October 28, 2014


 

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NLBMDA: The Midterm Elections and Control of Congress


According to most political analysts, Republicans, at worst, have a 50/50 chance of gaining the Senate majority. If history is any indication, Republicans should be optimistic about their chances as the second midterm elections for a president, sometimes referred to as the "six-year itch," are usually bad for the president's political party.


Republicans must pick up a net of six seats to take control of the Senate. Although they are favored to pick up three seats currently held by Democrats (Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia), winning the other three seats will be no easy task. Several endangered Democrats come from families with deep political roots and have won close races before.

Read the whole story at LBM Journal


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Business Management and POS Software That Inspires Business Excellence

Epicor is proud to serve almost 2,000 North American lumber and building materials companies with our industry-leading business software solutions. Our customers say they are inspired by our technology, the Epicor user community, and unprecedented access to their business data. There's no limit to the possibilities.

Be Inspired. Call 888.463.4700 or email [email protected]

 

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Pending Home Sales Inch Up In September As Housing Market Normalizes

The number of contracts signed to buy previously-owned homes inched up slightly in September, reaching its second-highest level since August 2013. The numbers are another indicator that the housing market is past the rapid recovery phase and is beginning to normalize.

The Pending Home Sales Index, which tracks contract signings (as opposed to closed sales), rose 0.3% in September to 105.0, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. (An index of 100 represents an "average" level of contract activity.) September's level missed the 0.8% increase forecast by economists surveyed by Bloomberg ahead of the release.

Read the whole story at Forbes

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Unified Purchasing Group: Volume Discounts for Your Organization

Unified Purchasing Group was established by bringing together independent suppliers in the construction industry and leveraging their collective purchasing power to negotiate volume discounts on commonly used products and services. Through UPG, Members enjoy economies of scale that help manage supply and operating costs. Our primary objective is to bring value to our Members. We do this by continually negotiating volume purchasing agreements with leading national vendors such as Verizon Wireless, Staples, ADP, YRC Worldwide, and more.

To find out more about UPG, go to www.upg.org

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Home Price Growth to Cool to 3 Percent in 2015


Usually when an asset starts to grow in value less quickly than it had before, it's a bad sign. When it comes to the U.S housing market, however, analysts say it means healthy stabilization. Home prices in the U.S. continued to decelerate in the third quarter this year, growing 6.5 percent from the same period in 2013, according to a report released Thursday from Zillow. The average home price was $176,500.


The annual rate of appreciation peaked at 8.1 percent in April and has fallen every month since then, quelling fears of a bubble in certain markets. Prices will continue to cool as certain market fundamentals, like job and wage gains, replace factors like decreased home supply and widespread investor activity that have driven price gains since the housing crisis.


Read the whole story at USNews
 

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Know Your Inventory, Know Your Business with Ponderosa ERP Software

Ponderosa Building Materials Software is the only ERP solution with a built-in, fully integrated Warehouse Management System. This real-time inventory control solution helps LBM dealers improve efficiency, speed and accuracy in their warehousing and yard management operations, reduce inventory levels and costs, and gain a competitive edge. Wireless, hand-held PCs and bar code scanners track inventory from the time materials arrive to the shipping of finished goods, helping you lower inventory levels, reduce receiving, staging, picking and replenishment time and improve order fulfillment and customer satisfaction.


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Buying Cheaper Than Renting, But Some Mortgages Make It a Closer Call


Homeownership remains cheaper than renting nationally and in all of the 100 largest metro areas. In fact, buying is 38% cheaper than renting now, compared with 35% cheaper than renting one year ago. Why is the gap widening? Two reasons. First, in the past year, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate has fallen from 4.8% to 4.3%. Second, rents have risen faster than prices, excluding foreclosures. Together, these trends have made buying even more affordable versus renting than it was last year.

Our Rent Versus Buy model assumes a traditional 30-year fixed rate mortgage with a 20% down payment. But there may be good reasons for financing a home purchase other ways. Consumers tell us that the main obstacle to homeownership is the down payment. For those would-be homeowners - especially first-timers without savings or equity from another home - a low-down-payment mortgage might be the only option. For others, paying all cash might give them the deciding advantage over other bidders on a house. This edition of Trulia's Rent Versus Buy report focuses on how different types of mortgages affect the math of buying versus renting.


Read the whole story at Trulia

 

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A Stronger Option With A Stronger Reputation

Simply put, RigidLam LVL is just a stronger option. Roseburg experts start with the best Douglas fir veneer from our own forests and use proven manufacturing methods to create some of the industry's most consistent engineered wood. RigidLam LVL beams, headers, columns and studs are stronger, easier to work with, and more predictable than traditional solid-sawn lumber. All Roseburg EWP products are engineered to meet or exceed the industry's highest standards. Choose RigidLam to experience the strength that has built the Roseburg reputation.


UPCOMING EVENTSArt5

October 28-30 National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association ProDealer Conference, San Diego, CA, www.dealer.org, 202.367.1169

Nov. 4-5 Epicor LBM & Wood Products Conference, New Orleans, LA

Nov. 4-6 Spruce Computer Systems User Conference, Latham, NY

Nov. 5-7 Western Building Material Association Annual Convention, Portland, OR, www.wbma.org, 360.943.3054

Nov. 6-7 Mid-America Lumbermens Association Fall Fling, location TBA, 800.747.6529, www.TheMLA.com

Nov. 6-7 West Coast Lumber & Building Material Association Annual Convention, Palm Springs, CA, 916.235.7490, www.lumberassociation.org

Nov. 9-11 STAFDA Annual Convention & Trade Show, Charlotte, NC, www.stafda.org

Nov. 10-12 ECi Software Solutions Connect Conference, Las Vegas, NV.

Nov. 11-12 LMC Forest Products & Building Materials Expo, Philadelphia, PA, www.lmc.net, 610.293.7047

 

Got news? Send it to [email protected]  
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Screw Products, Inc Offers Coast-to-Coast Service and Same-day Turnaround on all Fastener Products  

 

Screw Products, Inc Offers Coast-to-Coast Service and Same-day Turnaround on all Fastener Products turnaround on all fastener products, ranging from Star-Drive Screws for virtually any job to DeckLok and RailLok fasteners that increase deck safety and bring projects up to code.

Customers can order product quickly and often and take advantage of Screw Products, Inc.'s new second location in South Carolina, offering a one-day ship from Austin, Texas to Fargo, North Dakota and East. We'll also be at R/D/J this month; stop by booth 609 for a free set of color-coded bits while supplies last! 


For more information, call Screw Products, Inc. toll free at (877) 844-8880 visit www.screw-products.com, or follow @Screw_Products on Twitter. 

 

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 


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