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Why today's housing landscape isn't prepared to accommodate tomorrow's aging Baby Boomers. One seasoned real estate developer and urban planner shares his perspective.
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Vigilance and auditing are keys to thwarting crimes, says leading risk management firm.
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Integrated home automation systems can maximize space efficiency and make a small home feel larger.
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Nothing is safe, and nothing is sacred.
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Tips from the field on reducing theft.
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To say that jobsite theft is rampant in home building would be an understatement. In a recent Builder survey, 90 percent of respondents said they had been victims of theft within the past year. Losses ran from lumber and copper wiring to office supplies and diesel fuel. Of those who reported thefts, 60 percent had been hit more than three times.
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When Brookfield Homes first laid the groundwork for Mystic Point, a suburban village of 252 attached homes just around the bend from the acclaimed white sand beaches of Carlsbad, Calif., the plan was to target small, first-time buyer families. But when 23 percent of the homes were snapped up by single women (including a handful of single moms), the builder knew it was on to something. Security was a big deal for this buyer group, and one of the features that proved most pivotal was that every three-story unit enjoyed direct access from a two-car garage, “specifically from garage to kitchen,” notes Steve Doyle, president of Brookfield Homes' San Diego division.
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MODEL HOMES ARE ESSENTIAL MARKETING tools for many builders. But these homes can also be among the more vulnerable elements on jobsites, which are often susceptible to illegal entry and theft.
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We've all heard it from industry analysts and experts: Builders are slashing their prices. People are buying new homes for less than they paid a year ago. And builders are continuing to cut prices in 2007, trying to move their unsold inventory before prices fall even further.
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The Insync home could not have been built without the support of its many sponsors, a select group of building product manufacturers and suppliers that contributed to this innovative endeavor.
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- Sharp's Aquos LCDs now come at 42, 46, and 52 inches; the addition offers builders even greater selection of high-quality HDTVs at competitive prices.
- Eaton Corp. makes its products available online at the CompUSA and The Home Depot Web sites.
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BUILDERS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR low-cost, home-tech upgrades that bring the digital lifestyle to life for their home buyers.
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MOVE-UP BUILDERS LOOKING TO ADD profits to their projects may find that the new IntelliControl Integrated Control Solutions (ICS) system from Niles Audio is the differentiator they've been waiting for.
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MOST OF THE COMMUNITY INTRANETS that builders have rolled out do a good job of letting homeowners form clubs or sign up for a golf game online, but very few manage security rights well, and even fewer integrate with a homeowner's consumer electronics and home automation system.
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A NEW JOINT STUDY ON HOME TECHNOLOGY by Parks Associates and Builder finds that 56 percent of home builders look for new products to set them apart from the competition. Leading devices include home controls, security systems, central vacuums, and entertainment systems.
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- Alarm.com now offering PDA connctivity for its wireless security systems.
- Home Automation Inc. introduces Lumina, a low-cost lighting product for home buyers.
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NETSTREAMS OF AUSTIN, TEXAS, IS among the few home-tech providers that can offer builders a distinct path to creating home systems that run over Internet protocol (IP).
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SMARTHOME, BEST KNOWN AS AN ONLINE distributor of home automation products, has reconfigured its corporate image, changing its name to SmartLabs to better reflect the company's recent shift toward new product development.
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These have been heady months for the Z-Wave Alliance.