Continuum Advisory Group

This author has written 157 articles

Big Builder “Survivor or Victim” Series: Resurrecting the Estimator

A strong estimator that is trained to accurately estimate a house and understands material management at the field level can be a home-run hire for any homebuilder. Unfortunately, in-house estimating functions were largely eliminated during the downturn. Most builders outsourced their estimating needs, allowed the trades or suppliers to do their own estimates, or transitioned from direct-buy to turnkey. Choosing to recreate an estimating function and finding space for it in your budget may seem unrealistic. But would $83,000 in direct savings change your mind?

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Big Builder “Survivor or Victim” Series: Competition and Capital

Survivors Proactively Structure the Capital Sourcing Process to Fit their Requirements While Victims React to What is Offered

Banks are re-entering the market and are looking for new customers. Funds have been raised and investors are looking for opportunities to achieve strong returns. The question is how builders will handle the situation.

Here is the latest installment of Continuum Advisory Group’s Survivor or Victim series, published on Hanley Wood’s BuilderOnline.com, Turning the Tables: Get Capital Sources to Compete to Work With You.

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Construction-related degrees land graduates among the highest median pay ranges

As our industry recovers from the “Great Recession” and student debt grows, the construction industry rates as a strong educational investment. Recent research conducted by The Hamilton Project analyzed Census Bureau data to compare lifetime earnings of different college majors. Not surprisingly, engineering fields ranked the highest. Included in those are electrical, mechanical, civil, and general engineering, as well as construction services  — all majors that are well represented in the construction industry. Competition for top talent is intensifying, so leading firms and organizations in the building and construction industries need to make sure that this theme gets airplay. Adding to this data, the fact that the building and construction industries provide some of the best entrepreneurial opportunities as well, paints a picture of opportunity and excitement for construction industry careers in the 21st century. 

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Big Builder “Survivor or Victim” Series: Part 1

While Trade Capacity Concerns Take A Breather, Smart Builders Take Advantage

How well do you know the supply base in your market or markets? Are you controlling the best resources or are you taking second or third best as compared to your competitors? As demand recovers, the ability to control the best trades and crews within those trades is a significant competitive advantage. How will you take advantage of this opportunity and how will you mitigate your exposure to this threat?

Part 1 of Continuum Advisory Group’s Survivor or Victim series, published on Hanley Wood’s BuilderOnline.com, addresses these questions. Read the full post here.

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Survivor or Victim: A Big Builder Series

I’m pleased to announce that Continuum Advisory Group’s Survivor or Victim series is now being published on Hanley Wood’s Builder Online under the Big Builder marquee. The series introduction on how to excel in a resource constrained environment, originally posted on the Continuum Advisory Group blog, kicked off the guest blog series today. Stay tuned for Part 1 of the series in just a few weeks. 

For the full Big Builder, Survivor or Victim series introduction, click here.

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New Interstate Transmission Line Could Dampen Interest in Fracking in North Carolina

Gas-Drill-Fracking1The potential for the use of hydraulic fracturing as a technique to purse shale oil/gas in North Carolina has received lots of attention and recent legislation proposed by the state government might ease the path to using this technique that is currently outlawed.  Two local papers, The Raleigh News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, have been following this topic.  In preparation of a recent article, I completed a series of interviews with the author, John Murawski. 

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