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Wednesday, April 19, 2017
CODES & STANDARDS
WMA 100 Interpretation: IR-2017-01
WMA’s Interpretations Policy Commmittee (IPC) recently approved the following WMA 100 interpretation, IR-2017-01. This interpretation clarifies Section 7.7 of the ANSI/WMA 100-2016, which refers to “engineering calculations or rational analysis.” This interpretation can be found on the WMA website. If you have any questions about this interpretation, please contact Jessica Ferris, Director of Codes and Standards at (727) 372-3665.
HOUSING INDUSTRY
Here’s Why the Housing Market Continues to Struggle with Low Inventory
Tight housing inventory supply could put a strain on this year’s spring home-buying season, according to the monthly Outlook released Tuesday by Freddie Mac. Read more at HOUSINGWIRE
Survey: Window Installers Say Business is Looking Up
Nearly nine out of ten door, window, siding and roofing professionals expressed confidence in their ability to get new business in the next six months, according to the first HomeAdvisor Farnsworth Index, a new quarterly measurement of the home improvement industry that tracks business confidence across 13 categories. Read more at DWM
The Builders’ Dilemma
Business leaders face two challenges–technology and affordability–and the question of whether they’ll choose to protect the past or take steps now to reach the next housing recovery. Read more at BUILDER
March Housing Starts Slip 6.8%
U.S. housing starts backtracked in March, falling 6.8% even as building permits
eked out some progress reported by HSBDEALER. Total housing starts came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,215,000 last month, down from February’s revised estimate of 1,303,000. However, this is still 9.2% above the March 2016 rate of 1,113,000. Read more in HSBDEALER
The Experts: Lackluster Housing Construction Growth is Disappointing
Housing starts showed lackluster growth in March as the seasonally adjusted annual rate dropped 6.8%, disappointing economists and leaving the housing market lacking in new housing supply. Read more at HOUSINGWIRE
Builder Confidence Holds Firm in April
Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes remained solid in April, falling three points to a level of 68 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) after an unusually high March reading. Read more at Eye On Housing
Could Robots Install Windows in the Future?
Robots have been automating door and window manufacturing for several years now, but similar technological advances are also being applied to the installation of fenestration products in modular homes. They have the potential to help ease the labor strain in the construction industry, which is struggling to attract skilled workers. Read more at DWM
Labor Shortages are Hammering Dallas Housing with Higher Prices, Longer Build Times
With According to a recent article in the Dallas News/The Dallas Morning News, the shortage of construction labor has increased the price of houses, delayed building times and created uncertainty for builders. The labor shortfall is one of the biggest contributors to the spike in North Texas new home prices, which have increased by 46 percent since 2012. “Dallas is undersupplied by 10,000 to 20,000 construction workers,” Scott Davis, with housing analyst Meyers Research, told a meeting of local builders. “We should have about 99,000 people employed in the building industry.” Read more in the Dallas News
Spring 2017: A Different Market
With greater volume, lower price points, and more velocity, builders face more challenges to make their margins. Read more at BUILDER
GOVERNMENT
Canadian Lumber Tariffs Needlessly Harm US Home Builders, Buyers
In recent years, duties on Canadian softwood lumber have hit 15 percent, and future tariffs could be 25 percent reported in a news article by THE HILL. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) estimates such a price hike effectively puts that new home out of reach for about 150,000 families. If just the 15 percent tariff is renewed this spring, that would result in a loss of more than 4,600 American jobs and $265 million in lost wages and salaries. Read more from THE HILL
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
Fannie Mae: Meaningful economic growth appears unlikely in 2017
Fannie Mae held its economic growth forecast steady in April at 2% for the year, saying policy changes that could result in meaningful economic growth seem unlikely for this year, according to the company’s economic and strategic research group’s April 2017 Economic and Housing Outlook. Read more at HOUSINGWIRE
5 Leadership Failures That Contributed to the United Fiasco
Every CEO is vulnerable to United-esque PR disaster when their organizations veer from their core values. Read more at Entrepreneur
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Attention: Door pre-hangers and distributors, who use components from multiple suppliers, with a means of substituting components in a rated system when engineering analysis is not acceptable to validate a component.
Reference
ANSI/WMA 100
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