Illuminating those things that unite us
Returning the Favor, Rowe’s latest series, made for Facebook, shines a light on quintessential American values. It profiles people who are of service to others and shows the profound effects of their deeds. Can one...
Be not afraid… of data
Consider three examples. The first involves Billy Beane, front office executive for the Oakland Athletics and the subject of Michael Lewis’s book Moneyball, who transformed baseball using data. He didn’t do it using fancy...
2018’s fastest-growing cities in America
With the Census Bureau reporting that the South held 8 of the 15 cities with the largest population gains in 2017, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2018’s Fastest-Growing Cities in America...
Solving the podium problem: maximizing the value of lower floors
As developers know, the higher the unit, the higher the rent. From the top down, a typical floor plate for a new multifamily development allocates a roof deck, penthouse units on the top floors,...
Tight spot on the climb
Many multifamily developers and contractors are fighting off price increases for construction materials. “Lately we have seen a few knee-jerk reactions from manufacturers claiming upcoming price increases or possible increases due to tariffs,” says Marc...
Report shows mixed multifamily jobs market
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLT) report for July was released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently. Its data on the parts of the job market of interest to the multifamily...
The Skilled Labor Fund announces contribution for training
The Skilled Labor Fund, through the National Housing Endowment, the philanthropic arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), provided over $57,000 to address the shortage of skilled labor entering the residential construction market. The funding...
HUD rental assistance demonstration reaches historic 100,000 unit milestone
U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson today announced that 100,000 units of affordable public housing have been preserved through the Department’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), an innovative approach to confronting the...
Housing starts rise in August amid ongoing affordability concerns
Total housing starts increased 9.2 percent in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.28 million units, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department. The August...
Statement from NAHB Chairman Randy Noel on Chinese Tariffs
Randy Noel, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a custom home builder from LaPlace, La., today issued the following statement on President Trump's decision to impose tariffs on an additional $200 billion worth...
Rent reform, AFFH, supply and housing vouchers
HUD Secretary Ben Carson, NMHC Fall Meeting Washington, DC ~ September 14, 2018 Introduction Thank you, Sue, for the kind introduction. I am delighted to join you for your fall Council Meeting. The National Multifamily Housing Council...
Key construction material prices decline in August
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its producer price index report for August. It showed that overall prices for processed goods for intermediate demand were unchanged from July, the second month in a...
Google Fiber
In 2010, Google rocked the $60 billion broadband industry by announcing plans to deploy fiber-based home internet service, offering connections up to a gigabit per second—100 times faster than average speeds at the time....
Get the most from your day off
The idea of “vacation” often conjures up thoughts of trips to faraway lands. While it’s true that big trips can be fun and even refreshing, they can also take a lot of time, energy,...
Toni Blake: Creating a kinder world
In February of 2016, Toni Blake launched a Kindness Challenge that was accepted by over 1,000 people in six countries to make a positive difference in the world. Management companies, schools, civic groups and...
