More than two-thirds (69%) of home owners want to update their home's appearance, according to a new survey of 2,000 home owners done by One Poll in conjunction with Andersen Windows. But what exactly do they want? A few features topping their wish lists include more open space (31%), more natural light (30%), and improved function (34%).

A recent project by Ridgewood, N.J.-based MIF Design achieves all of this (and more). Let's explore how this full-service design-build company transformed a dated split-level into a transitional colonial.

Photo by Linda Pordon

From split-level to transitional colonial

When the couple behind MIF Design — principal designer Yana Bouchkanets and builder Mike Flider — took on this remodel, they knew it had the potential to become the "beautiful, bright and airy home" their clients were seeking. Sure, it was dated, and its split-level layout added a layer of complication, but the home was in a great neighborhood and had a larger-than-average lot.

Before the remodel, the home was a dated split-level.

So, working together with their team of trusted craftspeople, they took the home down to the studs, keeping the original foundation and the tuck-under garage, while also managing to turn it into a two-story home that's certainly up to today's living standards.

Adding more open space

To add more open space, they united the kitchen, family room, and a breakfast nook into an open concept room that very much exemplifies what Bouchkanets said clients want.

With double islands, a quartz backsplash and custom cabinetry, this beautiful kitchen is also high on functionality. Photo by Linda Pordon

"A really big trend is treating kitchens more like living rooms," she said. While clients want a space that's beautiful enough for entertaining, with features like the double islands, custom range hood and quartz backsplash featured in this "big impact kitchen," they also want comfort and functionality. This means durable materials that will stand up to everyday family use (quartz instead of marble) and comfortable features (like the fireplace and couch in this space).

In short, clients are looking for designs that turn the kitchen into a "more comfortable space where you want to spend time," Bouchkanets said.

Adding natural light

This sunny breakfast nook is part of the kitchen space and a perfect place for the kids to hang out while their parents cook. Photo by Linda Pordon

The combination of a more open layout and strategic window placement resulted in "endless natural light," as Bouchkanets describes it. The neighborhood is dense, so the design focused on adding windows to more public spaces at the front and back of the home and relying on the open concept to help light penetrate further.

Two impactful features include a wall of windows in the breakfast nook and the adjacent French doors. Together, they offer large expanses of backyard-facing glass letting in tons of unobstructed light and making this inviting space "everyone's favorite spot in the house," Bouchkanets said.

The purposeful selection of white frames and grilles not only suits the modern classic design, it also helps further the "bright and airy" look. Beyond the aesthetic benefits, these new windows and doors are also contributing to improved function and energy efficiency in the home.

Improving function

Other ways this home exemplifies the functional features today's home owners are asking for include:

• Easily accessible outdoor living space — The covered patio off the family room acts as an extension of the room and removes a barrier to going outside because "you're partially protected and you don't need shoes," Bouchkanets said.
• An office/flex space — Home offices have been on the rise since in recent years, and the first-floor office in this home not only functions as a work space, it also offers resale value in its versatility. It could be used as a playroom, a library, or serve myriad other functions under new ownership.
• Built-ins — All throughout the home, built-in cabinetry was added, including significant shelving, cabinet and drawer additions that perfectly suit a family home, while also adding a touch of traditional style.

All these features fall under a trend that Bouchkanets thinks is the most significant one coming out of COVID: A desire to make every inch count. After spending so much time at home, her clients are increasingly asking for help optimizing the entire home: "Let's talk about the basement, let's talk about the outdoor space, and how we can utilize it more," Bouchkanets said.

Wondering what else will be new in 2023? Explore more of the trends we think home owners will be asking for next year, or find stories from the field on our new Pro Views blog.

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The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Dec. 1 announced its loan limits for 2023. The nationwide rise in median home prices indicates most buyers across the country will see increases.

The FHA floor will increase from $420,680 to $472,030 for single-family home loans. The floor amount is the lowest the FHA loan limit can be for any area of the country. FHA’s ceiling loan limits, the maximum loan amount the agency will insure, will increase from $970,800 to $1,089,300 for a single-family property. The ceiling rises even higher to $1,633,950 in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The following table lists the 2023 FHA loan limits for low- and high-cost areas:

The new loan limits will apply to all loans assigned FHA case numbers on or after Jan. 1, 2023. The 2023 FHA loan limits by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) or county can be reviewed on FHA’s loan limits webpage. 

FHA also increased the loan limits for its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), or reverse mortgage program, to $1,089,300. The HECM program regulations do not allow loan limits to vary by MSA or county, so this limit applies to all mortgages regardless of location.

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The prospects for continued high levels of multifamily development declined significantly in the third quarter, as did the prospects for continued high occupancy rates, according to results from the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) released today by NAHB. The MMS produces two separate indices. The Multifamily Production Index (MPI) decreased 10 points to 32 compared to the previous quarter while the Multifamily Occupancy Index (MOI) fell 15 points to 45.

The MPI measures builder and developer sentiment about current production conditions in the apartment and condo market on a scale of 0 to 100. The index and all of its components are scaled so that a number below 50 indicates that more respondents report conditions are getting worse than report conditions are improving. Even though both indices are now below the break-even point of 50, both multifamily construction levels and occupancy rates remain quite high compared to historic norms.

The MPI is a weighted average of three key elements of the multifamily housing market: construction of low-rent units-apartments that are supported by low-income tax credits or other government subsidy programs; market-rate rental units-apartments that are built to be rented at the price the market will hold; and for-sale units—condominiums. All three components saw decreases compared to the second quarter: The component measuring low-rent units fell nine points to 36, the component measuring market rate apartments dropped 13 points to 39 and the component measuring for-sale units declined 10 points to 23.

The MOI measures the multifamily housing industry’s perception of occupancies in existing apartments. It is a weighted average of current occupancy indexes for class A, B, and C multifamily units, and can vary from 0 to 100, with a break-even point at 50, where lower numbers indicate decreased occupancy. The MOI fell 15 points to 45, the lowest level since the first quarter of 2010, with the exception of the onset of the pandemic in the spring of 2020.

“Although demand for multifamily housing remains strong in many parts of the country, some multifamily developers are starting to see signs of a slowdown,” said Sean Kelly, executive vice president of LNWA in Wilmington, Del., and chairman of NAHB’s Multifamily Council. “The ongoing problems of scarcity and high cost of land and materials is making it difficult to go forward with certain projects, particularly affordable housing projects.”

“Multifamily developers are becoming cautious, as supply constraints have caused a large backlog of projects started but not yet completed to accumulate in the pipeline,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Diez. “An emerging additional constraint is financing for new multifamily development, which 79% of developers say is somewhat or significantly less available than it was a year ago. NAHB is now projecting a significant decline in multifamily starts in 2023.”

For data tables on the MPI and MOI, visit www.nahb.org/mms.

For more information on the NAHB Multifamily program, please visit NAHB Multifamily.

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Housing affordability fell to its lowest level since the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) began tracking it on a consistent basis in 2012 as rising mortgage rates, ongoing building material supply chain disruptions, high inflation and elevated home prices pushed the housing market into a recession. And with mortgage rates moving even higher in the fall, affordability conditions are expected to further deteriorate through the end of the year.

According to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), just 42.2% of new and existing homes sold between the beginning of July and end of September were affordable to families earning the U.S. median income of $90,000. This marks the second consecutive quarterly record low for housing affordability since the Great Recession, trailing the previous mark of 42.8% set in the second quarter.

“The housing market and affordability conditions have continued to weaken throughout the year as rising mortgage rates, supply chain bottlenecks and a lack of skilled construction workers continue to push housing costs higher,” said NAHB Chairman Jerry Konter, a home builder and developer from Savannah, Ga. “Entry-level buyers are particularly hurt, as more of them are getting priced out of the market.”

“Builder sentiment has declined 10 straight months and worsening affordability conditions remain a top concern as single-family production continues to decline and buyers pull back because of rising interest rates,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “The best way to reduce housing costs is to boost supply. Policymakers must prioritize fixing building material supply chains and easing excessive regulations to help bring down construction costs and enable home builders to increase housing production.”

While the HOI shows that the national median home price fell to $380,000 in the third quarter, it is still the second-highest median price in the history of the series, after the $390,000 recorded in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, average mortgage rates reached a series high of 5.72% in the third quarter, up from 5.33% a quarter earlier. Looking ahead, affordability will continue to weaken, as Freddie Mac reports that at the end of October, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surpassed 7% for the first time since April 2002.

The Most and Least Affordable Markets in the Third Quarter

Lansing-East Lansing, Mich., was the nation’s most affordable major housing market, defined as a metro with a population of at least 500,000. There, 84.4% of all new and existing homes sold in the third quarter were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $89,500.

Top five affordable major housing markets:

1. Lansing-East Lansing, Mich.
2. Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Ind.
3. Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
4. Toledo, Ohio
5. Syracuse, N.Y.

Meanwhile, Cumberland, Md.-W.Va., was rated the nation’s most affordable small market, with 92.1% of homes sold in the third quarter being affordable to families earning the median income of $71,300. 

Top five affordable small housing markets:

1. Cumberland, Md.-W.Va.
2. Wheeling, W.Va.-Ohio
3. Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, Iowa-Ill.
4. Elmira, N.Y.
5. Utica-Rome, N.Y.

For the eighth straight quarter, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., remained the nation’s least affordable major housing market. There, just 3.7% of the homes sold during the third quarter were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $91,100.

Top five least affordable major housing markets—all located in California:

1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
2. Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine 
3. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
4. Oxnard-Thousand-Oaks-Ventura
5. San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City

The top five least affordable small housing markets were also in the Golden State. At the very bottom of the affordability chart was Salinas, Calif., where 5.9% of all new and existing homes sold in the third quarter were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $90,100.

Top five least affordable small housing markets—all located in California:

1. Salinas
2. Napa
3. Santa Cruz-Watsonville
4. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
5. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles

Please visit nahb.org/hoi for tables, historic data and details.

*Note: All articles have been redistributed from NAHBnow.com*

The dramatic run-up of home building costs over the past two years, coupled with rising mortgage rates, has worsened the housing affordability crisis — but maybe not in the way you think or have heard or read about.

Affordability can be envisioned as a triangle, where the horizontal axis is the number of prospective buyers who can afford a new home and the vertical axis is the monthly payment (not overall sales price) of a new home.

Where the mortgage payment for a new home is $0, essentially everyone who wants a new home can afford one. But just as the triangle narrows as you go up the vertical (cost) axis, so does the number of people who can afford a home — and right now we’re looking at a pretty narrow triangle.

At some point, either interest rates will need to come down (not likely, as inflation continues to be stubborn) or home builders will need to work with their supply chain — including installing trades, distributors and manufacturers — to bring material costs down to a level at which the market can support them.

Supplier Engagement: A Tale of Two Tactics

To be certain, home builders will attack the problem from different perspectives.

Some will send off letters to suppliers mandating cost. For installing trades, distributors and manufacturers that fail to comply with such a mandate, builders will bid out the category and swap vendors wherever they can save money.

That approach is effective in the short term, but it’s no way to treat trade and supply partners that held cost increases at bay, prioritized your orders, and worked like crazy to take care of you during the boom market.

Supplier Collaboration: A Six-Step Strategy

If you choose the path of collaboration instead of price-reduction mandates, here's a six-point guide to making that collaborative strategy work for you.

1. Start with data analytics. Specifically, compare the current cost for any house plan you built in the same market two years ago. Look at your costs by trade category, and even at a cost code level, and document how and where specific costs have changed.

2. Set up meetings with members of your supply chain. Start with those who have increased your costs the most, based on your data analysis, and ask for their help in rolling back some of those increases to achieve your goals. Keep in mind that you will likely need to help installing trades by including their distributors and manufacturers in the process — a real team effort.

3. Put everything on the table. Share where you think your costs need to be to generate sales. Be open to working together to eliminate waste. Meet with your installers in the field, walk homes under construction (as well as the ones before and after that phase), and identify opportunities to reduce costs without reducing quality.

4. Review your specification levels. Are they still suitable for your target market segment? Do a competitive market analysis (CMA) by walking your direct competitor’s products in communities near yours. What are they including that you are not? What are you including that they are not?

5. Involve your internal team. Consider creating ad hoc, cross-functional teams to look at all of the changes you’ve made in the past two years to maintain production (or tried to). Some of those processes are worth keeping, while others are not.

6. Avoid laying off purchasing professionals. A good purchasing professional is worth 10 times their cost. That said, if you have a “paper pusher” on the team who is not adding value, then by all means consider replacing that person with a higher-caliber professional.

Be strategic in your approach to cost resetting. A strategic trade should be treated differently from one that isn’t. Do your homework. Pull together the data. Be open to adjusting your specification levels. Engage your team members. Avoid laying off purchasing professionals.

Finally, don't expect great results until you flush your backlog. While your sales are down, your back-end trades are still very busy.

Read the full article, which originally appeared in the September/October 2022 issue of Pro Builder.

*Note: All articles have been redistributed from NAHBnow.com*

As communities continually evolve — especially in this post-pandemic era — consumer research can inform how to deliver the features and value that prospective home buyers seek.

“Facing unprecedented inflation and supply chain shortages, we are all struggling to build affordable products,” said Dawn Duhamel, vice president of business development at Possibilities for Design. “But there are certain designs that can address affordability and incorporate our buyers' needs.”

To learn more about how to boost attainability and livability, join NAHB’s webinar People-First Attainable + Livable Design Solutions on Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. ET. In this webinar, sociology and design experts will discuss the latest techniques in community development, home planning and product selection.

The event will be moderated by Duhamel and feature panelists Seth Hart of DTJ Design and Teri Slavik-Tsuyuki of tst ink. These experts will share their perspectives on the growing influence of consumer research on home building and offer real-world design solutions you can integrate in a variety of projects.

Participants in this webinar will better understand:

• Consumer insights post-pandemic that drive home and community design
• Planning framework for creating wellness in real estate
• Innovative designs that address the most desired livability features
• Design solutions from density to constructability

“Consumers today see health as the new wealth,” Slavik-Tsuyuki said. “Studies show our health outcomes are largely determined by the built environment, so builders and developers have a huge role to play.”

Register now at nahb.org. Attendees will receive one continuing education credit by participating in this webinar. For more questions, contact nahblearning@nahb.org.

*Note: All articles have been redistributed from NAHBnow.com*

The home building industry has faced a number of challenges in the wake of Covid — supply-chain issues and rising material costs in particular, as well as an ongoing skilled labor shortage — that may be causing builders to explore different building options. One area in particular that’s been on the rise amid these economic issues is offsite construction, which has a number of benefits — including reduced labor, shorter build times and less material waste — that may be attractive to both builders and buyers.

"Pre-Covid, I saw a significant increase in offsite construction, and particularly modular construction, at the 2020 International Builders' Show [IBS],” shared Ken Semler, president and CEO of Impresa Modular. "At that time, it was primarily driven by the lack of labor and overall costs.

"At the 2022 IBS, costs were off the charts — the broken supply chain, rapidly increasing costs and the lack of labor has driven builders and developers to seek offsite modular construction, and it has only gotten stronger," he added. "Economics is making everyone look at better and more efficient ways to build."

Semler and other industry pros recently weighed in on the benefits of offsite construction, especially in the current economic climate, and what the future could bring for these types of building methods. Some of the issues that offsite building can help tackle include:

• Rising interest rates: "An initial advantage for offsite construction could be due to the speed at which a home can be 'completed' when interest rates are on the rise," stated Michael H. Weber, IOM, CGP, CSI, national business development manager at The Euclid Chemical Co. "For example, if you wait six to eight months for a stick-built home to be completed in an economy where interest rates are going up, getting an 'offsite' home constructed faster allows closure on the loan at a lower interest rate, which may determine if the mortgage is still affordable."
• Shipping/fuel costs: "It's cheaper to ship a finished assembly once as opposed to shipping miscellaneous parts multiple times on separate vehicle deliveries for an on-site project," noted Jack Armstrong, BSChE, executive director/COO at Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA). "Offsite remains more economical, especially in light of rising fuel and shipping costs."
• Labor: "Offsite manufacturing typically occurs under cover, so weather isn't an issue; the right tools are always at hand, and employees are responsible for the same/similar tasks from one project to the next providing greater efficiencies," Weber said. "Offsite construction, with employees repeating the same or similar tasks daily, offers an opportunity to train unskilled employees faster as compared to onsite-built construction’s problematic and time-consuming on-the-job training."

The controlled environment also decreases weather-related delays and creates a complete component that can be erected quickly on site.

"On a recent residential build in a rural location outside Steamboat Springs, subcontractors were difficult to find due to the locale," recalled Mikel Ochs, president of operations at Whisper Creek Homes. "A panelized building system allowed the builder to dry in faster, leave the structure over the first winter, then return in the summer to finish interiors."

These professionals and others share more in Part I and Part II of Tamarack Grove Engineering's "Offsite vs. Onsite Construction" series.

The 2023 IBS also features a number of education sessions for builders looking into these types of building methods, including:

• Site vs. Modular: How the Construction Processes Differ (Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 9:30 a.m. PST)
• The 4 Ps of the New Multifamily Ecosystem (Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 4 p.m. PST)
• Capitalizing on The Benefits of Offsite Framing: It’s Easier Than You Think (Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m. PST)

The Building Systems Community will offer additional opportunities to learn about offsite construction and network with industry professionals. Register today to attend IBS.

*Note: All articles have been redistributed from NAHBnow.com*

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released its NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI) for the third quarter, posting a reading of 77, declining 10 points compared to the third quarter of 2021.

“Remodelers in many parts of the country remain positive about the market,” said NAHB Remodelers Chair Kurt Clason, a remodeler from Ossipee, N.H. “In some areas, however, a growing number are seeing signs of a slowdown due to the ongoing problems of labor shortages, high material prices and rising interest rates.”

The NAHB/Westlake Royal RMI survey asks remodelers to rate five components of the remodeling market as &ldquogood,” &ldquofair" or &ldquopoor.” Each question is measured on a scale from 0 to 100, where an index number above 50 indicates that a higher share view conditions as good than poor.

The Current Conditions Index is an average of three components: the current market for large remodeling projects, moderately-sized projects and small projects. The Future Indicators Index is an average of two components: the current rate at which leads and inquiries are coming in and the current backlog of remodeling projects. The overall RMI is calculated by averaging the Current Conditions Index and the Future Indicators Index. Any number over 50 indicates that more remodelers view remodeling market conditions as good than poor.

The Current Conditions Index averaged 82, dropping eight points compared the third quarter of 2021. All three components declined as well: the component measuring large remodeling projects ($50,000 or more) fell six points to 80, the component measuring moderately-sized remodeling projects (at least $20,000 but less than $50,000) dropped eight points to 83 and the component measuring small remodeling projects (under $20,000) declined by six points to 85.

The Future Indicators Index fell 13 points to 71 compared to the third quarter of 2021. The component measuring the current rate at which leads and inquiries are coming in dropped 17 points to 66 and the component measuring the backlog of remodeling jobs decreased by eight points to 77.

“Home equity and ongoing strong demand for work at home and an aging housing stock are supporting demand for remodeling,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “Interest rates are having a negative effect, more so on new construction than remodeling, so it’s not surprising that remodeler sentiment has so far managed to stay positive. After a decline in 2022, NAHB expects a small increase in remodeling activity in 2023, in contrast to the rate of new construction which we anticipate will continue to decline.”

The NAHB/Westlake Royal RMI was redesigned in 2020 to ease respondent burden and improve its ability to interpret and track industry trends. As a result, readings cannot be compared quarter to quarter until enough data are collected to seasonally adjust the series. To track quarterly trends, the redesigned RMI survey asks remodelers to compare market conditions to three months earlier, using a “better,” “about the same,” “worse” scale. Twenty-three percent of remodelers said the market had gotten worse in the third quarter of 2022, compared to only 10 percent who said it had gotten better.

For the full RMI tables, please visit http://www.nahb.org/rmi.

*Note: All articles have been redistributed from NAHBnow.com*

The business of the typical NAHB builder grew significantly between 2020 and 2021, according to results from NAHB's latest member census. The 2021 NAHB census shows that the median gross revenue of an NAHB builder in 2021 was an all-time high of $3.3 million, up 26.9% from the previous year.

NAHB reinstated its member census during the industry-wide downturn of 2008, when median annual revenue of builder members was only around $1 million. Median annual revenue began rising in 2013, plateauing at $2.6 million to $2.7 million from 2017 through 2020.

Although their median revenue has increased recently, most NAHB builders remain relatively small businesses by conventional standards. According to the 2021 NAHB census:

• 14% of NAHB's builder members reported a dollar volume of less than $500,000,
• 13% reported between $500,000 and $999,999,
• 38% reported between $1 million and $4.9 million,
• 15% reported between $5 million and $9.9 million,
• 6% reported between $10 million and $14.9 million, and
• 13% reported $15 million or more. 

In comparison, the Small Business Administration's size standards classify most types of construction businesses as small if they have average annual receipts of less than $39.5 million.

Agreeing with the increase in builder revenue, there was a particularly strong surge in the average number of housing starts per builder between 2020 and 2021 from 41 in 2020 to 63.1. The average number of single-family starts grew by 58.2% (from 26.3 to 41.6), while the average number of multifamily starts increased by 46.3% (from 14.7 to 21.5).

This information was originally published in the August 2022 special study available on NAHB's Housing Economics webpage. Paul Emrath, NAHB vice president for survey and housing policy research, provides additional insights in this Eye on Housing post.

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Building officials, inspectors and other governmental members of the International Code Council (ICC) will soon begin voting on proposed changes to the International Residential Code (IRC). Changes to the International Existing Building Code (IEBC), the structural provisions of the International Building Code (IBC), and the administrative provisions of all ICC model codes are also under consideration. NAHB has published a voting guide with home builder positions on the most impactful proposals.

The ICC’s Online Governmental Consensus Vote will begin on Oct. 10 and run for two weeks. This voting period will determine what goes into the 2024 IRC, IEBC and IBC.

NAHB has developed a voting guide members can provide to local building officials who will be voting via ICC’s cdpACCESS platform. The voting guide lays out home builders’ positions on a wide range of proposals and contains a “High Priority” section highlighting some of the most impactful proposals.

High-priority proposals that NAHB opposes include:

• Permit Valuations (ADM 43, Parts I and II): This proposal modifies the section on permit valuations. The proposal includes overly subjective language that allows the permit to be denied if, in the opinion of the code official, the valuation is underestimated.


• Townhouse Yards (RB53): This proposal sets minimum lengths for townhouse yards or open ways. The language is too restrictive and would prohibit common townhouse designs if approved. The language also does not address attached garages in the perimeter measurements, which will add confusion.


• Fire-Retardant Coatings (S205): This proposal prohibits the use of fire-retardant-coated wood, except for factory-laminated products and facings or wood veneers applied on site, even under the alternate methods and materials clause. A related IRC proposal (RB74) would make it difficult for coatings to qualify as equivalent protection for I-joists over a basement, as products would have to comply with a new ASTM standard that includes a stringent durability test and requires special inspection of field-applied coatings.

NAHB strongly encourages members to download the voting guide, print a copy or two, and share it with local building officials who are a voting governmental member. Local building officials, especially those in smaller jurisdictions, often agree with home builders and developers in opposing building code proposals that are overly restrictive or unnecessary. NAHB Codes staff can provide lists of validated voters in your state or local jurisdiction.

NAHB supports building codes that result in safe, decent and affordable housing, in alignment with our organizational mission “to protect the American Dream of housing opportunities for all.” When evaluating proposed changes to model building codes, NAHB puts homeowners first by assessing the need for the proposals, their effectiveness, and whether homeowners will accept them and the higher price tags they often bring.

Visit NAHB’s Code Development page for more information on the current development cycle.

*Note: All articles have been redistributed from NAHBnow.com*