Bruce Norris is joined this week by CEO of the Builders Industry Association of Southern California and panelist for I Survived Real Estate 2008, Richard Lambros. Richard and Bruce discuss the current market, when the slow down was anticipated, how much worse it’s been than expected, percentage off in building permits in Southern California, how this downturn differs from the past downturns, the speed of deceleration, the leading factors causing the problem, the credit market getting tight really causing problems, light at the end of the tunnel, HR3221 and how it will change and help the market, stabilizing credit markets, helping the foreclosure issue, how HR3221 will help builders directly, FHA and the new loan limits, why it’s so important that limits have changed, median home prices, supply shortage of housing, homeownership levels and how California compares to other states, affordability, misconceptions that builders make huge returns on projects, cities adding fees during a boom, cities focusing on product that produce taxes and creating fees for product that does not, how some cities are actually helping by differing fees in this down market, if a big budget deficit is a concern for the building industry, some cities actually putting together incentive packages to stimulate building but a deficit causing a decline, Prop 13 and concerns, the Builders Industry Association and legislation and how the BIA is involved, how builders are highly regulated, green building and zero net energy homes, the BIA’s stance on green, how California already builds some of the most energy efficient homes in the nation, construction loans in the current market and lenders willingness to lend for building, land prices in the current market, how builders took bad outlooks in a booming market, the statistics builders watch that will suggest a comeback, biasc.org.
Richard Lambros is the Chief Executive Officer of the Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIA/SC), a non-profit trade association representing over 2,200 member companies involved in all aspects of the building industry in the six-county Los Angeles metropolitan area. The 38,000-square-mile region is home to over 16-million residents.
Richard is responsible for the day-to-day management of the sixth largest local homebuilding trade association in the nation and the largest local association in the state. He works with BIA/SC’s Board of Directors, six chapters and twelve councils to craft and implement strategies that will grow the size and strength of the association, provide valuable member services, advance industry causes and create a pro-housing climate that is conducive to sustained housing growth in Southern California. At BIA/SC, Richard has utilized his wealth of political, business and association management experience to help the association reestablish itself as the leading regional voice for the homebuilding industry. His efforts and skills were recognized nationally in 2004 when he won the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) “Executive Officer of the Year Award.”
After nearly winning an election in 1996 to represent California’s 56th Assembly District, Richard served a two-year term as Executive Director for the California Republican Party, where he managed the administrative and political activities for the largest state Republican Party in the nation.
Prior to his political post, Richard spent over 10 years representing the interests and efforts of the housing industry. He served as the Vice President and Director of Public Affairs for the Apartment Association of Orange County (AAOC) and as Director of Governmental Relations for the Rancho Los Cerritos Association of REALTORS©. His years of service and contributions to the housing industry earned him special recognition in 1996 as the Alliance of Real Estate Associations’ “Legislative Advocate of the Year.”
A second-generation California native, Richard was born in Los Angeles and raised in Downey, California. He attended the University of Southern California, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Richard is married and lives with his wife, Colleen, and four children in Fullerton.