HouseSight Attracts Home Building and Remodeling Contractors

By Mark J. Donovan

Since the launch of HouseSight last month, many home building and remodeling contracors have signed up and begun showing off some of their projects. I was initially surprised by their participation, but after thinking about it a bit it became obvious. They're using HouseSight as yet another vehicle for selling their services. And why not, its free and in this down housing market builders and contractors need to employ every method possible to attract buyers. The fact that it also serves my main object for HouseSight, which is to provide a web destination for homeowners to get and share home improvement ideas, makes it a win-win situation all around.

If you haven't checked out HouseSight yet, I recommend you do. HouseSight registration is quick and easy, and best of all membership is free.

So check it out and see what the home builders are showing off, and even better, post some of your own home remodeling and home improvement projects. Readmore »»

Home Building Up and Building Permits Down In January

By Mark Donovan

The Good News - The commerce department reported that home building construction starts were up a healthy 14.6% in January, compared to December.

The Bad News - The commerce department reported that home building construction permits were down 10.4% in the same period.

Though the news was a mixed bag, it's possible that the sagging number of new home construction permits pulled last month was in part due to the heavy snow and cold weather that blanketed much of the country in January. It's also possible that with the significant increase in actual construction starts that builders were too busy focusing on actual building than planning.

One month of data doesn't set a trend, so we will have to wait until spring to see if there is indeed a positive direction in the beleaguered housing construction industry. Readmore »»