Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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New Home Sales Fall Back in June
Contracts for new, single-family home sales declined in June, falling 5.3% to a 631,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate according to estimates from the joint release of HUD and the Census Bureau. The decline came off a downwardly revised May estimate, which was dropped from an initial read of 689,000 to a new estimate of 666,000. The June estimate was the lowest annual pace since… Read More ›
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Count of Unfilled Construction Jobs Remains Near Cycle High
The count of unfilled jobs in the construction sector was flat in May, remaining near post-Great Recession high levels. According to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) and NAHB analysis, the number of open construction sector jobs came in at 243,000. The post-recession high count of open, unfilled construction jobs was 255,000 in July of last year…. Read More ›
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Housing Share of GDP: First Quarter 2018
With the release of the final estimate of first quarter 2018 GDP growth (2% growth rate), housing’s share of gross domestic product (GDP) declined slightly to 15.3%. The home building and remodeling component – residential fixed investment – held steady at 3.5%. Housing-related activities contribute to GDP in two basic ways. The first is through residential fixed investment (RFI). RFI is effectively the… Read More ›
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Housing Starts Reach Post-Recession High in May as Permits Soften
Total housing starts increased in May with gains in both the single-family and multifamily sectors. Starts increased 5% month-over-month to a 1.35 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to the joint data release from the Census Bureau and HUD. This pace is a post-recession high. The rate of single-family starts was 3.9% higher in May, reaching a 936,000 annual rate…. Read More ›
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Builder Confidence Slips Two Points as Lumber Prices Soar
Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes fell two points to 68 in June on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The decline was due in large part to sharply elevated lumber prices, although sentiment remains on solid footing. Improved economic growth, continued job creation and solid housing demand should spur additional single-family… Read More ›
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April Construction Job Openings Remain Elevated
The count of unfilled jobs in the construction sector was effectively unchanged in April, remaining near post-Great Recession high levels. According to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) and NAHB analysis, the number of open construction sector jobs came in at 232,000. The post-recession high count of open, unfilled construction jobs was 255,000 in July of last… Read More ›
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Steady AD&C Loan Growth
The volume of residential construction loans increased by 1.8% during the first quarter of 2018, marking 20 consecutive quarters of growth. Furthermore, recent stabilization of year-over-year growth rates is an indicator of continued, modest growth for single-family construction. Tight availability of acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) loans has been a limiting factor for home building growth, but easing credit conditions and a growing loan base have helped expand residential… Read More ›
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Multifamily Unit Size Falls
The elevated rental share of multifamily construction is holding typical apartment size below levels seen during the pre-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. However, size fell at the start of 2018 according to NAHB analysis of Census data. According to first quarter 2018 data, the… Read More ›
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Single-Family Built-for-Rent Construction
The number of single-family homes built-for-rent increased over the last four quarters. During this timer period, construction starts of this type of housing totaled 37,000 homes, compared to 33,000 for the prior four quarters. There were 7,000 single-family built-for-rent starts for the first quarter of 2018. According to data from the Census Bureau’s Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and NAHB… Read More ›
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Single-Family Home Size Increases at the Start of 2018
Counter to the recent prevailing trend, new single-family home size increased at start of 2018. New home size had been falling over the last two years due to an incremental move to additional entry-level home construction. According to first quarter 2018 data from the Census Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and NAHB analysis, median single-family square floor area increased to 2,436 square… Read More ›