The Home Builders Association of Wayne & Holmes Counties was founded in 1975 and chartered in 1984 to provide a support organization for both local home builders and those involved in purchasing a new home. At the time of its conception, home building was growing rapidly and The Home Builders Association provided a framework for ethical builders and new home owners to work together to make the home buying experience a pleasant and professional transaction. We recently visited with Executive Officer Debbie Arnette and Vice-President Mindy Roberts to gain a better understanding of what The Home Builders Association offers local home buyers;
The Home Builders Association is a professional, non-profit, trade association affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders and the Ohio Home Builders Association. Our goals are the promotion of new home construction and home remodeling, membership education, consumer education, and sensible regulations dealing with home construction. The membership, which consists of contractors, subcontractors, suppliers of material and services necessary for the building, remodeling, and maintenance of homes, has agreed to abide by a written code of ethics that we firmly stand behind.
To make an application, our members are required to have a proven track record in the building industry and have to provide referrals from their customers. In addition to full memberships, we also have associate memberships available for business that, while being an integral part of the home buying experience, are not performing actual construction services. This enables us to host a membership that includes everyone from plumbing and heating companies to the banks that are handling the financing. The membership expresses their commitment to their profession by abiding by a written code of ethics and we encourage the public to call us for recommendations when selecting a home construction, remodeling, or maintenance contractor.
Each year we try to find a development that has enough lots available to showcase a Parade of Homes. This year, for instance, we are having our Parade of Homes in the Summerlin Development which is a phase three of a development previously hosting a Parade of Homes. Our goal is to have between five and twelve homes in the Parade and this year we have seven homes built by six different builders. The Parade of Homes is open to the public and gives our visitors an opportunity to see the workmanship of the participating builders. The builders normally have their showcase homes professionally decorated and the purchasers of these homes will find that they contain many upgrades. The builders utilize the Parade to demonstrate new features and options and those attending are able to keep up on the latest industry trends.
I think it is also important for the community to know that we are not just about the builders, but together with the associates, we do things for the community. We built a Habitat for Humanity home a couple of years ago with most of that labor and materials donated by different trade associates and the builders in our association. We contribute to the Field of Dreams Special Olympics, the American Red Cross, and we also give scholarships to The Wayne County Career Center OSU/ATI and the Holmes County Career Center. We've built access ramps for those who don't have the money to do it themselves and we're always looking for other ways to give back to the local community.
I'd like everyone to know that we stand behind our members 100%. By calling us for a referral before choosing a Realtor, banker, or contractor, local residents are assured that we stand behind our recommendations and guarantee that they're going to do a good job!
If you need work done on your home, or even need a new home, a recommendation from The Home Builders Association is your guarantee that your project is in good hands. Call The Home Builders Association today and don't forget to tell them that The Advocate sent you!
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