Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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Builder Confidence Stays at Strong Level in February
Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes remained unchanged at a healthy level of 72 in February on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Demand conditions are positive, but supply-side construction hurdles need to be managed, as scarce labor and building material price increases remain top concerns. In particular, the HMI gauge of… Read More ›
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Construction Job Openings Fall in December
The count of unfilled jobs in the construction sector declined in December. The fall in open jobs followed several months of strong of net job gains for the residential construction sector. Over the course of November and December, for example, home builders and remodelers added 32,000 jobs on a net basis. According to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)… Read More ›
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Single-Family Starts Pull Back in December
Total housing starts declined in December after strong readings for prior months due to weather-related delay effects in the fall. Total starts decreased 8% to a 1.19 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to the joint data release from the Census Bureau and HUD. Nonetheless, over the course of 2017 single-family starts posted a strong year, increasing 8.5% compared to 2016 to… Read More ›
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Builder Confidence Remains Strong as New Year Starts
Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes dropped two points to a level of 72 in January on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) after reaching an 18-year high in December 2017. Builders confidence remained strong given changes to the tax code will promote the small business sector and boost broader economic growth. Nonetheless, home… Read More ›
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Top Posts: Declining New Home Size Trend Continues
With the end of 2017 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In November, Robert Dietz tracked the ongoing decline in median new home size. After increasing and leveling off in recent years, new single-family home size continued along a general trend of decreasing size during the third quarter of 2017. This change marks a reversal of… Read More ›
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Top Posts: Builders Satisfy Demand for Open Floor Plans
With the end of 2017 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In January, Paul Emrath analyzed data concerning popular floor plans. According to a recent NAHB article, open floor plans are popular among home buyers, and the design of new single-family homes tends to be, if anything, even more open. For example, in a 2015 NAHB survey,… Read More ›
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Top Posts: Young Adults & the Construction Trades
With the end of 2017 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In January, Rose Quint presented survey data concerning young adults and the construction industry. NAHB conducted a national poll of young adults ages 18 to 25 to find out how this age group feels about a career in the construction trades. The… Read More ›
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Top Posts: Property Taxes by State – 2015
With the end of 2017 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In January, David Logan reported on average property taxes by state, an issue that received additional attention due to tax reform. The 2015 American Community Survey data shows that New Jersey still leads the nation with the highest average annual real estate tax (RET) bill… Read More ›
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Top Posts: Builders Starting to Report Shortages of Framing Lumber
With the end of 2017 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In July, Paul Emrath examined increasing concerns over lumber pricing and availability. For several years now, the recovery in single-family home building has been hampered by shortages of labor and lots. Availability of building materials, meanwhile, has not been much… Read More ›
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Top Posts: The Average Builder Uses 10 Different Green Products and Practices
With the end of 2017 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In March, Paul Emrath examined green building practices. On average, single-family builders use 10.2 different green products or practices, and 22 percent always or almost always have their homes certified to a green standard, according to a recent NAHB survey…. Read More ›