Welcome to the Athens Area Home Builders Association

The Athens Area Home Builders Association is a non-profit professional trade association made up of member companies, representing residential and light commercial builders, subcontractors, suppliers, and many other service providers to the building industry throughout Athens-Clarke, Elbert, Franklin, Hart, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Stephens, and Walton Counties. Together we are the foundation for the local home-building industry - building pride in our community through interaction, commitment, professionalism, education, community service, and environmental responsibility.

NAHB Now

NAHB Mourns the Passing of Past President Robert “Bob” Mitchell
Robert L. “Bob” Mitchell, 2000 NAHB president, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Last Chance to Apply for 2026 Best of IBS Awards
Exhibitors at the NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) have an opportunity to spotlight their innovative new products each year through the Best of IBS Awards. Don't miss your chance - apply by Friday, Nov. 21.
Watch Livestreams of Key Fall Leadership Meetings
NAHB leadership, including committee and council members, will gather Nov. 17-19 for the 2025 Fall Leadership Meeting in Denver.
New York Gas Ban Suspended While NAHB and NY HBA Appeal
In a major victory in the long legal battle over New York’s statewide gas ban for new homes, NAHB and the New York State Builders Association (NYSBA) have secured a suspension of the new regulations while the case works through the appeals process.
Fall Recruitment Competition Nears Finish Line
The competition concludes on Nov. 30 with several International Builders' Show prizes on the line.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

New Members

Eye On Housing

Credit Conditions for Builders Continue to Be Tight
Credit conditions on loans for residential Land Acquisition, Development & Construction (AD&C) were still tightening in the third quarter of 2025, according to NAHB’s quarterly survey on AD&C Financing. The net easing index derived from the survey posted a reading of -11.0 (the negative number indicating that credit tightened since the previous quarter). This is […]
Unchanged Lending Conditions for Residential Mortgages in Third Quarter
Lending standards for most types of residential mortgages were essentially unchanged, according to the recent release of the Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey (SLOOS). For commercial real estate (CRE) loans, lending standards for construction & development were modestly tighter, while multifamily was essentially unchanged. Demand for both CRE categories was essentially unchanged for the quarter. Two […]
Adjustable-Rate Mortgage Applications Rise
All types of mortgage activity rose on a year-over-year basis in October, supported by recent declines in interest rates. Notably, adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) applications more than doubled from a year ago, and refinancing activity continued to strengthen. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage application volume, fell 7.7% from […]
Employment Loss and Post-COVID Recovery Across U.S. Metro Areas
In April 2020, total payroll employment in the United States fell by an unprecedented 20.5 million, following a loss of 1.4 million in March, as the COVID-19 pandemic brought the economy to a sudden halt. The unemployment rate surged by 10.4 percentage points to 14.8% in April. It was the highest rate effectively since the […]
Credit Card and Auto Loan Balances Continue to Slow
Overall consumer credit continued to rise for the third quarter of 2025, but the pace of growth remains slow. Student loan balances continue to rise as well, slowly returning to pre-COVID growth. Furthermore, credit card and auto loan balances continue to grow but at historically low rates. Although interest rates are still elevated, credit card […]