Issue 1 LEADERSHIP. St. Cr oix Valley Hom e Sh ow

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1 Issue 1 St. Cr oix Valley Hom e Sh ow LEADERSHIP We are excited to announce a new venue for the 2019 Home Show, the Hudson House Grand Hotel. We heard your request for a more visible location and the Hudson House is just that! OFFICERS Vendors will be set-up in 4 of the hotel's event spaces with giveaways in each room to encourage guests to experience the entire show. In addition, we are bringing back last year 's very popular $2,000 Grill Giveaway provided by Warners' Stellian Appliance. Sec/ Treas: Chris W ilcox, Creative Homes Vendor booths and sponsorship opportunities are still available to market your business to the St. Croix Valley communities. Visit our website, or give us a call to sign-up. DIRECTORS Thank you to the following members who have already sponsored: Lindus Construction, Arrow Building Center, CertainTeed, Warners' Stellian Appliance, St. Croix Electric Cooperative, and Black Hawk Garage Door President : Alex Lindus, Lindus Construction Vice President : Michael Derrick, Derrick Homes Past President : Casey Weiss, Black Hawk Garage Door Mike Dockendorf, Cameron Homes Tami Kuchera, Lund Builders Al W it t st ock, Wittstock Builders Bryant Pet t a, Petta Building & Design Just in W urzer, C&E Wurzer Builders

2 EPA Pr oposes New WOTUS Def in it ion The Trump administration in December released its proposed new definition for?waters of the United States? (WOTUS) that will resolve years of uncertainty over where federal jurisdiction begins and ends. This represents an im por t an t vict or y for NAHB members. Under the proposed rule, short-lived ponds, streams and tributaries that only flow in response to a rain event would be excluded from federal regulation. The rule would also exclude wetlands not directly connected to federallyregulated bodies of water. The action honored a campaign promise President Trump made to the NAHB Board of Directors in 2016 when he was running for office. NAHB Recogn ized f or Lobbyin g Clou t?the Hill,? a prominent Capitol Hill publication, recently named NAHB CEO Jerry Howard to its list of elite Washington pow er player s. Although?The Hill? highlighted one person from each organization listed, Howard noted that his inclusion represents the hard work of many individuals.?the fact that NAHB is recognized as one of the most powerful trade groups is a testament to the shared efforts of our members; the NAHB staff, most notably Chief Lobbyist Jim Tobin and his government affairs team; EOs; councils and all those who work on behalf of the association to keep housing at the forefront of the national agenda,? Howard said. Tr u m p Advan ces Oppor t u n it y Zon es President Trump on Dec. 12 signed an executive order to spur more investment in opportunity zones, a type of economic development incentive created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of Oppor t u n it y zon es seek to incentivize investment and economic development in under-served communities. Developers may use a Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund to help fund projects located within an opportunity zone. This new source of investment dollars could prove to be a powerful economic tool if properly administered. Save M on ey on Nissan or In f in it y Nissan North America and NAHB are excited to present members, their employees and HBA staff with the opportunity to purchase a new Nissan or Infiniti vehicle using exclusive incentives for members through the NAHB Savings Program. Click h er e to learn how to take advantage of this great member savings benefit. FHA Pu blish es New Hom e War r an t y Ru le The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Dec. 14 published a final rule that streamlines the h om e w ar r an t y requirements for FHA singlefamily mortgage insurance. The rule eliminates the regulations that require borrowers to purchase 10-year protection plans in order to qualify for certain mortgages on newlyconstructed single-family homes. This final rule becomes effective March 14, 2019.

3 2019 Boar d of Dir ect or s Alex Lindus of Lindus Construction was sworn in as St. Croix Valley Home Builders Association's 2019 President during the general membership meeting on Tuesday, November 13th, with his term starting on January 1, Alex is a second-generation President, marking just the second time this has occurred in the Association's history. Alex's objective for his time in office is to increase public awareness of the HBA and its members, and to brand the Association as a trusted source for all things home. The 2019 Board of Directors was also worn in during the November GMM. This year 's Officers are: Vice President, Michael Derrick of Derrick Homes; Secretary/Treasurer, Chris Wilcox of Creative Homes (not pictured); Immediate Past President, Casey Weiss of Black Hawk Garage Door. The 2019 Directors are: Mike Dockendorf of Cameron Homes, Bryant Petta of Petta Building and Design, Tami Kuchera of Lund Builders, Allen Wittstock of Spr in g 2019 Tou r of Hom es The Spring 2019 Tour of Homes kicks off on Saturday, March 2 and continues every Saturday and Sunday from 12-6 through March 31st. The most exciting update this year is the upgraded magazine-style guidebook. Produced through a partnership with E&M Consulting, the full-color book will add value to our participating builders, advertisers, sponsors, and Association members. Guidebooks will be available at models and Family Fresh locations in Hudson, River Falls, New Richmond, & Somerset. In addition to the guidebook, we are continuing to market the Tour with the Parade Craze map app. If you haven't already, download the app today for access to directions and photos for all 16 models. Thank you to our Tour of Homes sponsors!

4 RENEW ING M EM BERS How t h e Fed Rat e Hike Af f ect s Hou sin g Housing affordability last quarter was at a 10-year low, and it appears that conditions at the start of 2019 aren?t likely to improve much. The Federal Open Market Commit- tee recently raised its target for the federal funds rate (the interest rate at which banks lend money to each other) by 25 basis points. This was the fourth rate hike of However, experts predict interest rates will rise at a less aggressive pace next year. NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz noted in a recent Eye on Housing blog post that the Fed?s?policy projections suggest two rate increases in 2019 and one additional rate increase in 2020.? Nevertheless, NAHB is forecasting no rate hikes in 2020, after what some, including Dietz, anticipate will be a noticeable slowdown in GDP growth in Mortgage interest rates, however, are likely to stay the course for the time being, after a decline in December. The 10-year Treasury rate, which is the key variable for mortgage interest rates, declined recently to below 2.77%. A lower 10-year rate typically means lower mortgage interest rates. Key For est r y Pr ovision s in Far m Bill Congress on Dec. 12 passed the 2018 farm bill that includes key NAHB-supported for- estry provisions from Rep. Bruce Wester- man?s (R-Ark.) f or est r y bill to implement critical forest management reforms that will help improve the health of the nation?s forest system and reduce America?s reliance on foreign sources of timber. The bill would also increase funding for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program to empower rural communities to restore effective forest management and improve forest health. It also contains several provisions in the Timber Innovation Act that will support the development of timber products for building construction. NAHB fought hard to ensure the farm bill contains a forestry title in order to increase the supply of domestically produced timber from federal lands. - - Builders Club, Inc St. Croix County Abstract & Title Co. Hopkins Electric C & J Builders, Inc Tim Butterfield Drilling, Inc Home Media Innovations Ellner?s Windows Treatments & Custom Closets First National Bank of Rivers Falls Black Hawk Garage Door Anderson Heating, Inc Chippewa Valley Technical College Hickory Homes Mason Joiner Homes, LLC Verhasselt Construction, Inc Derrick Homes, LLC Edward Jones Hokeness Construction, Inc St. Croix Builders Andersen Windows Hamernicks Decorating Indianhead Glass, Inc Wittstock Builders, LLC D. W. Miller, CPA D & K Closets, Inc Three Lakes Painting & Finishing Compeer Financial B Wireless, LLC Home Electronics Systems, Inc Monarch Paving Company Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. Associated Bank Thank you for your continued support!

5 In du st r y Qu alit y St an dar ds Th e Wiscon sin Bu ilder s Associat ion h as pu t t oget h er a m an u al of con st r u ct ion in du st r y qu alit y st an dar ds. The purpose of this manual is to provide a standard level of building in Wisconsin.The guidelines are intended for use as a reference and should be interpreted with common sense. They should be applied only within the scope of the particular project being performed, and are not intended to answer all questions pertaining to quality of construction that might arise in the course of a typical residential construction project. The guidelines selected for this manual deal with those issues that most frequently give rise to questions for the builder and homeowner. Although many contractors routinely build to higher standards, this is a collection of minimum performance criteria and should be interpreted as such. The totally perfect home cannot be built by any builder. The wide range of materials used in a new home is subject to some degree of imperfection through handling and installation. Minor scratches, dents or other imperfections in construction materials will occur and are unavoidable. Variations in wood finishes caused by natural variations in wood surfaces will occur. Natural variations in wood are not controllable. Minor and hard to see nicks, scratches, cuts, blemishes, color and finishing variations are normal. There are many items that are homeowner maintenance responsibilities. A homeowner should become educated on these responsibilities. Items such as scratches, nicks, chips, gouges, etc. must be reported to the builder in writing prior to occupancy, or will become homeowner?s responsibility. These quality standards are applicable based on the terms specified in the contract. Consequential damages are not the responsibility of the builder. To access a copy of the manual visit NEW M EM BERS Please help us welcome our newest members: Amanda Lenz Tr ade Lak e M u t u al In su r an ce Com pan y Iain Huizinga Iain's Dr aw in g Room, LLC Pattie Martin Tw in Cit y Fir eplace & St on e Com pan y Know someone who might want to join? Invite them to one of our upcoming events!

6 St. Cr oix Valley HBA Com m it t ees Act ivit ies Com m it t ee Responsible for setting the annual calendar of events for the Association. On a monthly basis, the committee plans the details of each upcoming event(s) and brainstorms ideas to provide additional value to members. Chair: Deb Flettre, Royal Credit Union Next Meeting: Tuesday, February 5, 9:00 am, Caribou inside Hudson Family Fresh Tou r of Hom es Com m it t ee Plans the Spring and Fall Tour of Homes events each year. Chair: Mike Dockendorf, Cameron Homes Next Meeting: Thursday, February 21, 9:15 am, Derrick Homes Office Hom e Sh ow Com m it t ee Responsible for planning and decision making regarding the Association's annual Home Show. Chair: Open Next February EmMeeting: ployer Wednesday, s M u st Use New 13, I-911:00 For am, m Hudson Golf Com m it t ee Plans the annual Golf Tournament. Chair: TBD Next Meeting: TBD Edu cat ion Com m it t ee Works in partnership with CVTC and local high schools to promote construction industry education and career fields. Chair: Tami Kuchera, Lund Builders Next Meeting: TBD St. Croix Valley HBA relies on the time and efforts of volunteers to continue to serve our members. We are always looking for fresh ideas and energy. If you would like more information or are interested in joining a committee, please contact Alisha at the SCVHBA office, the committee chair listed above, or stop in and join us at the next meeting.

7 M em ber Spot ligh t We want to feature your business in our next newsletter. Get the most out of your membership by highlighting your recent accomplishments, milestones, or events. Send your article, press release, photos, or other content to Alisha at info@scvhba.com. Con t act Us St. Croix Valley HBA Alisha Cunningham Executive Officer PO Box 654 Hudson, WI info@scvhba.com

8 St. Croix Valley Home Builders Association PO Box 654 Hudson, WI UPCOM ING EVENTS Casin o Nigh t Holiday Par t y 22 January :00 PM Hudson House Hotel GM M & CEU Cou r se 26 February :00 PM Hudson House Hotel Hom e Sh ow March 8-9, 2019 Hudson House Hotel PAC Au ct ion 23 April 2019 Hudson House Hotel For more information or to register visit or call