CONSUMER Tips & Links

First time home buyer tax credit of $8,000 in 2009

Watch the video on NAHBTV on YouTube

Frequently asked Tax Credit Questions and Answers! 

Homeownership Opportunity Knocks - Why Now is a Great Time To Buy  (10-2008)

Top 5 Reasons to Buy a Home Now  

Why You Should Move to A New Home

Get Your Credit in Shape to Buy a Home  (7-15-09)

Homes Built to Fit New Priorities  (7-15-09)

How to Select a Reputable Builder or Remodeler in Connecticut
Where to look; questions to ask; and more.

Find an HBA Builder or Remodeler
Not sure if you want to find an HBA builder or remodeler member?  Membership in the Home Builders Association is voluntary and members have a great advantage over nonmembers - and that's a plus for consumers. Check out our Membership Benefits page and you be the judge on whether to use a builder or remodeler who has demonstrated their commitment to their industry by joining our professional trade association and has easy access to all of our great services and benefits, or use one who does not. 

Visit the HBA of CT Honor Roll
A list of members who've earned advanced professional credentials or
certifications in green building, remodeling, active adult and aging-in-place.

How Homes Become Green

Build Green Connecticut^TM

Home Energy Audits:

Want to know how energy efficient your home is?  Home Energy Solutions Program does a whole-house analysis of energy use.  The Home Energy Audit Program evaluates the heating systems in homes heated by oil, propane, or kerosene.  More information can be found at the following websites.

http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?a=2994&q=427578

http://ctenergyinfo.com/clean_tune_test.htm

http://www.cl-p.com/Home/SaveEnergy/Rebates/HomeEnergySolutions.aspx

How to Keep Your Family Safe with Smoke Alarms

How long should an appliance or home components last? 

Mold, Mildew in Homes:
Check out a consumer resource from the NAHB at MoldTips.com or visit RSMC ("Responsible Solutions to Mold Coalition").  See also, "New Resource Offers Builders Unbiased, Easy Access to Mold Prevention Solutions."

Keep Unwanted Summer Guests Away  (6-17-09)

For an excellent consumer guide through the entire process of making, what is for most, the biggest investment of their life, home buyers should check out the federal government's HUD web site for topics such as "How to buy a home" "How to get a mortgage" "Building a home" and many more. This HUD page has more links to other useful tools, such as mortgage calculators and calculators to determine how much house you can afford. If you are interested in tapping the equity you have in an existing home, check out the National Center for Home Equity Conversion and its information on "reverse mortgages."

For building or remodeling a home, consumers should also go directly to the great consumer web pages of the National Association of Home Builders,
or subscribe FOR FREE to NAHB's consumer newsletter (click the logo below - you'll be taken to a sign up page):

Why You Should Move to A New Home Now:

Emotions are intense. The "unknowns" can cause fear, if not anxiety. And you're dealing with a lot of money. Buying a new home is a huge commitment, but unraveling the process can be exciting, while crossing your new front door's threshold can be exhilarating.

You have many choices to make - the first of which is whether to buy an existing home or a newly constructed home. Our remodeler members can do wondrous things with an existing home, but there are benefits of newly constructed homes that are difficult and sometimes impossible to achieve in the existing home market.  You've heard the saying, "they don't build 'em like they used to," and when it comes to home construction that is good news for today's consumer.

Look at the advantages: When buying a newly constructed home,

	you will not have to adapt your lifestyle to the functional obsolescence of older homes;
	you'll have plenty of outlets;
	the number and configuration of rooms you need;
	the size kitchen you want;
	eight to nine foot ceilings in the basement;
	and closets and baths and any other amenity that you and your builder decide to build.

Add:

	energy efficiency;
	better functioning windows and doors
	up-to-date furnaces, electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems;
	drier basements; and
	new and improved technologies, materials, appliances and construction methods.

and compared with buying an existing home, you'll get a much better product for your dollar with new construction. With building codes being regularly updated every three to four years, you'll also get more peace of mind.  And it's easier than ever to work with today's professional HBA builders and remodelers who place a lot of emphasis on customer service.