Less and less people have been getting married. Is it a trend of millennials or something else?

Believe it or not but Covid killed the dating scene for several years. You couldn't go out and enjoy your sports, movies, or concerts and many people stopped dating.

That also means they stopped buying wedding rings, and then buying homes.

But now that we are back to an open world, relationships are booming and that may mean more weddings, and eventually more homes.

Lake homes are some of the most desirable properties in the housing market. No matter if they are old or newer they typically sell quickly and for top dollar if they even hit the market at all.

They present unique challenges for building. We discuss the 10 top challenges that constructing lake homes possess and some of the things that builders and consumers must work through to make a lake home turn into a dream project.

The National Association of Realtors recently lost an Antitrust ruling on commissions that could cost 1.8 billion.

The ruling states large brokerage firms conspired to artificially inflate the commission.

Typically the seller pays the commission to a listing firm and the fee is parsed out between the listing broker and the selling broker.

The fallout could mean in the future that a buyer would pay an agent directly to hire someone to help them buy a property and the seller would pay the listing firm only.

We explain why there will be an appeal and give our thoughts on this ruling and share additional information on this developing story.

If you are renting but planning on buying a home soon recent data suggests you are falling further behind.

The gap is widening to afford your first home.

We review national data that shows how much time an average renter needs to save up for a 10% downpayment on a median home around the country.

It's a lot longer than you would have imagined!

Plus the gap is getting bigger so if you know someone who is renting that wants to buy, you may want to share this information with them!

After years of grey and white color pallets, brown has returned.

But before you go back to what you've used before know that it's coming back in a very new way.

Learn how designers are incorporating the new "warm minimalism" color scheme and also using some new methods of contrast to bring it all together and freshen up the looks of interior homes.

If you want to learn more interior design trends for homes, make sure to tune into this episode.

There are some pretty alarming stats about housing coming out right now.

On the surface, these seem alarming, but are they really?

After doing some research we share which ones are cause for concern and which ones are a big nothing burger.

From average sales price, number of home sales, average mortgage payment to affordability we debunk the data for you.

Did you know there is a vibrant group for people in the building industry under the age of 45?

The National Association of Home Builders has a Young Professional Group (as do many other trade organizations).

These YP groups are a place for developing professionals to learn, grow, and become future leaders of these trade associations.

Where the average age of a builder is 59 years old a clear need arose for attracting and developing younger people in the industry.

8 Years ago they formed this committee, which I was proud to chair last year.

Now the industry is in a much better place to transition to the next generation and future generations.

You can learn more about it here: https://www.nahb.org/why-nahb/types-of-membership/young-professionals

This week is YP week so we are celebrating all the amazing Young Professionals in the industry and showing how you can get involved.

#YPWeek

Today we celebrate the amazing companies and products that are made in Wisconsin.

You may not be aware of all the unique and amazing brands that you hear of and use everyday and their origin.

Quite a few of the companies have big impacts on the building industry as well.

We also touch on some of our states biggest exports and how they affect the global economy.

The Housing market is cyclical and is always changing. The big question these days is what mode is it currently in.

We look back at the different modes we've seen over the last two years and share the different cycles that come up and which ones we are in.

Here are some of the cycles:

Pull back > Positive Adjustment > Growth >Throttle back >Pause >Growth >Negative Adjustment. (repeat)

The trades are changing.

Young people have been brought up with the concept of work life balance.

It's seeping it's way into the trades can causing some unique challenges.

We compare the old school contractor mentality to the new school mentality and explain how it will affect the industry for years to come.

We also share some recent examples of this change of thinking and how it's affecting our business.