HomebuilderStocks com - Strong Market Fundamentals Continue to Fuel Growth in Multifamily Housing Stocks

Released on = November 29, 2006, 9:53 am

Press Release Author = Econ Corporate Services, Inc

Industry = Real Estate

Press Release Summary = Rising Population Rates will Drive US Building Industry
through an Increased Need for Multifamily Developments and Clustered Home
Construction

Press Release Body = HomebuilderStocks.com - Strong Market Fundamentals Continue to
Fuel Growth in Multifamily Housing Stocks

Rising Population Rates will Drive US Building Industry through an Increased Need
for Multifamily Developments and Clustered Home Construction

POINT ROBERTS, WA, Delta B.C. - November 29, 2006 - www.HomebuilderStocks.com, a
global investor and industry news portal for the homebuilder sector, reviews the
strong performance of multifamily housing stocks fuelled in large part by strong
market fundamentals. Multifamily residential market participants such as
fire-resistant building materials manufacturer International Barrier Technology,
Inc. (OTCBB: IBTGF; TSXV:IBH), are positioned to benefit from what many predict to
be long-term growth.

Despite some downturn, home builders are seeing renewed investor interest such as
the recent report from Bill Gates that his charitable foundation has made
investments in seven of the nation's largest home-building companies. Among the list
was WCI Communities Inc., a premier builder of luxury communities and condominiums
that has seen its stock price rise $2.45 since the beginning of November, to its
current price of $18.20.

Evidence of the success of multifamily housing stocks has been demonstrated by the
surging performance of the National Association of Home Builders Multifamily Stock
Index (MFSI) that has risen approximately 264% since 1998, beating the S&P 500 by
over 237%.

The MSFI tracks the stocks of 24 publicly-traded firms, consisting of 20 Real Estate
Investment Trusts (REITs) whose principal business involves activities within
multifamily housing. Some notable performers over the past 12 months have been REITs
such as Associated Estates Realty Corp up $5.51 or 61%, United Dominion Realty Trust
with a stock price appreciation of $9.85 and BNP Residential Properties, Inc.
realizing a $9.44 gain, up over 64% to its recent close of $24.05.

The cause for the continued strength of the multifamily building market has been
attributed to a variety of key factors. Initially the market received a boost from a
period of low interest rates, which propelled success across the entire housing
market for several years. Following on the heels of a low interest rate environment
was an increased flow of private equity into the sector that continued to push
prices even higher.

Elliot Eisenberg, PhD., a housing policy economist with the National Association of
Home Builders explains, "It has been a remarkably good industry to have been an
investor in over the last 7-8 years. There have been a series of factors, one after
the other, that have collectively propelled this market consistently forward and to
new highs. The low interest rate environment propelled house prices upwards - single
family, and with this came multifamily. As this story was unwinding a new driver
materialized, which is the rise in private capital. There was an increased interest
in leveraged buyouts. This is now helping to raise prices in that space. There are
more available pools of private equity because the stock market returns have not
been very good; REITs and multifamily residences are the immediate beneficiaries of
this."

In addition, multifamily has enjoyed strong market fundamentals over the past 12-18
months, which continue to fuel the sector. "Vacancy rates for rental properties are
going down, absorption rates are going up, asking rents are going up. All of the
positives expected to happen when prices are rising continue to occur in this
market," states Eisenberg.

Dr. Michael Huddy, Chief Executive Officer of International Barrier Technology, Inc.
(OTCBB: IBTGF; TSXV:IBH), sees demographics as a key factor behind multifamily
residential market growth. "There is a big segment of people such as many first time
homebuyers and baby boomers as they begin to retire that are looking to move into
homes that do not require a lot of maintenance. Feeding this are the bigger track
home builders that are beginning to design much nicer and more upscale multifamily
homes and developments to cater to these demographic segments."

"Overall the sector is being driven by the fact that there is going to be a lot more
people living in the United States in the next thirty years requiring 70 million new
homes, so a big percentage of that is going to be the first time homebuyer who may
be interested in the multifamily marketplace and also couples moving into homes as a
second home or retirement," adds Huddy.

As a developer and manufacturer of environmentally friendly fire-resistant building
materials, Barrier has been able to take advantage of the continued strength of the
multifamily market with recent sales figures showing monthly sales revenue for
October increasing 56% from the same period last year, with volumes into the
multifamily residential roof deck market representing 62% of total sales.

Dr. Huddy explains, "Multifamily residential construction has more stringent fire
code requirements than single family residences so our primary residential market is
multifamily. As a result, any factor that helps to improve the multifamily segment
directly helps us. Even if housing starts are down in total, as long as multifamily
starts are strong it bodes well for us because we have a number of code approved
applications and code required applications for multifamily buildings."

Looking forward, unless interest rates rise dramatically, continued strength is
expected within the multifamily housing market. "Trends look positive and market
fundamentals look as though they will remain healthy for quite some time," describes
Eisenberg.

International Barrier Technology, Inc. (IBTGF: OTCBB; TSXV: IBH), developer and
manufacturer of proprietary fire-resistant building materials branded as
BlazeguardŽ, is a featured company on www.HomebuilderStocks.com, an investor and
industry news portal for the homebuilding sector within the InvestorIdeas.comT
content umbrella. InvestorIdeas.comT does not make recommendations but offers
investors research, news, blogs, RSS Feeds, online conferences, interviews and links
to public companies within the homebuilding sector.

International Barrier Technology, Inc. compensates InvestorIdeas.comT; see
disclaimer below.

To read more on International Barrier Technology, Inc. (IBTGF: OTCBB; TSXV: IBH)
visit: http://www.homebuilderstocks.com/Companies/IntlBarrier/Default.asp or the
Company's web site at www.intlbarrier.com

For our list of companies participating in the home building industry click here:
http://www.homebuilderstocks.com/Companies/HomebuilderStocks/HomebuilderStockList.asp



InvestorIdeas.comT Disclaimer:
www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp our sites do not make recommendations,
but offer information portals to research news, articles, stock lists and recent
research. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to
buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer
no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All information relating
to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is
not the opinion of our web sites. This site is currently compensated by its
\"featured companies.\" International Barrier Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: IBTGF)
currently pays three thousand per month and 100,000 options.

For more information contact:
Dawn Van Zant 800.665.0411
Email: dvanzant@investorideas.com

Ann-Marie Fleming 866.725.2554
Email: afleming@investorideas.com

Web Site: www.InvestorIdeas.comT

Source: HomebuilderStocks.com, International Barrier Technology, Inc.




Web Site = http://www.homebuilderstocks.com

Contact Details = Dawn Van Zant 800.665.0411
Email: dvanzant@investorideas.com

Ann-Marie Fleming 866.725.2554
Email: afleming@investorideas.com

Web Site: www.InvestorIdeas.comT

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