Eye On Housing
Top Challenges for Builders: Materials in 2018, Labor in 2019
Building material prices topped the list of problems builders faced in 2018, but cost and availability of labor is expected to return to the number one spot in 2019, according to special questions on the January survey for the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. The survey results showed that material prices were a significant issue for 87% of builders last… Read More ›
Recent Posts
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Builder Confidence Holds Steady in March
Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes held steady at 62 in March, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Builders report the market is stabilizing following the slowdown at the end of 2018, and they anticipate a solid spring home buying season. In a healthy sign for the housing market,… Read More ›
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Construction Job Openings Hold Steady In January
After significant data revisions for 2018, new data from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) indicate that construction job openings remained near a cycle high as of January, an indication that the skilled labor shortage continues into 2019. The open position rate (job openings as a percentage of total employment plus current job openings) held steady at 3.9%. The… Read More ›
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North Carolina Leads Job Gains in January
On an annual basis, total nonfarm employment in January increased by 2.8 million jobs, which is a 1.9% increase compared to January 2018. During this time, total nonfarm employment in the Western region increased by 1.9% and in the Southern region by 1.8%. The Midwest and the Northeast recorded the lowest gains at 1.0% during this time. According to the… Read More ›
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New Home Sales Distribution Highlights Affordability Opportunity
Upward revisions to December and November data resulted in a 6.9% decline for new single-family homes sales in January, according to data from the joint release of HUD and the Census Bureau. The seasonally adjusted annualized January pace of 607,000 was 4.1% lower than January of 2018; however, combined with lower mortgage interest rates, the first monthly rate for 2019 establishes a solid… Read More ›
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A Walk-in Pantry is the Most Wanted Kitchen Feature
A walk-in pantry is the most wanted kitchen feature, with 83 percent of home buyers reporting it is an essential/must have (32 percent) or desirable item (51 percent). This data comes from NAHB’s recently released report, What Home Buyers Really Want (2019 Edition), which is based on a survey that asks recent and prospective home buyers (people who bought homes… Read More ›
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Built-for-Rent Construction Dominates Apartment Development
An elevated rental share of multifamily construction is holding typical apartment size below levels seen during the pre-Great Recession period. As multifamily developers build more for-sale housing units in the years ahead, the average size of multifamily homes is likely to rise. According to fourth quarter 2018 data, the average per unit square footage of multifamily housing construction starts was 1,136, off from the… Read More ›
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Homeownership Rates by Race and Ethnicity
The Census Bureau recently published data on homeownership rates from its Housing Vacancies and Homeownership Survey (CPS/HVS). A previous NAHB blog shows that the overall homeownership rate increased to 64.8% in the fourth quarter of 2018, up 0.6 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2017 (64.2%) (Figure 1). Figure 1 also shows that the overall homeownership rate bottomed out… Read More ›
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Single-Family Built-for-Rent Construction Posts Gain in 2018
The number of single-family homes built-for-rent increased over the course of 2018, as construction starts of this type of housing totaled 43,000 homes, compared to 37,000 for 2017. There were 10,000 single-family built-for-rent starts for the final quarter of 2018. According to data from the Census Bureau’s Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and NAHB analysis, the market share of single-family… Read More ›
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Consumer Prices Rose in February
Consumer prices rose modestly in February, reflecting increases in energy prices and the food index. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index for February. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.2% in February after being unchanged for three consecutive months, as shown in Figure 1. Excluding the volatile food and… Read More ›