Thank Goodness for March. After the craziness we experienced in February with “Snowmageddon 2021” I am sure we are all happy to see sunshine, blue skies and warmer temperatures. We, as a state experienced yet another setback with snow and ice covering our streets and bridges, busted water lines and major power outages. Remember that many have suffered during this time and there are many that are less fortunate. Let’s all remember to help out where we can and continue to come together as a strong community.

While our industry has remained largely unaffected by the COVID shut down, we are now seeing that the cost of homebuilding is at an all time high. Over the last 10 months alone, lumber prices are up over 170%. Like any good domino effect, we are also seeing other increased material costs and delayed deliveries due to demand. While COVID never stopped us back in March or April of last year, we are definitely seeing what we call the “delayed” response. We are thankful for the National Association of Homebuilders who are fighting for us every single day on all relevant issues that impact the homebuilding industry.

The Texas Association of Builders has scheduled the Spring Board Meetings to take place April 13^th through April 15^th. Our Association leaders will be meeting with other representatives from the HBA’s all across Texas. These meetings are where the grassroots efforts will come to light. During our time together we will discuss an array of topics and vote on objectives that will affect our industry. If you have topics or questions that you would like us to address, please let us know. We would be happy to take your thoughts with us to Austin.

With all that COVID-19 took from us in 2020, we are truly looking forward to getting back into full swing with our HBA affiliated events and programs. We have several items in the pipeline to kick of Q2, so please stay tuned.

A few things we want to remind you about for now. The PWB has launched their 2021 Scholarship Campaign and are now accepting applications. The deadline for submission is April 2^nd. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity if your child is a qualified applicant. You can find more information in this issue of the newsletter.

Coming up on April 13^th the BCHBA will be headed to Austin Texas for Rally Day. If you have never been to Rally Day, we encourage everyone to join us at least once. It’s a really eye opening and insightful event. We are allowed to take 40 guests and we would love for you to make plans to join us. Be sure to use the reservation button to claim your seat on the bus. We will provide you with more information as it becomes available.

The Parade of Homes will be here before we know it in June. Be sure to mark your calendars for June 11, 12, 13 and 19, 20. This year’s event will be free to the public. Get out and tour these homes to see the latest in building trends and technology. We will also be hosting a sponsor appreciation party on Friday June 18^th. Information will go out when we get a little closer to this event.

Our next gathering will be the April Membership Luncheon taking place on Thursday April 1^st. Don't forget to RSVP.

I will leave you with speaking to our membership efforts. We are always looking to grow our membership and we greatly appreciate your help in helping us in our recruitment efforts. Membership is the lifeline of this organization and it’s the only way we can continue our mission and programs. Please let us know if you have a potential member, we should reach out too or if you have any ideas on reaching new members. It’s a team effort and we would love to get you involved. We truly value our members, your thoughts, your suggestions and ideas.