PB March 2005

In a study of more than 400 consumers nationwide that are either owners of newly constructed homes or prospective buyers of the same, researchers found that 49% of the target consumers, presented with at least one home technology option, made a purchase.

Operating expenses, as a percentage of sales revenue, should be going down in the robust markets we see across the country today, but instead they seem to be moving in the opposite direction, and that's not the sign of a well-managed company. Our target for operating expenses is 18% of total sales revenue from home building operations.

At a recent groundbreaking ceremony, Paramount Homes, Asbury Park, N. J., gave press members something they could really work with — clipboards emblazoned with the builder/developer's new community logo and phone number. This take-home gift not only served as a handy way to take notes and quotes during the event, but also reminded reporters of the community and contact number long afterwa...

The vast majority of candidates change jobs for the right reasons. Rarely is it a knee-jerk decision. The first installment of Change Agents (January, 2005 PB), talked about several factors that motivate an employee to make a change. Money is one of element, but rarely is it the deciding factor. Money shouldn't be the factor, whether you are on the employer or the employee.

It pays to protect the environment. The Warwick Grove master plan in Warwick, N.Y., boasts a diversity of wildlife, including federally protected bog turtles that roam the marshy outskirts. When the state of New York requested developer-builder LeylandAlliance protect the slow-moving but wide-ranging amphibians, the company called upon Michael Klemens, Ph.

In this column, Gary Grant — who just retired from Pulte's Minneapolis Division — imparts his lessons learned from 40 years in the industry

Builders have yet to be selected for the 2,043-acre Canyons South golf and residential community south of Denver in Douglas County. Lots for the 400-home first phase won't be offered until the second half of 2006, but John Waggoner, president of developer Lowe Enterprises' Central division, was in contact with builders months before the January 25 land closing.

We media types tend to be news junkies. CNN, the New York Times, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, we devour them all, all the time. We become especially attentive when the breaking story is about the business of the news. The story of the last few weeks made all of us in business-to-business media and certainly the general news outlets stop and pay still closer attention.

In Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., Discovery Cove at Half Moon Bay sits on 12 acres of highly desirable riverfront, just steps from a boat marina and near the commuter rail into New York. But the site sat dormant for roughly 20 years before WCI Northeast U.S. stepped in to build 154 attached homes there. Why? "For years, complications made this land not worth developing," says Gabe Pasquale, vice presi...

Technology has become a prevalent force in our everyday lives. With more than 85% of households owning at least one computer and 70% with high-speed connections, it should be no surprise that home-buying transactions are starting to take place on the Internet. According to the National Association of Home Builders' HomeBuilder.