Tag Archive for ‘home building’

Multifamily Starts Indicate Sustained Recovery

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The Census Bureau’s preliminary estimate for starts in buildings with five or more units in January came in at 175,000 (at a seasonally adjusted annual rate)—up 14 percent from the revised rate for December.  About half of January’s increase was due to a 7 percent downward revision to the starts rate for December.              … Read More ›

Builder Sentiment Up Again

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The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) increased four points in February to 29, the highest level since April 2007. The increase marks the fifth consecutive month of an increase for a total of 15 points since recording a 14 in September 2011. All three components also recorded levels not seen since early 2007. The current and future sales components… Read More ›

Newly Constructed Home Trends in 2011

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Single-family homes started in 2011* were a bit different than the ones builders started in 2010.  Unpublished Census Bureau data show that, on average, homes started in 2011 were bigger than those started in 2010.  Homes were also more likely to have more features and amenities.  These developments must be analyzed with caution, however, keeping in mind that total single-family… Read More ›

House Prices: the “Priced Out” Effect

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NAHB Economics regularly receives requests to evaluate the effects of pending new regulations on housing affordability in local markets where regulatory actions are expected to raise home prices.  The NAHB Priced Out Model provides straightforward answers on the issue. The model estimates how many households can qualify for a new home mortgage before and after a house price increase. The… Read More ›

Metro Area New Home Prices

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The U.S. Census Bureau regularly tracks new home prices for the United States, Census Regions and Divisions. However, there is no systematic measurement of new home prices by states or metropolitan areas. To fill the void, NAHB Economics periodically estimates median new home prices for metropolitan areas. The most recent estimates show that median new home prices range from less… Read More ›

An Aging Housing Stock

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The American owner-occupied housing stock is growing older. And this fact may signal future increased demand for both remodeling and new home construction over the long-term. Data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development American Housing Survey (AHS) reveal that the median age of an owner-occupied home in the United States was 34 years old as of the 2009 survey…. Read More ›

New NAHB Research: Apartment Rent Estimating Model

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In October, NAHB released an updated version of the statistical model it maintains for estimating the average price of a single-family home. Economist Paul Emrath has now published a companion model designed to estimate average gross rent for an apartment in a building with five or more housing units. Like the house price model, the NAHB rent estimator is calibrated with… Read More ›

Construction Hiring Slows While Overall Hiring Increases, per November JOLTS Data

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Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data for November from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates improving hiring conditions for the overall economy. While total job openings for all non-farm sectors were essentially unchanged at 3.2 million, total hires increased to 4.1 million, which is tied with September of 2011 for the most number of hires since the Fall of 2008. The… Read More ›