Two NEW Deadlines this year: Enter the ROMA Awards competition, and pay, by this Friday, March 15th; Upload your entries by April 12th.

And don't forget: This year, there are no limits to the number of categories in which your remodeling project can be entered! In addition, the fair market value of your project will be a key determining factor in judging.

Get more information on the 2013 ROMA Awards >>

Enter the 2013 ROMA Awards >>

The NAHB Certified Aging in Place Designation is only one week away. If you are interested in attending individual courses (March 19, 20 or 21) or want to sign up for all three days, you must register by tomorrow, Wednesday, March 13th. Register here.

Registration closes at the end of the day tomorrow and seating is limited. Register online or contact Beth Graham at 651-697-7580 to inquire about class space.

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

While economic growth has been lackluster since the end of the recession in summer 2009, this is likely to change, despite the sequester.  Here are my top four reasons why, in rank order of their importance to the economy going forward.

The painful process of deleveraging is over. Deleveraging is, in part, what caused this recession to be so painful compared with all other post-WWII recessions. Non-financial corporations have outstanding balance sheets, and have actually begun to releverage. Commercial and industrial loans are once again on the rise and the banking sector is healthier than it has ever been since record keeping began. To give just one indicator, the core capital ratio of banks is 9.2%; the post WWII average is 7.5%. Households are pretty good shape too. There are now only about nine million households seriously behind on some sort of payment. At the peak of the recession, the number was 20 million, while now credit card and auto loans and personal loan defaults are all profoundly low. The surprisingly rapid rate of deleveraging is partly why the housing sector is now recovering much faster than expected [keep reading].    

Session Week 9: Dayton Abandons B2B Business Tax Proposal

Dayton Abandons B2B Business Tax Proposal
The major story of last week broke on Friday morning when Governor Mark Dayton announced that he is dropping his proposal to extend the sales tax to business-to-business transactions. The B2B sales tax was met with universal opposition from business groups throughout the state. With the absence of the B2B tax in the Governor’s budget, it’s been widely speculated that the $500 property tax rebate for Minnesotans will be the next provision to be removed from the table. If that should happen, the remaining high-profile revenue option in the Governor’s budget is the creation of a fourth tier in personal income tax.

The Governor has indicated that he will submit a revised budget soon, perhaps as early as today. 

Committee Deadlines Week

Street Improvement Districts – The annual effort by local governments to acquire new authority to charge a street improvement fee is alive and in-process. This effort allows cities to create districts within their jurisdictions to capture transportation impact fees from new and existing properties. The primary challenge for new development rests in the major risk for duplicative fees. Street and infrastructure fees are paid by builders and developers in the development process and built into lot costs. This would open a new window for revenue that could add major costs to homebuilding projects. BATC is opposed to this measure and joins a large coalition of business and development interests in opposition to the bill. It receives its first policy vetting today in the House Government Operations Committee.

Radon Bills – There is a strong push from the MN Department of Health (MDH) to require a mandatory disclosure in all real estate transactions regarding the health risks associated with radon. While the intent from the MDH is increased public awareness, a parallel effort to mandate testing for all listed residential properties is alive in the House Housing Committee.

Anti-Indemnification/Risk Transfer Bills – Two initiatives are moving through the committee process which would change construction contract indemnification and insurance clauses by making them void and unenforceable. The MN Subcontractors Association is pushing for a blanket prohibition on these provisions, while another bill favored by architects and engineers would carve out an indemnification specific to those services.

NAHB - "Remodelers applaud the reintroduction of legislation to improve the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) lead paint rule for home owners and remodelers who must comply with the costly work practices and recordkeeping requirements of the rule.

The bill would reinstate the opt-out provision to allow home owners without small children or pregnant women residing in the home to decide whether to require the EPA’s Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) compliance, allow remodelers to correct paperwork errors without facing full penalties and provide an exemption for emergency renovations" [keep reading].

Here's a new Twitter phenomena that we thought you would be dying to know about:

Twitter fans can finally rest in peace knowing that their Twitter feeds will never die. That's because a new app company has developed software to track and analyze your tweets so that, after you pass on, your twitter will continue to tweet messages beyond the grave.

The LivesOn app has one main goal, summed up in their company tag line: Your heart stops beating but you keep on tweeting

Follow BATC forever at #BATCTC

As a member of NAHB, you have a legal team at your disposal through the NAHB Legal Action Fund. This group is poised to fight for you by pursuing cases that will benefit its members. The group is made up of 10 attorneys that work on a range of issues affecting the building industry. Watch this video to learn more.

Centra  Homes, LLC, along with BATC & BAM, have initiated a legal action against the City of Norwood Young America regarding improper building permit fee valuations. Centra, et al, allege that Norwood Young America uses a fee schedule that overstates the total value of construction work for which the permit is being issued, regardless of actual total value of the construction work for which the permit was being issued.

Norwood Young America has appealed a ruling to dismiss the action. The district court denied their motion, and the City has since appealed. This hearing has been set for oral argument before the Minnesota Court of Appeals on April 4, 2013.

NAHB Survey Reveals Key Concerns for Home Buyers

First-time home buyers have two things on their mind. A recent NAHB study showed that price is the most important factor in choosing a home and proximity to work is the top reason for choosing a specific neighborhood. For trade-up buyers, design is the leading factor. Read the full story here.

A new state law requires registration of some construction contractors. Registration is available online for free through the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry website. Read the requirements to find out if you or your company should register.

A lucky number joined our ranks in February. Please help us welcome twenty-one new members to BATC! View our new members at www.batc.org.

Minneapolis Named Among Cities Where Home Prices are Soaring

USA Today - According to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, Minneapolis ranks fifth for U.S. Cities with a rapidly growing home sector. Read the full story here.

U.S. Economy Sees Modest Growth 

Reuters - "U.S. economic growth continued to improve gradually in January and early February as consumer spending picked up and the country's battered housing market maintained a broad-based recovery" [keep reading].

• Parade of Homes, BATC; Star Tribune: Ultra-Modern Dream Home on Tonka Bay is Parade of Homes Highlight [read article].
• Builders Association, BATC; Star Tribune: Eagan Office Project Still Struggles to Get Off the Ground [read article].

*Receive a BATC Bonus Buck, worth $100 in BATC Bucks, when you attend an event that's in our  2013 'Champion Event Series.'

March 2-24, 2013
Spring Parade of Homes
March 22-24, 2013
Spring Remodelers Showcase
March 12
Showroom Mixer at Brock White [register]
March 15
ROMA Entry Deadline #1 [enter now]
March 19-21
BATC-U CAPS Training [register]
April 9
SMC Mocha Meeting [register]
April 9
Re-Build Happy Hour hosted by YP's [register]
April 11
Remodeler Round Table [get more information]
April 11
Member Mixer [get more information]

See Complete Calendar >>
View the 2013 Bonus Buck Events >>

Become an event sponsor: Take your membership to the next level by partnering with BATC. Contact Kori for sponsorship openings.