Показаны сообщения с ярлыком Chicago Builders News. Показать все сообщения
Показаны сообщения с ярлыком Chicago Builders News. Показать все сообщения

воскресенье, ноября 09, 2008

В США раскупают дома: перелом рынка или временная активность?


В США впервые за последние три года зафиксирован резкий рост продаж жилой недвижимости. За два месяца осени было продано на 5,5% объектов больше, чем в августе, и на 1,4% больше, чем в тот же период прошлого года. Эксперты задаются вопросом: это лишь временное оживление рынка или долгожданный перелом? И как скажутся на рынке меры властей по защите прав арендаторов, проживающих в домах, владельцы который обанкротились?

Сентябрьские данные по продажам домов в США, по оценкам Национальной ассоциации риелторов (НАР), не только показали первый за три года рост, но и оказались неожиданно высокими: 5,18 млн единиц недвижимости было продано в этом месяце против 4,93 млн, которых ожидали эксперты.

В августе было продано 4,91 млн объектов недвижимости. Так что рост за месяц составил рекордные 5,5%. По отношению к сентябрю 2007 года продажи выросли на 1,4%. Ежемесячный рост продаж выше нынешнего отмечался последний раз в июле 2003 года, тогда за месяц этот показатель вырос на 5,6%. Продажи новых домов также выросли в сентябре – на 2,7% по сравнению с августом.

Благодаря росту спроса «запасы» домов, выставленных на продажу, в сентябре снизились на 1,6% – до 4,27 млн единиц. Медианная стоимость жилья (это такая стоимость такого жилья, по отношению к которому 50% имеющихся жилых единиц стоят дешевле, а 50% – дороже ее) между тем продолжает падать по отношению к прошлому году: за сентябрь она снизилась на 9% по отношению к сентябрю 2007 года и составила $191 600. Медианная цена новых домов также снизилась с $221 900 в августе до $218 400 в сентябре.

Еще не «дно»

Что же произошло с продажами? Что это – долгожданный перелом или временное оживление на рынке? Аналитики сходятся в том, что явно положительная тенденция на рынке недвижимости может быть сведена на нет общим депрессивным состоянием финансовых институтов. Так что о достижении «дна» речь, к сожалению, пока вести рано. Это как раз та самая ситуация, про которую биржевики шутят: «Я опустился на самое дно, и тут снизу постучали».
По данным министерства торговли США, продажи новых односемейных домов упали до уровня 464 тыс., то есть на треть по сравнению с уровнем сентября 2007 года. А рекордно высокие темпы прироста продаж в сентябре произошли благодаря активности покупателей в западных штатах, где продажи подскочили на 23%. Однако и это не говорит пока о сломе тенденции: просто именно на западе наблюдалось самое резкое снижение цен на жилье в предыдущие месяцы.

Интересно, что изменилась структура продаж: продажи новых домов на западе за год упали на 37,9%, а на вторичном рынке, напротив, наблюдался скачок в 34,4% (данные НАР). Таким образом, можно говорить о том, что в росте продаж большую долю составляют дома, владельцы которых были лишены права выкупа закладной, и, соответственно, они продавались по очень низкой цене.

Стройки в заморозке
Между тем у строителей дела идут из рук вон плохо – новостройки продаются очень тяжело. Они не могут снизить свои цены так, как это делают банки, продающие имущество обанкротившихся заемщиков. Строители по всей стране постепенно сворачивают свою деятельность, и особенно заметно это на западе Штатов. Характерно, что через несколько лет, когда рынок вернется к нормальному состоянию, дефицит не построенного сейчас жилья аукнется новым бурным ростом цен.

К концу сентября на продажу было выставлено 394 тыс. новых домов по сравнению с 425 тыс. в августе. По прогнозам некоторых экспертов, эта цифра может опуститься до 300 тыс.
Рост продаж на вторичном рынке отмечается экспертами как положительное явление: слишком дешевые объекты, выставляемые банками-кредиторами, постепенно вымываются с рынка, что облегчает давление на него.

Но количество банкротств среди ипотечных заемщиков продолжает расти, больше всего их в Неваде и Калифорнии. Соответственно, цены продолжают падать: по данным Fitch Ratings, с ценового пика 2006 года стоимость жилья уже снизилась на 22% и ожидается, что упадет еще на 10% – до того как цены стабилизируются в 2010 году.

Если говорить о помесячной динамике, то данные за октябрь ожидаются довольно слабые, а вот в ноябре и декабре прогнозируется новый всплеск продаж. Цены упали уже достаточно для того, чтобы быть снова интересными инвесторам, которые готовы покинуть слишком волатильный и депрессивный фондовый рынок. Но на окончательное оформление этой тенденции уйдет не меньше месяца-двух.

Арендаторы: без вины виноватые
Между тем правительства штатов начинают вводить новые законы в защиту арендаторов, также страдающих от кризиса: им приходится менять жилье, если владелец земли или дома лишается своего имущества. Как правило, о случившемся арендатор узнает последним – когда получает извещение о лишении владельца права собственности или когда шериф стучится в дверь, чтобы выселить квартиранта.

За последнюю неделю в разных фазах процедуры банкротства находилось как минимум 589 тыс. объектов недвижимости, по данным базы недвижимости RealtyTrac. Из них примерно в трети живет не владелец, а арендатор.
В итоге шериф графства Кук (штат Иллинойс) приостановил все процедуры банкротства, дабы привлечь внимание к проблеме арендаторов, страдающих за чужие грехи. В этом графстве принято законодательное решение предоставлять арендатору право проживать в доме еще 120 дней после того, как владелец жилья лишается права собственности.

В Калифорнии нынешним летом принят закон, дающий арендатору время на выселение в течение 60 дней, в Чикаго 5 ноября вступает в силу закон, требующий извещать арендатора в течение недели после начала процедуры банкротства (этот процесс обычно занимает не один месяц).

Инициативы администраций штатов не очень нравятся банкам, ведь пока арендатор не съехал, они не могут продать имущество должника, а цены между тем продолжают падать.

В целом эти инициативы замедляют оборот на рынке, и тем самым мешают ему достичь своего дна быстрее. Однако некоторые эксперты говорят о том, что приостановка процедур банкротства, возможно, заставит задуматься власти США о более взвешенной политике в области жилья, и тем самым более активно вмешиваться в регулирование рынка.

вторник, сентября 30, 2008

Chicago on construction



Несмотря на депрессию, в Чикаго строятся сотни многоэтажных домов и тысячи домов на одну семью. И хотя рынок заметно сжался, строители и инвесторы не теряют уверенности в его скором восстановлении.

воскресенье, июня 01, 2008

New construction in Chicago

Несмотря на рецессию, Чикаго продолжает строится!
Смотрите рекламный ролик одного из самых лучших районов Чикаго.

понедельник, мая 12, 2008

Мэр уволил главу стройкомплекса за несчастные случаи


Майкл Блумберг, мэр Нью-Йорка:
"Я принял отставку Патриции Ланкастер с поста главы департамента городского строительства. За последние шесть лет Патриция добилась огромных успехов в работе вверенного ей ведомства, борясь с коррупцией, укрепляя надзор и контроль, облегчая доступ общественности к информации и добиваясь высокого уровня профессионализма и добросовестности на всех уровнях департамента."

Патриция Ланкастер подала в отставку из-за недовольства общественности высокой смертностью в строительной отрасли города. Только с начала этого года на стройках Нью-Йорка погибло 13 рабочих (7 из них — во время падения крана в марте). При этом за весь 2007 год погибли 12 нью-йоркских строителей. Среди погибших были и наши соотечественники — российские эмигранты. Мэр Нью-Йорка Майкл Блумберг принял отставку госпожи Ланкастер несмотря на то, что высоко оценивал ее деятельность на посту руководителя строительной отрасли города.

В Москве в 2007 году погибли 50 строителей, в 2006-м — 67. Эти цифры обнародовал глава московского стройкомплекса Владимир Ресин в марте после ежегодной панихиды в храме Христа Спасителя в память о погибших строителях. "Даже если погибает один человек — это трагедия",— сказал господин Ресин.

пятница, марта 14, 2008

Historic house will come down


For Leo Birov, economic factors -- not recklessness or sentimentality -- drive the decision of whether to take down a house and rebuild.

Birov, the president of Northfield-based Heritage Luxury Builders, has recently come under fire since his company in January applied for the demolition of what some Winnetka residents consider to be a historical relic at 412 Walnut St.

The house was built in 1910, likely by John H. Hamilton, a partner of the well-known architect, Dwight Perkins. Their firm designed such landmarks as Hubbard Woods School, Skokie, New Trier Township High School and the lion house at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Dwight Perkins's son Larry designed Crow Island School.

Birov will present his case to the Winnetka Building Review Committee on March 13. The village requires the meeting to discuss demolition alternatives, but Birov has the final say regarding the property.

For Birov's company, the planned demolition boils down to costs. To modernize the house could cost up to $1 million, which would rival the costs for building a new house there.

In its current state, the 5,400-square-foot home wouldn't meet standards for a more modern, technology-driven home-owner, Birov said.

"People work from home, they have offices," he said. "They're looking for more space."

In addition, the house sits in the center of its lot, which would be a turn-off for an owner who would want a larger backyard.

He noted that the house had been on the market for more than two years before the owners approached his company.

"They came to us because they couldn't sell the house," he said. "If (buyers) were interested, they'd see it wouldn't pass inspections, and they would walk away."

Birov added that it would be undemocratic to prevent a property-owner from making his or her own decision about what to do with private land.

"It's a free market, and it's a free society," he said. "You can't force a house to sit on a lot forever."

Susan Hamilton lived her childhood years in the house her grandfather designed. Through high school, she and her siblings forged a very personal relationship with their home.

"I spent a lot of time living in the house, and I know every nook and cranny in it," she said.

The Hamilton family lived in the house for 45 years.

"It just absolutely breaks my heart that they're thinking about destroying it," she said. "If I had money, I'd buy it or do something, but all I can do is pray about it."

When Hamilton learned the house would be demolished, she asked that a few items be saved for her.

Heritage Luxury Builders intends to salvage the house's stained-glass windows for the family.

"We plan to not just demolish the house. We plan to look at the historic elements," said Victoria Birov, who works with the company and is the daughter of Leo Birov.

Hamilton said she doesn't buy the argument that the house is outdated. Her grandfather, she said, took into consideration several aspects that other builders at the time might have overlooked.

"My grandfather was way ahead of his time," she said. "That house had laundry chutes, all the closets were cedar-lined so there wouldn't be moths, there was good use of space."

Her brother, John Hamilton, agreed.

Some features of the home -- handrails, for example -- might not seem significant, but he said those features are worth noting.

"There are features that exist in every home now because of his pioneering work," he said about his grandfather's design.

John Hamilton was much younger when the family moved out of the home, but he said he would be sad to see it go.

"I think it's tragic."

Difference of opinion

Winnetka has no ordinance against demolition outside of a historic district, said Posey Fischer, chairwoman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Still, the commission took an interest in the Hamilton House and has followed it through to the Building Review Committee.

"There were over 60 demolition permits requested last year, and this is the only house that we're really trying to save out of those 60 permits, unsuccessfully," she said. "That house will come down."

She encouraged interested community members to attend the March 13 meeting of the BRC, which will be at 5:45 p.m. at the Village Hall.

Birov said his company followed the proper procedure for obtaining a demolition permit. There is no demolition schedule yet, but he said the hoopla surrounding the house has unfairly slowed down the process.

The company has contracted with new owners to rebuild on that lot, and Birov said he intends to honor that obligation.

Birov recognized the historical significance of the house and the attachment some residents might have to it, but he said it should not interfere with necessary, and likely inevitable, progress in Winnetka.

"It will probably be torn down again in the future, but I don't think I'd lose any sleep over it," he said.

Home digest | 'Spooked buyers' amid bad news, slow sales



Yorkville tops the Chicago area with a total of 3,000 unbuilt lots at year-end 2007, according to a homebuilding industry survey. Joliet has about 2,100 unbuilt lots, followed by Elgin (1,600) and Pingree Grove (1,500).

Homebuilding companies are also planning much construction in Huntley (1,200 unbuilt lots) and Woodstock (1,100), the report said. Naperville, Oswego and Aurora are in the 750 range, followed by Lockport (600).

These municipalities are all in the 500 range: Lakemoor, Montgomery, Volo, Hampshire and McHenry, according to the survey. New Lenox, Gilberts, St. Charles and Plainfield are in the 300-350 range.

So where is the Chicago area in the homebuilding market cycle now? "The national papers say we won't hit bottom until the third quarter of 2008. I suspect that, in Chicago, we bottomed out in late 2007 -- when we dropped to annualized rate of about 10,000 for-sale permits in the suburbs -- from an earlier rate of 18,000," said Steve Hovany, president of Strategy Planning Associates. The Schaumburg-based homebuilding industry consulting firm also produced the survey about unbuilt lots.

"The awful weather and road conditions have contributed to an even weaker start in the selling season, but we expect the pace to pick up as soon as the weather clears," he said. "A backlog of buyers is building up who have been sidelined for over two years."

How rough was 2007 for the homebuilding industry?

"Well, just over 30,000 permits were issued for [the Chicago area] in 2007," Hovany said. "The city [of Chicago], while down overall, has kept up their permit count, and is now mostly concerned with an overbuilding problem. But in the suburbs alone, the 32,000 permits in 2005 led optimistic [builders] to gear up for 40,000 permits in 2006. We finished last year with about 15,500 permits in the suburbs, only about 30 percent of the capacity with which we entered 2006.

"While the individual building companies have downsized, the number of active subdivisions has remained almost the same," he said. "New openings have declined, but existing [new-home] projects are struggling to close out. We find that 10 to 15 percent of the active development programs are in some stage of shutdown or mothballing. We expect this to increase to 30 percent plus. But it will lead to recovery for the remaining projects."

Have the homebuilding company executives learned any lessons during these tough times? Do they still expect people to buy new homes at the astonishing pace of 2005 and the other glory years?

"2005 is old history," Hovany said. "The market is bouncing along the bottom and forming up the next wave. There are many good things: great mortgage rates, best affordability in years, great selection and better products. The worst is a spooked buyer aggravated by [news of] foreclosures and failed projects."

Will the building companies begin buying greenfields again this year or next year?

"Two big trends this year are intensification in built-up areas and the reworking and renegotiating of large and small failed projects," he said. "Doesn't leave much demand for far-out greenfield development."

Do homebuilding companies now have a grip on what's going on? "Expect more failures as the year goes on," Hovany said. "Some companies get it, others don't. But between intensification and reworking of projects, buyers will find what they want closer in."

Visitors to new-home developments (called "traffic" in builder parlance) totaled 114,150 in 2007, a 27 percent drop from the previous year, according to Greater Chicago Market Report.

среда, января 16, 2008

Kimball Hill Homes Bad News





Kimball Hill Homes says it was late filing SEC documents


Troubled builder Kimball Hill Homes said Tuesday that it belatedly filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission that include an auditor's opinion that it may no longer be able to continue as a going concern.

The report from auditor Deloitte & Touche cited a violation of the terms of Rolling Meadows-based Kimball Hill's senior lending facility. The company said earlier this month that it was in talks with its lenders.

As of Sept. 30, the company reported debt of $564 million.

More

понедельник, декабря 24, 2007

Американский кровельный магнат погиб при обрушении крыши


Американский кровельный магнат погиб при обрушении крыши
Глава крупнейшей в США компании по производству кровельных материалов - Кен Хендрикс (Ken Hendricks) - погиб, упав с крыши своего строящегося дома, сообщает CNN.

По словам родственников погибшего, 66-летний Кен Хендрикс в четверг вечером осматривал крышу своего строящегося особняка в городе Рок (Rock), штат Висконсин. По неустановленным пока причинам, перекрытия здания обрушились и Хендрикс упал с большой высоты. С тяжелыми травмами головы он был доставлен в больницу, где скончался не приходя в сознание в пятницу утром по местному времени.

Кен Хендрикс был основателем и бессменным руководителем компании ABC Supply - крупнейшего поставщика кровельных материалов на американском рынке с оборотом в 3 миллиарда долларов. В списке самых богатых людей США, опубликованном в сентябр6 2007 года журналом The Forbes, Хендрикс занимал 91-е место с личным состоянием в 3,5 миллиарда долларов.
Ссылки по теме
# Roofing magnate dies in fall - CNN, 21.12.2007

Funeral services for Ken Hendricks, founder, chairman and CEO of ABC Supply Co. Inc. in Beloit, are planned for Dec. 28 at 12 p.m. at First Lutheran Church in Janesville.

Hendricks, 66, died last Friday after suffering a massive head injury received in a fall at a construction site at his Rock County home.

Viewing is set for Dec. 27 at the Eclipse Center (Old Beloit Mall), from 3 p.m. until the time of the memorial service at 7 p.m., and again on Dec. 28 at First Lutheran Church from 11 a.m. until the time of the funeral service. The Rev. James Melvin will officiate, with a burial taking place at Oak Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Beloit Regional Hospice.

Hendricks, who grew up the son of a roofer in Janesville, began shingling roofs on weekends while working two other jobs and by age 30 had 500 roofers working for him. In 1982, he acquired three roofing supply centers, which were the first locations of the new American Builders and Contractors Supply.

Today, ABC Supply is the nation's largest wholesale distributor of roofing with sales of nearly $3 billion. The company employs 6,000 people at 390 locations in 46 states and the District of Columbia.

Hendricks also owned or held controlling interest in, or held active board and management positions, with other companies, including American Aluminum Extrusion Co., Hendricks Development Group and Gem Pharmaceuticals LLC.

He is survived by his wife, Diane, their seven children and their families.

воскресенье, декабря 23, 2007

Local homebuilders optimistic about '08



By MELISSA FOLLOWELL
mfollowell@bradenton.com

MANATEE --
David Seiders, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders, has scaled down his expectations for 2008 by nearly 40 percent.
With the struggling economy and meltdown of the mortgage industry, Seiders in a teleconference call Thursday predicted single-family home starts will be back to 1991 levels in 2008, 55 percent below the unnaturally high peak of 2005.
Yet some local builders think the Manatee-Sarasota market is already looking up.
Auctions, foreclosures, short sales, vulture funds and discounted new home prices are part of the reason the move is in a positive direction, they said.
"The bottom has been established," said Jerry Blumberg, co-owner of Gibraltar Homes.
Manatee County native and fourth-generation homebuilder Evelyn Treworgy agrees. "People are in the mood to look now, and they are serious again," she said.
Treworgy, who is building Palma Sola Bay Club in Manatee County, thinks 2008 will be a year for market recovery.
While Seiders' predictions show things starting to look up in 2008, the decline is expected to continue into the first quarter and possibly the second.
"I think we're probably going to be looking at further price declines in 2008 due to excess inventory," Seiders said.
But median home prices have steadily climbed from September to November, according to Manatee's Multiple Listing Service.
With the overall economy slowing in the fourth quarter, Seiders sees a sense of stability creeping into the housing market. While the number of sales were lower than expected across the country, they remained stable, and cancellations on new homes decreased.
"It's hard to be thrilled when we're sitting at a record low, but at least there is stability," Seiders said.
Sales might not have taken off across the country, but local builders saw promise. John Cannon Homes reported five sales last week, making it a record-setting week for the custom homebuilder, said T.J. Nutter, chief operating officer of John Cannon Homes.
John Cannon Homes, along with Gibraltar Homes and other local builders, are approaching 2008 like a normal year, with new models already under construction and set to open in the new year.
"I don't think it's going to be a boom year, but it will be healthy," Blumberg said. "We were the first up, the first to bottom and the first to climb back."

Builders News


Builders proceed with caution after glut of new homes
By Don Dodson
Sunday, December 23, 2007 9:36 AM CDT
E-mail Story Printer-friendly
CHAMPAIGN – Homes are still being built in Champaign County, but builders have become more careful and conservative in picking their projects.
Customers are still hiring builders to custom-build homes, said Bill Peifer, president of the Home Builders Association of East Central Illinois.
Advertisement
But builders are more cautious in deciding to proceed with "spec" houses – those built on speculation, with the hope someone will like them and buy them.
"We've seen a slowdown in the spec markets ... but we've seen a fair amount of people coming to us about building a new home," said Peifer, the owner of Signature Development. "We continue to build presold homes, but the spec market has been down."
Some builders are frank about the depth of the down cycle. Chris Creek, president of Creek Development, said the market for new mid-priced houses and condominiums is ailing.
"I don't think we've been this low in probably 17 years or so. We're significantly down from any year in the past decade, and we've cut our prices 8 to 10 percent," said Creek, who is developing condos at Ponds of Windsor in Champaign and at Water's Edge and Stillwater Landing, both in Urbana.

Signature Development's Bill Peifer stands in front of one of his company's spec homes in the Lake Falls subdivision in Savoy. By Darrell Hoemann
"It's a cycle. I've been through it a couple times ... and we're just waiting until it goes away," he said. "We hope to make enough money to keep the people we have and cover overhead and interest."
In the meantime, Creek has limited his inventory, and that worries him. If the market suddenly picks up in spring, he has little left to offer.
Creek said that in the fall of 2005, he felt "too many people were doing too many crazy things." When a banker asked him how many lots were presold in a subdivision he was developing, he said 60.
"I thought to myself, 'This is beyond a good time. There's something wrong here.'"
The following spring, the market for new homes slowed dramatically, Creek said.
"It continued to slow until about two months ago. It's kind of stabilized now," he said. "That's not good by any means, but it hasn't gotten worse."
Creek said most home builders who build "spec" houses have felt the pinch.
"Everyone's price has gone down, including ours," he said. "None of us is making as much as we used to.
"A lot of subcontractors have gone on to get other jobs or do something else," he added. "They had to. They had families to take care of."
As of Dec. 11, about 1,838 housing units were on the market in Champaign County, said Tom Harrington Jr., chief executive officer of the Devonshire Group.
Given the average rate of sales per month, it would take about 6.8 months for those to be absorbed, Harrington said. Six months is typical, he said, so the current inventory reflects a "fairly balanced market."
But among new homes – those less than a year old – there's an 11.4-month supply on the market.
"That would suggest we have an oversupply of new homes," Harrington said.
Paul Phillips, vice president of Armstrong Construction, estimated that new-home sales in 2006 were off 8 percent to 10 percent from 2005, and this year's sales are down another 8 percent to 10 percent.
"I'd say the spec home market is off the most," said Phillips, whose business is divided evenly between spec and custom-built homes.
"Probably the most overbuilt price range is $350,000 to $450,000," he said.
Creek sells condominiums in a variety of prices – from the low $200,000s at Ponds of Windsor to the $120,000 range at Stone Creek.
"Those are the ones that have moved the best for us," he said of the lower-priced homes. "There's nothing above the $180,000 mark (selling) for us right now."
The market is price-sensitive, said Mike Martin, director of residential development for The Atkins Group.
"The more expensive the home, there's a little more of a slowdown," he said.
The Atkins Group is developing Ashland Park, a subdivision north of Wal-Mart on North Prospect Avenue in Champaign. Many of its residents are first-time homebuyers. So far, 416 houses have been built, and 250 more are slated before the subdivision is complete.
Because many of the buyers wait for apartment leases to expire before moving into their new homes, most of the homes are sold during the early part of the year – before the traditional July 31 lease expiration, Martin said.
"We've started a few less homes (this fall)," he said. "We don't like for them to sit over winter."
Phillips dates the slowdown in new-home sales from early 2006. Buying tapered off as loan prices and interest rates went up, he said.
But things have changed in recent months.
"Long-term interest rates today are at a two- or three-year low," he said. National mortgage indexes show 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages with average rates of less than 6 percent, while 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages carry rates slightly above 6 percent.
"Those are fabulous rates," said Phillips, the home builders association's president-elect.
Signature Development's Peifer said he offers special incentives in order to sell spec houses.
In some cases, he'll offer to buy a customer's home if the customer is not able to sell before the new house is finished. In other cases, he'll offer rebates of $10,000 to $15,000 on new homes and lots in some subdivisions.
"We have to be imaginative and offer up some things we didn't in the last five to seven years," he said.
But it's not as though the entire market has dried up.
"Customers are taking longer to make decisions, but they still seem to be out there," Peifer said. "Spec homes have been slower to sell in the second half of the year. I consider the market to still be saturated in spite of a slowing of new starts."

Housing slump means end of line for Chicago builder


Housing slump means end of line for Chicago builder

by Dan

The sluggish housing market has claimed another high-profile victim. This time, it’s Neumann Homes in suburban Chicago, a residential developer that builds homes in Illinois, Wisconsin and Colorado.



The builder late in the day on Oct. 22 faxed press releases to several Chicago newspapers announcing that it had defaulted on its credit facilities and was preparing to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company has already laid off most of its employees and has closed all of its sales and production offices.



According to Crain’s Chicago Business, Neumann has 15 residential subdivisions in various stages of construction in Illinois. The company said it is seeking funding from its lenders to help complete homes already under construction. The press release also said that Neumann will ask the bankruptcy court to allow it to refund earnest money deposits to consumers whose homes are not yet under construction.



In the release, Neumann president Ken Neumann pointed to the “significant downturn” in the housing markets in Chicago, Detroit and Colorado for his company’s demise.



This is no small-fry homebuilder. Neumann Homes has been around since 1980 and, according to its Web site, has been building from 90 to 100 homes every year since the middle of that decade. The company sold more than 1,800 homes in 2005. The Chicago Sun-Times recently ranked Neumann Homes as the ninth-largest Chicago-area homebuilder in 2006 by volume. It had sold $231.2 million worth of homes that year according to the Chicago newspaper.



Neumann’s bankruptcy filing is just more evidence of a residential real estate market that isn’t turning around any time soon. Defenders of residential real estate’s strength routinely pointed to the Midwest as an area of stability when it came to the housing market. It was always the East and West coasts that they claimed had the most severe market swings.



Neumann, though, served the Midwest. It had nothing to do with the coasts. This real estate slump isn’t confined to the coasts. It’s impacting everyone.

пятница, ноября 16, 2007

Press-Release

For More Information Contact
Thomas M. Tebbe - National Programs Director
Tel 877-394-5268
Email ttebbe@hvacexcellence.org

For Immediate Release

United States Department of Labor to Address the Employment Trends and Prospects for HVAC Technicians

It is no secret that the skilled labor workforce in the United States is aging and retiring in mass numbers. The secret is what jobs will be available in the decades to come. Specifically, what types of jobs will be hot in the HVACR industry.

The United States Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics will be presenting "An Economic Perspective on the Prospects for HVAC Technicians: A Future in the Green Economy". This presentation will assist HVACR educators in directly their training to the jobs of tomorrow.

In 2004, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers held about 270,000 jobs in the U.S., with most of these workers employed by plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractors. The remainder was employed by a variety of industries, reflecting a widespread dependence on climate-control systems. As a result of the increasing emphasis on energy efficiency and the greater complexity of these systems is leading to excellent prospects for mechanics and installers with training from accredited technical schools and apprenticeship training. These prospects are even more profound in the fastest growing areas of the country.

Mr. Richard Holden, from the United States Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics will be providing a great deal of information beneficial to educators in the HVAC industry: Knowing which part of the country will have what types of jobs, What technologies need to be taught, What part of the industry will have the most growth, What part of the industry will have the best paying jobs. Mr. Holden will provide projections of industry demand for these skilled technicians as compared to other occupations and the overall labor force, future earnings prospects, and skills transfer possibilities from related occupations in the context of a “green” economy (energy efficient). All of this information will assist educators and administrators in directing their programs towards the jobs of the future and the money.

Mr. Holden is the Regional Commissioner for the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pacific Region. As commissioner, he is responsible for the data collection efforts for the Consumer Price Index, Producer Price Index, International Price Index, National Compensation Survey, Employment Cost Index, as well as cooperative statistical programs for employment and wages in his region.

Mr. Holden will be presenting this information to HVACR Educators, Trainers, Administrators and other interested parties at theNational HVACR Educators and Trainers Conference in Las Vegas, March 16-19, l2008 at the Imperial Palace Hotel.

We all know that there will be more jobs in the HVAC industry than applicants in years to come. The key is to know which jobs are the hot jobs of the future, and follow the money.

воскресенье, ноября 11, 2007

Our Team & GreenBuild Exhibitions (Chicago 2007)





В Чикаго успешно прошла выставка
"Зеленого" строительства
"GreenBuild 2007".


Наш город по праву считается первопроходцем и лидером в США по степени вовлечения всех общественных и политических институтов общества в это движение. Десятки объектов, построенных в Иллинойсе и Чикаго за последние пять лет получили сертификат соответствия LEED (всеамериканский стандарт Green Building). В городе работает отделение американского Совета "зеленого" строительства(US Green Building Council),
мэр Чикаго Ричард Дейли еще в 2002 году на крыше мэрии города устроил зеленый парк, где теперь с удовольствием принимает многочисленных гостей города.

Что мне понравилось на выставке.

великолепная организация выставки, в т.ч
- Большая часть работ была выполнена добровольцами (волонтерами) совершенно бесплатно!
- Организационная подготовка проходила в системе REMOTE CONTROL, т.е. оргкомитет выставки находился в двух города - Вашингтоне и Бостоне практически до последней недели перед выставкой.
- Все материалы выставки были заблаговременно высланы по интернету всем участникам и зарегистрированным посетителям.
- Регистрация участников и посетителей проходила по интернету и делалась четко с получением своевременного подтверждения регистрации.
- Для проведения выставки был выделен лучший в Чикаго и один из лучших в США выставочный Западный павильон в комплексе McCormick Place, который сам имеет Зеленый сертификат.
- Заранее были забронированы места в гостиницах.
- Организованы специальные экскурсии по городу для всех посетителей и участников с посещением лучших строительных и архитектурных "зеленых" объектов города.
- Предварительная реклама на радио, газетах и телевидении города началась еще за несколько месяцев и была организована в свою очередь блестяще и сфокусирована на целевые аудитории.
- Поддерживались очень дружественные и доброжелательные контакты со всеми добровольными информационными изданиями и, в первую очередь, с блоггерами.
- В дни проведения выставки общая атмосфера была праздничной, доброжелательной, очень открытой.
- Все системы и службы работали очень четко, слаженно.
- Регистрация проходила быстро, выдавалось огромное количество великолепно изданных информационных изданий.
- Система информационной поддержки работа без сбоев и сопровождала вас повсюду и в залах выставки и в фойе.
- Порядок и чистота везде были исключительны.
- Для работы представителей прессы были организованы несколько больших хорошо оборудованных комнат.
- Для участников и гостей в зале выставки три раза в день бесплатно раздавали кофе, чай и закуски.
- Несмотря на огромное количество посетителей (более 25 тысяч человек за два дня) и около 4-х тысяч участников и работников выставки не чуствовалось скученности.
- Я не заметил ни одного праздно проводящего рабочее время работника выставки.
- Организация выставочного зала меня просто покорила - здесь не было ни одной перегородки, было царство воздуха и пространства.
- Подбор участников был очень тщательный и расстановка их стендов в зале позволяла всем посетителям легко и просто находить любой экспонат, не блуждая в коридорах привычных both.
- Я впервые встретился с очень удобной электронной системой регистрации всех участников (и посетителей и гостей). Каждому была выдана магнитная карта с его персональными данными. У каждого участника выставки была своя маленькая считывающая машинка, которая автоматически заносила данные с карты в память их собственного компа, что позволяла обойтись без привычных бизнес карт и сэкономила всем массу времени и места.
- Для всех участников и гостей выставки работали многочисленные столовые, кафе и рестораны. Пиво и вода раздавалось бесплатно ( интересно то, что практически пиво никто не пил).
- Великолепно прошло открытие выставки с участием Билла Клинтона. На встречу с ним с раннего утра записалось свыше 8 тысяч человек!

Что мне не понравилось на выставке-

- отсуствие компаний из стран СНГ!!!

Наша газета "Стройка без Границ" была медиатором выставки , а сотрудники газеты получили свободный доступ ко всем материалам, конференциям и участникам выставки.
Газета получила положительнцую оценку организаторов выставки и уже официально приглашена на следующую выставку в Бостоне в 2008 году.

Это первые короткие заметки по итогам моего первого опыта участия в такого рода выставке в качестве представителя прессы.

С уважением,
Владимир Ляпин,
редактор газеты "Стройка без границ"

About USGBC

The U.S. Green Building Council is the nations leading nonprofit organization composed of corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Since its founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 12,000 member companies and organizations, a broad portfolio of LEEDЃ programs and services, the industries popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network of 72 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. The Councils vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

About Greenbuild

The U.S. Green Building Councils Greenbuild International Conference & Expo convenes the industrys largest gathering of representatives from all corners of the green building movement. Three days of extensive educational programming, workshops, a vast exhibition floor and ample networking events provide unrivaled opportunities to learn about the latest innovations, exchange ideas and develop new business relationships. Greenbuild 2007 will be held on November 7-9, 2007 in Chicago, Ill. at McCormick Place. This years conference is expected to draw over 20,000 attendees and will feature more than 850 exhibit booths. Visit www.greenbuildexpo.org for more information. To view this years show from right from your computer, go to www.greenbuild365.org.

пятница, октября 19, 2007

Green/Sustainable Architecture


Musings from CML Architects & Builders, LTD.

By Charles Lee

Before I begin, I’d be the first person to acknowledge that I don’t know much about Green Architecture; however, I am hopeful that I would sooner than later gather up enough knowledge on this matter to become a responsible and accountable global citizen.

What does it mean to build Green?

What is Green/Sustainable Architecture?

From November 7th through 9th, Chicago is hosting GREEN · BUILD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND EXPO at McCormick Place. I am hoping that attending this event will give me some insights as to what Green/Sustainable Architecture means.

The Industrial Revolution gave us the mechanical muscles to push us forward into the modern era of amazing technological advancement. However, it has also polluted our planet earth with an unprecedented scale and speed in the history of the earth. After working those industrial muscles since the 18th century to mass produce and push goods for consumption, we’ve come to the realization that those muscles of production are slowly suffocating us and our planet earth and that if we don’t start doing something about it soon, we will all have to suffer dire consequences, and that our future generations are going to have to pay for our inaction in preventing the future eco-disasters.

The Industrial Revolution has proven to be not sustainable because of its very polluting nature for it depends heavily on fossil fuel as its primary energy source. We’ve come to the realization that we have to sooner or later abandon our old ways of doing business as usual and find some new ways that are eco-friendly and possibly self-renewable. Anything that is not sustainable will eventually wither out and come to its end. There have been many pioneering experiments about Going Green. I believe that Going Green, for it to be truly effective, has to turn itself into a kind of popular cultural movement based on the belief that this is something that we all must do for our sons and daughters and for our grandchildren and their children. People should want it, desire it and demand it. Where there a great demand, it is my feeling that Going Green has a better chance of attracting the attention of the profit-motivated market to adjust itself to take advantage of the demand.

What does it mean to be Green or Sustainable? When I hear or see the words Green or Sustainable, I think of Nature or Planet Earth in its natural state without much of our interference in its affairs. Throughout most of our human history, it has been our own comforts and conveniences that drove much of our profit-motivated industries and markets.

In today’s world, almost anything and everything that a modern man does will contributes to polluting the earth; to be absolute sure that he doesn’t pollute, he might as well do nothing. Of course this would be an impossibility. So what is the next best thing that we can do or don’t do? I leave this question for dear readers to decide for themselves.

пятница, октября 05, 2007

четверг, сентября 13, 2007

Chicago Green Building


If you're a reporter covering energy, real estate, climate change, architecture and design, the environment, or the construction industry, you cannot afford to miss Greenbuild 2007.

The Greenbuild International Conference & Expo is the must-go event for the booming green building industry. With three days of exceptional educational programs, speakers, workshops, and green building tours alongside the industry's largest exhibit hall, Greenbuild is the one place you can go to learn what's now and what's next in green building.

Now in its sixth year, Greenbuild is presented annually by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit organization composed of more than 10,500 companies, nonprofits, educational institutions, and government agencies working to transform the building industry. Since its founding in 1993, USGBC has been at the forefront of green building, introducing the nationally used LEED® Green Building Rating System™ in 2000 and launching Greenbuild in 2002.

Information for Trade Press

Information for Reporters Covering the Residential Sector

Who can register as media?

Working press registration for members of the media covering Greenbuild is complimentary. Freelance writers and photographers must submit a letter from the news organization they are representing on that company's letterhead and signed by the editor. Eligibility is subject to approval by USGBC. You will be notified if your request for complimentary press credentials is denied, or if additional information is needed to confirm your status. Please note that publishing companies do not qualify as a media outlet. In order to pick up your press credentials you will be asked to provide a business card and show photo ID. Press registration includes exhibit hall, plenary and master speaker sessions, educational sessions and all green building tours. Full and half day LEED workshops, post conference seminars, USGBC Member Day and the Leadership Awards celebration are not included in complimentary press registration.

Non-editorial employees of media organizations, including but not limited to marketing, public relations, advertising, sales, publishers, etc., do not qualify for complimentary press registration.

Attendee registration information

Register as working press

Working members of the press may register online. Registration information will be kept confidential.

Freelance reporters must send a letter of verification from the news organization they are representing on that company's letterhead and signed by the editor. Please mail verification letters to:

U.S. Green Building Council
Taryn Holowka
1800 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20036

Or email the letter to media@greenbuildexpo.org

For more information please email media@greenbuildexpo.org

Lake Shore Drive

History lesson: RDM restores vintage charm while updating Lake Shore landmark

by Sheila Burt

1400 N. Lake Shore Drive

Gutting a 1920s high-rise can be a little like plunging your hand into an elaborate wedding cake. The architectural detail for which the era is celebrated gets destroyed if developers don’t strive to preserve it.

RDM Development was well aware of this fact when it bought 1400 Lake Shore Drive, a 22-story Gold Coast tower with numerous details worth preserving. Intricate metal grilles, hand-painted ceilings, walnut paneling, limestone floors and chandeliers are among the features that landed the building’s lobby on the National Register of Historic Places. Its limestone façade is typical of the Gold Coast, a nationally landmarked district.


La Quinta Building First Chi-Town Property
By Gina Kenny

CHICAGO-La Quinta is constructing its first hotel in Chicago at 1 S. Franklin St. in the Loop’s Financial District. LQ Management LLC, based in Irving, TX, acquired the nine-story building in 2006, says Temple Weiss, executive vice president of acquisitions and development for LQ Management. The Jewish Federation Building was reportedly sold for $9.2 million after the Jewish Federation bought an office condo at 200 W. Monroe, sources say.

The La Quinta Inn & Suites hotel will have 241 guest rooms and is expected to open next fall. Two wings will be added to the building, which was constructed in 1958. A 21,000-sf wing will be constructed closest to Madison Street and a 24,000-sf wing constructed closest to Arcade Place. The 131,000-sf hotel will have about 1,500 sf of meeting space and 3,627 sf of restaurant and retail space, Weiss tells GlobeSt.com.

The hotel will also have a business center, an indoor heated swimming pool, a spa and an exercise room and will feature four different room layouts including two-room suites. The location near the lakefront and the city’s museums “do make us an attractive alternative,” he says. The architect for the project is locally based A. Epstein & Sons International and the contractor is William A. Randolph Inc., based in Gurnee, IL.

There are 11 La Quinta hotels in the Chicagoland area but this will be the first one in the city of Chicago. LQ management operates and provides franchise services for more than 600 La Quinta Inn and La Quinta Inn & Suites hotels in 45 states in addition to Canada. The hotel brand did not expand into the Midwest until it acquired the Baymont brand in 2004, he says. The company then began to specifically look in Chicago to construct a hotel “We saw there was a demand for moderately priced lodging in the market place and not a lot of supply to meet it,” Weiss says. “In particular, there’s really no moderately priced lodging at all within the Loop.”

среда, сентября 12, 2007

Architecture standart in Chicago


Patrick FitzGerald
President / Managing Principal

After receiving his master's degree from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, Pat joined Reinheimer and Associates in 1978. He became a partner in 1984 and the principal in 1986. His interest in the urban environment and Chicago's history combined with a pragmatic approach learned under Martin Reinheimer's tutelage have enabled him to build a practice doing the work he enjoys in a city he loves.

Sleek CA23 Development Sets Architectural Standards in West Loop

CHICAGO—Condo shoppers who enjoy exceptional contemporary-style architecture should tour the model for CA23, an innovative $35-million condominium development underway in the heart of the West Loop.

CA23’s twin 5-story buildings will boast an innovative and contemporary design by FitzGerald & Associates. The 48-unit development is being creatively built, tucked on a 36,000-square-foot through-lot between Carpenter and Aberdeen streets.

The structures boast a contemporary blend of materials such as limestone, steel and glass and will be connected by a massive landscaped courtyard that serves a sanctuary from the urban setting, according to developer Geoffrey Ruttenberg, president and CEO of The Brixton Group, Ltd.

Real Estate News

Housing Bulletin—Turning Down the Volume

Deal Estate continues its expanded analysis of the real-estate charts in Chicago’s October issue, this week looking at the Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs where the number of home sales dropped most sharply.

Using data supplied by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, the charts in the magazine examined 77 city neighborhoods and 204 suburbs during the 12-month period beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007. In nine out of ten of those areas, fewer homes sold during that time period than in the preceding 12 months.

In most of the areas on this year’s charts, sales volume fell between 15 and 35 percent. Hardest hit in the city was the sale of detached housing (single-family homes) in Hyde Park and Chicago Lawn; in the suburbs, Wayne, Itasca, and Melrose Park saw the biggest decline. In each of those places, the number of sales dropped by more than half.

Sales weren’t down everywhere. In the suburbs of Kildeer, East Dundee, Sleepy Hollow, and Hawthorn Woods, the number of sales at least tripled. In the city, the Near West Side and Bridgeport neighborhoods experienced a boom in detached-housing sales, with increases of 50 and 36.2 percent respectively. Also rising: the number of sales of attached-housing (that is, condos and townhouses) in the Lower West Side (270 percent), East Garfield Park (125 percent), and West Garfield Park (85 percent).

Below are the ten places with the largest percentage of decline in the number of home sales in each of three local real-estate categories: detached housing in the city; attached housing in the city; and housing in the suburbs. The lists include only those neighborhoods and towns that had more than ten home sales during the time period covered by this year’s and last year’s charts. All numbers are percentages. (Next week, Housing Bulletin looks at the places where home prices fell the most.)

SUBURBS

CITY DETACHED

CITY ATTACHED
Wayne 57.4
Hyde Park 55.8
South Deering 45.0
Itasca 55.5
Chicago Lawn 54.0
Albany Park 41.0
Melrose Park 53.9
Hermosa 50.0
North Park 36.5
Naperville 47.9
Gage Park 48.7
Montclare 36.0
Schiller Park 45.2
West Lawn 48.2
Ashburn 35.8
River Grove 44.5
Brighton Park 45.7
Forest Glen 35.2
Summit 44.1
Clearing 41.7
Edison Park 32.9
Berkeley 43.6
Dunning 40.6
Clearing 28.8
Lyons 41.3
Edison Park 37.6
Rogers Park 26.4
Worth 40.7
West Garfield Park 37.0
Norwood Park 20.5

Housing Bulletin | Permalink

Copyright 2006-2009 | ARBATUS
No part of the content or the blog may be reproduced without prior written permission.