Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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How Home Building Can Lead a Recovery by Generating Jobs
As the U.S. economy struggles under the burden of the coronavirus pandemic, economists are discussing how a recovery might unfold once social distancing and other measures begin to succeed. A recent NAHB article illustrates the role home building can play in a recovery by generating jobs. The article published updated estimates of the national economic impact of home building. The… Read More ›
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Survey: Builders Say Coronavirus Hurting Traffic
In a survey conducted by NAHB online in recent days, 81 percent of respondents said the coronavirus has had an adverse effect on traffic of prospective buyers. The survey, which was publicized in various internal NAHB communications and social media, collected 308 responses between March 18 and March 23. The largest share of responses (51 percent) came from single-family home… Read More ›
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Rates on Construction Loans Continue to Drift Downward
In the fourth-quarter of 2019, builders and developers reported declining interest rates on all types of loans covered in NAHB’s quarterly survey on acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) financing (Exhibit 8). The average interest rate declined from 6.39 to 6.13 percent on loans for land acquisition, from 6.31 to 5.94 percent on loans for land development, from 5.99 to 5.63… Read More ›
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63 Million Households Are Unable to Afford a $250,000 Home
In January, NAHB released its new Priced-Out Estimates for 2020. A previous post discussed the often-cited estimate that a $1,000 increase in the price of a median-priced new home will price 158,857 U.S. households out of the market for the home. A second post discussed the related estimate that a quarter point increase in the mortgage rate will price out… Read More ›
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Interest Rates Can Also Price Households Out of the Market
Last Friday’s Eye on Housing blog post announced the release of NAHB’s “priced out” estimates for 2020, showing that—if the median new home price goes up by $1,000—it prices 158,857 U.S. households out of the market, in the sense that they would qualify for a standard mortgage to purchase the home before the price increase, but not afterward. The same… Read More ›
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Age-Restricted Homes Slightly Smaller, Pricier than Others Started in 2018
Of the roughly 875,000 single-family and 375,0000 multifamily homes started in 2018, 29,000 and 31,000, respectively, were age-restricted according to NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (SOC, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and partially funded by HUD). A housing development can legally restrict the ages of its residents, provided it conforms to one of the set… Read More ›
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Updated Index Shows Regulation Most Restrictive on the Coasts
In December, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) released a working paper announcing the release of an updated version of the Wharton Land Use Regulatory Index. The paper’s lead author, Joseph Gyourko, is a professor at the Wharton School who is well known for his research in this area and worked with the previous version of the index. The… Read More ›
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Builders’ and Remodelers’ Use of Technology in 2019
According to a recent NAHB study, although use of some factory-produced components like trusses has become widespread, the newer and more innovative types of construction technology, such as 3D printing and robots, have so far penetrated the residential market only to a very limited extent. This is true for both single-family builders and residential remodelers. Data on use of technology… Read More ›
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Lot Shortages Ease Slightly, But Remain a Problem
The shortage of lots that has been hindering the housing recovery eased somewhat in 2019, but remains elevated by historical standards, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The survey consisted of a set of special questions included on the instrument for the September 2019 NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The survey asked… Read More ›
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Share of New Homes with Patios Edges Up Again
Of the roughly 876,000 single-family homes started in 2018, 59.4 percent came with patios, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (SOC, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and partially funded by HUD). This is the highest the number has been since NAHB began tracking the series in 2005. The incidence of patios on new homes… Read More ›