Need a Remodel? There’s an Apple Watch App for That.

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HomeAdvisor’s new Apple Watch app will save homeowners who need repairs and improvements a lot of headaches.

HomeAdvisor Apple Watch App (PRNewsFoto/HomeAdvisor)

HomeAdvisor Apple Watch App (PRNewsFoto/HomeAdvisor)

HomeAdvisor, a virtual residential repair and renovation services marketplace, has announced the development of an app for Apple Watch that easily connects home owners and home services professionals. The app uses HomeAdvisor’s Instant Connect technology to bring together repair, improvement, and renovation clients with prescreened, local, rated, home professionals. Homeowners can make appointments and receive estimates directly through their watch.

The app allows homeowners to use Apple Watch’s voice dictation function to make the call, which connects them to a vetted home service professional. Users can study the service provider’s ratings, rankings, and reviews while they discuss the project with the provider. The app supports over 500 different kinds of home repair, renovation and improvement projects.

HomeAdvisor CEO Chris Terrill says that “the app builds on the convenience of Apple Watch to instantly connect to the pros in the HomeAdvisor network.” The company’s Instant Connect technology “uses an algorithm based on the user’s request and the professional’s availability as well as historical activity to create the highest possible connection rate.”

Among the many features of HomeAdvisor’s Apple Watch App, three are absolute standouts:

  • Ease of Use- the connection rate between users and home services providers averages 82 percent because the app’s easy connection of homeowners to service providers saves time and lessens stress for both parties.
  • Fast Connection-the app takes less than a minute to connect homeowners with home professionals. In this simple two-step process, homeowners describe the type of help they need and the Instant Connect technology connects them with the best provider for the job.
  • Best Fit-The homeowner’s profile and project parameters are the basis upon which the app’s recommendations are made. This is a vast improvement over Apple Watch’s current Yelp directory default, which does not account for the professional’s availability or the project’s specific needs.

The HomeAdvior app for Apple Watch is the latest in HomeAdvisor’s suite of free tools and resources. Homeowners dealing with an emergency can use Instant Booking to schedule an appointment online before they review pricing information. Homeowners needing repair, maintenance, and improvement work rely on HomeAdvisor’s ProFinder technology to link into a network of screened professionals. The True Cost Guide uses the average price of home projects and actual homeowner data to generate comprehensive estimates.

HomeAdvisor expects to begin selling the app through the Apple store in the late fall of this year.

Pine Hall Brick and TOTO Forge Sustainable Materials Partnership

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Long recognized as a world leader in sustainable manufacturing and green building innovation, TOTO looks forward to expanding its best-in-class sustainability initiatives through this partnership. TOTO recently announced its partnership with Pine Hall Brick Company to “upcycle” its high-grade clay sediment waste by sending it to the brick company, which will make premium white brick for commercial and special construction projects. Because they are recycled materials produced in an Eco-conscious way, these Pine Hall Brick products will score much higher than average brick material for LEED-based projects.

Unlike many of its competitors, TOTO recycles all water used during the production of vitreous china products at its Morrow and Lakewood, GA facilities. The fully filtered, treated, and purified water is eventually returned to the Clayton County Water Authority, but an enormous amount of high-quality white clay particulate is left behind in the filters. This “filtercake” sediment is sent to Pine Hall Brick Company, which will then use the material to make specialty pavers, face brick, and custom-shaped bricks. This upcycling process will prevent 3.8 million pounds of white clay from being disposed of in landfills each year.

Bill Strang, President of TOTO Operations for the Americas, says that”upcycling our high-grade filtercake to create premium commercial/specialty brick building material is another of our incremental projects and processes that…reduce our manufacturing facilities’ environmental impact.”

While the move is not a total solution for reducing the company’s carbon footprint, it does help TOTO “upcycle, recycle, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and re-buy the environmental resources that we use in the production of our water- and energy-saving premium plumbing products.” TOTO has achieved a nearly carbon-and water-neutral status at all five of its North American plants.

TOTO is the only plumbing fixture manufacturer to be awarded the coveted EPA’s Water Efficiency Leader award, which it received alongside numerous awards and recognitions for its leadership in water-efficient product development, environmental sustainability, and water conservation advocacy. Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue awarded TOTO the Conserve Georgia: Water Conservation Award for achieving exemplary levels of efficiency in its Morrow plant and education employees and community members alike about water conservation strategies.

Florida Building Code Updates Kick In June 30th

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After slipping to second place in the 2015 Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety’s ratings of hurricane building codes, Florida has passed measures to strengthen the code, which will likely return Florida to a #1 rating. These updates to the building code, which take effect on June 30th, are meant to make Florida homes and commercial buildings safer, stronger, and more resilient.

Life safety provisions are not the only things impacted by the changes. Some of the code amendments may decrease building efficiency due to increases in project cost and reduction of saleable square footage. Builders who have projects currently under development but for which no building permit has been obtained should consult with the architect as soon as possible to identify how the new building codes impact the project.

The City of Miami has been proactive in responding to the amendments. They will allow projects in process to move forward under the soon-to-expire Florida Building Code by making use of the phased permit process. Any project with a plans process number for either a Class I or Class II Phased permit that has been pulled by July 29, 2015, and for which the applicable up-front fees have been paid may make use of the City’s allowance. Anyone wishing to pursue Class I and Class II Phased Permits. Should keep a few ideas in order:

The Class I Phased Permit is for works for which the design has been finished but the project are not yet under construction. Any plans process number for a Class I Phased Permit vests the project under the current Florida Building Code. The plans process number for the Class I Phased Permit is valid for 180 days, during which time the Class I Permit must be pulled. Building Officials may approve an extension of an additional 180 days if the builder has been diligent in obtaining a Master Permit.

In order to acquire a plans process number, applications for both the Master Permit and the Class I Phased Permit must be filed simultaneously. Builders should submit the application forms, four (4) sets of plans including architectural plans and complete construction drawings, the $1,500 Class I Permit fee, and the upfront fee for all work subject to the Class I Phased Permit in order to obtain a plans process number.

The Class II (Foundation) Phased Permit is granted to projects for which the design is still in development. Any work below grade (the foundation of the building) may commence under the Class II Phased Permit, although no vertical construction is permitted. The Class II Phased Permit plans process number is valid for 180 days, during which time the Class II Permit must be pulled. An extension of an additional 180 days may be granted at the Building Official’s discretion, so long as the builder is working toward obtaining the Master Permit or the Class I Phased Permit.

Builders must submit the Master Permit and the Class II Phased Permit applications simultaneously in order to acquire a plans process number. To acquire the number, builders must submit application forms, four (4) sets of plans including architectural plans and foundation construction drawings, the $1,500 Class II ermit fee, and the upfront fee for all foundation work.

Large Commercial Projects Spur Daytona Beach Renaissance

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HBW subscribers in the Daytona Beach area already know that the commercial construction boom is almost more than the city’s GC’s can handle. The $400 million Daytona Rising project has drawn businesses back to the area in a big way. The renovation of the Daytona International Speedway and the inclusion of Trader Joe’s distribution center nearby have been big stimulus anchoring the commercial rebirth of Daytona Beach.

Gordy Lloyd, VP with the Daytona Beach-based Haley Construction firm which is GC for many of the new projects, says that Daytona Rising is a renaissance of sorts. “What they have done is bring attention back to Daytona Beach to what it used to be,” he says, and all the attention has had a ripple effect in the area. Haley is nearly finished building the Cheddar’s Casual Cafe in front of Voluisa Mall, which joins the Outback Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, and Olive Garden restaurants Haley has recently built along International Speedway Boulevard.

Roy Akins of Adams, Cameron, & Co. Realtors notes that “one of the benefits to getting something like a Trader Joe’s is that it attracts smaller businesses to take advantage of what the bigger guys see in the market.” Small restaurants, commercial spaces, and retail projects have gravitated into orbit around the new Trader Joe’s store.

Volusia County is one of the increasingly rare counties in Florida where land is still available and affordable, as compared with Tampa, Orlando, Miami, and Jacksonville. Volusia’s current and planned commercial projects include Wawa convenience stores with gas pumps near Port Orange and Orange City, Daytona International Auto mall, hotel construction and renovation projects, and apartment buildings in Daytona Beach and DeLand.

As it turns out, all of this development frenzy follows on the heels of significant population growth. Volusia County recently breached the half-million resident mark. Ted Lightman of Charles Wayne Properties says that “We are definitely seeing demand increasing, primarily along the main thoroughfares of Dunlawton Avenue, International Speedway Boulevard and Granada Boulevard.” Businesses are keen to move to the area he adds, saying that “the national and regional tenants want to be in those corridors and are willing to pay to be there.”

The nation’s economic recovery has driven local recovery in Volusia County, which has brought a wave of new residents and commercial construction. With employment and population climbing in the area, the county will probably experience more growth in the commercial construction activity over the next few years. The $800 million One Daytona mixed-use development near the Speedway, the $100 million Tanger Outlet Mall and the hotly anticipated $140 million Hard Rock Cafe are expected to break ground soon.

HBW serves builders in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and Oklahoma. In addition to our Building Trend Activity for Residential Construction Reports, HBW can create a number of custom reports for any need you might have. We also offer exclusive White Paper Reports to help you market your business. White papers start by giving an overview of the trends in your area and then advice on how to turn your weekly building permit information subscription into successful business leads. To show you how we can help your business succeed, HBW is glad to provide you with complementary building data report or one of our specialized White Paper Reports. Contact us today and start making your business more profitable!

West End Marketplace May Become Office Space

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HBW subscribers in metro Dallas will be excited to learn that the landmark West End Marketplace in Dallas is now under consideration for an office space renovation project catering to tech startups and small businesses. Plans to convert the space into a hotel or residence have fallen through, but this new round of development looks likely to pay off.

Granite Properties is under contract to renovate the 113-year-old property. Granite COO Greg Fuller says that the firm will close within the next few months and “renovate it with new systems and restore it to its historic relevance in the marketplace.”

The 8-story, brick and frame building was built in 1902 for the Brown Cracker & Candy Company, which at the time was the largest confectioner in the Southwest and employed more than 1,000 people. In 1986, the renovated site was opened to the public as the West End Marketplace, which was Dallas’ first festival marketplace retail center. The 10-screen cinema complex, interior atrium, and Planet Hollywood restaurant were added later.

Eventually, businesses began to lag, which led to the closing of the cinema in 2000 and Planet Hollywood in 2001. The Entire property closed in 2006, since which time the building sat vacant.

Granite, one of the largest and most profitable developers in North Texas, operates out of its Uptown office tower but will relocate to the Granite Park office campus in West Plano next year when the development is completed. If Granite follows through on its plans to renovate the building, the project will be another investment into reviving Dallas’ fin-de-siècle warehouse district.

At Houston Street and Ross Avenue, Farifield Investment Company is currently building a 267-unit apartment project for the rental market. The historic Landmark Center office building, located nearby at at Ross Avenue and Lamar Street, is also being remodeled.

John Crawford, CEO of neighborhood economic development group Downtown Dallas, Inc., says that the Granite’s contract “is an enormous step forward for downtown and the West End” Granite is a “quality developer” with a proven track record and Crawford is confident that the firm “will make the right changes to raise the profile of this neighborhood and lay the groundwork for other redevelopment in the West End.”

Austinites Protest Building Code Restrictions on Accessory Housing

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Austin has been feeling a housing crunch for the past few years now, and as the tech explosion continues to bring transplants to Austin, it’s only getting worse. Many homes in Austin feature “accessory dwelling units” (ADUs)—also known as granny flats, mother-in-law units, garage apartments—or have room to add one.

Property owners and potential renters alike see these dwellings as a potential solution to the housing crisis. Unfortunately, the city’s restrictive municipal building codes are preventing accessory structures from being built at a pace that could help resolve the crisis.

According to the City of Austin, ADUs are small dwellings that share a lot with a larger residence. The code allows for ADUs of up to 850 square feet to be built on lots no less than 7,000 square feet by right, of on lots of 575- square feet if the neighborhood allows them.

But the code also stipulates that a nine-foot driveway plus off-street parking space be made available for the ADU resident, and that the units be located a particular distance from frontage, setbacks, and the primary dwellings. These are difficult to accomplish in older neighborhoods, and can cost would-be landlords a small fortune.

In June of last year, the Austin city council passed a resolution that would make it easier for people to build ADUs on their property. The measure seeks to relax the regulatory barriers to construction for ADUs that are 500 square feet of less in size. Unfortunately, nearly a year has passed and the planning commission has yet to pass the proposal. This holdup has left Austin property owners very frustrated.

Andrew Elder is one of those frustrated Austinites. He wishes to build an ADU in the backyard of his 9,000-square-foot lot so that his mother can live near the family. Later, the unit will be occupied by his developmentally disabled daughter so that she can be close but still have some independence. The unit will be metered separately but will be built immediately up against their home’s rear wall in a style that matches the main home.

Unfortunately, the city codes do not allow for this. The current code stipulates that ADUs be at least 15 feet from the primary home of 10 feet from the back of the property line. Although the lot size is mch larger than necessary, the layout of the Elder family’s lot leaves a tiny five-foot-wide area within which to build a living space.

Elder says that he would have to “pave over our garden, pave over our yard, our water tank… all of the things that we try to do make this a sustainable household… would have to be torn out in favor of a driveway,” even though his mother and his daughter do not drive and the street has plenty of room for on-street parking.

Austinites like Elder have recently begun circulating an online petition that will be presented at the next city council meeting. They hope to get the issue on the agenda so that it can be resolved.

Poor Water Quality Wrecks Florida Property Value

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Red algae bloom threatens the coastlines of Lee and Collier counties, causing rental and investment revenue to plummet.

caloosahatchee river algae

A recent report by the Florida Realtors organization found that discolored coastal water can suppress property values and even force homeowners to sell at a loss. Property values in Lee County were suppressed by almost $1 billion each year because of the poor coastal water quality.

 

 

 

Lee County Property Values plummet due to bad water. Photo courtesy of Caloosahatchee News Press

Lee County property values plummet due to bad water. Photo courtesy of Caloosahatchee News Press.

Improved coastal water would increase property values in Lee County by over $500 million, with property values in neighboring Martin County likely to jump $428 million. The Lee County Appraiser’s Office reports that a $500 million increase in property value has a taxable value of $54.6 billion, which would generate $9.2 million in property taxes annually.

The report identifies smelly, toxic, red algae blooms as the main culprit in a chain reaction of poor water quality. “What is happening is that, while one algal bloom is not alarming in isolation, the recurrence of the algal blooms on a regular basis is showing up in the one-year models,” it says, “This regular recurrence is what is concerning home buyers and sellers. That is, a one-time event may not have a detrimental effect, but multiple times is a big problem.”

red algae at fort myers beach

Red Algae at Fort Myers Beach. Photo Courtesy of Lee County.

The major contributor to the red algae blooms is excess phosphorus and nitrogen from over use of lawn fertilizer have washed into the coastal waters from the local Caloosahatchee watershed. Water from the Lake Okeechobee discharge also carries excess phosphorus and nitrogen that gets swept into the coastal estuary. Red algae feeds off of the excess chemicals and releases toxins in the water that cripple the estuary, kill thousands of fish, scare off tourists, and force health officials to close beaches.

A secondary contributor in the poor water quality is the phosphorus-eating cyano bacteria Lyngbya, which clumps onto sea grasses and chokes off the oxygen supply to the roots, killing the grasses. Dead grass washes up from the estuary bottom and onto the shoreline in massive, gooey clumps and releases yet more algae-lving nitrogen into the water. When algae and lyngbya are blooming, water visibility maxes out at a paltry six inches. Cloudy, clumpy water degrades property values.

Algae in Fort Myers. Photo courtesy of Earthjustice-John Cassani

Algae in Fort Myers. Photo courtesy of Earthjustice/John Cassani.

Researchers began the study last summer, only finishing their field work earlier ths year. All of the waterfront homes along the Caloosahatchee River at Franklin Lock and Dam to San Carlos Bay near Fort Myers Beach were surveyed. Report findings state unequivocally that “what was clearly found was that the ongoing problem of polluted water in the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and estuaries has indeed resulted in a negative impact on home values.”

Locals had speculated on the negative impact water quality has had upon the tourism industry, but the Florida Realtors are the first organization to undertake a scientific study to quantify the problem. The purpose of the report is to examine how potential home buyers and sellers perceive the ambient water quality.

Home valuation based on sales from 2010 to 2013, chlorophyll-a readings, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen levels were some of the metrics used in the study. While short-term rentals may not be as badly impacted by algal blooms that clear up in a matter of weeks, long-term sales and investment are driven down by Lee County’s reputation for toxic, nasty, dangerous water events.

Kalea Bay Highrise Breaks Ground in Naples

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HBW subscribers in Naples already know about the residential construction opportunities available in Kalea Bay, and anyone else who’s seeking home building job leads will surely want to check this out.

On May 18, construction began on the first of five residential high-rises to be built in Kalea Bay, a Soave Real Estate‘s resort-style gated community. This luxury community is the first major residential high-rise project to be developed in Southwest Florida since the real estate crash six years ago. VP of sales and marketing Inga Wilson says the real estate market is “bouncing back, prompting the return of not only high-rise construction but also hundreds of jobs.” Wilson goes on to state that Soave’s decision to start construction in mid-May “reflects [their] confidence in the Southwest Florida real estate market and commitment to those who purchased a residence in the high-rise in recent months.”

Located along Vanderbilt Drive in North Naples, Kalea Bay offers stunning views of the Gulf of Mexico. The site for the tower, a 20-story, 120 residence building, was cleared earlier so that sanitation, internet, and electric infrastructure could be installed. The tower is slated for completion in Spring 2017.

There are six floor plans available at Kalea Bay. The designs range from three to four bedrooms with three-and-a-half to four bathrooms, and 3,280 square feet under air. Total square footage for the units ranges from 3,755 to 3,921 square feet including atriums and balconies. All homes offer views of the Gulf, a private elevator leading into the residence, tech-ready wiring, oversized walk-in closets in the master suites, nine-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and doors, fully equipped laundry rooms with washer/dryer sets, and wood floors throughout, and designatd under-building parking.

Each Kalea Bay high-rise building offers rooftop amenities including a fitness center, sky lounge, community meeting rooms, and pool. The community will feature a clubhouse with an internet cafe, three pools, a pool deck bar, a six-court lighted tennis pavilion, 24 guest suites, and an indoor/outdoor restaurant/snack bar overlooking a large lake.

The on-site sales center for Kalea Bay is located an 13910 Old Coast Road, off of Vanderbilt Drive. Asking prices being at $1.3 million and run to 2.6 million. To learn more about this development, please visit kaleabay.com

HBW serves builders in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and Oklahoma. In addition to our Building Trend Activity for Residential Construction Reports, HBW can create a number of custom reports for any need you might have. We also offer exclusive White Paper Reports to help you market your business. White papers start by giving an overview of the trends in your area and then advice on how to turn your weekly building permit information subscription into successful business leads. To show you how we can help your business succeed, HBW is glad to provide you with complementary building data report or one of our specialized White Paper Reports. Contact us today and start making your business more profitable!

First-Time Buyers Slowly Returning to Housing Market

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Although they aren’t totally back in the game yet, first-time buyers are claiming a larger share of the housing market. Builders, realtors, and market analysts at last week’s Homebuilding & Building Products Conference in New York commented on the uptick in new buyer activity nationwide. Although first-time buyers aren’t yet fully in the game, they are certainly stepping off the bench and onto the field.

This is welcome news. Economists have long cited the return of first-time buyers as a necessary precursor to economic recovery. The 437,000 new homes sold last year totaled only 58.6 percent of the annual average since 2000. The slow return of first-time buyers after nearly a decade of dormancy will boost home construction volume and market revenues. Executives from Meritage and Ryland offered key insights about this trend.

Volume builder Meritage announced plans to build starter homes in the low 200,000’s to cater to this emerging demographic. Although they typically cater to high-end buyers, hey have clearly taken notice of D.R. Horton’s wildly successful Express line of entry-level homes. Steven Hilton, Chief Executive with Meritage, told conference goes last week that, “We do see this as an expanding market,” adding that, “we saw strong demand in that segment in the last quarter and even more so over the last two months.” Meritage is absolutely not abandoning its higher-end upgrade buyer, but rather fostering long-term relationships with first-time buyers who will eventually also buy their upgrade homes from Meritage.

Ryland Group CEO Larry Nicholson echoed Hilton’s sentiment, “We hear from the field that the entry-level buyer is back out trying to figure out what they have to do to buy a house.” Nicholson says that new buyers “realize that money isn’t going to get any cheaper, that pricing is not going to get any cheaper. And they’re comfortable that their job situation is stable.” Upon review of the 7,677 homes they sold last year, Ryland projects that entry-level buyers in the coming year will account for 40 percent of Ryland’s total home sales. Entry-level buyers currently account for 33 percent of Ryland’s sales.

First-time buyer re-entry to the market has been hampered by several factors, resulting in a gradual trickle of would-be homeowners. While wages and employment rates have risen of late, the increase is still too recent and insubstantial to bankroll a mortgage. Crippling levels of student debt averaging $27,000 only make the issue more challenging. Home prices are still too still for new buyers to swing the 10 percent to 20 percent down payment on a new home. Mortgage lending criteria are still pretty stiff for first time buyers challenged by limited credit histories, even as the median home price hit an all-time high of $302,700. The good news is that the percentage of new home buyers will account for 18% of new home sales this year, an increase of 2% over last year.

New Home Construction Builds U.S. Economy

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If the April housing stats are any indicator (and they are), America’s home building industry has rebounded from an abysmal winter season. New home starts came at the fastest pace in seven years, and the ramped-up construction is boosting materials sales at Lowe’s and Home Depot. Experts agree that the numbers indicate an accelerating American economy, which is a welcome change from the economy’s shrinkage in early 2015.

As Josh Boak of the AP writes, “the rate of approved building permits — a harbinger of future construction — rose a solid 10 percent from March to April.” According to government reports, April saw a 20.2 percent spike in residential construction, bringing the seasonally adjusted annual pace to 1.14 million. Single- and multi-family building starts rose substantially in the Northeast, Midwest, and West, and the single-family sector showing increases in the South as well. The Northeast saw the heaviest gains, with an 86 percent jump in the pace of construction over January, February, and March.

In areas that had milder winter weather, the construction of single-family homes has steadily risen since January, besting the numbers from winter 2013.Now that the snowstorms and freezing temperatures which delayed home construction are finally past, the strong pent-up demand for new construction has been driving the housing starts.

The rise clearly reflects an increase in buyer demand and consumer confidence, or as TD Bank Senior Economist Michael Dolega says, “If you’re willing to buy a house, that speaks volumes about your confidence, job prospects and economic fortunes going forward.”

This confidence is showing more strongly in the real estate sector than in any other market. While hiring has solidly increased, overall economic growth has been slow. 223,000 jobs were added in April, which lowered the employment rate to 5.4 percent. Yet the economic growth that should be happening with the increase in employment hasn’t really happened in any sector other than housing. Tight supply has kept new home sales relatively low for the market conditions. The national inventory of homes sits at about 4.6 months’ worth, considerably lower than the 6 month inventory that economists say indicates a healthy market. April’s strong housing starts have eased concerns about the national housing supply.

Home supply stores have cashed in on the real estate boom Households worth over $200,000 have seen an increase in property values, which encouraged them to buy more big-ticket items like grills, riding lawnmowers, water heaters, and solar panels. Home Depot CFO Carol Tome cited company earnings

of $1.58 billion, or $1.21 per share, for the past three months. This is a marked improvement over last year’s earnings of $1.38 billion at $1 dollar per share.