Michael Shane Hudson, known to all as 'Shane', was born in Johnston County in 1977. Shane has been married to his wife Stephanie for 23 years and they are the very proud parents of two daughters, Michaela 22 and Kristen 20. He and his family reside in Benson NC.  Shane began his career in Building Inspections as a Code Enforcement Officer with the City of Goldsboro in March of 2000. From there, he became the Chief Building Inspector for the City of Dunn in March of 2001. In March of 2004, Johnston County hired Shane as a Code Enforcement Officer. Shane was the 145th person out of approximately 2000 Inspectors in the state of North Carolina to obtain his fifth standard level 3 certification. He did so within his first five years as a Building Inspector, obtaining all of his certificates by October of 2005. In 2006, Shane was appointed as a member of the North Carolina Department of Insurance Exam Development Review Committee for Code Officials. In addition, he obtained his International Code Council Residential Inspector Certification in the areas of Building, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing in 2009 and in 2010 was approved as an Instructor to teach those trades, as well as Fire, for standard and continuing education classes through the North Carolina Department of Insurance.

With lumber prices experiencing extreme price volatility this year and harming housing affordability, a final determination of the first administrative review by the U.S. Commerce Department to reduce duties on shipments of Canadian lumber into the United States by more than half is good news for American home builders and home buyers.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today published Mortgagee Letter (ML) 2020-36, FHA New Construction Requirements. This guidance updates the requirements for new construction financing for Title II Single Family forward mortgages in alignment with the regulatory amendments announced in the 2018 final rules that streamlined inspection and warranty requirements.

Changes to HUD’s maximum financing policy for new construction include:

• Eliminating Early Start Letter and Pre-Approval requirements;
• Consolidating requirements regardless of loan-to-value (LTV);
• Adding Form HUD-92544, Warranty of Completion of Construction, for all new construction;
• Providing alternative inspections by a third party, that is a registered architect or structural engineer, in the absence of International Code Council (ICC) certified Residential Combination Inspector (RCI) or Combination Inspector (CI); and
• Updating when Form HUD-NPMA-99-B, New Construction Subterranean Termite Service Record is required, to align it with the four acceptable termite treatment applications reflected on the related Form HUD-NPMA-99-A, Subterranean Termite Protection Builder’s Guarantee.

This guidance may be used immediately for existing cases and must be used for FHA case numbers assigned on or after Jan. 4, 2021.

Congratulations go out to JCBIA member, Kellie Ashley for achieving her Accredited Builder designation through the North Carolina Builder Institute!!!

Kellie Ashley is the Owner of Kellie Ashley Homes as a Builder and Real Estate Agent. After 30 years behind a desk at Wachovia Securities, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and
commercial property management, Kellie was ready for hands on work. She works onsite, side by side with subcontractors, in the rain, mud and sawdust.  Kellie grew up working at South of the Border and summers in the tobacco fields around Fairmont NC, so hard work is in her blood. She then took off to ECU where she earned a degree in Housing & Management and later a Master of Trust & Investment Management from Campbell University. Working in a male dominated field, Kellie feels education and training gives her the extra confidence she needs to meet the challenges and changes in the North Carolina residential construction industry. In 2019 Kellie became Fannie to another precious granddaughter and earlier this year, became a NC Onsite Wastewater Contractor. Kellie looks forward to tea parties, the sound of nail guns and watching backhoes dig into the Johnston County dirt.

"I have benefited from the NC Builder Institute through the diverse course offerings available. I have been able to enroll in courses that meet my individual business model. Every course has reinforced my knowledge, given me extra confidence, and provided me with information that keeps me up to date on new codes and systems."  Kellie

Hackers have found a new way to invade corporate computer systems through the devices of employees who are working at home because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The threat is designed to exploit vulnerabilities from the increased use of corporate virtual private networks (VPNs). The situation is so serious that the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a Cybersecurity Advisory Alert that warns employers about the problem and offers timely advice about what are the best steps to take to prevent it from happening to them and how to deal with it when it occurs.

For many JCBIA Associate members, visibility and networking are keys to a successful business. Joining a community such as JCBIA opens the doors to make those connections and increases business opportunities that service and trade professionals would otherwise not have, especially when working with home builders.

After reviewing a record number of outstanding scholarship applications, we are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2020 JCBIA Scholarship. Each of these recipients has earned a scholarship based on academic achievement, exceptional community involvement, strong letters of recommendation, and are immediate family members of a Johnston County Building Industry Association member.

Join us in congratulating the following recipients:

Despite the lobbying challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, your NCHBA legislative team had an outstanding legislative session this year. CLICK the Top 10 link to read a summary of our TOP-10-2020-Legislative legislative accomplishments for the session. Each of the bills is discussed in detail where we also highlight the “key legislators” who deserve special recognition for helping us achieve the desired result.

In addition to the “key legislators” highlighted in our "Top 10 Legislative Accomplishments" above, NCHBA has many other legislative friends who consistently support our industry throughout this, and previous, sessions.

For nearly a decade, Senator Jackson has been a stanch supporter of home building industry and business interest as a member of the General Assembly. Senator Jackson serves as one of three principal chairs of the Senate Appropriations Committee and plays a large role in setting state budget priorities. Senator Jackson owns a large-scale agriculture operation Sampson County and fully understands the hardships business owners face every day. Thank you, Senator Jackson, for helping to ensure that housing remains plentiful and affordable in North Carolina.

Senator Jackson's District is #10 that covers Duplin County, Johnston County, and Sampson County

By unanimous consent, the Senate on June 3 approved legislation passed by the House last week that will liberalize rules under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to give business owners more time to have the loans forgiven by the U.S. government. President Trump is expected to sign the legislation into law shortly.

Under the PPP loan program, which passed Congress earlier this spring as part of the CARES Act, small businesses with fewer than 500 employees can take out loans equal to 2.5 times their average monthly payroll from 2019 with the total capped at $10 million. For many businesses that meet key conditions on the use of these funds, the loans may be forgiven.

The legislation approved by the House and Senate, called the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, will make it easier for small businesses to utilize funds under the PPP and still qualify for loan forgiveness. Specifically, the bill will:

Increase the timeline for businesses to spend their loan money on payroll in order for it to be forgiven from the current eight-week deadline to 24 weeks;
Extend the June 30 rehiring deadline for laid-off employees to Dec. 31;
Reduce the requirement that 75% of loan money must be spent on payroll in order for the loan to be forgiven to 60%; and
Provide more leeway on loan forgiveness for employers if they show they were unable to rehire employees or reopen to business in a way that complies with safety standards.

NAHB continues to urge Congress to ensure the PPP guidelines align with congressional intent to allow more workers in the residential construction sector to access the loan program. Specifically, NAHB is urging Congress to provide a waiver from eligibility restrictions in the existing Small Business Administration 7(a) loan program to allow single-family and multifamily home builders, land developers, multifamily property owners and 501(c)(6) organizations access to the PPP.

Knowing when to take action can be the difference between your company’s continual growth or eventual decay.
The coronavirus pandemic has created significant challenges and uncertainty for many. While these challenges are substantial, now is not the time to simply stand idle and hope your business is lucky enough to survive.

More and more home builders are embracing technology..... like the use of drones to make properties more accessible. They are using local production company's to create videos that include both aerial and interior footage. The drones are able to capture a 360-degree view of the exterior of a home and fly-ins showcase the interior.

General Statute 87-10.2 states that North Carolina licensed general contractors will be required to complete continuing education (CE) beginning with 2021 license renewals.

Courses

• CE courses begin in May 2020.
• 8 hours of CE must be completed in order to renew a license by at least one qualifier for licensees in the license classifications of Building, Residential and Unclassified. For the Unclassified license, it shall be the qualifier who has passed the Building examination.
• The 8-hour course requirement includes a mandatory 2-hour course produced by the Board with information about changes in the laws and rules and other content applicable to general contracting.
• The remaining 6 hours will be elective courses produced by outside providers, submitted to and approved by the Board.

Flooding from Florence

With hurricane season in full swing and other severe winter weather around the corner, home owners may find it necessary to call in professionals to help repair damage to their homes. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that after a natural or man-made disaster, there are people who will try to profit from a community’s misfortune.

But a fly-by-night contractor is one disaster you can prevent if you follow a few steps to ensure you hire a reputable professional.

For most Americans, like me, home ownership is the epitome of the American dream. Even before those days prior to the writing of the United States Constitution, home ownership was revered as a luxury, held by only a select few.  Home ownership also bore the testimony of man’s ability to provide shelter to his family, protection from often feared wildlife, and a safe refuge for raising strong children. “Home sweet home” is more than just a colloquial expression in today’s world, it is reality, transcending from the days of old. In fact, “at times [the framers of the Constitution] insisted that the right to acquire and possess private property was in some ways the most important of individual rights,” says David Upham, University of Dallas.

TOP NORTH CAROLINA HOME BUILDERS AND MARKETING
PROFESSIONALS HONORED AT STARS AWARDS

The North Carolina Home Builders Association (NCHBA) recognized the outstanding performance of home building professionals throughout the state at the annual STARS Awards Gala on Wednesday, September 14, at the Omni Charlotte Hotel.  Held in conjunction with the 21st Century Building Expo & Conference, the STARS Awards saluted builders, associates, realtors, media and advertising professionals for their excellence and contributions to the home building industry.

Best HBA Parade of Homes Marketing Effort
Small/Medium HBA:
Johnston County BIA
Executive Officer: Sherry Pinney Phillips
Local President: Ashley Lee

KS Bank, a local Smithfield icon, was named among the top 1% most extraordinary banks in the United States by the Institute for Extraordinary Banking™.

KS Bank was recognized with the Institute's Banky® Award for their commitment to strong community banking.  This recognition is given to the top 60 out of 6,000 community banks across the country.

"We are honored to be recognized as an extraordinary bank by The Institute for Extraordinary Banking", said Harold Keen, KS Bank President/CEO.  "This award recognizes financially sound, highly effective, community-focused banks and we are proud to be among such an elite group of community banks!"

The Extraordinary Banking™ Awards exist to highlight the vital, yet often overlooked, role that local community banks play in our economy.  Consumers use the Grammys to guide their music purchases, the Emmys lead them to the best of television, and the Tonys highlight outstanding live theater...

Most contractors have experienced a code change cycle at some point during their career. Code cycle occurs and “the way we’ve done it for 30 years” is no longer acceptable. So, contractors adapt to the new code only to experience a code change again 3 years later. Sometimes code changes back to the way it was in the prior cycle. Subsequently and effective in June 2013 the NC General Assembly approved a bill that would allow a 6 year cycle, drastically slashing the number of cycles during the average 30 year career by half. Excited about that? Before you celebrate, take time to review the 200+ pages of amendments to the current 2012 NC codes. Electricians aren’t so fortunate, the 2014 Electrical code became effective April 1, 2016 and is still on a 3 year cycle.

On May 24th the 2nd Annual Trivia Night - Builders vs Realtors - competition was held and $2,945 was raised for the Boys and Girls Club of Johnston County!  Great fun and friendly competition was had by all!!  Oh - and the JCBIA is the current champs!!! 

The Boys and Girls Club of Johnston County is a community-based organization that provides young people with a fun, safe and constructive after-school environment. Clubs offer programs and services to build character and strengthen life skills. Clubs are open to all youth ages 6-18 and have a special focus on children and teens from challenging or disadvantaged circumstances.  Clubs reach out to children in need, giving them support, guidance and hope for the future. Dues are kept low and the do not turn kids away because of an inability to pay.

There will be a rematch in 2017 so start brushing up on your trivia!!

Sherry