Housing & the Economic Recovery

Existing home sales dropped 1 percent in December because there just aren't many homes to buy, reports CNBC's Diana Olick; and assessing the headwinds the housing market faces, with CNBC's Jeff Cox and John Makin, AEI Resident Scholar.

O'Grady, who heads a research committee for the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, said two-thirds of the trade group's members expect to see a continued pickup in demand this year.

Some of that demand continues to come from homeowners looking to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, a spending category that held up well through the downturn, said Baker. That was partly spurred by government incentives during the economic stimulus program along with worries about volatile energy costs.

Some contractors in areas that sustained heavy damage from Superstorm Sandy told a recent NARI survey they were seeing an uptick in business for storm-related work.

Older homeowners fixing up their home for retirement are also a major source of new business for the remodeling industry, said Baker.

"Their share of spending went up pretty dramatically because they have more equity in their home compared to younger households," he said.

That trend is expected to continue, as many aging baby boomers decide to retrofit their homes to better accommodate their retirement years.

Younger households are also expected to move ahead on long-delayed projects to accommodate growing families. Some deferred repairs can only be postponed for so long.

As long as the overall economy continues to improve gradually, O'Grady expects remodeling demand to continue to pick up.

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Housing Recovery Spurs Pickup in Remodeling

Indianapolis, IN Construction Remodeling - GuyCo Homes Remodeling
GuyCo Homes Remodeling is a full service design and build firm specializing in residential and commercial custom building and remodeling. GuyCo offers our clients one stop shopping. Share your dreams and ideas with us and we bring them to life. Honor and Integrity is the foundation on which GuyCo is built, and customer satisfaction is our number one priority. Repeat business and word of mouth has made GuyCo a leader in Central Indiana. The leadership at GuyCo has over 30 years of building and remodeling experience serving Indianapolis, Carmel, Avon and many other Central Indiana communities. Our customers depend upon us to translate their ideas into workable and attractive homes that meet their designated schedules and budgets. Whether it is a kitchen or bathroom remodel, new room addition or an entirely new custom home. GuyCo is able to achieve a high level of success by employing knowledgeable, customer service oriented employees and teaming with professional Trade Partners that put our clients first

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Mark Fies is honored to be named President of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry Metro DC chapter, the 3rd-largest chapter of the organization in the US.

Reston, VA (PRWEB) January 22, 2013

Fies, COO of Reston-based design-build firm Synergy Design & Construction, has previously served on the board of NARI Metro DC as treasurer for the past two years. As president, he will head up the organizations board of directors, which governs the chapter in conjunction with Executive Director Joe Normandy.

The only trade association in the nation geared specifically toward the remodeling industry, NARI requires its members to maintain a strict code of ethics and observe high standards of honesty, integrity and responsibility in business. Among other requirements, NARI contractors, suppliers and trade professionals must be properly licensed, registered and insured, must make an effort to write contracts that are beneficial to all parties, and must employ fair practices in competition, advertising, and sales promotion.

As a co-founder of Synergy D&C, Fies is familiar with the responsibilities inherent to running a business, seeking and keeping happy clients, coordinating with trade partners and vendors, and the remodeling industry as a whole. Im honored to serve as our chapters president. NARI represents and upholds the same standards that our company was founded upon quality, ethics, and sound business practices, says Fies.

Members of the NARI Metro DC chapter are anticipating a prosperous new year. According to recent market research, the greater DC area is considered the best potential market in the country due to a high number of households who engage in large remodeling projects and the number of aging homes. According to forecasts, this area should see over 260,000 remodeling and replacement projects in 2013.

About Synergy Design & Construction, Inc.:

Synergy D&C is an award-winning woman-owned, Class A General Contractor serving Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Their mission is to be the most trusted renovation and design firm in the industry, committed to excellence in customer service and innovative strategies for remodeling success. Synergy D&C launched at the height of the recession, and has already garnered recognition through several Master Design and Contractor of the Year awards and has been featured on HGTVs Bang for your Buck.

About NARI Metro DC:

The Metro DC Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) is comprised of almost 300 remodeling companies, and the most certified professionals in any NARI chapter. Membership in this organization ensures that member companies adhere to a strict code of ethics and professionalism. Membership is comprised of full-service contractors, design-build firms, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, subcontractors, and other professionals who work in the remodeling industry.

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Synergy Design & Construction COO Assumes Role as President of National Association of the Remodeling Industry Chapter

Duo Dickinson likes to think of the time when it was common to buy a modest house with the expectation of improving and enlarging it as ones means increased.

Traditionally, we have adapted, renewed, and revitalized our existing homes, rather than search for the salvation of the next new home, the author-architect writes in his latest book Staying Put (Taunton Press, $24.95). The depressed state of the housing market has forced many to focus on the home they have now rather than assume a lifelong leapfrog up a never-ending path of escalating home values. As a result, families are rediscovering the traditional tether to home-sweet-home as a specific, fixed place rather than a movable stage set for our belongings, he writes.

And for all those houses still wearing a For Sale sign after months on the market, hed suggest their owners turn the house theyd trade in into a dream home theyll be happy they kept. Millions of families feel trapped, living a sentence of domestic frustration in homes that do not work for them while being unable to move to solve the problems they confront on a daily basis, Dickinson writes. This book offers tangible hope for getting the home you want from the house you have. Those who do it right might end up with a home thats easier to sell if they still want to move when the housing market turns around.

But Dickinson speaks loudest to those who buy into a neighborhood and seek to create for themselves a house that serves them well there. Those who buy to stay can benefit from living with a house for awhile before deciding to renovate it. One of the advantages of remodeling in place is that if youve lived in your home for any length of time, you know exactly what your homes problems and potentials are, he writes.

Dickinson, who has a portfolio of about 600 houses and 30 years experience, offers guidance on how those with the means to remodel can make the best of it. He uses more than 60 of his more recent projects to illustrate his guidance. Remodeling costs for those projects ranged from $100 per square foot to more than $1,000.

Dickinson covers the research and information that will help to mesh a homeowners dreams with building code and municipal requirements. Among his tips to save money and headaches: Before you jump into a remodeling project, find the one local attorney who deals with the town most. Someone who knows your area will know the opportunities and what the bottom line really is in a sea of ambiguity.

Throughout the book, dozens of before and after shots show how both interiors and exteriors are improved. Dickinson goes room by room, covering kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms and social spaces as well as home offices, entryways and mud- rooms. Within the chapters, he touches on lighting and light flow through spaces as well as determining electrical needs for a familys lifestyle.

Dickinson has written seven books on residential design, and he believes in using innovations that can make a new or remodeled home as beautiful as possible for as little money as possible. Many of his tested ideas and techniques are covered in this volume. But sometimes a home isnt worth remodeling because of the potential for excessive costs and other factors. Among the books guidance is how to figure that out as well.

Preview 'Staying Put' online

It includes a gallery of before and after project photos, more information about Dickinson, as well as a selection of his articles, and Duos Dos and Donts the helpful tip boxes that are scattered throughout the book.

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Home remodeling ideas: 'Staying Put' has advantages in slow real estate market

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In Their Ongoing Efforts To Provide Quality Customer Support, Scottsdale Remodeling Pros Announces The Release Of A Detailed Home Improvement, Contractor Hiring Guide.

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) January 18, 2013

Home or business remodeling can be trying on the customer. We want to ease the burden, eliminate the false starts and ensure that our customers know and understand every step of the home improvement process, American Custom Contracting.

Home Sweet Trouble Free Remodeling Solutions

Whether adding an addition to a growing business, re-facing a home garage or overhauling and revamping a cramped kitchen, the primary decision involves selecting a competent contractor. Business or home improvement can be sweet and trouble free or it can be racked with unexpected costs increases, shoddy craftsmanship and the mindset of an uncaring contractor.

Heres how Scottsdale Remodeling Pros new Safe-Remodeling Fact Sheet can help you make educated construction choices.

Home Contractor Horror Stories

With a three-year-old boy and an 18-month daughter, the Nelsons needed a fenced in back yard. Their Scottsdale home was dead on the edge of the road, but toddlers move quickly and the risk of an accident weighted heavy each parent.

Contractor bids for the fence-work came in at around $4,500. Estimated completion times ranged from three to five weeks. But luck sided with the Nelsons and they came upon a locally listed home improvement company that offered to handle the job for less than $1,800 with a two week turnaround.

Then came the rip-off: The low bidder pressed for a materials deposit of $1,000. The Nelsons paid it. Shortly thereafter, the so-called builder disappeared along with his local ads and local contact numbers. The Nelsons got no finished fence and no unused construction materials.

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Scottsdale Home Improvement Company Releases Complimentary Safe-Remodeling Fact Sheet Designed To Help Both Homeowners ...

Housing's Remodeling Cost Vs Value Report released encouraging news that six year declines have been broken and confirm the Minneapolis housing market's positive changes over 2011- 2012. Destiny Homes, a luxury Minneapolis home builder and renovator, comments on the report and why well-chosen home improvements make home a more enjoyable and liveable place to be while increasing in value.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) January 19, 2013

According to trends in the Cost Vs Value Report for 2013, "In a positive sign for the remodeling industry, the 2013 national average cost-value ratio rose to 60.6%, ending a six-year decline. The ratio represents nearly a three-point improvement over 2011-12, and is more than a half-point higher than the ratio from two years ago. Lower construction costs are the principal factor in the upturn, especially when measured against stabilizing house values."

"The bottom line is: today home renovations and major updates make sense because you want them and make smart choices when making them. The best home remodeling projects are those that fit your use and enjoyment of your home," says Butch Sprenger, owner of Destiny Homes.

WEST NORTH CENTRAL / MINNEAPOLIS BEST HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Hanley's Remodeling Cost vs Value Report covers 13 home remodeling categories for "Upscale" or luxury homes; all 13 categories showed an increase in change over the same time frame in 2011 - 2012. 2012 Hanley Wood, LLC. Complete data from the Remodeling 201213 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded free at http://www.costvsvalue.com. Destiny Home's Favorite Top Four Are:

1) Siding Replacement

Job cost: (vinyl) $11,144 - (fiber-cement) $13,025

Value at sale: (vinyl) $7,246 - (fiber-cement) $9,364

Midrange Cost Recouped: (vinyl) 65%

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Home Remodeling Projects Break a 6 Year Decline in Home Appreciation

HDR Remodeling, providing the East Bay with a variety of remodeling services, recently hired John Villa as its new lead technician.

Berkeley, CA (PRWEB) January 19, 2013

"John is a valued addition to HDR Remodeling, especially within the home maintenance department. Our clients already love John as much as we do. We are excited about the future and the success John will bring to HDR, as well as the quality and attention to detail he brings to our clients every day," Philip Anderson, the CEO and president of HDR Remodeling, said.

Villa has more than 15 years of experience in construction, property maintenance, home repairs and remodels. His experience includes earthquake proofing; rough/finish carpentry and plumbing; house painting, including wood and cabinet finishing; landscaping; and all forms of construction services (cabinet/deck/fence building).

HDR Remodeling's home maintenance service department provides the miscellaneous and on-going maintenance and repairs that a home requires throughout its lifetime. HDR's home maintenance services include emergency preparedness and general maintenance (roofing, landscaping, doors/windows repair/replacement, and stucco and siding).

For more information about any of HDR Remodelings services, call 510-984-3755 or visit the East Bay home remodeling companys website at http://www.hdrremodeling-eastbay.com. HDR Remodeling's office is located at 2952 Sacramento St. in Berkeley.

About HDR Remodeling

HDR Remodeling is dedicated to providing clients with personalized remodeling services to give them healthier and more beautiful living spaces at reasonable budgets. The company is certified with Build It Green as a remodeling contractor and has also been awarded "Green Check" by the Sierra Club Green Home Initiative. HDR Remodeling designs and transforms homes to improve the comfort of clients while integrating green building practices.

James Tibbs HDR Remodeling (510) 984-3755 Email Information

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East Bay Remodeling Contractor HDR Remodeling Hires New Lead Technician