Fellow Members of the Homebuilding Industry: Your Industry Needs Your Help

Fellow Members of the Homebuilding Industry: Your Industry Needs Your Help
We work with builders all over the country, and over the past year, we've seen builders and salespeople struggle through a downturn that seems to get more difficult and encounter greater complications every step along the way to recovery. The difficult times we're in have reached far beyond the home building industry and are now affecting the entire U.S. economy. Attendance at the International Builder's Show last week in Las Vegas was down, and so was the mood of most folks there. I am writing to personally request your assistance to use your political strength as a voter in helping to turn our industry around.
One of the biggest problems we're facing is falling home prices. Falling home prices are crippling our industry, and the effects are rippling through the entire economy. Fix Housing First, a coalition of more than 600 organizations led by the National Association of Home Builders, is asking Congress to pass a bill that will motivate people to buy homes now, which would in turn curb falling prices.
The two main points of the Fix Housing First bill are as follows:
The federal government would offer a tax credit of between $10,000 and $22,000 (depending on locale) to anyone closing on the purchase of a home, new or resale, by December 31, 2009. The credit would not have to be repaid, which is a major upgrade from a tax credit passed last summer; and
The government would provide a federally-subsidized 30-year fixed rate mortgage of 2.99 for all home purchases, new and resale, closing by June 30, 2009. After that, the rate would be 3.99 for purchases closing by December 31, 2009.
The Fix Housing First coalition is in Washington, D.C. right now working to win lawmakers' support for the bill. Again, I am asking for your assistance in creating the urgency the coalition needs to secure the bill's passage and start turning our economy around. It seems that our political leaders in Washington can seem to find trillions of $$$$$ to "bail out" banks and other idustries, so a push from all of us may get the message to them that Fix Housing First is a smart, prudent and fast way to truly begin to stimulate the economy. Every email, phone call and letter counts. I sincerely hope that you will take just a few minutes right NOW to help our industry and our economy.
Please read the information below to learn how you can help. Thank you in advance for your effort.
Sincerely,Bob SchultzPresidentNew Home Specialist Inc.
Here's how you can reach your elected representatives to let them know where you stand on America's housing crisis.
Send an email or letter through Fix Housing First:
Click on the following link: http://capwiz.com/fixhousingfirst/issues/alert/?alertid=12168626&type=CO
In "Sender Information" you are required to provide your name and contact information. The information will not be used for any other purpose than to identify you to the recipient.
The system may ask you for an additional four digits to accompany your ZIP code (some Congressional offices only accept ZIP+4 coding.) If it does, go to this U.S. Postal Service website: http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp and enter your street address, city and state. It will provide you with a ZIP+4 code for that address.
Some newly-elected Congressional representatives are not yet in the email system, so you may be prompted to print and mail a letter. The system allows you to edit the letter.
If you choose, you can sign up and join the Fix Housing First coalition before sending your email message. You can also forward an email message to suppliers, vendors, associates, friends and family from FHF.com, encouraging them to get involved.
Fix Housing First also encourages you to pick up the phone and contact your representatives directly.
Call the NAHB's Legislative Hotline, 1-866-924-NAHB (6242);
Follow the instructions and you'll be connected to your members of Congress. Once connected, please tell them you are a constituent calling about the economic stimulus plan, then make the following points:
Stimulating demand for housing must be a central part of any economic stimulus bill - foreclosure prevention alone is not enough;
To accomplish this, please support enhancing the existing homebuyer tax credit and creating a short-term mortgage rate subsidy;
If the phone lines are busy, and we hope they are, please keep trying until you get through.
Encourage everyone you know to join in calling for Congress to Fix Housing First!