Qualified Remodeler Magazine

JUL 2016

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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annual gain in March, down from 5.3 percent the previous month. The 10-City Composite and the 20-City Composites' year-over-year gains remained unchanged at 4.7 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively, from the prior month. Before seasonal adjustment, the National Index posted a month-over-month gain of 0.7 percent in March. The 10-City Composite recorded a 0.8 percent month-over-month increase while the 20-City Composite posted a 0.9 percent increase in March. After season- al adjustment, the National Index recorded a 0.1 percent month-over-month increase, the 10-City Composite posted a 0.8 percent increase, and the 20-City Composite reported a 0.9 percent month-over-month increase. Additional content on the housing market can also be found on S&P; Dow Jones Indices' housing blog: housingviews.com. HomeAdvisor trend watch: outdoor projects By Marianne Cusato, HomeAdvisor's Housing Expert and Professor of the Practice at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture The summer of 2016 is set to be a block- buster for outdoor home improvement proj- ects. According to HomeAdvisor, the demand for outdoor service requests increased more than 50 percent from 2014 to 2015, and this season's off to a strong start as well. Most outdoor projects fall into one of two categories: improvements around the house (surface work and landscaping) or improve- ments to the house (repairs, painting, and replacements and additions to the home). According to HomeAdvisor data, the most pop- ular around the house projects include install- ing concrete patios, walks and steps; mowing and maintaining a lawn; building or replacing a deck or porch; and installing a concrete drive- way. HomeAdvisor's data further shows that the most popular improvements to the house projects include installing or replacing asphalt shingle roofing and painting or staining the exterior of a structure. HomeAdvisor sees steady nationwide demand for all of its popular outdoor service requests, though more specialized project requests may vary by region. Snow removal requests in Florida are rare, for example. But interestingly, homeowners in the mid-Atlantic region are more likely than homeowners in the Midwest or Great Plains to hire a profes- sional to help with snow removal. When it comes to installing brick and stone patios, walkways and steps, HomeAdvisor sees a concentration of projects along the East Coast from Florida to New England. Porch and deck projects are also common along the East Coast, but these projects appear to be popular in the Midwest and Northwest regions as well. GE Appliances completes sale to Haier GE announced it has completed the sale of GE Appliances to Qingdao Haier Co., Ltd. ("Haier") for $5.6 billion, which includes an approximate $200 million increase from the originally announced sale price to account for increased working capital in the business. The sale will generate an after-tax gain of approximately $0.20 per share. For the year, they expect gains to be offset by restructur- ing. The GE name still will appear on appli- ances and customers can expect to receive the same level of support. The Haier acquisition also includes GE's FirstBuild microfactory, a collaborative inven- tive space that has produced small applianc- es such as the Opal Nuggest Ice Maker and the Paragon Induction Cooktop. Consumer confidence in current business conditions declines Originally posted on the NAHB Eye on Housing blog: The Consumer Confidence Index declined to 92.6 in May, from 94.7 in April. The present situation index slipped to 112.9, from 117.1 in April, and the expectations index dropped to 79.0, from 79.7 in April. The share of respondents rating business conditions "normal" declined to 52.5 percent from 57.6 percent in April. Two-thirds of the 5.1 percentage point decline downgraded their assessment from normal to bad, while only one-third upgraded their assessment to good. But expectations of business conditions six months from now improved. The share of respondents expecting better business con- ditions rose 1.3 percentage points while the share expecting conditions to worsen rose by a smaller 0.8 percentage point. Consumers' assessment of current employ- ment conditions weakened in May. The share of respondents reporting that jobs were "not so plentiful" declined to 51.3 percent from 53.0 percent in April. Ninety-four percent of the 1.7 percentage point decline downgraded their continued QualifiedRemodeler.com QR July 2016 13 IN BRIEF A bathroom becomes a more special place because of Geberit. More roomy. More aesthetic. Just more. Geberit installation technology is securely located behind the wall. Where it should be. Spend all the extra minutes you want, as long as you know Geberit is behind the wall. Call 866/787-3924 for your designer's kit or visit → geberitnow.com. In a minute For more info circle 56

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