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That whole article is total hogwash. Just like any and all articles released by the NAR is completely false and slanted to make things sound rosy, anything released from the NAHB or GHBA is also designed to make the reader feel good. Maybe even go out and feel comfortable about buying......which is a good thing by the way. But the public won't be fooled. Ask those who's home been on the market for 2 years. Ask those who been without work for over 2 years and looking hard. Ask the 1 out of 4 homeowners in America who's home is in foreclosure. Ask the Builders who have unsold inventory and are offering the moon if some one anyone will just put a deposit on their spec homes that are collecting dust and being vandalized by thugs.
I am a card carrying member of all these organizations. I been in this biz for over 3 decades. Never has it been this bad. The construction industry has been devastated. New home sales hit another all time low this month. New home inventory (and existing) are staggering. Banks will not lend to anyone with less then an 800 SCAM.....oops I mean FICO score. Unemployment, the true numbers, not the one your govt publishes, the true unbiased independent unemployment rate is nearing 25%, much higher among construction professionals. Yea yea yea I know, you don't hear that on the nightly news. I work/volunteer for 2 food shelters, I seen the needy grow to unbelievable levels in the past 2 years. Truly needy working class people who just can't make it on all these high wages some people think is out there. Truth is, after those O&G jobs, all Houston is would be a minimum wage service industry with less of it's residents with health insurance then anyplace in America.
If you look back at all the recessions in American history, home sales were the first to recover. They have not this time. Why? Because while it is true the recession has ended, what the news will not tell you is we have now entered a solid economic depression. By all non govt definitions, we are in a depression. There are little to no economic indicators to show anything will turn around soon.
True as some one pointed out. I can drive up and down FM529 and every facility has a sign outside begging for Engineers, Welders and Pipe fitters. Some are offering a bonus to sign on. How many of Houstonians does that include?
To those who have a roof over their head and a job, you have been blessed. But open your eyes and look at the food lines, the unemployment lines, homeless shelter lines, look under the bridges how many live in an appliance cardboard box.....Our city and our country is not all rosy like your favorite candidate is telling you. It's what I call a federal disaster area.
Oh yea, and go out and buy a new home. If you can find a Realtor around. You see when homes are not selling, not only does the building industry suffer but those who sell them starve to death too. My one trade journal says 72% of all Realtors never renewed their license. Remember as little as 5 years ago there was a Real Estate office on every corner? I don't even know where there is on anymore.
In better times, I knew guys who framed houses and made almost 50K.
Bruce I remember those times well. Most of our Framers were starting at $25/hr. Today one can hire 3 south of the border workers at $8/hr each and get 3 times the work production. May the quality be damned. Honestly the consumer does not demand a whole lot of quality in a new home anymore. Technically, most of it is hidden. Only the cosmetic is visible such as the paint and drywall. And if your lucky you'll get American made cabinets rather then those imported from China that are infested with formaldehyde, sulfur and lead, enough to kill a small child.
That whole article is total hogwash. Just like any and all articles released by the NAR is completely false and slanted to make things sound rosy, anything released from the NAHB or GHBA is also designed to make the reader feel good. Maybe even go out and feel comfortable about buying......which is a good thing by the way. But the public won't be fooled. Ask those who's home been on the market for 2 years. Ask those who been without work for over 2 years and looking hard. Ask the 1 out of 4 homeowners in America who's home is in foreclosure. Ask the Builders who have unsold inventory and are offering the moon if some one anyone will just put a deposit on their spec homes that are collecting dust and being vandalized by thugs.
I am a card carrying member of all these organizations. I been in this biz for over 3 decades. Never has it been this bad. The construction industry has been devastated. New home sales hit another all time low this month. New home inventory (and existing) are staggering. Banks will not lend to anyone with less then an 800 SCAM.....oops I mean FICO score. Unemployment, the true numbers, not the one your govt publishes, the true unbiased independent unemployment rate is nearing 25%, much higher among construction professionals. Yea yea yea I know, you don't hear that on the nightly news. I work/volunteer for 2 food shelters, I seen the needy grow to unbelievable levels in the past 2 years. Truly needy working class people who just can't make it on all these high wages some people think is out there. Truth is, after those O&G jobs, all Houston is would be a minimum wage service industry with less of it's residents with health insurance then anyplace in America.
If you look back at all the recessions in American history, home sales were the first to recover. They have not this time. Why? Because while it is true the recession has ended, what the news will not tell you is we have now entered a solid economic depression. By all non govt definitions, we are in a depression. There are little to no economic indicators to show anything will turn around soon.
True as some one pointed out. I can drive up and down FM529 and every facility has a sign outside begging for Engineers, Welders and Pipe fitters. Some are offering a bonus to sign on. How many of Houstonians does that include?
To those who have a roof over their head and a job, you have been blessed. But open your eyes and look at the food lines, the unemployment lines, homeless shelter lines, look under the bridges how many live in an appliance cardboard box.....Our city and our country is not all rosy like your favorite candidate is telling you. It's what I call a federal disaster area.
Oh yea, and go out and buy a new home. If you can find a Realtor around. You see when homes are not selling, not only does the building industry suffer but those who sell them starve to death too. My one trade journal says 72% of all Realtors never renewed their license. Remember as little as 5 years ago there was a Real Estate office on every corner? I don't even know where there is on anymore.
While you are very passionate, you are wrong on many items. YTD 2012 vs. 2011 new home sales are up and inventory is down. This is a FACT. Also, there is a labor shortage, and I know this first hand. Many of the laborers left town when the housing market slowed down. Now that it has picked back up many framers, brickers, concrete finishers..etc are going to the highest bidder...leaving many production builders last in line. I won't speak on the other subjects you mentioned, it would only be opinion and speculation.
While you are very passionate, you are wrong on many items. YTD 2012 vs. 2011 new home sales are up and inventory is down. This is a FACT. Also, there is a labor shortage, and I know this first hand. Many of the laborers left town when the housing market slowed down. Now that it has picked back up many framers, brickers, concrete finishers..etc are going to the highest bidder...leaving many production builders last in line. I won't speak on the other subjects you mentioned, it would only be opinion and speculation.
This is true. Although there are a few areas in the greater Houston Metro are not selling well, other areas cannot keep up.
That whole article is total hogwash. Just like any and all articles released by the NAR is completely false and slanted to make things sound rosy, anything released from the NAHB or GHBA is also designed to make the reader feel good. Maybe even go out and feel comfortable about buying......which is a good thing by the way. But the public won't be fooled. Ask those who's home been on the market for 2 years. Ask those who been without work for over 2 years and looking hard. Ask the 1 out of 4 homeowners in America who's home is in foreclosure. Ask the Builders who have unsold inventory and are offering the moon if some one anyone will just put a deposit on their spec homes that are collecting dust and being vandalized by thugs.
I am a card carrying member of all these organizations. I been in this biz for over 3 decades. Never has it been this bad. The construction industry has been devastated. New home sales hit another all time low this month. New home inventory (and existing) are staggering. Banks will not lend to anyone with less then an 800 SCAM.....oops I mean FICO score. Unemployment, the true numbers, not the one your govt publishes, the true unbiased independent unemployment rate is nearing 25%, much higher among construction professionals. Yea yea yea I know, you don't hear that on the nightly news. I work/volunteer for 2 food shelters, I seen the needy grow to unbelievable levels in the past 2 years. Truly needy working class people who just can't make it on all these high wages some people think is out there. Truth is, after those O&G jobs, all Houston is would be a minimum wage service industry with less of it's residents with health insurance then anyplace in America.
If you look back at all the recessions in American history, home sales were the first to recover. They have not this time. Why? Because while it is true the recession has ended, what the news will not tell you is we have now entered a solid economic depression. By all non govt definitions, we are in a depression. There are little to no economic indicators to show anything will turn around soon.
True as some one pointed out. I can drive up and down FM529 and every facility has a sign outside begging for Engineers, Welders and Pipe fitters. Some are offering a bonus to sign on. How many of Houstonians does that include?
To those who have a roof over their head and a job, you have been blessed. But open your eyes and look at the food lines, the unemployment lines, homeless shelter lines, look under the bridges how many live in an appliance cardboard box.....Our city and our country is not all rosy like your favorite candidate is telling you. It's what I call a federal disaster area.
Oh yea, and go out and buy a new home. If you can find a Realtor around. You see when homes are not selling, not only does the building industry suffer but those who sell them starve to death too. My one trade journal says 72% of all Realtors never renewed their license. Remember as little as 5 years ago there was a Real Estate office on every corner? I don't even know where there is on anymore.
Much of this depends on the area...Inner loop, Heights, Memorial, West U, Bellaire - all are doing just fine. The suburbs have quite a bit of inventory and prices are depressed some.
If you can find a realtor?? Realtors are everywhere...There is no shortage of realtors - in fact there are far too many. As to realtors 72% not renewing is nothing new...its been that way for a long time...You can not expect a high retention rate when the barrier to enter a field is as low as it is for a realtor, and the business model of real estate is changing rapdily. People go into real estate expecting to make money doing nothing, find out that it costs money to be in real estate and that they actually do have to work (some) and they quit b/c they are not making money. Its pretty simple. An easy profession with lots of competition offers low rewards to lazy folks,so they quit. If you made it harder to be a realtor and people were actually invested in it - then it would have a higher retention rate.
As to laziness and entitlements in this country - Could not agree more, but people who are still unemployed in Houston are unemployed by choice. There are lots of jobs available in Houston - LOTS - some people may find those jobs beneath them and choose not to work them, but they are there. As I said before- these machinist positions are anywhere from $12-$40/Hr with overtime and full benefits...and these companies cant fill the positions b/c there are too many idiots out there who cant do even basic math OR they think b/c they went to college manual labor is below them...
Unemployment is a problem, and yes the current administration is a huge cause of it, but another huge problem is entitlement. People think they deserve a job that pays more than that that job is worth...Pay is skill dependent...with high skill comes high reward...if you are a dime a dozen, dont expect a nice cushy job anymore. Those days are over - we are a global economy now. You are competing directly with slave labor in China...whether you like it or not.
While you are very passionate, you are wrong on many items. YTD 2012 vs. 2011 new home sales are up and inventory is down. This is a FACT. Also, there is a labor shortage, and I know this first hand. Many of the laborers left town when the housing market slowed down. Now that it has picked back up many framers, brickers, concrete finishers..etc are going to the highest bidder...leaving many production builders last in line. I won't speak on the other subjects you mentioned, it would only be opinion and speculation.
The place you read is not factual. It's your govt (not mine) who reports that crap to the nightly news who reports it to the Sheep.
Not a day goes by when I don't get multiple people coming in looking for work. There is none. My finger is right on the pulse of the construction economy. The place you read your statistics were from was by the same govt who does not include food and energy in the cost of living index. Tell me when you did not need food or energy to survive. Your govt does not include the self employed or commissioned sales people or even those who gave up looking for work in their reported unemployment numbers. Is this where you want to trust your news from? Not me Mister.
The only thing you are dead right about is many of the day laborers (legal and illegal) have all gone home because there is more work south of the border then in the USA. I hardly see any in the Home Junkpo parking lots anymore
I need to keep my eye out for jobs then. I've been with my current job and haven't seen a full $1 raise from the day I started there, 5 years ago this coming feb. I have a cdl but haven't been interested in driving away from home.
Much of this depends on the area...Inner loop, Heights, Memorial, West U, Bellaire - all are doing just fine. The suburbs have quite a bit of inventory and prices are depressed some.
If you can find a realtor?? Realtors are everywhere...There is no shortage of realtors - in fact there are far too many. As to realtors 72% not renewing is nothing new...its been that way for a long time...You can not expect a high retention rate when the barrier to enter a field is as low as it is for a realtor, and the business model of real estate is changing rapdily. People go into real estate expecting to make money doing nothing, find out that it costs money to be in real estate and that they actually do have to work (some) and they quit b/c they are not making money. Its pretty simple. An easy profession with lots of competition offers low rewards to lazy folks,so they quit. If you made it harder to be a realtor and people were actually invested in it - then it would have a higher retention rate.
As to laziness and entitlements in this country - Could not agree more, but people who are still unemployed in Houston are unemployed by choice. There are lots of jobs available in Houston - LOTS - some people may find those jobs beneath them and choose not to work them, but they are there. As I said before- these machinist positions are anywhere from $12-$40/Hr with overtime and full benefits...and these companies cant fill the positions b/c there are too many idiots out there who cant do even basic math OR they think b/c they went to college manual labor is below them...
Unemployment is a problem, and yes the current administration is a huge cause of it, but another huge problem is entitlement. People think they deserve a job that pays more than that that job is worth...Pay is skill dependent...with high skill comes high reward...if you are a dime a dozen, dont expect a nice cushy job anymore. Those days are over - we are a global economy now. You are competing directly with slave labor in China...whether you like it or not.
Oh I agree with you for the most part on everything you said. I like your description about Realtors. Very accurate but part 2 of that is there just ain't no houses selling because buyers ain't buying and the few wanna be buyers can't buy cause banks ain't lending.
I know for a fact that Real Estate and home building is booming in Washington DC and it's commutable suburbs. Look it up. Well that's where the politicians with money live I guess. Yet the residential construction industry in Texas is the 2nd worse in the USA, only Nevada is worse. Factor in multi family apartment crap and Texas looks much better. Sure there are hot and cold spots but overall it's dead out there.
We both seen all those signs for Engineers and Machinists. Forgive people for not wanting to learn that in school. Those jobs are there but that does not reflect the skill set to all those skilled and non skilled looking for work.
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