Constructive exchange: builders, suppliers test waters of growing Mexican housing market.Mexico's dynamic housing sector set the stage for the 2nd International Housing Conference of the Americas Conference of the Americas can refer to
Hosted by NAHB NAHB National Association of Home Builders NAHB National Academy of Health and Business (Canada) and Mexico's home builders association, Canadevi, the conference opened to a capacity crowd with Mexico's housing commissioner, Carlos Gutierrez, Canadevi's president, Hector Aguirre, and NAHB's former president, Kent Conine co·ni·ine also co·nin or co·nine n. A poisonous colorless liquid alkaloid, C5H10NC3H7, found in the poison hemlock. , delivering welcome remarks and setting the stage for the ensuing three-day program. Gutierrez pointed to the 6 million housing deficit in Mexico, and said the market is expected to grow at 4.5 percent per year, with an estimated value of US$6.7 billion by the end of 2005. Aguirre added that Mexican builders plan to build more than 1 million new low- and middle-income homes a year here over the coming years. In addition to strong demand, Gutierrez remarked that Mexico's economy is increasingly prepared to support the need for more and better housing. The country has been rated investment grade, while lower interest rates have translated into incentives for corporate investment and consumer spending. Increases of 15 percent per year in the number of mortgages provided by public and private sources are planned, and the primary and secondary mortgage markets have been strengthened. These constitute some of the factors contributing to the strength of Mexico's housing sector--making it one of the country's most dynamic. More than 270 conference attendees took advantage of the numerous opportunities offered over the three-day event to learn about key topics of interest, explore market potential, visit existing developments, talk with exhibitors, and meet with key players. "This was an excellent first step for me in developing trade relationships in Mexico," said Rick Brenner of Artisan Builder Group in Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe, more properly Santa Fé, (pronounced [ˈsænə feɪ] by natives, [ˌsænə ˈfeɪ] . "I was able to get an effective overview of opportunities and made several critical initial contacts with professionals in the residential construction industry." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Over the course of the conference, five of Mexico's leading developers offered a series of property tours to their developments in and around Mexico City--providing attendees with a hands-on look at development and building in Mexico at APEX, ARA Ara or Arrah (both: ŭ`rə), city (1991 pop. 157,082), Bihar state, NE India, on the Son Canal. A major road and rail junction, it is the administrative center for a district that produces grain, sugarcane, and oilseed. , GEO, URBI URBI Universal Real-Time Behavior Interface (robotics) , and SADASI sites. These companies' CEOs also participated on the panel, Building Homes in Mexico, and offered important insights on the trends that are shaping the future of Mexican housing. Pre-arranged, one-on-one meetings at the conference took networking to another critical level, offering participants important focused time to meet with business prospects for meaningful discussion about potential business. These meetings proved particularly valuable. "I made key contacts and was able to schedule a future meeting with the representative of OPIC OPIC Overseas Private Investment Corporation OPIC Office de la Propriété Intellectuelle du Canada (French: Canadian Intellectual Property Office) OPIC Organization of Professional Immigration Consultants OPIC Ohio Public Interest Campaign (Overseas Private Investment Corporation)," said Ken Noorigian of Manufactured Structures International of San Diego. "OPIC has indicated its interest in a project we have been awarded from the Mexican government." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] U.S. and Mexican companies also responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to exhibit at the conference, with over 30 tabletop exhibitors contributing an additional exciting dimension to the menu of activities for attendees. According to NAHB and Canadevi officials, the conference was a resounding re·sound v. re·sound·ed, re·sound·ing, re·sounds v.intr. 1. To be filled with sound; reverberate: The schoolyard resounded with the laughter of children. 2. success. "This conference serves as a prime example of how the NAHB/Canadevi partnership is paying off and reaping rewards for both our constituent groups," said Kent Conine. The 2nd International Housing Conference of the Americas is one of numerous activities designed to stimulate trade between Mexico and the United States Relations between the United States and Mexico are among the most important and complex that each nation maintains. They are shaped by a mixture of mutual interests, shared problems, and growing interdependence. under the Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP MDCP Medically Dependent Children's Program MDCP Media Device Control Protocol MDCP Marine Corps Decision Coordinating Paper MDCP Marathumunai Development Company (Peoples) Ltd ) grant awarded to NAHB by the U.S. Department of Commerce in October 2003. The 3rd International Housing Conference of the Americas will take place in November 2005 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mexico City. Matt Monjan (MMonjan@nahb.com) works for the National Association of Home Builders The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is one of the largest trade associations in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the association organizes one of the largest conventions in North America, The International Builders' Show, which draws more than (NAHB). |
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