Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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3Q GDP: Residential Investment Up at a 59% Growth Rate
Housing has staged a dramatic turnaround since the spring. Due to low mortgage interest rates, a renewed focus on the importance of home, an evolving geography of housing demand, and a lack of for-sale inventory, the housing sector has been a relative bright spot for the economy. For the third quarter, overall GDP growth rebounded at a 33.1% seasonally adjusted… Read More ›
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New Home Sales Growth Rate Slows in September
After a surge in the pace of new home sales in July and August, the growth rate of newly built single-family home slowed in September. While still strong, the growth rate of new home sales exceeded construction starts by a historic margin at the end of the summer, necessitating an increase in starts and some slowing of sales. According to… Read More ›
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Home Building Continues Historic Climb
Single-family starts experienced continued gains in September, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau. Contrasting the different subsectors of housing, while single-family permits are showing continued strength, multifamily permits continue to weaken as a consequence of the 2020 virus crisis. The pace of single-family starts in September was the highest production… Read More ›
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Builder Confidence Continues Record Climb
In a further show of strength for the housing sector, builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes increased two points to 85 in October, further surpassing the previous all-time high of 83 recorded in September, according to the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). These are the first two months the index has ever been above 80…. Read More ›
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Home Building: Sales Outpacing Starts by a Historic Margin
After a sharp decline in the spring, home building has staged a dramatic rebound. In fact, supported by low mortgage rates, an evolving geography of housing preferences, and favorable demographic tailwinds, housing demand has improved so quickly that the current difference between the pace of newly-built single-family home sales and for-sale single-family construction starts has reached a historic level. The… Read More ›
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Construction Labor Market Adjustment Continues
The shock and fallout to the construction labor market from the recession of 2020 continued in early Fall as housing activity strengthened due to low interest rates. After an accelerated pace of layoffs in March and April, construction hiring roared back in May and June, per data from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). More recent July… Read More ›
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How Many Homes are Concrete-Framed?
We know lumber prices are up more than 170% since mid-April as of mid-September. As housing has rebounded, the lack of lumber has materialized as a key weak spot for housing supply. With that in mind, what’s the market share of alternative framing methods? For better or worse, wood framing remains the dominant construction method for single-family homes in the… Read More ›
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Single-Family Starts Expand in August
Single-family starts showed continued growth in August but overall housing production fell 5.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.42 million units due to a double-digit percentage decline in multifamily production, according to data from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and Commerce Departments. The pace of single-family starts in August was the highest production rate since February…. Read More ›
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Builder Confidence Soars to an All-Time High, Lumber Risks Remain
In a strong signal that housing is leading the economic recovery, builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes increased five points to hit an all-time high of 83 in September, according to the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The previous highest reading of 78 in the 35-year history of the series was set last month and… Read More ›
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Construction Job Openings Rise in July as Recovery Advances
After an accelerated pace of layoffs in March and April, construction hiring roared back in May, increasing the count of open jobs in July per data from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The rebound for construction is concentrated in the residential building sector. The pace of construction rehiring increased the open jobs rate to 4.4% in… Read More ›