President's Message

Happy New Year 2008!

Best wishes for a Happy New Year from the officers and staff of the Niagara County Builders Association!

We are looking forward to a new year of growth and activity in Niagara. Although the past couple of years have been very slow for our industry and the news from around the U.S. has been terrible, there are positive signs that we may start coming back as early as this year. The promises of one or two new computer centers by local banks, the construction of a new air terminal in Niagara Falls, the potential for a new auto parts manufacturer in Wheatfield and other potential development all offer a ray of hope for the homebuilding industry. The mortgage lenders in our organization are telling us that Niagara County will not be hit hard by the sub-prime ills that are causing major unrest in other parts of the country.

The NCBA will proceed cautiously, but look for opportunities to promote homebuilding in the county. The board has decided not to do a home and garden show this year, due to problems that we encountered last year and the difficulty of finding a good location and desirable dates in February or March. Our staff is already working on plans for a bigger, better H&G Show next year. We are
also evaluating the possibility of a Parade of Homes for the fall.

The challenge for me as your new president will be to continue the momentum that Larry Quigliano built during his term. Quigs did a great job leading us. We grew to 88 members, and are still growing. Our social activities– the Christmas Party, Golf Outing and Picnic– have all been terrific events. Congratulations to Larry for a terrific job as our president. I am happy that he will be staying on the board as our new Treasurer.

A huge THANK YOU to Lori Swogier, Joelyn Quigliano, Cathy Strassburg and all who helped them put together our wonderful Christmas Party in December! Suzanne’s did a great job for us, and everybody had a good time. Thank you to all who donated baskets for the drawings, and those who donated cash for the jewelry raffle. Special thanks to Niagara County Legislator Bill Ross for
conducting our installation of officers, and for his nice comments about the NCBA’s contributions to the local economy.

For 2008, we can promise you that we will continue to be active in promoting the homebuilding industry, and work with you to offer our usual array of excellent meeting programs and great activities. Please feel free to call me at 731-4184 with your input on any NCBA event or initiative.

Next Meeting

Date:	Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Place:	Fortuna's Restaurant
Address:	827 19th Street, Niagara Falls
Time:	5:30 pm Board of Directors 6:30 pm Cocktails (cash bar) 7:30 pm Dinner Meeting
Program:	"Meet the Members"

IMPORTANT! PLEASE RSVP 693-5736 to NCBA office by Friday, January 4th to let us know if you will attend. THANK YOU!

Meet the Members on January 9

Our January meeting promises to be a good one – don’t miss it! Instead of having a speaker, we will have a casual evening aimed at getting to know your fellow members better. We invite ALL of our members - especially the newer ones, to attend. Bring some of your promotional material (catalogs, flyers, business cards, etc). There will be side tables where you can display your information, and
the entire meeting will be devoted to getting to know what other businesses do, and how we can work together. We’ll meet at Fortuna’s Restaurant, 827 19th Street, Niagara Falls. Cocktails are at 6:30, and dinner at 7:30. The board meets at 5:30. See the flyer inside this newsletter.

2008 Code Changes

Just a reminder that the new code changes are now in effect. The NCBA board voted to buy and maintain a current set of the code books in our office. They are available to all of our members at no cost, and are in looseleaf format so they can be easily copied. If you want to come in and check out any of the codes and make copies, the NCBA office is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Cathy and Jerry are there to help. Call us at 693-5736.

If you were at our November meeting you will remember Stan Swogier’s discussion with Andy Hvisdak about the change that requires temporary fencing around any new swimming pool that is under construction. This is just oneof the changes you will find in the new codes. Andy also made his office phone number available to us. If you need to speak with him or another code interpreter you can call his Buffalo office at 847-7612.

IBS February 13-16 in Orlando

The 2008 International Builders Show is set for February 13 to 16 in Orlando. This show is the highlight of the year for our industry. There will be top-notch speakers, acres of displays, and all of the latest homebuilding technology will be on display. The New American Home will celebrate its 25th anniversary at the IBS by showcasing a 6,724- square-foot, Plantation-style home. The waterfront home features an incredible master suite occupying one whole side of the building footprint, and a family suite for an elderly parent or visiting family. An additional 2950 square foot covered outdoor area of the home features a complete kitchen and a salon with a fireplace. Register for the show by January 4 to save $50. Your NCBA would like to know who is going from our organization, so please call Cathy and let her know if you are attending the show.

Renowned political analysts James Carville and Mary Matalin will be the keynote speakers at the show’s grand opening ceremonies. They will discuss politics and parenting. Matalin is a former assistant to President Bush and counselor to Vice President Cheney. Carville managed President Clinton’s successful 1992 campaign. The husband and wife team with opposing political views have been featured on numerous TV shows.

NCBA Officers & Directors

Five Ways to Stand Apart From Other Custom Builders

By Andy Elsbury, SelectionWare

Prospective homebuyers need to understand what makes you better than and different from other builders. When they ask, “Why should I build with you?” you and your staff need to be ready to provide the correct 10-second answer. If you can’t answer quickly, or if your answer is, “We deliver a good value” or “We have a great reputation,” then you missed your opportunity to stand above the rest.

Successful builders are able to convey what differentiates them from their competition in all their initial customer contacts. This includes their marketing materials, phone calls and face-to-face meetings. With all these contacts, you should be providing your prospective customers with tangible evidence of why building with you is the best choice they can make.

Following are five important ways to differentiate your business:

1. Clearly communcate what kind of builder you are. Custom homebuilders should clearly specify whether they offer floor plan options, clients bring their own floor plans or the buyer and builder work on blueprints together. Also, prospects need to know if they will be primarily dealing with you, the owner or specialized staff members.

2. Build unique homes. Prospects want a builder who builds the home they envision. If someone wants a rustic or log home, then they will pick a builder who specializes in that style of home. Ensure that your prospects know your specialty, whether it is cottage, stone modern or any other type.

3. Provide evidence of an enjoyable homebuyer experience. Claiming a great experience is not enough. You need to provide real proof. Offer literature or documentation that clearly explains homebuyer involvement and your construction process. Clearly show homebuyers how they will be making selections — whether it is with a designer, at a design center or online.

4. Provide proof of being on time and within budget. Being on time and within budget is extremely important to your homebuyers. The first step to assuring them that this is how you will build their home is to create a process of communicating this information to them at pre-defined times throughout the building process. The second step is to outline how you will keep them informed. For example, providing schedule and budget information every Monday via e-mail or online will set you above others your prospect may consider.

5. Provide additional, value-added resources. Beyond just building a home, there are services you can provide that help your homebuyers. For example, include a Realtor® listing of their prior home, purchase their prior home if it isn’t sold within six months or supply a relocation package. Assisting homebuyers with financing is another great service that can be as simple as working closely with a mortgage professional, or more detailed like providing in-house financing plans.

Being like everybody else is crowded. Set yourself apart to succeed.

WNY Leads ENERGY STAR® Parade

New York State builders set a new record for ENERGY STAR Homes in 2007. More ENERGY
STAR homes have been built this year than any previous year and New York’s 10,000th ENERGY STAR home was labeled in July. Congratulations! NYSBA records through December 12th showed 2,431 ENERGY STAR homes completed year-to-date. Western New York led the way with 709 of those home. Congratulations to all builders who are building the energy efficient ENERGY STAR homes. The state paid over $2.4 million in ENERGY STAR incentives for the year, in addition to over $385,000 in co-op advertising costs.

2008 Dues Lobbying Tax Deduction

Dues payments to the New York State Builders Association are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. However, dues payments are deductible as ordinary and necessary business expense, subject to the exclusion for lobbying activity. Using the base amount of $115.00 for dues the amount which is not tax deductible is $61.00 or 53%. Please note that the additional $20.00 PAC contribution amount is also not deductible making the total amount that is not tax deductible $81.00 or 60% of the state dues amount.

In addition, the NAHB has notified us that the amount that is not tax deductible for the national
dues for 2008 is 12% of $150 or $18.00. Please save this notice for your tax preparer.