From the Publisher

But maybe it’s not as obvious as many of us assume. I’m not sure if the general public, the media and the politicians fully realize that the recession was brought on by the housing decline—and that a housing revival will be required to lead us back to prosperity.?

During the recent boom years, homebuilders were vilified for wanting fair taxation. New home impact fees—currently around $10,000 per home in some places—fund the construction of new schools even though many of the students who attend these new schools come from existing homes.?

New home construction has been blamed for many of the ills of our community, such as overcrowded roads and schools. A few years ago, the Orlando Sentinel and WESH-Channel 2 even went so far as to team up for a one-sided “expose” of alleged shoddy building practices in scattered instances, thereby casting an entire industry in a negative light.?

Homebuilders, it seemed, were the bad guys who were clear-cutting our pristine scrub forests and facilitating more sprawl.?

The fact is, people need—and want—places to live. And home-ownership rightfully remains the American Dream. Aside from powering the economy, homebuilding is an industry that strengthens families and communities by providing shelter—as basic a need as food—and by creating places to raise our families and create cherished memories lasting generations.

So, if you see a homebuilder or someone in the homebuilding industry, give ‘em a hug.
You’ll be helping the economy—and? you’ll be making a smart move for yourself.

MIMI BRIEGEL
Publisher
mimib@florida-homebuyer.com