It's happening! There's confidence out there and it's building!
The Office for National Statistics has reported that the British economy grew at the strongest rate in six years in 2013, ending the year on a strong note as the recovery became more entrenched, with a 0.7% growth in the fourth quarter. It took the annual growth rate to 1.9%, the strongest since 2007 before the financial crisis took hold.
According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) the recovery is well underway now and the future appears to be turning increasingly bright.
Here at HBXL we to say that the sentiment is being echoed by the builders we speak to. Added to this our sister business 'HBXL Estimating Service' has had its busiest month ever. In fact, the service is becoming a barometer for how the domestic construction industry in particular is fairing.
Without throwing too many statistics and data at you, RICS reported in January 2014 that the construction sector continues to pick up, with output rising by 2.2% in October alone, according to provisional data. Many indicators are pointing towards further expansion on the horizon.
They go on to say, that the catalyst continues to be housebuilding, and it is estimated that there were over 32,000 house starts in the third quarter. Indeed, the RICS net balance for housing workloads is the highest in over a decade.
Buyer demand is increasingly outpacing new instructions to sell. On the back of this, prices over the next year are anticipated to continue to rise, and at an increasing pace. That's what RICS have to say on the subject!
Then less than a week ago, Nationwide's Chief Economist Robert Gardner reported that "The housing market is continuing to gather momentum... House prices recorded their thirteenth successive monthly increase in January... The price of a typical home (in January 2014) was 8.8% higher than January 2013."
All the signs suggest a need to strike while the iron is hot and the team at HBXL is working hard to make sure that builders across the country have all the tools in place to respond to increasing requests for renovations and extensions, alongside those all-important new builds.
So what can we offer to help build confidence and ensure that builders benefit from the economic growth?
- Brand new v4 PlansXpress software that faster and feature-heavy - now's the time to offer Design & Build!
- Another update for EstimatorXpress with more useful modifications
- A revolutionary method of estimating - Visual Estimating - that turns pdfs into quotations!
- Opportunities for 1-2-1 demos at two shows: Build It at Glow Bluewater, Kent (22/23 Feb) and EcoBuild at ExCel, London (4/5/6 March) - tickets are free through HBXL
- Group training sessions in Bristol and Epsom for software users
- Free live webinars every week
- Monitoring of legislative changes to keep builders updated with the correct paperwork to meet health and safety requirements - plus legally binding contracts to make sure the invoice gets paid!
- Lots of over-the-phone advice on which software is most suitable - and of course the best financial deal as well!
- PLUS an Estimating Service to handle quotations when there aren't enough hours in the day
Just one final point, increasing demand is starting to outstrip supply across the building sector - and this was backed up by recent reports in Builders Merchant News. This of course means builders' material prices going up. So don't get caught out by making do with an old price list - chances are it won't be what you'll be paying further down the line.
EstimatorXpress uses our exclusive PriceTracker tool to track live builders merchant's prices so that the quote has the most up-to-date prices, ensuring the best profit margin on every job.
To find out how we can help your business build in confidence over the coming months call the HBXL team on 0845 1234 065 or visit our website.
