HBAL Happenings

Have $70,000 to risk? Attend the Fall Protection Seminar
on Thursday, May 12th!
To help you avoid costly fines and protect workers, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), in conjunction with the NAHB Research Center, has developed a 4 –hour Fall Protection Training seminar for builders, trade contractors, supervisors and workers. This training program focuses on identifying fall hazards in residential construction, as well as, providing students an understanding of the OSHA fall protection regulations and safe work practices to prevent fall-related injuries and deaths.

When: Thursday, May 12th 8:00 am to 12:30 pm
Where: The Trane Company
Cost: FREE
Contact: Margie at the Home Builders Association of Louisville Office at 429-6000 and Download the flyer for more info...



2011 Homearama, Exhibitor Tent and Preview Party Info
Norton Commons will be the host site for Homearama 2011. As always the exhibitor tents are the only way to enter and exit the Homearama site. If you are interested in having your company present inside the Homearama Entry Tent please call Gail Schell or Jessica Embry at 429-6000 – or email Gail. Space and booth sizes are limited.

Homearama is July 16- 31, 2011
Monday – Friday – 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Saturdays – 10:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sundays – 1 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Preview Party: The Homearama Preview Party will be held on
Friday, July 15th – 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tickets will be limited – watch your Louisville Builder and e-mail for more information on when tickets are available.

The 2011 Site: Norton Commons will have 21 homes priced from $400,000 to $650,000 and this development is like no other Homearama site. The excitement behind this development will certainly make for one of the largest attended Homearamas ever! We'd like to thank LG&E and Goldberg Simpson as our Presenting Sponsors for this years 2011 Homearama at Norton Commons. Visit the website for more information.



Tent Information: Products and services that relate to the home building, remodeling or landscaping industries are invited to take part in this year's Homearama Exhibitor Tent. Tent space is limited and participation is based on show management's final approval.

* Size: 10'x 10'
* Includes 8' back drop and 48" side rails
* 6' draped table and two (2) chairs included if requested by June 15th.
* Limit two 10'x 10' spaces per company
* PLEASE keep in mind this is considered an outdoor exhibit. We do our best to protect against wind, rain, heat and other elements but we cannot guarantee the security of your product/display based on weather.
* Prices: $1,300 per booth - HBAL Member rate / $1,500 per booth - Non Member rate

Find out more on having a booth at the entry tent or go ahead and download the application today.

Homearama Facebook Campaign
Homearama 2011 at Norton Commons is quickly approaching! This year’s event is already spurring a lot of talk and publicity and we want to create even more of a buzz this year using Facebook. Leading up to the event, which will run July 16-31st, we will be posting information on the Homearama Facebook page about interesting details that consumers will see out at Homearama this year. Most of our posts will be about neat architectural features and styles, but we would like to invite (and request) that you, our members also make it a point to post interesting products that will be in the homes, interior decorating themes, energy efficiency components in the homes, architectural features of note, or anything else you want to highlight! Please do not make these sales pitches, but rather points and tips that will entice our facebook followers to be intrigued to come out and visit the Show. HBAL staff will begin posting our “Detail of the Day” in late May. Watch for our posts and then begin your participation too! If you’re not a fan of HBAL or Homearama on Facebook, Like us today!

CERTIFIED LEAD RENOVATOR TRAINING CLASS
As of April 22, 2010, if your company engages in remodeling and repair/maintenance, electrical work, plumbing, painting, carpentry, or window replacement that disturbs 6 square feet or more of paint per room inside, or 20 square feet or more on the exterior of a home, child care facility or school built before 1978 then you must have at least one worker from your firm be a certified lead renovator. If you are not familiar with the new guidelines, please visit: www.nahb.org/remodelers OR www.epa.gov to review all the requirements. Fines can be up to $32,500 per day, per violation! Can you afford not to comply? Attend the full day training class on April 21st and receive a certification good for five years. Class sizes are limited so REGISTER today! Download and return this form or please direct any questions to Margie Brangers.








Resources for Flood Victims
With the recent flooding events in Louisville many residents will soon begin to clean up, make repairs, and rebuild. Here are some links to government assistance sites that could be helpful to some of you or your potential clients.FEMA, the Red Cross, the Small Business Administration

FHA Extends Higher Cap on Concentration
of FHA Loans in Condos
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced that it is extending through June 30 guidance that allows condominium units to be financed with FHA-insured mortgages in buildings where 30% of the units have been pre-sold, down from its 50% requirement. The agency will also continue to allow as many as half of the units in a building to be financed with FHA mortgages, up from the 30% that is normally allowed. NAHB strongly advocated for the higher cap on the concentration of FHA loans in buildings, and is calling for its continuation.

The extension of the temporary condominium policy guidance was announced by FHA on Jan. 5, 2011 and initially issued on Dec. 7, 2009 with Mortgagee Letter (ML) 2009-46 A. With the exception of the temporary exemptions, FHA’s permanent baseline guidance for condominium project eligibility — which is outlined in Mortgagee Letter 2009-46 B — remains unchanged. (However, the “spot loan” approval process expiring on Feb. 1, 2011 was not extended.) At the end of the waiver period, the FHA’s condo requirements will revert back to those contained in ML 2009-46B. Going forward, NAHB will continue to work with FHA and other stakeholders to provide feedback on what policies are needed to ensure a healthy condominium market. For details on FHA's latest concentration requirements, owner occupancy requirements and pre-sale requirements, please see the Feb. 7 evening edition of Nation's Building News. For more information, contact Steve Linville at 800-368-5242, x8597.

Attention ALL Members: We want to hear from you!
As part of the Louisville Builder magazine revamp for 2011 we will include a Member News section where the content will come directly from you – the member! Please send us information in short paragraph form about your company that you would like to share with the rest of the HBAL membership. You can use this section to recognize new hires or outstanding service by employees, accomplishments or awards earned by your business, exciting promotions that you want others to be aware of, etc. Please keep your news to about one paragraph, as we will try to include as much news as possible from within our membership. Email your news to Tara Brinkmoeller. You can include photos as well! We look forward to using Builder Magazine to help you recognize your company and employees as a member service.

Legislative Contact List
If you have a personal relationship with a local or state elected official and would be willing to call him/her on behalf of the Association to discuss important issues or legislation, please send your name, email and phone number as well as the name of the elected official to Tara Brinkmoeller. We appreciate your willingness to assist us with our grassroots efforts regarding legislation and policy.

New “Search for a Community” tab call for information
Consumers can now search for new home communities using the “Search for a Community” tab on the HBAL.com homepage. This links to an interactive map that allows consumers to narrow their search by price, county, and housing type. We are actively promoting this new feature on HBAL.com and urge each developer to complete the attached form to ensure that your community information is up to date. Please complete a new form for each community you have developed within Bullitt, Oldham, Jefferson, Shelby and Spencer Counties. Return completed form to Jason Yann. Download Form

HBAL Member Decals FREE
Is your member decal on your car faded or old? Do you not have a member decal on your car or company truck? Member decals are free and available for pick up at the HBAL Office. The HBAL logo is highly recognizable among consumers and helps to establish credibility for you and your company. Come in today for your FREE decal(s)!