the cityhammer blog

Home Improvement professionals were among the hardest hit people in this recession, but a new trend is starting to mean more business for this very group. That trend is called "Nesting" and its the opposite of the old Flipping trend.

From CNNMoney:

If flippers were the poster children of the real estate boom, then nesters are becoming the icons of the new housing market.

"We saw a nesting reaction after 9/11, but we're seeing a stronger nesting reaction now," said Bob Peterson, president of ABD Design/Build in Ft. Collins Colo. People who have the money are fixing up what they have."

A proportionally bigger share of the home construction dollar -- 20% more during the first three quarters of 2009 compared with the same period last year -- now goes to home improvements, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In October, remodeling spending increased 8.7% compared with September to an annualized rate of $114 billion.

For New York General Contractors and Interior Designers, this is a very good sign indeed.

Sources:

Remodeling Activity on the Rise (CNNMoney)

Labels: General Contractors New York, Home Improvement New York, Interior Design Firm in New York

The New York Times wrote a piece this week about how homeowners, unable to run up credit or uncomfortable with beginning large scale renovations, are instead tackling the smaller projects that help them maintain their homes.

Here at cityhammer, we've heard just about the same type of story anecdotally, from both users of the site and from remodeling companies in the New York area.

From the New York Times:

In prerecession days, home improvement projects were usually grand, expensive overhauls of kitchens and bathrooms.

In this economy, home improvement projects consist of painting the walls and replacing the jiggly toilet handle.

It's nice that Wall Street seems to be turning around, but Main Street is still very much concerned about when the jobs may come back and this caution is manifesting itself in the types of home improvement projects that homeowners are choosing to initiate.

Another facet of this trend is the urge to do-it-yourself, as Home Depot and Lowes stock up their hardware and paint departments for those who want to save money by handling handyman tasks and painting projects on their own.

Lowe’s has added more staff to popular do-it-yourself departments, like paint and hardware. Home Depot also beefed up its paint department, adding new products like an all-in-one paint and primer, and a Rust-Oleum paint variety that promises to cover more surface area for the money.

Home improvement companies, however, are also offering specials, so before you bite off a project that may be more than you chew, be sure to visit cityhammer.com and consult a few of New York's top remodeling pro's.

Sources:

Home Improvement Chains Adjust (NYT)

Labels: Hiring a NY Handyman, Home Improvement New York, Painting NYC, Remodeling NY

From nyknowyourcontractor.com

In response to the huge influx of unqualified contractors and the accompanying deluge of unsatisfied customers over the last few years, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has set up a website to field and record consumer complaints about New York's general contractors.

Against the backdrop of "housing instability" leaving many homeowners in the same houses and in need of repairs, Cuomo's office has launched NY Know Your Contractor, a region-by-region database of all licensed contractors in New York along with a record of complaints against them from consumers who were unhappy with the work performed.

The New York AG has received over 1550 complaints against home improvement contractors since the beginning of 2007.

Here at cityhammer.com, our whole purpose in building New York's #1 Remodeling Directory from day one was to provide New Yorkers with a place to go to find highly rated New York contractors, designers, painters, plumbers, architects and so forth.

Having a government website where people can go to to an extra bit of homework sounds like it will be helpful, provided the government is fair to the professionals themselves. There are always bad apples out there, as well as the cream of the contractor crop, and we hope this helps the reputable general contracting companies in New York rise to the top.

There is also a link on the site for a contractor who believes the allegations made on the site are false or of an exaggerated nature to refute them, and we hope they get a fair opportunity to set the record straight in these situations.

For consumers who have been taken advantage of or have been the victims of shoddy construction in their homes, there are links to each region's Office of Consumer Affairs.

We remind all New Yorkers to do their homework on any home improvement company before hiring and to let your neighbors know not only when there are problems, but also to post favorable reviews on sites like cityhammer.com when the work is done well and exceeds their expectations.

Visit nyknowyourcontractor.com for more details

Labels: Complaints Against NY Contractors, Home Improvement New York, New York General Contractors, New York Office of Consumer Affairs