Eye On Housing
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Softwood Lumber, OSB, and Gypsum Lead 2017 Price Increases
Prices paid for OSB (-13.0%), softwood lumber (-1.0%), and inputs to residential construction (-0.1%), all decreased in December, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index for gypsum products advanced (+1.6%). Over the course of 2017, the price paid for every major input to construction NAHB tracks has increased. The following… Read More ›
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Property Tax Revenue Increases for 22nd Consecutive Quarter
NAHB analysis of the Census Bureau’s quarterly tax data shows that $556 billion in taxes were paid by property owners over the four quarters ending in Q3 2017.[1] It has now been five and a half years since four-quarter property tax revenues last declined, although the growth rate has slowed and is behind that of corporate income taxes and individual income taxes… Read More ›
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Record-Setting Pace of Price Increases Continues
Prices paid for inputs to residential construction (+0.7%), softwood lumber (+2.3%), gypsum products (0.4%), and OSB (+15.3%) all increased in November, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since January 2017, the price paid for every major input to construction NAHB tracks has increased. The following is a list of price increases… Read More ›
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OSB Price Declines Consistent with Random Lengths Data
The price of OSB fell 1.0% in October, in contrast to prices paid for softwood lumber (+2.3%), gypsum products (+0.3%) and ready-mix concrete (+0.2%), which all increased. In addition, the price index measuring inputs to residential construction rose 0.1% in October, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The drop in OSB… Read More ›
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Cash Sales Retreat as a Share of New Home Purchases
NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing published by the Census Bureau reveals that cash sales accounted for just 4.8% of the total, down from 6.5% in the second quarter. FHA-loans financed 14.3% of new home sales during the third quarter of 2017. As of the second quarter of 2017, the share of sales financed with FHA-backed… Read More ›
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OSB Prices Up Nearly 20% Since September 2016
The price of OSB increased 4.4% in September and has risen 19% and 38% since September and January 2016, respectively. The surge was in contrast with moderate increases in prices paid for gypsum products (+0.3%) and ready-mix concrete (+0.2%). The price of softwood lumber fell 0.9% in September, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau… Read More ›
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Residential Fixed Investment Slows in Second Quarter
The final estimate of second quarter 2017 GDP growth (revised up two-tenths of a percentage point to 1.4%), shows that housing’s share of gross domestic product (GDP) declined from 15.6% to 15.5%. Likewise, the home building and remodeling component—residential fixed investment (RFI)—fell 0.1 percentage point to 3.5% as a share of GDP. The slower second-quarter growth of RFI subtracted 0.3 percentage point… Read More ›
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Property Taxes by State – 2016
The 2016 American Community Survey data shows that New Jersey still leads the nation with the highest average annual real estate tax (RET) bill of $8,374—$7,707 more than RETs paid by Alabama’s homeowners. The difference between the highest-taxed state (New Jersey) and lowest (Alabama) grew by $481 in 2016. The overall distribution remained roughly unchanged since 2015, as the composition… Read More ›
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Softwood Lumber, OSB Lead August Price Increases
The prices of softwood lumber, OSB, and ready-mix concrete increased by 2.5%, 2.9%, and 0.5%, respectively, in August according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In contrast, the price paid for gypsum fell 0.6%, its first monthly decline since May. Softwood lumber prices rose for the second consecutive month the 3.0% decrease in June. … Read More ›
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Property Tax Revenue Keeps Climbing
NAHB analysis of the Census Bureau’s quarterly tax data shows that $549 billion in taxes were paid by property owners over the four quarters ending in Q1 2017.[1] This represents an $8 billion—or 1.5%—increase over the previous trailing four quarters. After slowing in three consecutive quarters, the growth rate of property tax receipts has now accelerated over the last two and remains robust… Read More ›