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Builders/remodelers report signs of life

By ASSOCIATED PRESS Monday, May 11, 2009 - 11:12 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — It's been a rough couple of years for Wisconsin builders and remodelers.

Wisconsin Builders Association president Doug Scott says that after hitting rock bottom, the industry is finally seeing some encouraging signs.

Scott says the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time buyers is helping deplete some of the abundance of inventory. He says it's also helping homeowners sell their property so they can build a new house.

Tom Weiher is the president of the National Association of Remodeling Industry's Milwaukee chapter.

Weiher says business is also picking up in remodeling. He says competition in his industry increased because new home builders turned to remodeling to help make ends meet.

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(8)

AJR
May 11, 2009 at 4:07 p.m.
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Several new houses being built in the Harmony Grove subdivision,North of 14 between Kennedy & Newville Rd's.

thekai
May 11, 2009 at 3:18 p.m.
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And clearly a well thought out and carefully put together opinion, Janesvillean.

janesvillean
May 11, 2009 at 3:11 p.m.
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I'm not sure why biggirl is calling out an industry spokesman for making an unremarkable comment. There are numerous wire sources showing that the tax credit is helping to increase home sales around the country (starting from a baseline near zero, it wouldn't take much). Janesville, due to the loss of GM, is a special case and I wouldn't expect us to track the national trend. We may lag it by a year or more (that's MY opinion).

ljs64
May 11, 2009 at 2:44 p.m.
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could

thekai
May 11, 2009 at 12:34 p.m.
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biggirl.... that tax credit hasn't even been around long enough to fully prove itself yet. The construction season has only now just begun in northern and colder states such as Wisconsin. Give it a little bit of time. Good change almost never happens instantly.

ljs64
May 11, 2009 at 11:35 a.m.
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Comment below is: One person's word. Any statistics to back it up?

biggirl
May 11, 2009 at 11:14 a.m.
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This is one person's word, and a biased one at that. Any statistics to back it up? Few, if any, houses are selling in my neighborhood.

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