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TexasBuilders.org
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Area Spotlight
Unemployment is down to 4.1 percent, and
we’re No. 2 for starts in the U.S., trailing
only Houston. It’s good right now, and I’m
fortunate this is my backyard. MLS has a
negative supply of resale, so that helps the
new home builders, too.”
So what’s the bad news? “There’s a shortage
of labor right now,” Sandlin said. “We sold
more houses last year, but we can’t finish
them as fast as we’d like because there are
not as many qualified trades out there. A lot
of people got out of the building industry
during the 2008 downturn, and they haven’t
come back. Our biggest challenge right now
is finding qualified labor.” High demand
and limited supplies mean prices are going
up, whether or not the builders want them
to rise. “It’s also getting tougher to compete
with all the larger builders that have come in
without leaving much for the smaller guys.
And the weather just stunk this past year. 65
days of rain knocked us back a bit.” On top
of the rain, the Dallas area was subjected to a
rash of deadly and destructive tornadoes in
late December of last year, and repairs and
reconstruction efforts are still ongoing.
Sandlin continues to push for positive
change in the DFW building industry. He
considers government affairs involvement to
be one of the greatest benefits of association
membership, and he values the networking
opportunities he’s had from his time served
in leadership roles. Sandlin always looks
forward to BA of Greater Fort Worth events
such as the recent Municipal Night, featuring
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick as keynote speaker.
“Municipal Night is where we honor local
municipalities with awards for individuals
and departments that have gone above
and beyond,” said Sandlin. “It’s a way to
recognize cities that are pro-development.”
Another recent event, the Fort Worth SPIKE
Party, featured “celebrity” chefs, including
area mayors and past association presidents.
“It’s a great time cooking for everybody and
having a big party.”
Dallas BA –
Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis,
Hunt, Kaufman, Rockwall
Greater Fort Worth BA –
Hood, Johnson, Palo, Pinto, Parker,
Somervell, Tarrant, Wise
Big Country HBA –
Brown, Callahan, Coleman, Eastland,
Fisher, Haskell, Jones, Mitchell, Nolan,
Scurry, Shackelford, Stephens, Taylor
HBA of Grayson,
Fannin & Cooke Counties –
Cooke, Fannin, Grayson
North Texas HBA –
Archer, Baylor, Clay, Jack, Montague,
Wichita, Wilbarger, Young