NEW YORK – Rates on 30-year fixed mortgages ticked up this week from the lowest level of the year. Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate rose to 4.79 percent, up from 4.78 percent last week. A year ago, the rate averaged 5.29 percent.
DetailsBeautiful, functional outdoor living spaces reflect elements of balance, nature, longevity, details and convenience By Jonathan Parks, AIA As an architect designing high-end custom homes in Florida, one advantage of working in this climate is the opportunity to design outdoor living spaces as an extension of the indoor living space. We find a properly designed…
DetailsWhen it comes to home buying, women make as much as 91% of home buying decisions. So builders and their sales staffs need to understand who these women are and what they need and want.
A newly issued draft interpretive rule from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that changes the definition of “shower heads” to “shower valves” has sparked significant concern among NAHB members, members of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute and other groups. The problem is that this change in definition, which was published in the Federal Register on May 19, may conflict…
DetailsWASHINGTON – May 18, 2010 – Nationwide housing starts rose 5.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 672,000 units in April as the deadline for an important homebuyer tax incentive arrived, according to figures released today by the U.S. Commerce Department.
