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he Federal Trade Commission will hold a workshop ti- tled "Follow the Lead: An FTC Workshop about Online Lead Generation" on Oct. 30. in Washington, D.C., to explore the growing use of online lead generation in various industries. Many remodelers buy leads for new busi- ness, which can be quite expensive, especially for exterior re- placement f irms. The upcoming workshop indicates the feds believe this is an area that needs more oversight. The FTC currently is seeking research, recommendation for discussion topics and requests for panelists. The deadline to submit public comments about the workshop is Dec. 20; they can be submitted online at ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ ftc/onlineleadgenerationworkshop/. Recent examples of the FTC's attention on online lead genera- tion include bringing enforcement actions against payday loan lead generators, mortgage lead generators and companies that use lead generators to subvert telemarketing laws. Topics of discussion will include how online lead generation works and its variations, depending on the industry; what types of lead generation conduct may be unlawful under the FTC Act's prohibition against unfair or deceptive practices; best practices for entities that generate and sell consumer leads; and how consumers can avoid unlawful conduct in the online marketplace. Te free workshop, which is open to the public, will gather stake- holders, including industry representatives, consumer advocates and government regulators to discuss consumer protection issues. | Coming Soon: More Oversight of Third-party Online Leads The Federal Trade Commission recognizes that online lead generation can be pricey, and it is accepting public comments prior to holding a workshop about the topic. LEGAL T Continued on page 11 NEWS Implications of Aging Population for Home Improvement Market Over the coming decades, the number and share of U.S. households age 65 and over will rise dramatically as the oldest members of the baby-boomer gener- ation reach retirement age. Research released by Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies sheds light on the impli- cations of an aging society for the home improvement market by analyzing the remodeling activity by older owners and estimating the projected demand for and supply of homes with basic accessibility features in the near future. Since 2007, the share of total market spending for home improvements by owners age 55 and over has increased from less than one-third to nearly a half by 2013. Reaching $90 billion in 2013, spending by older owners was just 6 percent less than during the last market peak in 2007 and for the frst time surpassed the share and level of spending by middle-age homeowners. Combining historical spending data from the American Housing Survey with recent consumer housing survey data of expected spending from the Demand Institute suggests that total improve- ment expenditure by older homeown- ers could surge by an additional $17 billion annually throughout the next three years. For more information, visit QualifedRemodeler.com/20000581. Mid-year Housing Outlook HomeSphere and Morgan Stanley host- ed a webinar on Aug. 12 titled "Morgan Stanley 2015 Housing Outlook — Mid- year Review." Presented by Morgan Stanley's Ryan Gilbert, the webinar fore- casted there will be 1 million household formations by the end of 2015. Renters, however, are increasing; homeownership is trending down to about 63 percent, which is 2 percentage points lower than the long-term average of 65 percent. Other presentation notes include home price appreciation of +4 to 6 percent; 500,000 to 550,000 new home sales, which will translate to 15 to 25 percent year-over-year growth; 1.2 to 1.3 million new housing starts, of which 700,000 to 750,000 are single-family; and 5 mil- lion to 5.25 million existing home sales. First-time home buyers are rate sensitive and afordability is below long-term averages. Although demand in 2013 and 2014 was negatively impacted by higher mortgage payments, over the longer term, new home sales and interest rates are uncor- related. This year is diferent than preced- ing years for three main reasons: Mortgage rates have been lower and are increasing at a more moderate cost; HPA has decel- erated; and economic fundamentals are IN BRIEF 8 August 2015 QR QualifiedRemodeler.com