Eye On Housing
In July 2018, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced its intention to levy tariffs on a series of imports from China. USTR rolled out proposed tariffs in three waves, with the third list (List 3) covering approximately $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. The List 3 goods comprises 5745 items, approximately 450 of which are commonly used in the… Read More ›
Building material prices topped the list of problems builders faced in 2018, but cost and availability of labor is expected to return to the number one spot in 2019, according to special questions on the January survey for the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. The survey results showed that material prices were a significant issue for 87% of builders last… Read More ›
Overall, the price of goods used in residential construction declined 0.5% in January (not seasonally adjusted) according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In contrast to December–when prices paid for building materials (except OSB) changed little–prices fell by an average of 2.9% in January. Prices paid for inputs to residential construction (goods)… Read More ›
Softwood lumber prices fell 3.0% in November the second consecutive decrease for the index to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The producer price index for softwood lumber has fallen 23.6% (not seasonally adjusted) since setting cycle and all-time highs in June (see below). After the decrease, the index level is 9.6% lower… Read More ›
Softwood lumber prices fell 10.3% in October—the largest drop since May 2011—according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The producer price index for softwood lumber has fallen 21.2% since setting the cycle and all-time high in June (see below). Even after the decrease, however, the index currently sits just 4.7% lower than… Read More ›
The most common exterior wall materials on homes started in 2017 were vinyl and stucco siding. Vinyl siding was used on 27 percent of the new homes started in 2017, followed closely by stucco (25 percent), brick or brick veneer (21 percent), and fiber cement siding (such as Hardiplank or Hardiboard) (20 percent). Far smaller shares of single-family homes started last… Read More ›
Building materials prices continued to climb in March, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Oriented strand board (OSB) led price increases, up 9.3% since February (not seasonally adjusted), while the indexes for ready-mix concrete (+3.3%), softwood lumber (+2.2%), structural steel (+2.0%), and gypsum products (+1.1%) also moved higher. The 9.3% increase in OSB… Read More ›
Prices paid for building materials increased across the board in February. The indexes for softwood lumber (+5.6%), gypsum products (+4.2%), OSB (+3.1%), ready-mix concrete (+0.4%), and inputs to residential construction less labor (+1.0%) all increased, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The percentage increase in softwood lumber prices (not seasonally adjusted)… Read More ›
The monthly NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index includes a set of “special” questions on a topic of current interest to the housing industry. In December 2017, the special questions asked builders about the problems they faced in 2017 and expect to face in 2018. Topping the list of problems builders faced in 2017 and expect to face in 2018 is… Read More ›
According to data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), vinyl (including vinyl-covered aluminum) was the most common primary exterior wall material on new single-family homes started in 2016 nationwide (27.2 percent), followed by stucco (24.4 percent), brick or brick veneer (21.8 percent), and fiber cement siding (such as Hardiplank or Hardiboard) (20 percent). Wood or wood products accounted… Read More ›