About my last paper

For my last topic, I decided to try and incorporate my issue from my photo blog.

Since the last few years, real estate has been on a decline. I don't need written media sources to tell me this. This is almost a daily discussion at my home. My family owns a construction business, so we are directly affected through a chain. Problems arise not only for ourselves, but the employees working for us, regular subcontractors, wholesalers, and builders.

Builders are basically the people who buy the land and market the designs to the consumer. They are the go-to guy if you wanted to buy a new construction home. The builder contacts the necessary resources to build the home, for example, someone who can do cementing, carpentry, roofing, windows, etc. Wholesalers provide construction companies with the necessary materials for jobs. Subcontractors are not exactly employees, but more like a hired hand.

Builders only gain income through selling homes. After coming off a high point in real estate, builders had projects planned for years ahead. However, with the change of events, they cannot sell homes because potential buyers are afraid of dumping that large amount of money into anything. Construction companies do the work for the builders using their various resources, however, only get paid whenever the builder sees it convenient. And, when homes aren't selling, that isn't exactly convenient for them. All the while, more new construction homes are being built and the cycle continues until there is a large debt accrued.

The main question is: why continue doing work for the builder? Simple answer being, if you don't, you aren't making money yourself. Granted, not all builders are stingy with payments, but some large companies are extremely difficult to get money out of. Plus, if you aren't working for any builder, your employees aren't working as well. My family's company has a few crews of workers, however recently they have to go on unemployment because there is so little work to be had. So, do you continue taking jobs from the non-paying builder in order to keep the little guys going? You try to, and you try to get your money as vigilantly as you can.

Hopefully this cycle will end sometime in the next few years, or else a lot of hard-working laborers will be SOL when there are no jobs available.