Eye On Housing
Existing home sales decreased 1.8 % in June, but remain 0.7% above the pace a year ago. Some 54% of homes sold last month were on the market less than a month as buyers overcame low inventory and higher prices. June inventory declined 0.5%, and remains 7.1% lower than a year ago, having fallen year-over-year for the 25th consecutive month…. Read More ›
The monthly NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) survey includes a set of “special” questions on a topic of current interest to the housing industry. In June 2017, the special questions asked builders about the supply and price of developed lots. Sixty-four percent of builders reported that the overall supply of developed lots in their areas was low to very… Read More ›
Total housing starts bounced back in June after a weak May. Total starts increased 8.3% to a 1.215 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to the joint data release from the Census Bureau and HUD. Monthly increases were recorded for both single-family and multifamily development. Single-family starts moved forward, increasing to an 849,000 annual rate in June. The February annualized… Read More ›
Consumer prices faced by urban consumers nationwide, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index – Urban Consumer (CPI), rose by 1.6 percent over the past year on a not seasonally adjusted dating back to June 2016. However, over the past month, consumer prices were unchanged (seasonally adjusted basis). The Shelter Price Index was a key contributor… Read More ›
Residential construction loans held by banks have grown over the past 4 years. However, in recent quarters, growth in the stock of residential construction loans has slowed. The recent slowdown in residential construction loan volume largely reflects a deceleration in growth across smaller banks, those with assets below $10 billion. These banks hold the majority of the bank-held residential construction… Read More ›
In a prior recent post we discussed NAHB research showing how during the first year after closing on a home sale, home buyers tend to spend considerably more money on furnishings, appliances and remodeling compared to non-moving owners. Buyers of new homes spend most, outspending non-movers by a factor of 2.6. Buyers of existing homes spend twice as much as… Read More ›
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 of an issue. But that may be starting to change. In answer to questions on the May 2017 survey for the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, 21% of single-family builders reported a shortage… Read More ›
Information provided by the Federal Housing Financing Agency’s Mortgage Interest Rate Survey indicates that mortgage rates on purchases of newly constructed homes fell over the month of May to 4.00 percent, from 4.02 percent in April. Since rising by 64 basis points between October 2016 and February 2017, rates have now slipped 18 basis points over 3 consecutive months. A… Read More ›
The Pending Home Sales Index decreased for the third month in a row, and annually for the second year in a row. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), decreased to 108.5 in May, down 0.8% from a downwardly revised 109.4 in April, and down 1.7%… Read More ›
Residential construction loans held on FDIC-insured banks’ balance sheets reached $70.7 billion in the first quarter of 2017 with community banks accounting for approximately 49 percent of these loans. The current share of residential construction loans held by community banks is higher than community banks’ share of other types of loans, with the exception of farm-related loans. However, in recent… Read More ›