FSC Wood Available for Blazeguard

Ainsworth now has a plant in Minnesota that produces FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified substrate panels with the necessary "COC" Chain of Custody documentation required for LEED projects. The FSC certifies that the mills manufacturing wood panels are using sustainable forestry practices to provide forest management worldwide.

In the past, Barrier has had inquiries about the ability to provide Blazeguard on FSC certified wood. With the continual movement towards protecting our environment and "Green" building practices, we anticipate those inquiries to continue to rise. We are pleased that Ainsworth has taken the step to make the availability of FSC certified panels even eaiser for us right here in Minnesota.Fire-rated sheathing, town homes, multi-family construction, housing market, small cap, otcbb, ibtgf, barrier, blazeguard, mycoguard, fire-rated paint, intumescent paint, mold, mildew, fire-retardant plywood, frt, sips, structurally insulative panels, fire-rated wall assemblies, commercial modular, modular home construction, green building products, LEED,

Current Trends in Real Estate

Commercial Property News, CPN, had a full page in it's recent June 1, 2007 edition, dedicated to data trends in Real Estate Performance. Throughout all of calendar 2006, Apartments ranked number one with those choosing to invest in Real Estate...29%. For the three months ended Feb 07, Apartment construction starts rose 32.1% over the same period last year. As far as leasing, the first calendar quarter is forecasted to be almost 71% higher in absorption/occupancy than last year and the vacancy rate is projected to be lower than both 2006 and 2005 at 5.7%.

Trends continue toward growth in multifamily housing. As vacant multifamily inventory continues to decline, the lending market remains conservative, and housing prices remain relatively stable; Barrier sees these trends toward multifamily as direct support towards a continuing growth path.Fire-rated sheathing, town homes, multi-family construction, housing market, small cap, otcbb, ibtgf, barrier, blazeguard, mycoguard, fire-rated paint, intumescent paint, mold, mildew, fire-retardant plywood, frt, sips, structurally insulative panels, fire-rated wall assemblies, commercial modular, modular home construction, green building products, LEED,

New Home Sales Up 16.2% in April

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development released estimates that new-home sales were up unexpectedly by 16.2% in April. Regionally, the South (who has been so depressed the past few months) was up 27.8%. The West was up 8.5% and the Northeast was up 3.8%. The only area still showing negative growth was the Midwest where sales were down by 4.0%.

NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders says they are viewing the large jump in April with a lot of caution and the favorable weather swings in South may have led the favorable bump. But, he also said "The first quarter may well have marked the low point for sales volume in the dramatic housing correction that began in the latter part of 2005. We are currently looking for a gradual recovery process going forward, at least on a quarterly basis, " said Seiders.

We all know that the news reports typically lag the statistics, so things may already be a little better than they appear.Fire-rated sheathing, town homes, multi-family construction, housing market, small cap, otcbb, ibtgf, barrier, blazeguard, mycoguard, fire-rated paint, intumescent paint, mold, mildew, fire-retardant plywood, frt, sips, structurally insulative panels, fire-rated wall assemblies, commercial modular, modular home construction, green building products, LEED,