“Go Green Home” Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Join us at the “Go Green Home” on Thursday, September 10th from 4:30-6:30.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Invitation

Time to Change Your SOP’s?

Michael Anschel over on his Remodeling Magazine blog makes the argument that Remodelers  will soon need to change their way of doing business in order to survive. Between the changing marketplace and new government regulations, the old business models just won’t work anymore.

Read his full post here…..

Debate Continues on the Home Appraisal Issue

There’s much talk these days about the methods being used to calculate home appraisals, and the accuracy of those appraisals.

HousingCrisis.com offers a thoughtful article on this controversy.  Make sure and take the survey that’s linked at the end of the piece.

Code of Correction: Appraisers Stressed as they Get Assessed

Home appraisals are headline news. Wherever one’s opinion lands on the controversy created with the May 1 introduction of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, what’s not said in all of the stories is that two separate and distinct issues–not one–bedevil the home valuation process these days….Read the full article at HousingCrisis.com

Everything You Need to Know About Social Media

This video comes from the Builder Social Blog.  Builder Social Blog is dedicated to identifying and publicizing social media best practices within the homebuilding industry.

If you’re wondering whether to explore the world of social media for your business this video should help you make up your mind.

It was presented at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference earlier this summer, and was part of a presentation on Social Media for Homebuilders. The video was shown at the beginning of a presentation called “Did You Know?”

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Keep Advertising

From the Markup and Profit Blog

A recent article by Jim Hinshaw in the HVACR Today newsletter brought home the truth of why it is necessary to advertise 24/7/365, forever.

In 1989 and 1991, two recession years, Jell-O, Doritos and McDonald’s all cut their advertising budgets. Their sales dropped anywhere from 26% to 64%.

During that exact same period of time, and in the same market places, Jif, Kraft and Pizza Hut increased their advertising and you guessed it:

• Jif had a 57% sales increase
• Kraft had a 70% sales increase
• Pizza Hut had a 61% sales increase

Going back to 1949, 1954 and 1960, Buchen Advertising Agency reported that companies that cut their advertising never caught up to those that didn’t when the economy turned around.

And going back still farther, in 1927, the Harvard Business Review stated that the companies that advertised on a regular basis in 1923 experienced the largest increase in sales after that recession was over.

The handwriting is on the wall my friends. This recession is going to come to an end in spite of the politicians and when it does, those of you who have been diligent and kept advertising are going to be in a very good place to grow your business.

FHBA Addresses Social Networking & Marketing New Homes

In today’s FHBA Action News , Florida Home Builders President Jay Carlson addresses the hot topic of using social networking to market new homes and increase sales:

Social media is quickly becoming a mainstay in modern marketing plans. It’s fast, it’s direct, it’s inexpensive and it’s catching on. According to the “Social Media Marketing Industry Report” by Michael Stelzner, who writes and blogs about marketing and other business-related topics, 88% of marketers surveyed for the study use social media in their overall marketing strategies. And of those surveyed, 72% indicated they only started using social media in their marketing recently. For new home builders who are considering joining this trend, social media is simply using Internet-based networking tools to engage with online communities in order to generate exposure and sales opportunities. But what builders need to understand is that using social media when marketing new homes will not necessarily generate direct sales. Social media is a different marketing tool than a builder’s sales center and even his Web site.  Social media is versatile, offering builders opportunities ranging from finding interested and targeted prospects to generating public relations and providing immediate customer service. It’s all about building relationships and conversation, but it is not necessarily about closing the sale. Read the first in a series of articles on social networking and marketing new homes by visiting Nation’s Building News.

Twitter Tips for Builders: Tweet Away!

One of the problems with all the new social media options is how to successfully use them to market your business.  HousingZone.com believes that Twitter can be a valuable tool and published some good ideas and examples.

Products Editor Nick Bajzek states that “Builders need to embrace social media tools such as Twitter in order to keep pace with an increasingly web-savvy customer base.” He goes on to give some good advice on getting started in this new way of marketing. You can read the full article at HousingZone.com …

PCBA has a Twitter feed @pcba. If you visit our Twitter home page and look at the list of followers and those we are following you’ll see many builders, both large and small, that are active on Twitter.

How many of you have tried using Twitter, Facebook  or an active website to reach your target market? What has your experience been – has it generated any new leads? Has it taken too much time or is it worth the effort?

Should Remodelers Invest in Social Media?

Over the last year PCBA’s Remodelers Council has had a number of speakers addressing the topic of marketing. We’ve hosted web designers, SEO experts, local advertising agency experts and sales representatives from the Yellow Pages. all have, in one way or another, advised the members to explore the new world of internet marketing.

Professional Remodeler recently asked the question “Should remodelers invest in social media?” an article in which Jonathan Sweet examines why remodelers should care about social media and what they should consider before jumping in.

Social media has seen explosive growth over the last year, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into business success. According to a Knowledge Networks survey released in May, 83 percent of consumers 13 to 54 participate in social media, 47 percent on a weekly basis.

Read the entire article at Professional Remodeler …

Positive Stories Continue – Are They True?

If all the stories and reports are to be believed,  our industry is beginning to recover from what is said to be the worst depression since the Great Depression of 1929-1933.  Every day new surveys and polls are released claiming that the worst is over.

Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff writer  joins the optimists with this story.

Another sign of a housing thaw

June pending homes sales increased for the fifth straight month, adding to the list of positive reports recently released.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — More Americans signed sales contracts to buy homes in June than in May, the fifth consecutive month of increases, according to a report released Tuesday.

The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index rose 3.6% during the month. That was 6.7% higher than June 2008. It was the fifth straight month of increases, the first time that has happened since July 2003…

Read the complete story at CNNMoney.com and then post here and tell me  whether you’re seeing signs of recovery yet.

Polk County’s greenest home

MyFox TampaBay recently did a great story on the PCBA Foundation’s “Go Green Home” being built by Mike Hickman.

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