Arkansas Home Builders Association

In a victory for state home builders and NAHB, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson earlier this week signed SB 170 into law, which will prevent cities and counties from regulating building design that would needlessly raise the cost of housing. The Arkansas Home Builders Association (AHBA), along with realtors and other trade groups and consumers, lobbied aggressively for this legislative remedy after the city of Springdale proposed changes to its Residential Design Standards for new homes that would prohibit exterior finishes such as vinyl, wood and aluminum siding that are otherwise permitted under all editions of the International Residential Code. Other proposed changes such as roof pitch, front facing garages and wrought iron fencing would collectively increase building costs and price entry-level buyers out of the market. With Arkansas and the rest of the nation already facing a housing affordability crisis, the AHBA argued that the proposed standards are a form of exclusionary...

When you wonder what the HBA can do for you; why your company should be a member, the answer is simple. Voices of a like industries; as in this example the United Farm Workers, Landowners and the National Home Builders Association come together as one strong voice and make differences. Collectively these groups worked hard to stop a new federal rule on jurisdiction of waterways. Support the industry that supports you. Join your local Home Builders Association today.

If you have a stake in home building, then you know that every day Congress makes decisions that affect the home building industry and your bottom line. When we reach out to members of Congress, we have an impact on the decisions they make. BuilderLink , NAHB’s national grassroots program, advances the housing industry by connecting members of Congress to the people who matter most – their constituents. Register now to speak up for housing and take action through CapitolConnect™, BuilderLink’s legislative activation tool .

Closing on your new home is an exciting time — but it also can be an overwhelming process. Home buyers are usually required to sign a seemingly endless pile of documents, most of which are written in terminology that can be difficult to understand. Fortunately, the process is about to get easier. Under new rules required by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, four closing documents will be merged into two new documents: the Loan Estimate and the Closing Disclosure form. The design of the forms and their terminology will be more consumer-friendly to help home owners better understand this complex process. The existing Good Faith Estimate and Truth in Lending disclosures will be eliminated and combined into a single Loan Estimate form. The Loan Estimate must be delivered to the buyer no later than three business days after receiving the application. In addition, the final Truth in Lending Disclosure and HUD-1 Settlement Statement are being replaced by the Closing Disclosur...

Bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate yesterday would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from implementing a proposed rule that could result in millions of acres of private property to be regulated as wetlands under the Clean Water Act. “NAHB strongly supports this legislative fix championed by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) that would prevent the agencies from greatly expanding the federal government’s role in regulating our nation’s waters,” said NAHB Chairman Tom Woods. “If this rulemaking were to go into effect, it would do little to help the environment and lead to a more costly permitting process, drive up the price of housing, infringe on states’ rights and hurt job growth.” EPA and the Corps’ proposal to significantly expand the definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act is so broad that it could be interpreted to include almost any water body, such as ditc...