BUILDER NEWS The 10 Biggest Housing Stories Of 2016 Hallie Busta 6 Technology Trends That Defined Construction In 2016 Hallie Busta Technologies like 3-D printing and augmented and virtual reality typically capture attention for the future they promise — one in which buildings rise nearly at whim and visualization tools make seeing the result of design choices that much easier. Day to day, however, the application of these and other tools and systems is more nuanced. Rather than offthe-shelf solutions, innovation occurs primarily at the project level and addresses its unique needs. From new ways to track equipment use and worker productivity to the emerging modular construction category, we explore how those unique applications came together in some of 2016’s biggest industry tech topics Read More Moody’s Forecasts A Positive Outlook For Homebuilding, Products In 2017 Sean Barry The 2017 outlook for the North American homebuilding and building materials sectors is positive as the housing market continues to see low interest rates, housing starts and new home sales sitting roughly 30% below historical trends and tight inventory, indicating pent-up demand, according to data from Moody’s provided to Construction Dive. The credit rating agency forecasts revenues in the homebuilding industry to rise at an annual rate of more than 10% for the next 12 to 18 months, while weighted industry gross margins will be more than 20% for the same period. Operating income in the building materials sector is also expected to grow by more than 7% during that time. Read More We typically track residential construction news on a daily, weekly, monthly and even quarterly basis. In this article, however, we’re zooming out to look at 2016 in full. From new regulations to big deals to the industry’s reaction to President-elect Donald Trump, we’ve rounded up the stories that went beyond the headlines to impact homebuilders, remodelers and developers this year and that stand to influence business in 2017. Industry observers have spent the year betting on the rate at which more younger buyers will enter the market, predicting when home-price increases will abate and discussing how a dose of new construction is needed to boost recovery. Underscoring all these discussions, however, is whether builders will have enough help to keep up with demand as its pace increases. Read More Eight Ways to Ensure Happier Clients in 2017 Kacey Bradley With the New Year comes new challenges in the industry, new projects, and new opportunities to keep clients happy. The ball drop heralds a new season, and your clients will have all kinds of ideas about home improvement and remodeling. Some of these ideas are closely tied to their personal dreams and resolutions, but the projects won’t always go as they desire and you plan. Read More 16 | HBRA of Fairfield County | JANUARY 2017
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