Mistakes in design, material selection or trade contractor contracts can turn sure profits into unexpected losses, and too often for too many builders the culprit is a lack of timely, accurate financial data to help in the decision-making process.

In the simplest sense, a ratio of the percentage of completion is determined and applied to the expected gross profit on the contract to determine the gross profit and revenue to be recognized in the financial statements.

Employee ownership is becoming a hot topic among builders because it offers aging business owners an exit strategy with a distinct advantage: no capital gains tax.

Without housing's strong performance over the past year, the economy and most people's financial situation would be much worse than they are.

No wonder California builders are so laid-back.

A tool that has been around for years but is just starting to be used by builders to facilitate honest, open feedback is 360-degree feedback.

In 1971 at the age of 51, Leon N. Weiner re-evaluated his work as a home builder and developer.

Next month is the 2003 International Builders' Show. It feels like it was only a few days ago when, as an industry, we gathered in Atlanta before the 2002 show to build five homes for Habitat for Humanity.

That we're near the end of a year that feels like it began yesterday astounds me.