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August 28, 2007
Generators: The Next Must-Have Upgrade?
I'm from the Chicago area, and with all the storms up there in the last couple of weeks, I got to thinking that maybe the "convenience" of a stand-by generator is becoming more of a necessity. A recent study indicates that generator sales are booming, so I guess I'm not the only one thinking that way. Lots of people are worried about the electric infrastructure as well as the weather.
My stepdaughter, who lives near Chicago, had to lend her portable generator to a neighbor so he could keep his sump pump running during a power outage; he has one of his own, but he'd already lent it to his sister for the same reason the day before. It would probably be a really good idea for him (and his sister) to get a stand-by generator for such emergencies, which seem to becoming a lot more common. Heck, I'm thinking about it, even though my house is on a hillside and has a daylight basement. No sump pump, but going without power is a pain. (A natural-gas generator might save my sanity; the thought of my husband without TV for a day or two is almost enough to provoke an anxiety attack right now!)
I'm thinking that, like a whole-house surge protector, a stand-by generator would be a terrific upgrade for a new house. As a builder, have you ever installed a back-up generator for a new home? Or, for that matter, as a retrofit? Have you seen any interest in generators from customers?
I'm sure going to look into it. We're in a terrible drought right now, but you know how it is: When the pendulum finally swings, we'll probably get weeks of thunderstorms, too.
Posted by Marjie O'Connor, HGTVPro.com Staff at 12:57 PM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2007
Moving That Inventory
Yesterday I posted an article on HGTVPro.com about some of the incentives builders are using to sell houses these days. I found it very interesting to learn about the need to be creative with such incentives. Cutting the price of the home isn't enough. Some of my favorites among those mentioned included a walk-in sauna and tile floors. I can also see how covering part of the closing costs would have a huge appeal to buyers, too.
What are you doing to help sell your houses during this downturn? Share your ideas with other builders who are in the same boat ... and about ready to abandon ship.
Besides, I love hearing about the creative ideas that builders come up with, whether they're details in the houses or ways to sell them. What's working for you? What's doesn't work? Let me know.
Posted by Marjie O'Connor, HGTVPro.com Staff at 11:44 AM | Comments (4)
August 14, 2007
Aging in Place -- Way Too Fast
I have a birthday next week. Never mind which one, but I admit to being a baby boomer. And interestingly, I've seen three news items so far this morning about housing for ... uh, people in my age range, as well as for our parents.
Two of the items are in the newest issue of Nation's Building News. The first one discusses the gap between the number of people age 55 and up and housing planned specifically for them. The second article is primarily about the remodeling market, but it also reports the increasing interest in remodeling designed for aging in place -- the concept of people staying in their own homes the rest of their lives.
I also have a dear friend who is building a house in Virginia right now. She has asked me for advice on several issues, but I threw in some extra tidbits, too: Be sure to have the builder install blocking in the bathrooms to support grab bars someday; insist on a curb-free shower; make the halls and doorways wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair or walker. She is a very active, healthy person, but she's already having trouble with her knees (too much running over the decades, I suspect). Who knows when she and her husband might need these features?
What kind of similar requests are you getting from your customers these days? Or are you making suggestions to them on your own? Even though we boomers will never actually be old (ask us! We'll tell you!), we should be willing to look at the future. So should the builders and remodelers who work on our homes.
What are you doing to nudge those of us in deepest denial toward reality? It's a touchy subject, and I'd love to hear how you handle it.
Posted by Marjie O'Connor, HGTVPro.com Staff at 9:51 AM | Comments (14)
August 7, 2007
New Crackdown on Illegal Immigration
I just read a Nation's Building News report that the Department of Homeland Security is getting ready to make it tougher for employers to hire undocumented workers. According to the report, DHS will issue new rules about how employers should respond if they get a letter from the Social Security Administration about one of the 7.3 million mismatched or incorrect workers' names in SSA records.
Right now, it looks like employers would have two weeks to verify the info on the employee's eligibility records in their office, and the employee would have a couple of months to make any corrections. Not all of these problems are caused by undocumented workers, but the fact that the DHS is getting involved implies that they suspect many of them are.
A lot of states are making it tough for illegal immigrants, too. For example, when I moved to Tennessee almost three years ago, I was astonished at the documentation I had to produce to get a driver's license -- more than I did to get my job or buy my house.
Do you think this is all overkill? I admit I was pretty irked about having to track down all that paperwork just for a driver's license. I figure my ability to drive safely is not dependent on my birthplace (especially since I was born in Detroit, the car capital of the world. LOL!). And I had a valid license from Illinois.
What are your ideas about how local and/or state governments could (or should) deal with immigration issues? Does your area have anything in place? I'd like to hear about it.
Posted by Marjie O'Connor, HGTVPro.com Staff at 11:31 AM | Comments (143)
