INSIDE: Why You Should Vote Today Web version

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A quick overview of BATC's news and major issues from the past week
  • Get out and vote today in Minnesota's Primary Election. Keep reading to learn more about the candidates.
     
  • Support our BATC Foundation at their annual golf open on September 23rd.
     
  • New code courses are coming to BATC-U this fall. Thanks for your interest; we've been getting lots of calls and emails. Our BATCUniversity.org website will be updated regularly, with more information coming soon!
     
  • BATC Executive Director Dave Siegel and Membership Director Deb Earl returned from the Association Leadership Institute Conference with hardware (check it out below).

Vote Today! Primary Election to Decide November Match-Ups

This primary election matters! With many serious issues facing our industry in 2015, we need a governor and legislators that care about housing. We plan to continue our work to elevate the housing industry and the issues facing it as we move toward the elections. You can help us by looking into where your candidates stand and by voting in the primary today!


GOP Candidates Vying to Take on Governor Dayton

BATC met with all four GOP gubernatorial hopefuls over the last several months to discuss the industry and to better understand each candidate's position on housing. Learn more about these candidates (in their own words) here:

Scott Honour  |  Jeff Johnson  |  Marty Seifert  |  Kurt Zellers


DFL State Auditor Race

State Auditor Rebecca Otto  v. Matt Entenza


Other Primary Races We Are Watching...

There are several other races we are keeping a close eye on. If you are in one of these districts click below to learn more about each candidate.


District 47A Waconia/Western Carver County

Jim Nash v. Bob Frey


District 48B – Eden Prairie

Rep. Jennifer Loon v. Sheila Kihne


District 51A – Eagan-Burnsville

Andrea Todd-Harlin v. Victor Lake 


District 60B – Minneapolis

Rep. Phyllis Kahn  v. Mohamud Noor 


When Will Sprinklers Be Required in New Code?

BATC continues to field questions from our membership on the upcoming code changes and sprinkler mandate. BAM has provided a document that, to the best of our understanding, shows the sprinkler square footage calculation. This was run by the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) earlier this year for their review and comment. It may still be subject to change as the systems are ‘engineered’ and questions arise. For now, this is a good rule of thumb for planning.

Key answers to the commonly asked questions about sprinklers:

1.  Garages are NOT included in the calculation BUT basements (finished or unfinished) are part of the calculation.

2.  The residential building code is slated to become effective January 24, 2015.

3.  Building permits pulled before the effective date of the new code will be built to the old code (i.e. grandfathered in).

4.  BAM has contracted with Building Knowledge, Inc.’s Ed VonThoma to prepare several members only Field Guides, including a Field Guide to Fire Suppression Systems.  Superior, Ferguson, & Uponor are sponsoring this field guide and Ed is consulting with them on the best specs to meet the minimum-maximum code requirements of the state code - give them a shout out if you get the chance.   A draft is underway and we anticipate releasing it in September.


St. Paul Next on Teardown Rules

Teardown backlash may be coming to St. Paul.
As Minneapolis proposes changes to its regulations for new homes and infill construction in response to a boom of teardowns and oversize homes, a St. Paul City Council member aims to stop the trend from hurting the city’s desirable Highland Park and Macalester-Groveland neighborhoods. Read more >>


Code Adoption Date Update – Energy and Radon Code Yet to Be Published.

Only the International Residential Code (IRC) was published on July 28th, which is a change from the Department of Labor and Industry’s presumed plan to publish the codes together with a single effective date. We still await the published adoption of the Energy and Radon Codes, which requires an effective date 180 days after publishing prior to becoming effective and enforceable. Stay tuned for further updates on the Radon and Energy Code effective dates, it is still possible that DLI will establish a single date for the IRC (building code), Energy, and Radon Codes updates to be effective.


Lead refresher courses begin this fall. Sign up today!


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BATC IN THE NEWS

  • Above: BATC Executive Director Dave Siegel and Communications Coordinnator Katy Ervin hold awards from the Association Leadership Institute Conference. BATC was recognized for "Best Assocation Operations" and "Best Publication".
     
  • BATC was mentioned in the Digital Journal, "The Eden Prairie City Council approved the green development project, which marks the first Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC) green path advanced certified development in the Twin Cities". Read more >>

 

 


Millennials: Ready to Enter the Housing Market

File Photo-Associated Press

Millennials are the last missing piece to the recovering housing industry. The Federal Bank of Atlanta, wrote earlier this year that there is a huge pent-up demand from millennials who have delayed buying a house until they believed the economy's improvement is for real. It is for real.

5 reasons millenials should enter the housing market now:

1. Interest rates are low. Average weekly interest rates for a 30-year fixed mortgage remain under 4.5 percent. Even a slight rate increase can push monthly payments to the point that a buyer might miss out on their first choice for a new home.

2. Huge down payments are not necessary. For example, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) offers loans to first-time home buyers with down payments as low as 3.5 percent.

3. New homes are built to fit your lifestyle. Designed to accommodate today’s busy lifestyles, new homes — including urban condos and single-family homes — feature open floor plans, flexible spaces, low-maintenance materials and other amenities that appeal to younger buyers. Not only can they be more affordable to operate, new homes also are significantly more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly.

4. Technology makes house shopping fun and easy. Today’s tech-savvy home buyers use mobile apps to quickly gather all of the key information on a property and to see extensive photos from their cell phones or tablets.

5. Owning a home can help young families combat rising rents. For most Americans, homeownership is a primary element of their net worth, and is an important step in accumulating personal financial assets over the long term. At the same time, rent prices continue to climb — by 2.8 percent in 2013.


Beltway Perspectives with Elliot Eisenberg

A semi-regular column on the national economic & housing scene from Washington D.C. by Dr. Elliot Eisenberg, Ph.D., GraphsandLaughs, LLC

All Bubbles Are Not Created Equal.

All economic bubbles and subsequent busts are not the same by comparing the economic destruction wrought by the dot-com bust to the economic pain that resulted from the housing bust.  It turns out that who loses money during the bust is a key variable in determining how bad the bust is. Read More >>

 


Cheaper Housing a Magnet for Americans

Affordable housing may be behind the fact that the Twin Cities rank as one of the faster growing metro areas. The New York Times states, the country’s fastest-growing cities are now those where housing is more affordable than average. The image above shows how a greater share of domestic migrants now say they were drawn to a place where housing is more affordable.


Info Session On Brownfield Resources, Aug. 28th

You are invited to attend an information session to learn about local public financing that helps pay the cost of cleaning up contaminated sites. Over $8M in grant funds in addition to low cost loans will be available to investigate or clean up contaminants associated with real estate development.

When: Thursday, August 28, 2014
            10:30 AM – noon

Where: Maplewood Library
             Community Program Room
             3025 Southlawn Drive
             Maplewood MN 55109

More Information>


Upcoming Calendar of Events

August 12
Primary Election
August 14
Member Orientation [Contact Deb]
September 9
Sponsorship Luncheon [register]
September 23
BATC Foundation Golf Open [Register]
October 2014-June 2015
BATC-U Lead Recertification [register]
October 7
BATC Clay Shoot [Register]
October 11
Builders' Warehouse Sale [Contact Perri]
October 23
BIG Night [more info]
November 4
Election Day - VOTE
November 13
Member Orientation
November 13
Give to the Max Day
November 18
BATC BE Fast Forward Showroom Mixer [register]
December 4
BATC Buck Auction & Holiday Food Drive [more info]

For a complete list of events, visit our website at WWW.BATC.ORG.


Thank You to Our 2014 Elite Partners