Qualified Remodeler Magazine

JUL 2013

Qualified Remodeler helps independent remodeling firms to survive, become more professional and more profitable by providing must-have business information, namely best business practices, new product information and timely design ideas.

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IDEAS? OPINIONS? Join the conversation HOT SPOT / DISCUSSIONS FROM FORRESIDENTIALPROS.COM AND QUALIFIED REMODELER'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES The news story, New Home Sales Rise 2.3 Percent in April, reported that sales of newly built, single-family homes rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 454,000 units in April, according to HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. FRP.com registered user Jan Olsen commented: "The new home building is great, but, as much as I hate to say it, it's not helping the general, existing housing market. The existing houses, especially unimproved and dated ones, are languishing in the flat market. Are we going to go down the old road of automatically demolishing any substandard houses and throwing up new ones? I think we need to put on our thinking caps and come up with creative ways to update and improve the houses already in place so they attract new buyers. A brand-new home may be very appealing at first, but, just like a car, they become used as soon as you, in the case of houses, use them. Outside of the job market and exorbitant local property taxes depressing the housing market (sales), I think the banks (and towns) could do more to help the existing mortgage holders and new mortgage applicants to make it more affordable to own, maintain and buy homes, with the emphasis on existing ones. One idea I had was to offer longer-term mortgages or other terms to make it more doable for the average citizen. Another would probably involve reducing local taxes and offering more tax incentives to stimulate buyers. If the general economic outlook doesn't improve, I see rough times ahead for the country, housing market and the already struggling average citizen due to a lack of opportunity and, perhaps more importantly, optimism. We must hold our leadership accountable for the state of affairs our housing market has presently found itself in if we are to expect significant turnaround in housing sale statistics!" Read the full story at ForResidentialPros.com/10949145 Ever shaken your head at something a homeowner said or asked of you while on the job? LinkedIn member Shawn McCadden from the Boston area started a discussion about "The crazy things homeowners say to contractors." On the QR Facebook page, we shared a National Association of Home Builders post, which reported survey results that say living rooms will vanish from homes by 2015. We asked how our followers felt about these results, and whether they agreed or disagreed. Facebook Follower Barry Elings said: "I would say the family room and kitchen have been the focal point for many years now in the homes I've worked on. Living rooms and, to a lesser point, dining rooms, in a majority of homes, are seldom used rooms that continue to hang on as tradition." Read more comments, share your own response or start your own conversation on our Qualified Remodeler Magazine Facebook page. Linked hen arriving to give an estimate, I was told 'Nobody will give me an estimate,' and when I do provide one I am told, 'You're just as high-priced as everyone else.' Unfortunately this has happened more than once. –William Seniecle, Syracuse, N.Y., area W A A ade several attempts to clear a toilet stoppage. Each time we flushed it would clean out the bowl, but it was obvious there was still something lodged. We made one last effort with the auger and pulled out a pair of dentures. When we called the client in and he saw them still lying in the bowl, he let out a few expletives blaming the grandkids and reached in, shook off the excess water and, yes, he placed them back in his mouth. I do not recall charging that customer for service as we just had to get out of the house. –Nick Falletta, CAPS, CGR, Roanoke, Va., area. client scheduled remodeling work the same day she was moving into a new house and a few days after hip surgery so she was on crutches. Deliveries kept arriving from home décor stores. She wanted us to bring in all the boxes, unpack them, flatten the boxes and put them out for the trash. And after we built the window seat, she wanted the back wall (i.e., inside the window seat where you have to lie on your belly to see it) painted. So, I lay on my belly in the small access hole and painted the back wall of her window seat. –Michele Bartlett, Denver area lady asked me: 'You charged me to turn a breaker on?' I said, 'No, ma'm. I charged to drive over and knock on your door. I turned the breaker on for free.' Then, I told her she couldn't plug more than one space heater in that plug at a time. –Wayne Jones, Odessa/Midland, Texas, area M Read more comments or share your own response by joining our LinkedIn group, 42 July 2013 QR ForResidentialPros.com magazine.

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