WARRANTY EXPRESS LOGIN
Reprinted from nahb.org

INTERNATIONAL BUILDERS SHOW
FEBURARY 25-27, 2025
LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER

Is 2025 your first time attending the International Builders’ Show (IBS)? The Builders’ Show is an experience packed with innovation, learning opportunities, networking and fun. As a first timer, the Builders’ Show can be an overwhelming experience – from the sheer size and everything happening at the show – but it doesn’t have to be. Use this insider’s guide for the must-see and do things and some tips to make the most of your IBS experience. This is not a comprehensive list of everything, but rather some top stops on your show agenda.

  1. Special Events: IBS is known for its impressive lineup of special events that cater to a wide range of interests. Whether it’s an informative pre-show learning opportunity by a respected industry expert, a celebrity keynote speech or an awards ceremony add some of these events to your schedule. Events like the Official IBS House Party, Young Pro Party and NAHB Award ceremonies, such as the Best in American Living™ Awards and The Nationals are ticketed events that often sell out, so buying tickets as soon as possible is best.
  2. New Product Zone: Make sure you have the New Product Zone as a stop on your show plan to witness the latest and greatest residential construction products and technologies making their grand debut. Don’t miss the chance to be among the first to discover the next industry-changing innovation. This area tends to get crowded, so try to visit early in the day for the best experience.
  3. Segments on the Show Floor & Outdoor Exhibits: For the second year, the exhibit show floor is separated into 6 categories and then there’s the Outdoor Exhibits. With 1,700+ exhibitors, it’s impossible to visit every one of them. Instead, look at the exhibitor list or floor plans ahead of time. Identify the categories or exhibitors you want to visit so you know before you go where to concentrate your times on the show floor.
  4. Demo Zones: Live demonstrations in the Construction Performance Zone and the Craft Techniques Zone are hot spots at the Builders’ Show. Step into the Construction Performance Zone to see industry experts reveal industry best practices for building more durable, efficient, higher-quality homes. Explore the details and finishes that complete a home in the Craft Techniques Zone. There’s a variety of interactive demos you can participate in these zones.
  5. IBS Education: One of the biggest draws to the Builders’ Show is the 120+ IBS Education sessions, where you can learn strategies and discover new trends directly from industry experts. As an NAHB Member who is a first-time attendee, you can enjoy an Expo+Education Pass at a greatly reduced rate, which gives you access to the show floor AND 120+ IBS Education sessions.

To read more about these IBS sessions and learn about the IBS mobile app check out the nahb.org website blog: https://blog.buildersshow.com/

If you're heading to the Builders' Show, don’t forget to stop by RWC's booth #W3955 and say hi. We'd love to catch up, and while you're there, be sure give our prize wheel a spin for a shot at winning great swag or cash prizes! Chat with one of the Account Executives and make sure you're tuned into all of the great services we offer, all under one roof. Plus - hot tip - if you're not yet part of RWC’s Incentive Program, be sure to ask about it—it’s a great way to earn cash back on your good claims experiences, get the best rates, and save money on annual membership fees.

There are many components that go into designing your dream home. Historically, reigning considerations have included the amount of storage space, natural light, open floor plans, outdoor living areas, energy efficiency, a well-designed kitchen layout, ample bathroom facilities, a dedicated laundry area and externally, the surrounding environment and location, including access to amenities and the general neighborhood vibe. However, a surprising new factor is emerging with those who are building homes – and that is the comfort of their pet.

In a survey done by Houzz of approximately 1,000 pet owners, it was discovered that nearly half (48%) prioritize pets in their decision-making process when designing their home. Barkitecture is the term used in reference to the recent trend of constructing residences - whether selecting pet-friendly materials or incorporating special areas - to make family dogs and cats feel more at home.

Prospective homeowners often start with the classic elements of barkitecture, such as durable flooring choices. Choosing to go with luxury vinyl plank flooring in lieu of easily scratched hardwood or hard-to-clean carpet, or if carpet is required, selecting a rug that matches the color of the pet’s fur are common decisions. However, many have elevated their designs to the next level with home additions like built-in dog washing stations, plush and padded sleeping nooks, dedicated eating areas, or for the very lucky feline – catios (safely enclosed open air spaces that can include multi-level climbing and resting spots).

While pets have been altering the way homes look for a long time, these changes seem to be getting bigger and more extravagant every year!

Evaluating Risk Retention Groups Against Property and Casualty Insurers

RWC prioritizes providing members with strong insurance backing to ensure peace of mind and security. This robust support not only protects our members' investments but also reinforces our commitment to delivering reliable coverage and service, safeguarding them against unforeseen issues. That’s why RWC has backed its warranties with a Risk Retention Group (RRG) since 1990.

You see, Property and Casualty (P&C) coverage can be extremely volatile both in terms of rates and continuity. When using a P&C carrier, a warranty company’s rate structure is vulnerable to rate increases derived from losses in totally unrelated industries. For example, the country has seen more than its fair share of both natural disasters and environmental catastrophes. Consider the losses caused by the recent hurricanes. If a P&C company suffers huge losses in even one of these events, the company’s rating may drop and it may be compelled to raise its insurance rates across all its lines of coverage. The end result is that a builder’s warranty rate goes up even though the warranty company’s loss ratio may be extremely low.

RWC also discovered that P&C carriers are quick to drop blocks of business for a variety of reasons: too little premium generated, changes in corporate strategy, etc. If a P&C insurer chooses not to renew its master policy, the warranty company is left scrambling for a replacement.

With an RRG, only one type of risk is insured - in this case, that means new home warranties and general liability insurance issued by RWC for our member builders exclusively. Consequently, our rates are based solely on our own loss ratio. If we continue to keep control of claims and continue to stringently screen members for quality, RWC will be able to maintain a sound and economically competitive rate structure. Oil tankers running aground or category 4/5 hurricanes will have no effect on the cost of a new home warranty or the strength of the insurance company.

Additionally, RRG’s are not fly-by-night organizations that are easily formed. Not only are they subject to insurance laws in their own domiciliary state, but they must also fulfill certain criteria before offering insurance in any other state. For example, each RRG must submit a copy of its plan of operation to the insurance commissioner of each state in which it intends to do business. It must also submit a copy of its annual financial statement to each state. Formation involves licensing, ownership and membership requirements. Failure to adhere to the strict mandates can subject groups to claims of unauthorized insurance activity.

We feel our members deserve an insurance structure that is committed to our program for the long haul. It is our philosophy that warranties insured with a stable RRG will provide our builders and their homeowners with secure and reliable coverage for 5 years, 10 years and beyond.

More than a century ago, Americans were fascinated by the speed and convenience of personal, motorized travel. Rather than feeding, housing and otherwise caring for horses that needed prepped for riding or drawing a carriage and would take a long time to get to their destinations, automobiles offered a vastly more convenient mode of transportation. In place of lining up for a spot on a crowded streetcar or feeding a horse that needed fuel to live and not just to carry its owner, car owners purchased gasoline that would be used only while the car was operated, and the car was always at the owner’s beck and call. There was no need to worry about illness or vet bills and no mucking of stalls. A car could be parked in front of one’s house, eliminating the need for a barn or a meadow where a horse could sleep and eat. The more urban car owner no longer had to race downtown to catch public transportation.

While that first generation of motor cars had many doubters, in less than a decade most people could see that automotive travel was the wave of the future. Nearly every household wanted a car. The problem was that few could afford to own one. In 1915, the average annual pay for a man was $687. The average pay for a woman was about half that. Meanwhile, a typical car cost $2,005, nearly three years wages for the average man. The disparity between what people earned and how much cars cost made it impossible for most Americans to purchase a car.

Some American entrepreneurs, recognizing the seemingly unquenchable thirst for cars in our country, searched for ways to satisfy that thirst while generating profits for themselves. Most prominent among them was Henry Ford. In 1913 and 1914 Ford put his assembly line into operation and worked to perfect it so that he could bring the reality of automobile ownership to the masses and make a killing for himself in the process. Already producing one of the more affordable everyman’s cars, the Model T, Ford’s assembly line lowered the cost of manufacturing that popular model by more than 65 %. Within a couple of years Ford had reduced the price of the Model T to $360. For nineteen years Ford manufactured the Model T and sold 15 million of them, which was half of the automobiles manufactured in the world during that time.

Today there is a housing shortage in our country that has been forming for more than a decade. Following the boom-and-bust cycle that ended in 2008, the United States had an excess of available housing. Then, as the new home construction industry reeled from the aftereffects of the bust, builders were not able to keep up with the rising demand for new homes. Indeed, from 2012 to 2022, 6.5 million more households were formed than new homes were built. The Covid-19 pandemic and the financial and labor issues that flowed from it have only exacerbated the problem. Housing experts estimate that the shortage of available housing today approaches seven million homes. Not only are builders not building enough homes, but potential buyers are finding it difficult to afford the homes that are being built.

More than a century after Henry Ford revolutionized the auto industry by mass producing the Model T,there is another seemingly unquenchable thirst in our country—not for cars this time, but for homes. Ford designed a car for the masses and figured out a way to spend less in the manufacturing process and thus was able to meet his customers at a price point they could afford. We believe today’s builders can take a similar approach to quenching America’s thirst for housing.

Seniors who are downsizing and younger first-time home buyers want homes with a smaller and cozier footprint than they did a generation ago. Homes built in clusters in mixed use developments are more popular now with some buyers than the large single-family homes with half acre lots that dominated the market twenty years ago. Smaller homes with simpler layouts and roof designs on smaller lots could be the product that not only appeals to more of today’s buyers, but also can be afforded by today’s buyers. Like Ford’s Model T, these homes could be the backbone of any builder’s inventory.

Affordability was only one reason for Henry Ford’s triumph. Another was a leaner and more cost-effective method of manufacturing his cars. The manufacture and use of modular housing components is one way a builder can reduce costs. Another is the repetitive design of, for example, row homes. The row functions like an assembly line, except that the tradesmen move along the row rather than the items to be worked on passing in front of them.

There is a thirst in the land for affordable housing. Whether using Henry Ford’s ideas, some of ours, or better ones, we know that our member builders will quench that thirst and provide another generation of Americans with high quality and affordable new homes. When those homes are built, do yourself and your buyers a favor and place an RWC warranty on every home you sell.

Over nearly four and a half decades RWC has provided warranty protection on more than four million homes. We offer a wide variety of warranty options like our standard ten-year warranty, our Day 1 coverage warranty, our extended appliance and system warranties, and our specialty warranties for remodeling projects, detached garages, and commercial construction. Only RWC has developed and offers its members a customized state warranty that mirrors each state’s statute of repose and accommodates other state specific issues. All RWC warranties provide clear performance standards that help create realistic homeowner expectations and provide a road map to resolve even the stickiest customer complaints.

At RWC, every guarantee our warranties make is backed by Western Pacific Mutual Insurance Company, RRG. Western Pacific has an "A- (Excellent)"rating from A. M. Best and only insures home warranty and similar new home construction risks, like builders’ general liability, which can be offered through the RWC Insurance Advantage program to RWC members. No other warranty company has an insurer with this kind of strength solely dedicated to covering builders and their homes.

There are a lot of thirsty homebuyers waiting out there for you. Go build their homes and leave your warranty concerns to us. We’ve got you covered!

Have a great fall and winter!

Extended warranty coverage on appliances and systems is an excellent approach to add an extra level of protection to the homes you build. Even brand-new appliances can sometimes be unreliable, and our aim is to ensure both you and your buyers feel more at ease and have heightened confidence in their new home.

Did you know that as a member of the RWC warranty program, you are automatically approved to offer your homeowners our Key Estates Extended Warranty without paying additional membership fees. And best of all, you can start enrolling homes today at www.KeyEstatesWarranty.com/builders.

Buyers want a worry-free living experience, especially in a brand-new home, so if a covered item fails, Key Estatehttps://www.rwcwarranty.com/builders/key-estates/s will be there to ease the financial burden of repair or replacement.

You'll find we do a few things differently than the other warranty folks. For example, coverage is flexible, there are no black out areas, and homeowners can use the repair provider of their choice to perform service work if needed. We do not force them to choose from a limited pool of technicians.

Our extended warranty benefits you as a builder, too, by enhancing your reputation and credibility. Offering a high-quality, affordable warranty shows your commitment to long-term value. Plus, when issues arise post-settlement, homeowners contact Key Estates directly—not you—so we help take those post-sale hassles and concerns off your plate. Peace of mind for homeowners means more signed contracts for you.

Feel free to contact your Account Executive with any questions, call 866-394-5135 x2188, or email sales@KeyEstatesWarranty.com.

Key Estates Certified Warranty

Reprinted from nahb.org

 Nearly all construction sites have unprotected sides and edges, wall openings or floor holes at some point, which pose a hazard to the workers moving around the jobsite. These openings and sides MUST be protected with guardrails or covers.

Safe Work Practices:

As a builder, you are responsible for providing your clients with something that is arguably one of the most important components of their lives - their home. So, it naturally follows that the company you choose to have your back would need to be stable. Reliable. Honest. Transparent. You would expect to not only receive a proven warranty that comes with unparalleled protection and customer service, but also to be kept apprised of the inner workings of the company providing it. Because if there is anything life has taught us over the past few years, it is that not all surprises are good ones, and knowledge is crucial to keeping your own business running on an even keel.

Residential Warranty Company, LLC (RWC) has been and remains a family organization since our inception, never having changed hands since the doors first opened in 1981. This is something we cannot say about our biggest competitors who have chosen a different path from large corporate overreach.  In an incorporated and automated world, we believe a little personal attention goes a long way.

We have maintained that belief for over 40 years in the business, making us one of the oldest and largest names in the industry, providing a strong foundation of security. We know that one size doesn’t fit all, so we offer a wide range of home warranties and services through a network of affiliated companies. This means you get comprehensive coverage and effective risk management tailored to your needs. Additionally, our insurer has held an “A- (Excellent)” rating by A.M. Best since 2001 and has over $130 million in surplus equity.

Perhaps most importantly, when you join us, you are not simply a customer. You are family. So, we invite you to come and knock on our door. We are always waiting for you.

Recently the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs informed Residential Warranty Company, LLC (RWC) that we are responsible to verify ownership of the new home that is being sold to the new home owner(s) in the state of New Jersey, before issuing any warranty paperwork. This requirement is per Directive 15, dated June 26, 2018.

The directive indicates that we can accept a copy of the contract for sale or a copy of the deed. A construction contract may be used when there is no transfer of title. This is typical when the homeowner owns the land and contracts with a builder to build a new home for his or her own personal use and occupancy.

Effective May 1, 2024, RWC will require this proof before issuing the NJ Affidavit to obtain your Certificate of Occupancy, the RWC Application for Enrollment form, and Limited Warranty booklet. Warranty Express will have an option for you to upload these documents or they can be emailed to NJDocs@RWCWarranty.com

Any questions should be directed to Ron Sweigert at 800-247-1812, x2178.

NAHB, a leader in safety and health education and compliance assistance for residential construction, has released a new mobile tool called the NAHB Jobsite Safety Handbook. This application — available in both the Apple and Google Play app stores — was built to help home builders, contractors, and workers identify safe work practices.

This app covers the main safety issues residential builders and trade contractors need to focus on to reduce worksite accidents and injuries. Information is meant to provide a basic guide to understanding and conforming with the federal safety and health requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and OSHA standards and regulations.

The app features resources for both classroom learning and on-the-job compliance, such as NAHB’s full Jobsite Safety Handbook, more than 50 safety video toolbox talks, all NAHBNow safety content, and an interactive quiz for users to test their safety knowledge. The app’s content is available in 15 languages.

This handy new app is a great tool for home builders and managers to engage workers onsite. Use the video content during safety stand downs on specific topics, or have new employees or trades take a “pop quiz” on jobsite safety in the app.

The NAHB Jobsite Safety Handbook app is free to download for both members and non-members.

Millennia ago when solar eclipses caused the world, or at least the little piece of it occupied by a primitive culture, to slip into darkness as the sun disappeared in the middle of the day, ancient man often saw it as a mystical battle among gods or as an omen of bad times to come. Ancient Chinese believed that a dragon had attacked and devoured the sun. In India, a common belief was that a demon named Rahu disguised himself as a woman for the purpose of crashing a banquet of the gods, where he hoped to drink all the gods’ nectar. A major god Vishnu caught onto Rahu’s plan, cut off his head and hurled it across the sky. Ancient Indians believed that it was Rahu’s decapitated head that blocked out the sun. According to a Native American Choctaw legend, a mischievous squirrel gnawed on the sun, which caused it to slowly disappear.

The reactions to eclipses by our early forebears were even more bizarre than their explanations for the celestial events. Mayan rulers would cut themselves, collect their blood and offer it as a sacrifice to whichever god needed placated. Aztecs would become hysterical and sacrifice the people among them with the fairest hair and the lightest skin, which they believed kept demons from descending from the sky and eating everyone. In Mesopotamia and in Greece, after having developed the ability to predict that an eclipse was coming, the king would place an imposter on the throne as a decoy to fool the gods and keep any bad omens from affecting the real king. When the eclipse passed, the imposter was usually killed.

Even those cultures who did not engage in barbaric practices like blood-letting and human sacrifice saw eclipses as omens. As late as 1598, when William Shakespeare wrote King Lear, the king remarked that “these late eclipses in the sun and the moon portend no good to us.” This was the view of most societies since the beginning of time. There were exceptions like the Batammaliba people of West Africa, who believed that the eclipse occurred because the gods were angry with people for fighting with each other. During and after an eclipse, villagers would put petty arguments aside, stop fighting with their neighbors, and even give each other gifts.

The recent solar eclipse that carved a path of totality across the United States demonstrates how far modern man has come in his understanding of the universe. Many years of observation and study allow us now to predict not just when an eclipse will occur, but also how much of the sun will be blocked by the moon in any location around the globe. Thus, some of our friends and co-workers left our home office where there was about 92% coverage of the sun to travel to Cleveland and to eastern Indiana, where they were able to watch the total eclipse. All who chased totality mentioned how awe-inspiring an experience it was.

Rather than fearing and overreacting to an eclipse like ancient man did, 21st Century Americans can plan for, travel to, and embrace a total eclipse for what it is--an awesome display of the universal and physical principles by which our universe works. And we can do that because for centuries mankind looked at the sky, asked questions about what was happening, and eventually figured it out through hard work and study.
This same principle applies to business, and particularly to the business of home building. We have heard friends oversimplify it this way: “You build a home and sell it for more than it cost to build.” Those folks might just as well believe that a squirrel ate the sun on April 8th or that the fender-bender they had last week was foretold by the eclipse. We know better. But do we know enough or all that we can know?

Just like the astronomers and physicists who figured out solar eclipses, every builder should look at his company’s universe and ask hard questions. What kind of homes are people buying now? What are people likely to buy five years from now? What can my potential clients afford to build? Will the price of timber rise or fall in the next year? How will interest rates and the cost of financing affect sales over the next eighteen months? Is the population in my area aging or getting younger on average, and how will that affect my customers’ housing choices? Big houses or small houses? Singles or towns? Town or country?

You get the idea. By asking and answering these kinds of questions, any builder will gain a better understanding of his business and its challenges and will increase his profitability. A good project is to write out twenty such questions (or as many as you can think of) and then put in the study, thought and effort necessary to answer them. We think you will enjoy and benefit from the project. (And you better get to it soon before that squirrel gobbles up the sun!)

If one of the questions you ask yourself is, “How can I best protect my customers and my company from construction defect claims?”, we have the answer for you. Place an RWC warranty on every home you build.

In our more than four decades of home warranty experience RWC has covered more than four million homes. We offer a wide variety of warranty options like our standard ten-year warranty, our Day 1 coverage warranty, our extended appliance and system warranties, and our specialty warranties for remodeling projects, detached garages, and commercial construction. Only RWC has developed and offers its members a customized state warranty that mirrors each state’s statute of repose and accommodates other state specific issues. All RWC warranties provide clear performance standards that help create realistic homeowner expectations and provide a road map to resolving even the stickiest customer complaints.

At RWC, every guarantee our warranties make is backed by Western Pacific Mutual Insurance Company, RRG. Western Pacific has an A- rating from A. M. Best and only insures home warranty and similar new home construction risks, like builders’ general liability, which can be offered through the RWC Insurance Advantage program to RWC members. No other warranty company has an insurer with this kind of strength solely dedicated to covering builders and their homes.

Don’t be eclipsed by your competitors. Give your customers the best warranty under the sun—an RWC warranty.

Have a wonderful Summer!