NAHB Education Courses
Take NAHB Courses Before the Show Begins
Make more of your 2025 Builders’ Show experience and register for pre-show education, February 23 – 24. Pre-show education requires a separate registration fee.
Fifteen pre-show courses will be held before the start of IBS 2025 at the Encore Hotel. These courses, offered by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), will give participants the chance to increase their skill sets by delving deep into industry topics, all while earning NAHB CEUs, and in some cases continuing education for AIA and AIBD. Course instructors encourage student collaboration and participation, as they know that industry experience that is shared plays a crucial role in the classroom and retaining the knowledge learned.
NAHB Education is sponsored by Lowe's for Pros.
| PRE-SHOW FEES AND CANCELLATION POLICIES |
Check out the list of 2025 pre-show courses*.
*Information subject to change.
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Estimating: The First Line of Defense for Profits
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
This revised (2022) half day course will focus specifically on Estimating. The ability to effectively prepare for a project is vital to your success. Project preparation consists of multiple processes that work together and, when performed effectively, increase your efficiency and profitability, improve client satisfaction and enhance team and vendor relationships. Come away with the knowledge and skills to perform one of the critical processes in project preparation: estimating costs.
The Project Schedule as a Planning & Communication Tool
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
The ability to effectively prepare for a project is vital to the success of any business. Project preparation consists of multiple processes that work together and, when performed effectively, enable you to increase your efficiency, achieve greater client satisfaction, enhance team and vendor relationships and protect profitability. This course provides you with the knowledge base and skills to perform one of the critical processes in project preparation: creating the schedule to complete the project.
Land Development: Getting Started, Business Management & Financing
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Becoming a land developer is not for the meek. But successful land development can substantially increase revenue and profit for smaller builders. This course will introduce participants to the land acquisition and development process and explore the crucial first steps to becoming a successful developer. You will develop strategies for finding land development opportunities for small projects (2 – 50 lots) and discuss which business structure is best for your business. Participants will get a balanced perspective on what it takes to develop land and, more importantly, learn approaches to limit risk and maximize profits. The level of content in this course is for the novice learner.
Site Planning
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Take the next step to becoming a small volume land developer by exploring actual site planning and preliminary platting. In this course, you will learn about the typical approval and final platting process through a governing authority. We will also discuss construction of improvements and getting the property ready to sell or develop. The level of content in this course is for individuals new to the land development process.
Qualified Lead Generation for Referrals
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Leads are everywhere. But which leads will be qualified sales leads?
This course will provide you with the information you need to develop the best-qualified lead-generation campaign to ensure that you and your sales associates will find success in their business development activities.
You'll learn effective communication, prospecting and evaluation skills to enhance your ability to obtain the finest and most qualified leads to sustain your growth in any market.
Introductory Selling Strategies, Techniques & Tips
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
The Selling Strategies, Techniques and Tips course will help you gain the foundational knowledge and practical skills needed to excel at sales in the building and development industry.
Throughout this course, you will learn effective sales strategies tailored specifically for builders and developers. We will explore key techniques that help you understand your buyers’ wants, build strong relationships and close transactions with confidence.
Join us on this journey to becoming a proficient and successful sales professional in the building and development sector.
Using Contract & Law to Protect Your Assets
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Protect your business against legal problems with well-written contracts. Many construction or remodeling companies are too small to hire full-time legal staff so it's important to understand basic contract law. This course provides a step-by-step explanation of how contracts sustain positive customer and supplier relations, provide for resolution of disputes and minimize the risk of litigation. You will learn about mandatory and optional provisions, warranties and arbitration procedures. Special emphasis is given to troubleshooting contracts for detrimental positions.
Project Management
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Learn project management concepts and strategies designed to help you increase your professional value and the value you bring to your company and customers. This course will teach you the basics of successful project management. A successful project is one that is built on time, on budget and to the customer's satisfaction. The course explains the role of project managers during each phase of a project, including the pre-construction, construction and post-construction phases. Project management tools and effective management of trade contractors will also be discussed. Business owners, project managers, superintendents, sales managers and anyone involved in the pre-construction and construction process will benefit from this introductory course.
Monday, February 24, 2025
Business Accounting: A Road Map to Profitability
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
The financial score card, or measurement of an owner’s or a company’s success, is based on managing your finances effectively. This course provides you with the basics of financial planning, budgeting, construction business accounting, job cost systems and financing options that will enable you to track and analyze cost of goods, overhead and individual job costs as well as communicate about them effectively. Topics include accounting terminology, a chart of accounts, types of records and reports to be maintained and loan products that can provide financing alternatives.
Job Costing: The Road Map Continues
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
This three-hour course focuses on Job Costing in residential construction. Job Costing is the process of tracking and analyzing the costs associated with each element in a specific project. Job Costing plays an important role in residential home building and remodeling because it provides builders with accurate information about the costs associated with each project. By understanding the key components and types of costs involved in Job Costing, builders can accurately track and analyze the costs associated with each project. This information can be used to make informed decisions about pricing, resource allocation and profitability.
How to Craft a Winning Digital Marketing Strategy
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
A strong marketing foundation is the basis of a successful marketing program, much like a well-built foundation ensures a home stands the test of time. Designed for home builders, this course focuses on building a strong marketing foundation – your website, branding and content – and how to use marketing strategy and tactics to engage potential home buyers and turn them into leads. Learn how public relations, social media, video, design, email marketing, photography and graphic design capture and engage today’s consumers. Additional advice on crafting an effective marketing budget is also covered.
Website Best Practices for Maximum Lead Generation
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Elevate your digital presence and drive more new home sales. Designed specifically for the home building industry, this overview course will guide you through the essentials of creating a website optimized for lead capture. Learn how to make key technology selections, build trust, and develop compelling calls to action that engage and convert potential home buyers. The course also touches on effective strategies for driving targeted traffic to your site, including SEO, paid search and social media. Whether you're looking to fine-tune your existing website or embarking on a new digital journey, this course offers valuable insights to help you maximize lead generation and turn prospects into home buyers.
Financial Management
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Improve your understanding of financial reports and learn how to use analytical tools that increase profit potential and add important data to decision making. This course for building professionals explores many tools that will allow you to take your company’s financial temperature and other vital signs and choose corrective measures to assure continued business health. Learn how to start with business plans, budgets and goals, informed by your local business potential, and choose the most profitable paths to move forward. Learn about specific financial tools, including ratio analysis tips, pricing formulas, labor burden calculators and slippage calculators, which will help you make money on all projects. Finally, we will demonstrate the value and use of pro forma analysis to predict profits and cash flows.
Train the Trainer
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
This course is designed for building industry professionals who wish to teach NAHB’s instructor-led classroom courses; industry experts or experienced teachers who have had no formal education in training; and any trainers who want a refresher to improve their classroom training skills. You'll learn the skills needed to effectively teach in the NAHB Education curriculum.
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