The Sky Is Far From Falling in ’08

The kitchen and bath market is also a sector that industry insiders continue to remain fairly bullish about. A recent KBDN survey of dealers and designers revealed that more than half of those polled plan to add displays to their existing showrooms in the next 12 months. More than one-third plan showroom expansions. Nearly two-thirds report they’re planning to add or change out product lines. And manufacturers continue to invest in the market – building new factories, expanding capacity, opening new markets, rolling out new product initiatives and executing similar bold, strategic moves.

Clearly, the current housing situation is nothing to be taken lightly. It has been difficult for many companies, particularly those most closely connected with new residential construction. And it will continue to be painful for as long as it lasts.

But what’s happening represents a healthy and inevitable cooling from the hot, record-breaking, unsustainable pace of recent years…part of a cyclical pattern that’s been a fact of life in the housing market for decades.

By no means should it be overly alarming. By no means should it be taken out of context or blown out of proportion. And, by no means does it spell, as some press reports suggest, an outright collapse for either housing or the kitchen and bath market.