*Click HERE to check out this article
on the dangers of Chinese Drywall.

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 LONG-TERM OUTLOOK FAVORABLE!

Let’s talk facts.

Despite the serious problems we are facing today, it’s also  important to keep your eye on the big picture.

Home builders are resilient.  We’ve weathered bad storms before and we will again.  Looking at the market over the long-term, the U.S. is definitely on a growth path.

Our population will rise by about 35 million over the next 10 years.  All of those people will need someplace to live.

Consider these facts:

America currently has about 105 million occupied housing units.  About 70 million of those are owner-occupied.  The other 35 million are rental units.

Total equity (value of homes minus any mortgage debt) amounts to $8.5 trillion.

37 percent of all home owners own their home outright, with no mortgage debt

And for those who have mortgages, 93 percent are  making their payments on time every month.

Home values will ultimately bottom out and start edging back up.  Once we turn the corner on the housing downturn, the longer term housing outlook is promising.

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Prepared by NAHB Public Affairs
Week of January 5, 2009
 Fix Housing First Takes Center Stage

As the new 111th Congress convenes this week and President-elect Obama prepares to take office later this month, NAHB is leading one of the largest coalitions of housing advocates ever assembled in the U.S. to push for housing stimulus that will stabilize the marketplace.

More than 600 organizations, home building companies and manufacturers have joined in support of Fix Housing First, which is pressing for a housing recovery plan to revive the U.S. economy.

As part of this effort, NAHB is launching an all-out blitz to deliver a simple message to lawmakers and the media: A housing stimulus is urgently needed to restore demand for housing and to revive the economy.

The key ingredients to the recovery plan call for Congress to support enhancements to the home buyer tax credit and provide below-market 30-yeasr fixed-rate mortgages for home purchases in 2009.

We are leaving no stone unturned in conveying this message to the government and public.

This week, NAHB will:

• Fly in nearly 100 builders from across the country to meet with targeted members of Congress to show that a housing stimulus is urgently needed and that restoring demand for housing is the fastest and most effective way of reviving the economy.

• Arrange for builders who cannot come to Washington to convey the same message through e-mails and phone calls to their lawmakers.

• Conduct a series of press conferences by telephone with the media in California, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina and Tennessee. The media events will show how the economic crisis is affecting communities across the country and cite the urgent need for Congress to take bold and decisive action to spur a housing and economic recovery.

• Continue an ongoing radio ad campaign and run full page advertisements in Roll Call, Politico and the Hill - publications geared toward Washington policymakers.

Congress Must Act Swiftly!  Specifically, Congress should enact a stimulus plan that reduces mortgage interest rates