Each week we will be sending you news updates and articles of interest that have been recently released in an effort to provide you with the most current information pertaining to the industry.

The following articles are are from this week (02/02/16 - 02/09/16).

Thank you,


Homebuilders Honor Their Own Name Tom Hausman
2015 Builder of the Year

Homebuilders Honor Their Own Name Tom Hausman 2015 Builder of the Year
BY DENNIS DARROW THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
Published: February 4, 2016

The Pueblo Association of Home Builders recently announced its 2015 award recipients, including the selection of Tom Hausman as the group's 2015 Builder of the Year. Hausman, president of home developer Hausman Management, also began serving his one-year term as president of the builders' group.

The Associate of the Year award went to Brett Clough of Carpet Direct, a past president of the group. He remains active with the group's political action committee, Home & Garden Show and golfing and chile cook-off events.

The Rising Star award was presented to Andrea Divelbiss of Premier Homes, named to the group's board of directors last year and active in many of the group's civic activities.

About 120 guests attended the group's annual Kick-Off and New Year Party on Jan. 27 at the Fraternal Order of Eagles hall in Pueblo West, where the awards were announced. The event also featured an address by Branson Haney of Legacy Homes, the current chairman of the Colorado Association of Home Builders and a past president of the Pueblo group.

Hausman's recognition as Builder of the Year and his selection as the group's president comes 23 years after he returned to Pueblo from Colorado Springs, where for 20 years he helped oversee projects that included the development of that city's Mountain Shadow subdivision.

As part of the builders' association, part of Hausman's focus has been on working to keep new homes affordable.

This past year, he was part of  the  group of builders who worked with the Pueblo Regional  Building  Department on an agreement to phase in costlier building regulations in order to avoid sticker shock for would-be new homebuyers.



Pace of Colorado Springs Homebuilding off to a Strong Start in 2016

Pace of Colorado Springs Homebuilding off to a Strong Start in 2016
By:  Rich Laden
February 3, 2016
 
The local homebuilding industry is off to a good start in 2016.

Single-family home building permits issued to builders and individuals in El Paso County totaled 187 in January, a nearly two-thirds increase over the same month last year, according to a report by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department.

Last month's permit total was the highest for any January since 2007, and permits have increased in 10 out of the last 12 months on a year-over-year basis, Regional Building records show.

Home builders and economists have credited a stronger local economy and historically low mortgage rates with helping to boost the homebuilding industry.

Other factors driving home construction include an exceptionally tight supply of homes for sale on the resale side of the market; some buyers who can't find what they want instead are opting for new homes, local real estate experts have said.



Up to 2,000 New Wells are Predicted for Southwest Colorado 
in the Next 30 Years

Up to 2,000 New Wells are Predicted for Southwest Colorado in the Next 30 Years 
BLM Looks at Plan to Mitigate Impact of Gas Wells
By   Jessica Pace   Herald 
Article Last Updated: Monday, February 08, 2016 5:02pm
 
On Thursday, a Bureau of Land Management committee will hold a public meeting in Durango to consider whether a master leasing plan is necessary to designate land for new gas wells in La Plata and Montezuma counties.
 
The federal agency estimates up to 2,000 new wells are destined for Southwest Colorado over the next 30 years, which will mean another wave of concerns for property owners who fear their land will soon about the noise, eyesores and hazards of hydraulic fracturing activity.
 
In 2002, La Plata County commissioned a report studying oil and gas impacts locally, which examined property sales data to determine if there was a connection with property values. The analysis concluded that, "although the overall property values in the study area have not been significantly (less than 1 percent) affected by coal bed methane (CBM) wells, the model indicates that properties with a CBM well located on them (12 of 754 properties studied) have had a net reduction in sales value of 22 percent."

A 2014 analysis conducted by Duke University and Resources for the Future found on-site wells diminished property values by 13 percent.

And an economic assessment report prepared for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2011 said while gas development helped increase property values in the region because of the economic boost, residential properties near new gas wells were likely to see "downward pressure on price."

A blight is in the eye of the beholder. Local brokers claim that reactions to gas wells - La Plata County has 4,479 well sites with 3,122 of them being classified as "producing" - include indifference, often from property buyers who work in the oil and gas industry.

But it's more common for buyers to cast a wary eye on existing - or potential - drilling activity before purchasing a home.

"There are definitely different views, but a buyer's concern is the safety and the impediment upon the enjoyment of the property," said 24-year appraiser Pete Sakadinsky, who has witnessed two gas booms hit La Plata County. "You can get the site tested so you're comfortable that you're safe, but if it can be viewed through the normal course of living, or it impedes a view, the property will generally sell for less.


Colorado Association of Home Builders
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