Remember when chess champion Gary Kasparov went up against Deep Blue, the supercomputer? Kasparov won the first time. But the second time, Deep Blue's programming included almost every possible combination of moves. As a result, a shaken Kasparov con

Change. It's the only constant in life. In technology, the only constant is rapid, frustrating, expensive, maddening change. And if a builder really wants to make life difficult, he should change his integrated technology system. Adding a new system

When I got into this business, there was an assumption that visitors knew very little about the community when they walked into the sales office. Yet today, almost 50 percent of new home customers first learn about us on the Web site before they walk int

The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) recommends that you start with the following techniques to improve a home's quality, durability, energy efficiency, environmental performance and affordability. PATH selected these techniques

Just as a good builder would never think of inspecting homes from the cab of his truck, a good hiring manager should avoid curb-qualifying candidates. This occurs more often than we care to admit and in a variety of manifestations. As a hiring manager, i

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. While this adage may be true, when it comes to home building, first impressions count, but so do second, third and even fourth impressions. Many new homes have been sold based on a positive first

Eric Wittenberg is a third-generation builder and a student of the work hard, play hard school. When he relocated from Southern California to Colorado about five years ago, he left behind his scuba gear, but held on to a personal debt of gratitude for th

Giant Market: San Diego After unprecedented levels of price appreciation, the San Diego market has returned to normal market conditions. Three factors have contributed to the softening of the market: While some overpriced situations exist, market demand

Every consumer press story at the moment seems to be about a slowdown in the housing industry (and don't you want them to shut up with their self-fulfilling prophecies?), the last thing we want to hear out of Washington is that a presidential panel o