BUILDERS FRAMEWORK
FREDERICKSBURG AREA BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
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Volume 4: Issue 9 September 2020
FREDERICKSBURG - STAFFORD - SPOTSYLVANIA - CAROLINE - KING GEORGE - ORANGE
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Builder Confidence in Single-Family Market at Record High
In a sign that housing continues to lead the economy forward, builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes increased six points to 78 in August, according to the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The HMI now stands at its highest reading in the 35-year history of the series, matching the record set in December 1998. Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for 35 years, the NAHB NAHB NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index gauges builder perceptions of single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as “good,” “fair” or “poor.” The survey also asks builders to rate traffic of prospective buyers as “high to very high,” “average” or “low to very low.” Scores for each compon- ent are then used to calculate a seasonally adjusted index where any number over 50 indicates that more builders view condi- tions as good than poor. All the HMI indices posted gains in August. The HMI index gauging current sales con- ditions rose six points to 84, the compo- nent measuring sales expectations in the next six months increased three points to 78 and the measure charting traffic of prospective buyers posted an eight-point gain to reach its highest level ever at 65. Looking at the three-month moving averages for regional HMI scores, the Northeast jumped 20 points to 65, the Midwest increased 13 points to 63, the South rose 12 points to 71 and the West increased 15 points to 78.
Who Are NAHB's Associate Members? NAHB’s 80,000 Associate members are an important part of membership. The largest share of Associate members, 43%, are subcontractors or specialty trade contractors. Roughly 13% work in professional fields such as accounting and engineering, and 11% work in retail dealerships. About 8% are employed in financial services, 4% work in wholesale distributorships, and 20% listed “other associate” as their primary activity.
Consider Serving On An NAHB Committee NAHB invites all members in good standing to consider serving on a committee or council board of trustees. These groups meet in person during the Spring and Fall Leadership Meetings and at the International Builders’ Show to discuss legislative and regulatory news, industry trends and more, and to make informed policy recommendations to NAHB’s Board of Directors. The 2021 application period is open until Oct. 30, 2020. NAHB Education An Online Success NAHB Education has adapted quickly to COVID-19's effects on the classroom, and is now offering its intensive, full-day designation courses – such as those for the Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) professional designation – on a virtual platform. The designation courses are commonly offered through HBAs. The transition has been a success for students, instructors and HBAs offering the courses, because more people can attend from their home or office.
Fannie, Freddie to Delay Refinance Charge After strong opposition from NAHB and many other housing, consumer advocacy, and banking groups, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced Aug. 25 that it has ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to delay until Dec. 1, 2020, the implementation of a new 0.5% surcharge on mortgage refinances. The government-backed mortgage guarantors on Aug. 13 announced they would charge an additional 0.5% fee on refinanced mortgages they purchase beginning Sept. 1 due to “market and economic uncertainty” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lumber Prices Up 130% Since April Lumber prices have risen more than 130% since mid-April. As a result, the average cost of lumber in a typical new single-family home has gone up by $13,500 and by $5,100 in a typical multifamily home. NAHB is asking Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to re-engage with Canadian officials to achieve a long-term agreement on softwood lumber. NAHB is also asking the U.S. Lumber Coalition to find ways to address shortages in the domestic lumber supply chain.
Year-Over-Year Gains in Permits Over the first six months of 2020 – and after the onset of the impact of the coronavirus – total single-family permits issued year-to-date nationwide reached 433,484. This is a 3.8% increase over the June 2019 level of 417,453. Year-to-date ending in June, single-family permits across the four regions ranging from an increase of 6.5% in the South to a decline of 1.7% in the Northeast. In multi- family permits, the South reported a 3.1% increase while the other three regions reported declines – Northeast (-14.7%), Midwest (-6.2%), and West (-5.6%). Between June 2019, and June 2020, 34 states saw growth in single-family permits while 16 states and the District of Colum- bia registered a decline. South Dakota recorded the highest growth rate during this time at 36.7% from 1,178 to 1,610.
NAHB is once again endorsing candidates for the U.S. House and Senate in the upcoming Nov. 3 elections. NAHB endorses candidates who have shown a commitment to policies that promote homeownership and rental housing opportunities for all Americans. NAHB makes all of its endorsement decisions in concert with the state and local home builders associations (HBAs) of the lawmakers under consideration. To date, NAHB has endorsed 82 candi- dates, including 72 in the House and 10 in the Senate. Many of the endorsements were made for primary elections. NAHB will continue to work with its state and local HBAs to announce additional endorsements and updates based on primary results. As the nation deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, NAHB encourages all voters to prepare now to ensure your vote counts on Election Day. You can check your state’s voter registration deadlines and mail-in voting rules on vote.org. The organization also has a listing of voting changes made by each state in response to COVID-19.
NAHB Again Endorsing Pro-Housing Candidates for Congress
Building Products in Construction NAHB analysis of government data indicates that new single-family and multifamily construction used about $94.9 billion in building products in 2019. Although the vast majority of that amount was produced domestically, supporting jobs in the U.S. manufacturing sector, roughly $6.1 billion was imported from other countries. Among the major product categories, new residential construction in 2019 used more than $11 billion each of cement and concrete products and architectural and structural metals. Other products toward the top of the list were plastic products, household furniture and kitchen cabinets, paints, plywood and engineered wood products, household appliances, HVAC and refrigeration equipment, and electrical equipment.
Virginia Department of Labor and Industry issues emergency regulations governing employers’ obligations regarding Infectious Disease Prevention This emergency temporary standard is designed to establish requirements for employers to control, prevent, and mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to and among employees and employers. On July 15, 2020, Virginia became the first state in the country to adopt an Emergency Standard effective July 27, 2020. Although now in effect, employers will not have to do training with their employees on infectious disease preparedness and response plans until 60 days after the Emergency Standard is adopted. Virginia employers will need to comply with the Emergency Standard and, in some cases, revise policies and procedures for dealing with their workforces as soon as possible or potentially face VDOLI enforcement actions. HBAV will host a webinar in the next few weeks to provide further information as to how this affects the Building Industry. Click here for more information. Additional details and the complete emergency standard can be found at the links below: https://www.williamsmullen.com/news/emergency-virginia-department-labor-and-industry-regulations-governing-employers-obligations-0 Here are the regulations. The following resources have been collected to help you navigate these new regulations. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR RESOURCES: A Link to the Department of Labor and Industry’s Resources Page A Link to the Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan Template (Required of all employers with eleven (11) employees or more that are considered “Medium Risk,” which is a majority of employers. A Link to the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Program’s Key Information Guidance. HBAV RESOURCES: Williams Mullen Legal Briefing Text of Regulation DOLI Outreach, Education and Training LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THE EMERGENCY REGULATIONS AFFECT YOU AND YOUR EMPLOYEES FABA/HBAV MEMBERS ONLY WEBINAR: HBAV Webinar on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufhDbVdiamg Join HBAV and David Burton, partner at Williams Mullen, who will cover the requirements to comply with the Virginia Department of Labor’s Emergency Regulations. You must register in advance for this members only webinar.CLICK HERE to register. The following topics will be covered: Outline of DOLI Emergency Regulations Virginia Employer Requirements to Comply Resources for Compliance Deadlines for Employer Compliance ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES FROM THE FREDERICKSBURG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: A webinar from the Virginia Chamber of Commercediscussing the final regulation and its impact on Virginia Businesses. A PowerPoint brief prepared by the Chamber’s Government Affairs team walking you through the basics. Disclaimer: This is not intended to be or should be construed to be legal advice.On August 4, 2020, the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce will host a webinar answering questions about the regulations and walking through the requirements, including the Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan. You must register for that event here.
2020 Virginia Dept of Labor Update
2020 Virginia Legislative Update
July 1st has arrived and hundreds of new laws, passed during the 2020 Session of the Virginia General Assembly, become effective today. Included below are several resources for members of FABA and HBAV to learn more about the new laws related to housing, land-use, development, construction, environmental regulations, labor and other topics - and also some reminders about what bills did not become law this year. Building Industry Related Legislation Earlier this year, we shared the HBAV General Assembly Review. This documebt highlights over 50 of the 250 bills that HBAV sought to pass, defeat, or amend during the 2020 Session. As you will see, the General Assembly considered a wide array of legislation related to the single-family and multi-family residential land development and construction industry. Changes to Virginia Laws The Division of Legislative Services has released it’s annual In Due Course – 2020 Changes to Virginia’s Laws publication. This document is a selection of legislation passed by the 2020 Session of the General Assembly that is likely to affect the daily lives of citizens in Virginia. Tax Changes The Virginia Department of Tax has released the 2020 Legislative Summary which provides an overview of state and local tax legislation enacted by the 2020 Session of the Virginia General Assembly. Please review the Department’s overview here for any changes that may impact your personal or business tax liability. HBAV’s General Counsel, Williams Mullen, recently published an overview of Virginia’s new Wage Theft Law. “Virginia Wage Theft Law Brings New Duties and Steep Penalties for General Contractors”examines a series of bills signed by Governor Northam related to the non-payment of wages. These changes to Virginia’s wage payment laws significantly increase potential penalties against employers who fail to properly pay employees wages, and the laws also stack additional burdens on general contractors to ensure that their subcontractors are adhering to the law. This alert highlights several critical changes that Virginia employers – particularly those who work with subcontractors – need to know and be prepared for. Click here to read more.
All FABA service area Countiy and City offices are now open to the public with limited contact and social distancing rules. Please call each county office before visiting to confirm specifics. All counties still recommend use of online services whenever possible.
CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE POSTERS AND RESOURCES TO HELP PROTECT YOUR EMPLOYEES, AND THE PUBLIC AT JOB SITES, AND WORK PLACES COVID-19 RESOURCES: CDC: Resources for Large Community Events & Mass Gatherings ASAE: Issue Roundup: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) World Health Organization (WHO) Virginia Department of Health (VDH) MPI: Coronavirus Resources for Meeting Professionals PCMA: What Business Events Professionals Need to Know About the COVID-19 Coronavirus IAEE: Coronavirus Resources Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) has issued two new posters notifying employees of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which must be posted or otherwise communicated to workers by April 1, 2020. The DOL recently made minor updates to the non-federal employee poster. Below, please find the revised posters: Non-Federal Employee Rights|Spanish Federal Employee Rights|Spanish
The Associates Advisory Council meets the second Wednesday of each month at 9 am. This committee is chaired by the Associate Vice President and plans and organizes several FABA events, and keeps the association focused on the needs of all members.
Stafford County Bi-Monthly Meeting October 12th, 9:00AM Spotsylvania County Bi-Monthly Meeting October 5th, 3:00PM Spotsylvania County Builders Roundtable TBD Caroline County Quarterly Meeting TBD Orange County Quarterly Meeting October 9th, 3:00PM King George County Quarterly Meeting January 8th, 10:00AM Fredericksburg City Quarterly Meeting October 2nd, 9:00AM
Calendar at a Glance
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Upcoming County Meetings
We are working to schedule these events safely. Please save these dates: September 15th - Disc Golf September 17th - Hard Hat Sponsored by and held at Rays Siding September 24th - Hands Only CPR and AED Training October 1st - Parade of Homes Awards October 8th - Fall Golf October 20th - Red Cross Blood Drive November 5th - Annual Meeting FABA's first priority has been, and will continue to be, the safety of our members. Both on the job site, at the work place and at social events.
FABA’s 2020 Fall Golf Invitational The Fredericksburg Area Builders Association will be holding its fall golf invitational. It is hosted at Pendleton Golf Course by Tricord Homes OCTOBER 8th 2020. The purpose of this event is to raise funds for FABA’s legislative efforts and support the home building industry. Becoming a sponsor will expose your company to the key decision-makers who are shaping our industry. Check-in is at 11am with shotgun start at 12:30pm. Boxed lunches at the clubhouse. Registration Fee Foursome: $550: Foursome fee includes golf, cart, and lunch. Mulligans and Power Balls: $10 each (limit 1 per person each) Sponsorships Available Title Sponsor $3000 (1 Available) Lunch Sponsor $1300 (1 Available) Beverage Cart Sponsor $1300 (1 Available) Golf Cart Sponsor $300 (2 Available) Award Sponsor $250 (2 Available) Check in Table Sponsorship $250 (1 Available) Hole Sponsorships $150 (18 Available)
Thank you for your continued support of the Fredericksburg Area Builders Association and the Building Industry in Virginia.
New and Renewed FABA Members (August 2020) Renewed Builder Members 1.HIVEX Basement Finishing Company 2.Mendleson Development Group 3.Spartan Homes Inc 4.Teakwood Enterprises Renewed Associate Members 1.Closet Factory 2.Engineering Groupe Inc 3.Fawn Lake Country Club 4.First Heritage Mortgage 5.Guaranteed Rate 6.Illusions Wraps 7.Loving Air Inc 8.Netmender 9.Rick Thompson Electric 10.Shoreline Vinyl Systems Inc 11.Telemedia Broadcasting Inc 12.Wells Fargo Home Mortgage 13.Wetland Studies and Solutions Inc 14.YHB/CPAs & Consultants
Membership Report
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FABA works to educate, promote and represent the building industry while enhancing the region’s quality of life.
FAB Foundation Workforce Grant
FAB Foundation
The FAB Foundation is chaired by group of voluntary directors who work to help the Fredericksburg area community through several initiatives. FAB financially supports non-profit organizations in the Fredericksburg region that specifically coordinate and provide home repair and safer living conditions for those in need. Helping make repairs and improvements related to home ownership affordable. With a greater emphasis on the growing need for Workforce Development in our region, FAB has partnered with local educators and has established three local NAHB Student Chapters in Stafford, Spotsylvania and Caroline counties, and will continue working toward the establishment of student chapters in all the municipalities that we serve. FAB Foundation has grant opportunities available for those looking to learn a trade and to potentially partner with member mentors and job placement opportunities. For more information on all the good that FAB Foundation does, call Maria Moore, Fredericksburg Area Builders Association Executive Vice President, at 540-898-2730, email at mmoore@fabava.com, or go to www.fabava.com and select FAB Foundation tab.
FAB Foundation provided a grant to Josiah Stinson, the shop teacher at Spotsylvania High School. Josiah is excited to get his students leaning about the building trade and will use his grant money to purchase supplies for the students to use at home while they are learning virtually. If you know of a student pursuing a career in the building trades, please have them reach out to find out more about these FAB Foundation Workforce Grants.
Grants awarded to Caroline Habitat for Humanity and Caroline County High School
FAB Foundation granted funds to Caroline County High School for tools so the students could help panel the walls for 5 Habitat for Humanity Homes. FAB Foundation Board members were on hand for the home dedication and ribbon cutting of the Caroline Habitat for Humanity Homes.
2020 FABA Board of Directors
President Stacey Lampman Spaces Design Studio 1st Vice President Scott Hine Assurance Financial Group 2nd Vice President Gene Brown Atlantic Builders Secretary Jeh Hicks Jarrell Properties Treasurer Jeremiah Horstick CORELOT Immediate Past President Marc Simes Tricord Companies Associate Vice President John Reid Embrace Home Loans Executive Officer Maria Moore FABA Legal Counsel Charlie Payne Hirschler Builder Director Michelle Hall J. Hall Homes Builder Director Tim Hall Tricord Companies Builder Director Sean Halsey Halsey Homes Builder Director Allen Harrison Battlefield Homes Builder Director Dan Sandoval Republic Home Builders Builder Director Teressa Taylor-Griffis Foundation Homes Associate Director Sara Fila Legacy Engineering Associate Director Michael King Ray's Siding Associate Director Bruce Reese Legacy Engineering, PC Associate Director Greg Schmidt Pest Solutions Associate Director Frank Sigmon Builders FirstSource
The Legislative Committee meets monthly to discuss the status of local and state level legislation that affects the building industry. For more information from each county, plan to attend the Legislative Committee meeting - third Thursday of the month at 8:30 am. The FAB Foundation board of directors meets monthly to discuss ways to involve the association with local workforce educators and help promote workforce development in our area. If you would like to be invoived with these students, contact FABA for more information.
Legislative News
Why Volunteer? Part of being a great volunteer is loving what you're doing. Find something that you're passionate about or something that inspires you, and then find a need in your community. There are dozens of reasons why you should volunteer - you just need to find the one that feels right. 20 GREAT REASONS TO VOLUNTEER - Help others - Make a difference - Find purpose · Enjoy a meaningful conversation · Connect with your community · Feel involved · Contribute to a cause you care about · Use your skills in a productive way · Develop new skills · Meet new people · Explore new areas of interest · Meet good people · Impress your mom · Impress yourself · Expand your horizons · Get out of the house · Make new friends · Strengthen your resume · Feel better about yourself
Community Service
The Community Service Committee plans and organizes FABA's outreach and service in the local community and partners with members and non-profit groups to find ways to give back.
NEWS AND HAPPENINGS Send us your press releases, news, and event information! We can post it here in our newsletter and on the Member Happenings page of our website! Contact admin@fabava.com for more information.
Hands Only CPR and AED Training Join Gwyneth's Gift Foundation for a training opportunity for all FABA members to refresh their CPR skills while learning how to administer an AED. Members have the option to select from three time slots. Training takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Equipment such as manikins and AED training devices are utilized at all training events. Gwyneth’s Gift Community Training Program engages citizens in the communities in which they live. September 24 8am | 12pm | 4pm This event is free *This is not a CPR Certification Register Here
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