NAHB Now's Latest Posts
NAHB Members Testify before the U.S. Int’l Trade Commission on Softwood Lumber
Two NAHB members testified before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on Sept. 12 as part of the ITC’s final hearing to determine whether U.S. lumber producers have been injured as a result of softwood lumber import from Canada
Joint Employer Bill Would Give Clarity, Certainty to Small Businesses
NAHB today urged Congress to pass the bipartisan Save Local Business Act, legislation that would boost housing affordability and provide small businesses certainty and predictability by clarifying under law what constitutes a joint employer.
New FHA Multifamily Mortgage Insurance Applications Halted in Texas Disaster Areas
NAHB has learned that HUD has sent a directive to all of its multifamily regional center directors stating that effective immediately the agency will not accept new applications for FHA multifamily mortgage insurance in the counties impacted by Hurricane Harvey and designated as Presidentially Declared Disaster (PDD) areas.
Congress Approves Three-Month Extension of NFIP
With a Sept. 30 deadline looming, Congress has approved a broad package that will extend funding for the government and the National Flood Insurance Program until Dec. 8.
A Show of Unity on Canadian Lumber
NAHB CEO Jerry Howard participated in a forum on Canadian softwood lumber this morning at the Canadian embassy in Washington that included Canadian Ambassador David MacNaughton and special softwood lumber envoys from the Canadian provinces.
Builders Report Labor Shortages on the Rise
Labor and subcontractor shortages have become even more widespread in July of 2017 than they were in June of 2016, according to single-family builders responding to special questions on the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) survey.
Short-Term Window in Collecting Canadian Lumber Duties Could Boost Market
In what could be a positive development in the ongoing U.S.-Canadian lumber dispute, countervailing duties on Canadian lumber shipments into the U.S. will be temporarily suspended between Aug. 26 and Sept. 6. While no one can predict with any certainty how this will affect lumber prices, the lumber futures market is anticipating that this development could temporarily moderate the cost of lumber.
HUD Announces 2-Year Suspension of Small Area Fair Market Rents
In a move that should be beneficial to multifamily builders, HUD has announced a two-year-suspension in the use of Small Area Fair Market Rents as a guideline for public housing agencies in determining their subsidy payment standards in the Housing Choice Voucher program.
HUD Report Shows Housing Affordability Crisis is Worsening
HUD released a report to Congress on Aug. 9 entitled Worst Case Housing Needs 2017 which found that 8.3 million households had “worst-case housing needs” in 2015, meaning they are very low-income renters who do not receive government housing assistance and paid more than half their income for rent, lived in severely inadequate conditions, or both.
Builders Discuss Burdensome Regs with Feds
Home builders and representatives from other industries took advantage of an opportunity to tell federal regulators about a host of regulatory issues affecting their businesses as the Small Business Administration conducted its third regional regulatory roundtable in Cleveland on Aug. 3.
