For the past two-and-a-half years, Ed Hilliard has worn lots of hats for Edmond's Beacon 
Fine Homes as construction superintendent, estimator, purchaser and as operations manager.
Included in those duties has always been the responsibility to ensure that Beacon benefits from the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association Rebate Program, which returns part of the purchase price for certain products used in home building.
The OSHBA has negotiated rebates for its members with participating vendors, then created a straight-forward process of claiming the dollars back for home builders, Hilliard said.
"When we have a house completed, we turn in a claim showing that we used this specific fireplace or these specific plumbing products or other specific products," Hilliard said. "We include the address of the home and what the products were, and we get a check as soon as it goes through the verification process."
Hilliard said that Beacon's quarterly rebates have ranged from $200 to $780 during the past year.
"That's another great benefit of our Home Builders Association membership," he said.
Beacon is a busy operation with 10 homes currently under construction, so there are potential rebates from each project.
OSHBA created a claims process that is far easier to negotiate than some rebate programs from individual manufacturers.
"The OSHBA claims process is fairly simple," Hilliard said. "They have a form that is preloaded with all the participating vendors and products. We fill it out once a month, submit it and it's done."
Also, the rebate program brings an element of continuing education, he said. Participating vendors often contact Beacon to discuss their products, keeping the home builders informed and providing feedback for the manufacturers.
"I have used the rebate program with Beacon Homes and another home-building company I worked with previously," he said. "It has been a good product."
For more information on the OSHBA Member Rebate Program, click here: http://www.hbarebates.com/oshba.html
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