Official Newsletter of the Home Builders Association of Lake-Sumter March 2013 Vol 37 Issue 8

To Promote & Protect Homeownership as the American Way

Enjoy this newsletter in vibrant color at www.lakehba.com

2013 Business Silver Sponsor 2013 Corporate Sponsor

HBA Lake-Sumter

2013 Awards Banquet at Trilogy’s Beautiful Magnolia Room

Here are the Sponsors and some of the Award Winners

Check out the Picture Gallery and Facebook for more photos.

Mark Your

Calendar:

March 5, 6 & 7 All Day

RubyTuesday Give

Back Program in The

Villages

March 6 - 9 AM Gov-

ernmental Affairs

Committee

March 6th - 4 PM

Deadline for SMC

Award Entry

March 7 - 8 AM SMC

Sales Awards Judg-

ing!

March 7 - 8 AM Sales

& Marketing(SMC)

Meeting

March 7 - Noon Mem-

bership Meeting

March 12 - 4:30 Fin.

5 PM Board Meet.

March 13—Noon Re-

modelers/Green

Building

March 14 - 3:30 PM

Golf Tournament

Meeting

March 26 - 6 PM Gen-

eral Membership

(ELKS)

www.lakehba.com Page 2

Building Permits

DECEMBER #Single Family Permits Value Lake County Tavares 6 1,412,618 Eustis 5 1,279,551 Leesburg Lady Lake 0 Montverde Clermont 10 2,292,398 Mount Dora 3 798,138 Sumter County 306 83,325,767

Thank you to the building departments for supplying this infor-mation. Cities missing did not report.

Home Builders Association Lake-Sumter 1100 N Joanna Avenue Tavares, FL 32778

Ph 352-343-7101 Fax 352-343-4650 www.LakeHBA.com

www. facebook.com/LakeHBA

Officers & Directors President William Dorman - White Aluminum Vice President William Wilburth - W.C. Wilburth Inc. Associate Vice President Paul Swanson - George Nahas Chevrolet Secretary/Treasurer James Moore - Aluminum Contractors Immediate Past President Andrew Nutt - Holly Homes Immediate Past Associate Vice President Loretta Maimone - Loretta C. Maimone, Inc Builder Directors Sean del Castillo - Lake-Sumter Habitat for Humanity Cynthia Couillard - DiBarco Building Corp Craig Hegstrom - Hegstrom Homes Joe Ziler - Kevco Builders Associate Directors Chuck Hiott - Booth, Ern, Straughan & Hiott Inc Dale Roberts - Dale E. Roberts & Assoc. Dave Van Winkle - Citizens First Bank Life Directors Mike Carter - Granger Construction Carl Ludecke - Charlie Johnson Builder George Hansford - Prominent Construction Clarence Tibbs - STE Electrical Systems

Staff Carolyn Maimone - Executive Director Kelly Hoover - Administrative Assistant On The Level is published monthly by the Home Builders Association of Lake Co. Every attempt has been made to insure the accuracy of all information presented, however no guarantee or warranties are provided. For advertising, contact the HBA at 352-343-7101 or visit our website. The HBA reserve the right to refuse any advertising.

Sponsorships Available for Golf Tournament

Call us at 352-343-7101

www.lakehba.com Page 3

0

Clermont 10 2,292,398

Success - Succeed - Successful - Successfulness

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

suc·cess (sƏk-sěs’) n. 1) The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted: attributed their success in the Parade of Homes to hard work. 2) a. the gaining of fame or prosperity: we want our members to be spoiled by success. B. The extent of such gain. 3) One that is successful: The 2013 Parade of Homes was a success.

These are words that typify the outcome of this year’s Parade of Homes. Oh we had challenges to overcome, and we had last minute details to iron out, but the success of this Parade is due to hard work by many people, sponsorships from great companies that truly know the meaning of participation and being engaged and especially the Builders that entered their beautiful homes this year.

There are so many people to thank, and I would like to start off with the Chairman of this year’s Parade of Homes, Dale Roberts with Dale E. Roberts and Associates. Dale’s involvement in Parades put on by other associations help form a vision for ours. Dale’s tireless efforts to in-crease the number of entries and to make this Parade the best it could be were not overlooked, and I want to thank him personally for all his efforts. But Dale could not have succeeded without

the help of his team, the Parade of Homes committee: Carole Holden with Gelmtree Advertising, our Vice Chair was monu-mental in getting us coverage on several Radio and TV stations. James Pooler with Progress Energy is a wealth of knowl-edge and helped judge the Sustainability Awards, and ran all over the place the day of the Banquet helping gather equip-ment and supplies. George Hansford with Prominent Construction set up the Judges sheets and routes and as always was there for staff with support and guidance that is irreplaceable. Kim Haversat with The Real Estate Book helped with Guide-book locations and also by getting us the cover of The Real Estate Book for Lake County and 1-1/2 pages in both the Lake and Orlando editions, at an awesome price I might add!! Kim Collins with the Orlando Sentinel was fantastic to work with and helped produce a beautiful Parade Guidebook. At the last minute she and her team at the Orlando Sentinel jumped in to help when we needed the inside map designed.

We could not have a Parade without judging. And the judges need a driver, so I want to thank Clarence Tibbs with STE Electri-cal and Susan Adams with Ro-Mac Lumber & Supply for driving our Judges around safely.

The Banquet, held at Trilogy Orlando in Groveland, was beautiful and we have Jeff Gersh and his team to thank for all their hard work putting the event together. I also want to thank Jimmy Moore with Aluminum Contractors Inc. for being our Emcee, and Karen Schroder with Solid Image Inc. for being our Vanna and presenting the awards. Karen and her crew at Solid Image Inc. graciously made the granite backings to the gorgeous awards for this years Pa-rade.

Last but definitely not least I want to thank our hard working staff. Carolyn and Kelly put in a lot of extra hours pull-ing off this event. Their behind the scenes involvement in all that we do here at the association is crucial to our success, thank you ladies.

Please remember to mark your Calen-dars for the 22nd Annual Golf Tourna-ment, April 19th at beautiful Harbor Hills!!

Thank you, Bud Dorman, President

Bud Dorman

White Aluminum

BROWNE DISTRIBUTORS

LANDSCAPE SUPPLIERS COMMERCIAL ● WHOLESALE ● RETAIL

Red Mulch Cypress Mulch

Pine Bark Nuggets Also in Bags

Baled Pine Straw Potting Soils

Top Soils

Rubber Mulch 15 Varieties of Stone

Lava, River, White Marble, etc. PATTY or DEBBIE

Office (352) 326-8461 Fax (352) 365-8338

2600 N. U.S. Hwy 27 ● Fruitland Park, FL 34731 www.landscapesuppliers.com

U.S. Hwy 27 ● Minneola, FL 34755 Office: (352) 242-0810

Two Locations

www.lakehba.com Page 4

SALES AND MARKETING

Less judgmental, more curious

For most of us in the profession of marketing and selling, we should be mindful of this: it is not about

us, our home, product or service that we sell, but about the consumer. Our charge is to seek those

consumers who are suspects, determine if they will become prospects, and subsequently a customer.

I also believe that my co-workers and associates in my profession are my customers, and they too

deserve the same high level of service as a consumer customer.

As marketing professionals, we are tasked with seeking out current information that relates to our

industry, so that we may be of value to our customers. Our diverse market offers us many opportuni-

ties to serve people from all over the country, and the world. Customs, trends, and preferences all play

a role in what consumers select in a house, location, service providers, furnishings and fixtures. We

should be less judgmental and more curious.

Last month at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, Andrew Nutt, President of Holly Homes, met with industry

experts on green building, energy efficiency, single-family home design, landscaping, and new products for homes. “The

current trend of homes shrinking has just shifted to consumers wanting slightly larger homes again,” said Nutt. “There was

also a great deal of information shared about water saving landscape designs and plumbing fixtures, as we continue to ex-

perience water shortages in many areas of the United States.”

I encourage all members of the HBA to engage in a committee, attend our monthly meetings, and participate in the upcom-

ing Golf Tournament, “Beach Par-Tee,” on April 19th at Harbor Hills Country Club in Lady Lake. Get out and chat with

other members about what is going on the area! And, save the date on your calendar for the Southeast Builders Conference,

July 11-13, 2013 in Orlando. Be curious, learn, and grow your business! ~Jeanne

Jeanne Abernathy

(Southern Style Manage-

ment), Sales & Marketing

Committee Chair

www.lakehba.com Page 5

What a great time to be a member of the HBA of Lake-Sumter!! This past week was our Parade of homes, and as this years Chairman I would like to say what a success-ful event it was. We are hearing from very excited Builders who state that many con-tracts have been written and prospects are plentiful. That is so great to hear!! Joe Ziler with Kevco Construction had this to say: “We have nearly two dozen serious buyers that we are working with from the Parade of Homes. We have al-ready written 3 contracts as a direct result of the Parade and we are working with 5 serious custom home prospects that we believe will end up future cus-tomers.” We also heard from Bob Walker from KB Home who shared their results as of

mid week: “We have already received one contract from a buyer and are working with 3 more, all because of our entry in the Parade of Homes!” We would like to share the Award winners with you and recognize our awesome sponsors without whom this event could not have been possible: Category 1st Place Winner 2nd Place Winner Community: Summerbrooke by Park Square Homes Sorrento Springs by Royal Oak Homes Remodelers Showcase Kevco Builders Attached Harbor Hills Development $100,000 - 150,000 The Tiffany by Kevco Builders Tuscan Cove by Kevco Builders $150,000 - 200,000 The 2003 by KB Home $250,000 - 300,000 The Pensacola by Park Square Homes’ The Emeralda by Pringle $200,001 - 350,000 The Hawthorne by Royal Oak Homes The Heather by Shea Homes $350,001 - 400,000 A Custom Home by Kevco Builders The St. Thomas by Medallion Home $400,001 - 500,000 The Stockton Grande by Lennar Corp. The Santa Maria by Medallion Home $500,001 - 1,000,000 A Custom Home by Harbor Hills Development

Dale Roberts

2013 Parade Chair

Dale E Roberts &

Associates

Congratulations!!

Presenting Diamond Sponsor Dream Community Platinum & Cocktail Hour Sponsor

Platinum Sponsor

Thank you to Our Banquet Sponsors!

Silver Sponsors: Banquet Program Sponsor Dessert Sponsor Ro-Mac Lumber and Supply & White Aluminum Jeanne Abernathy Orlando Sentinel Park Square Homes Awards Sponsor Video Sponsor Sustainable Awards Sponsor Solid Image, Inc. United Southern Bank Solar City Cocktail Hour Sponsor Medallion Home

www.lakehba.com Page 6

PICTURE GALLERY - Parade of Homes Awards Banquet

www.lakehba.com Page 7

PICTURE GALLERY - Parade of Homes Awards Banquet

www.lakehba.com Page 8

Your HBA Wood Commodity Index (Index) in-creased 4.5% to $439.98 per thousand driven primarily by strength in the sheathing market. What makes the February increase significant is that it follows-up a whopping 11% increase in January, & this price weathered a brief ten day market correction during the beginning of Feb-

ruary. Heavy overseas buying, improved do-mestic demand, & a fire at a Canadian OSB manufacturing facility are being blamed for the increase.

The 15.5% increase in the Index since mid-December is scary in itself, but the numbers become horrifying when compared to last February. Since last February, the Index has increased a mind-boggling 63.0% with lumber increasing 42.3% & sheathings up an unimaginable 81.3%. Based on our Index, an average piece of OSB or CDX sheathing has increased $203.79 per thousand or $6.52 per sheet. These numbers are very spooky considering the difficulty many build-ers are having in getting appraisals to qualify their homeowners for financing.

Over the last 30 days, the lumber portion of the Index only increased by 0.8% to $419.92, & this may suggest that buyers are growing weary with the pricing. A 42.3% increase in pricing since last year is hard to digest despite the overseas buying & increased demand.

The sheathing portion of the Index remains very strong on short supply, & the emotion from the Canadian OSB fire is still fresh in the minds of buyers. The sheathing portion increased 7.3% to $454.96 with OSB sheathings adding $34 per thousand & CDX pines pushing up $15-$25 per thousand. The cost numbers for sheathings are extremely high--approaching record levels, & there is a real concern as to how much farther this market can increase until it begins to kill its own demand.

Increased fuel costs are creating a bevy of price in-creases & added fuel charges across the supply chain. Door companies have announced 5%-6% increases, mouldings are going up with some outages being re-ported, & shingle manufacturers have announced two price increases that will be implemented in the next three months. Special order items are becoming harder to get & stock orders are running much longer lead times as the supply chain is very lean.

Cash remains king & squeezed-down credit lines are cre-ating tight inventories at all levels. Then there is the com-mon sense factor--you don’t load the wagon when the market is at record high pricing. This is creating tight sup-ply. In my view, the market is still overpriced & there ex-ists a real downside risk; however, when & how remains to be seen. The brief market correction in early February looked as if prices were going to drop significantly, but the mills were not able to turn it around. My concern is these prices could be pricing many customers out of the market.

Those who hold long-term pricing are really getting hurt now, & this could mean the loss of more companies in the supply chain. Builders, you should have a price escala-tion clause in every contract, & it is in your best interest to monitor pricing extremely close. There are a lot of low bidders who were awarded projects a couple of months ago, & who may not survive these huge increases. Right now, the smartest people in the room may be those who lost bids in November & December because they were too high.

MEMBERS IN ACTION

Don Magruder

Ro-Mac Lumber &

Supply

Lumber & Commodity News

www.lakehba.com Page 9

www.lakehba.com Page 10

35 - 39 Years

Ro-mac Lumber & Supply Inc. (39)

20 - 24 Years

Charlie Johnson Builders/Carl (24)

15 - 19 Years

Dalton & Owens Electric Service (15)

10 - 14 Years

Diamond Construction Inc. (10)

5 - 9 Years

Mott Concrete Inc. (5)

Gelmtree Advertising (9)

1 - 4 Years

Pro Build (3)

Dale E. Roberts & Associates LLC (1)

Thank You For Being Members :)

If you know or do work with someone who is

not a member please ask them to join.

Let’s build our membership - There is strength in numbers

THANK YOU FOR RENEWING WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Hughes Bros. Construction / Chad Hughes

Ph (352) 399-6829

Site Development

Sponsor: Paul Swanson / George Nahas Chevrolet

Lake Nissan Sales Inc. Stephen A. Bakich

Ph (352) 343-5111

Auto Sales & Service

Sponsor: Bud Dorman / White Aluminum

CenturyLink / Robert A. Filebark

Ph (407) 889-6269

Phone, TV & Internet Provider

Sponsor: Chuck Hiott / BESH

Mainsail Solutions Inc. / Greg Thomas

Ph (352) 314-0059

Builder

Sponsor: Don Magruder / Ro-mac Lumber & Supply

Morris Realty & Investments / Yeuell Watkins

Ph (352) 516-4141

Real Estate

Sponsor: Andrew Nutt / Holly Homes Inc.

Pruett-Williams Insurance Agency Inc. /

Davis Talmage

Ph (352) 357-6119

Insurance Agent

Sponsor: Don Magruder / Ro-mac Lumber & Supply

Southern Title / Shelley Stewart

(386) 760-9010

Title Insurance

Sponsor: William C. Wilburth / W.C. Wilburth Inc.

CORE Construction Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Countryside Homes LLC MY 790 AM

Design South Homes Inc. Lifestyle Kitchens Inc

G. Phillips Homes Inc. .

If you know or do business with those listed

please encourage them to renew their membership.

TIME TO RENEW

www.lakehba.com Page 11

WE VALUE YOUR MEMBERSHIP

The Spike Club is an elite group of

Association members recognized

for outstanding achievement in

membership. Become a spike by

recruiting new members.

2013 number of new members

noted in parentheses next to name.

NAHB SPIKE

CLUB

Statesman 500-999 George Hansford 517.5

Super 250-499 Carl Ludecke 428 Karen Schroeder 409.5

Royal 150-249

Ann Hagen 201 Craig Hegstrom 199 Clell Coleman 185.5 Bud Dorman 160 Don Magruder (2) 156 Paul Fallman 154.5

Red 100-149 Clarence Tibbs 120 Andrew Nutt (1) 104 Dale Roberts 100.5

Green 50-99 Paul Swanson 97.5 Lee Humphrey 93.5 Susan Adams 90.5 Gerry Suarez 82.5 Jim Bible 78.5

Jody Coursey 73.5 Mike Carter 64 Dick Stier 52

Life 25-49 Rob Granger 45.5 Ron Griffith 30.5 Joe Ziler 29

Blue 6-24 Ron Schwarz 22.5 Jason Hansford 20 Joe Williams 14.5 Glenn Phillips 8 Loretta Maimone 8 Bart Lucas 7 Jimmy Moore 6

George Nahas ChevroletGeorge Nahas ChevroletGeorge Nahas Chevrolet Dedicated to Serving All Your Automotive Dedicated to Serving All Your Automotive Dedicated to Serving All Your Automotive NeedsNeedsNeeds

Paul Swanson Commercial/Fleet Manager

Direct line 352-748-8605 Cellular 772-521-6064

pswanson@ georgenahaschevrolet.com

www.georgenahaschevrolet.com 4135 E State Rd 44 in Wildwood

$500

NAHB

Discount

HBA of Lake -Sumter

1100 N Joanna Av

Tavares, FL 32778

Pre-Sort Std.

US Postage

PAID

Mid-FL FL

Permit # 78112

Or Current Resident