CrossCheck Blog

The announcement that Random Length Lumber Futures (for March 2021) have reached an all-time high ($1,004) has prompted a variety of solutions by contractors and other customers of building supply dealers. The record-high lumber prices soared past the $1,000 per 1,000 board feet mark on Feb. 18, sending buyers into reaction mode. This figure is over twice the amount ($495.60) from Nov. 2020. Experts say a strong home-building market, low-interest rates, and a boom in home remodeling are responsible for the increase despite other indications that demand for lumber is decreasing.

If your business sells building materials to the construction industry, then you already know that it takes a long time to get paid. It doesn’t matter what you sell — lumber, dry wall, plumbing supplies, roofing materials, flooring — the contractors who buy from you have cash-flow issues that they deal with every day. The 2019 National Construction Payments Report, a survey conducted in collaboration between Levelset and TSheets by Quickbooks, concluded that getting paid in the construction industry is slower than just about every other industry. How slow? The average time to payment is 83 days!

There’s an old saying in business, “Nothing happens until somebody makes a sale!” This is true, of course, and so is this corollary: “Nothing happens with cash flow until the building materials customer pays the bill.” Cash flow is the lifeblood of the building materials industry. Sometimes a business with a full order book and a large accounts receivable position will be forced to close its doors because there wasn’t enough cash on hand to pay the bills that are due now. This is why it’s just good business to have a company credit policy at a building materials center. As somebody said, “If there’s no plan, there’s no hope for survival.” This raises the question: how do you create a credit policy?

Every construction project requires you to spend money on labor and materials. One way to generate higher business profits is by lowering the cost of building materials. It is possible to save money while buying building materials — you just need to know the right tactics to reduce overhead expenses. Let’s look at six ways to do that. Article Summary Buying Building Materials in Bulk or at Wholesale Buy Easy-to-Install Building Materials Choose Prefabricated or Modular Materials Have a Network of Suppliers Negotiate Free Delivery Establish Good Payment Terms