FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (of interest to editors covering: Home/Garden, Construction/Remodeling, Calif. Business) U.S. Home Remodeling Hits Bottom in First Quarter 2009 - Starts Showing Signs of Recovery Current statistics for remodeling activity are dismal, but the future looks bright based on two new reports. SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 2, 2009 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Recent surveys and reports show a picture of the home remodeling industry that is a mixed bag of good news and bad according to home remodeling website www.RemodelorMove.com. The bad news, the most recent RemodelorMove.com Remodeling Permit Activity Report shows a 20 percent decline in the number of remodeling permits issued during the first quarter of 2009, compared to the same quarter in 2008. The survey of 5,000 homeowners considering remodeling is conducted semi-annually. The first bright spot for the home remodeling industry comes from the first quarter 2009 report, which shows an increase of 5 percent in the number of homeowners who stated they will probably remodel in the next 12 months. This is the first increase reported in this benchmark measure of future remodeling plans since 2007, when more than 90 percent of the homeowners who were thinking about remodeling reported they would probably remodel in the next 12 months. Since 2007, this measure of homeowner sentiment has fallen steadily, first when home prices leveled off, then when home prices began to decline, and again following the start of the current recession. The second bright spot for the home remodeling industry is that the cost to remodel is now 20 percent less than it was in 2006, the result of savings from a variety of sources, including the economic stimulus package, reductions in prices for many materials and home products, and lower bids from contractors as they compete to keep their work crews busy. Details on these savings opportunities are available at www.remodelormove.com. Other findings from the First Quarter 2009 Remodeling Sentiment Report include: * 82 percent of respondents said the cost to remodel is their biggest concern; * 12 percent of respondents planned to use economical materials when they remodel, while 12 percent plan to use expensive materials, and the remaining 76 percent will use standard-priced materials; * 89 percent of respondents are changing their remodeling plans because of the current economic recession. About RemodelorMove RemodelorMove.com is the online resource for homeowners making the decision about whether it is best to remodel their current homes or to move. Interviews with report authors and report details are available by visiting http://www.remodelormove.com or contacting reports@RemodelorMove.com. All trademarks and service marks are the property of the respective parties. Send2Press(R) is the originating wire service for this story, Copr. 2009. NEWS SOURCE: RemodelorMove.com # # # // RELEASE END // MEDIA ONLY CONTACT(S): [ contact info below not for publication online or in print ] Barb Fujito RemodelorMove barb @ remodelormove.com +1-888.825.4169 //Notes to editors: * Print-ready images may be requested from the above media contact. ......... Plain Text Copy, and Story Permalink: http://www.Send2Press.com/mediadrome/2009-06-0602-002BP.txt Release PDF: http://www.Send2Press.com/mediadrome/news_2009-06-0602-002BP.pdf Get our full-text news via RSS: http://www.Send2Press.com/RSS2/rss.xml RSS feeds by news topic: http://feeds.send2press.com/idx_RSS.shtml Add our news to your blog or Web site automatically: http://feeds.send2press.com/ ......... Text provided by news source (and/or the source's authorized agency), who is solely responsible for accuracy and legality of content transmitted. ......... This news story from Send2Press Newswire may be redistributed and re-posted in part or in whole by members of the media. Copr. (c) Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope(R). For news aggregation sites, blogs, and bureaus, you must retain Send2Press as the original wire service source. You may capture and self-host images linked to in above release, but do NOT stream from our server. ......... The original version of this release was issued on behalf of the above organization (the "news source"), by Send2Press(R) Newswire, a service of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com/ ......... JUNE 2009 Press Release / PRT = zabcdpub / B-NAT US=CA / pre = 10/7/65 / ytv = / agency = ABCD Publishing LLC / keywords =