening demand and slower housing activity.

My read for NJ in October

I'd expect roughly $500–$550/MBF territory for the commodity market, with individual species/grades and your buy position obviously producing different numbers.

The bigger issue for the builder is that there are two opposing forces:

Downward pressure

Housing demand remains soft.
Builder confidence fell again in September; the Northeast HMI three-month average dropped to 39.
August's lumber futures decline indicates mills/markets are responding to weaker consumption.

Upward pressure

Canadian lumber/tariff issues remain a significant wild card.
Mill capacity has been coming out of the market. Fastmarkets expects North American softwood capacity to decline by more than 1.3 billion board feet in 2026.
If mortgage rates fall meaningfully or builders suddenly start buying for spring starts, lumber could turn quickly.

Coming Up!

Thursday, October 1^st 4:00pm-5:00pm

Virtual Educational Presentation on How to Protect Your Residential Construction Business: Mastering NJ (NY) Home Improvement Contractor Rules & Consumer Protection Laws Building beautiful Homes is only part of running a successful business. Understanding New Jersey's Home Improvement Contractor Registration requirements and the Consumer Fraud Act is essential to protecting your company from costly fines, contract disputes, lawsuits, and license issues. This informative seminar will provide Home Building contractors with practical guidance on registration requirements, compliant contracts, advertising rules, customer communications, change orders, and the penalties for non-compliance. Learn how to reduce your legal exposure, improve your business practices, and gain the confidence that your company is operating within New Jersey law (New Home Improvement Contractor Formal Licensing Requirements coming to NJ soon so this is great information)

BANNJ members free; Future BANNJ members $20

Wednesday, October 28^th- 5:00pm - 7:30pm

Join our Professional Women in Building Council for the "Let’s Learn Mahjong" event. Join us at our host Garden State Mortgage to learn the basics of one of the most timeless and now trendy games.

Seating very limited.

Complimentary for PWB members.

Future PWB members $100 per ticket.

$500 Event Sponsors include ticket

Thursday, November 19^th-5:00 pm

Meet the Builders and Remodelers Night with Metropolitan Builders and Contractors Association hosted by Ferguson Home in Fairfield, NJ. A great opportunity for personal conversations with local builders and remodelers from two Northern local associations in a conducive format to connect Builders and Associates through face to face interaction. Join us to foster business relationships and enjoy the hospitality of our host, Ferguson.

See information and register for all events at:

https://members.bannj.org/events