Two new global building initiatives, the ZigBee Building Automation Standard and the ISO 50001 certification program, were introduced this year.

The recent fatality of a man working on a tornado-damaged house in West Springfield, Mass. highlights the need to take safety measures to prevent falls, according to an official with the Western Mass. Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health.

Investment blog 24/7 Wall Street compiled a list of the top 10 states with the highest average mortgage debt, using data from Credit Karma.

Taylor Morrison, the nation’s largest private home builder, has hired former JetBlue Airways Chief Financial Officer Ed Barnes to serve in the same capacity.

During his State of the Union address last week, President Obama announced the creation of a new unit that will investigate financial institutions suspected of improperly bundling home loans into securities for investors, according to a New York Times story.

The third quarter of 2011 saw more than 200,000 foreclosed homes purchased nationwide, which accounted for 20 percent of all sales in that period, according to a CNNMoney story based on RealtyTrac data.

As of December 2011, Oklahoma sports the highest foreclosure savings rate, according to a Business Insider story based on RealtyTrac data.

Launched in 2008 during the heart of the housing crash, Trumark Homes has achieved double-digit sales growth during each of the last three years largely by sticking to a single principle rule — build only where the jobs are. We recently sat down with Trumark Homes’ co-founder, principal, and CEO Michael Maples to discuss his business strategy.

More than half of the American population want the federal government to take greater steps to prevent foreclosures, according to a new Gallup poll.