Jaffa News

Housing Offers Hope
of Strength in the Economy

New York Times

A funny thing is happening to the United States housing market. It is getting better at an accelerating rate.

And therein could lie hope for a surprisingly strong economy this year.

It has been a long time, as the economy worked off the excesses of the boom and cleared out the inventory of homes that should never have been built or were 'sold' to people who could not hope to afford the payments. But now the inventory of houses for sale -- both new and used -- is as low as it has been in decades. Home prices are rising in most markets. Sales have picked up, though they are still low by historical standards.

The US Housing Market Is Twice
As Healthy As It Was Just A Year Ago

Business Insider

Each month, Trulia's Housing Barometer charts how quickly the housing market is moving back to 'normal.'

We summarize three key housing market indicators: construction starts (Census), existing home sales (NAR), and the delinquency-plus-foreclosure rate (LPS First Look). For each indicator, we compare this month's data to (1) how bad the numbers got at their worst and (2) their pre-bubble 'normal' levels. In December 2012, construction starts jumped dramatically, while home sales and the delinquency + foreclosure rate remained near their strong November levels.

John Paulson Still
Bullish on Economy, Housing

CNBC

Speaking to an audience at Manhattan's 92nd Street Y Tuesday night, Paulson said the housing market had shown a "strong recovery" with prices up and the number of homes for sale at a decade low. Those factors will likely put pressure on builders to create new product, he noted, creating some of the "most positive change in housing since the Lehman crisis."

Interiors

Creating Cohesion with Tile

Jaffa Group works to create cohesion throughout all our spaces. In this bathroom we have used a multitude of different materials and textures in a way in which the various materials create a serene environment.

This bath is has a restful but has modern appeal with the use of horizontal lines. The horizontal grain in the wood cabinetry ties into the stripes of accent tile in the shower walls. The frosted glass door separating the vanity from the remainder of the bath also evokes the same feeling of movement. The rigidity of the horizontal lines are broken with the natural textures of the stone floor and the cabinetry, which is reiterated in the casual movement of the wash basin.

The vanity accent wall mosaic skillfully blends all the colors used in the space, without this the cabinet would be a loud contrast to the otherwise black and white space.

Architectural Feature

INTERVIEW: Architect and Author Alejandro Bahamon on 'REMATERIAL From Waste to Architecture'

by Bridgette Meinhold

Material reuse has been a wildly popular trend in sustainable architecture over the last decade. Using old materials and giving them a new life in a building not only keeps those materials from wasting away in a landfill, but also adds a considerable amount of character to the finished project.

Green Product / Recycle News

Try Living Green

Use Less Paper Today
Turn Off Extra Lights Today
Bring Your Lunch Today
Use the Sun's Free Energy Today
Be Styrofoam & Plastic Bottle-Free Today
Use Cold Water for Laundry Today
Clean Toxin-Free Today
Eat Organic Today
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Save Water While Brushing Your Teeth Today
Commit to Being Greener Everyday, Today

Testimonial

“The house Scott designed and Richard built for us in Deer Crest is our 14th 'last' project, and clearly the one we have enjoyed the most. Scott's creativity in finding unused spaces which we could use for a bear cave for our grandsons and, separately, a tea room for our granddaughters, added very special touches to an already spectacular project. Since we were the first home in Deer Crest, Richard's perseverance in dealing with those working on the infrastructure, marshaling himself and his crew up the ski trails since there were no roads, and dealing with Scott so he did not over engineer the project in order to win design awards, were all strong pluses in a very special relationship. We are enormous fans of the Jaffa Group.”

~Phil & Naomi Lippincott