Eye On Housing
New single-family home size decreased during the second quarter of 2019 as interest rates declined. According to second quarter 2019 data from the Census Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and NAHB analysis, median single-family square floor area ticked down to 2,245 square feet. Average (mean) square footage for new single-family homes declined to 2,465 square feet. On… Read More ›
The number of single-family homes built-for-rent has held steady over the last year amidst declines for other forms of home construction. (You can read more here on how single-family built-for-rent homes differ from for-sale construction.) According to NAHB’s analysis of data from the Census Bureau’s Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, there were 11,000 single-family built-for-rent starts for… Read More ›
According to estimates from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and Commerce Department, the pace of single-family construction continued to improve in July. After reaching a post-winter low annualized rate of 814,000 in April, single-family starts expanded to an 876,000 pace in July, a 1.3% gain over the revised June estimate. However, single-family starts remain 3.3% lower a on a… Read More ›
Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes rose one point to 66 in August, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. Sentiment levels have held at a solid 64-to-66 level for the past four months. Even as builders report a firm demand for single-family homes, they continue to struggle… Read More ›
Over the first six months of 2019, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 417,453. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is a 6.1% decline over the June 2018 level of 444,600. Year-to-date ending in June, single-family permits reported declines in all four regions. The Midwest, Northeast, South, and the West declined by 9.8%, 3.0%, 3.7%,… Read More ›
At least four out of five millennial buyers prefer laundry rooms, hardwood front exteriors, patios and garage storage. Conversely, they give a thumbs down to elevators, wine cellars and laminate countertops. These were among the findings from a new study by the NAHB Economics team that focused on millennial home buying preferences. The 2018 survey asked recent and prospective buyers… Read More ›
Recent jolts to the economy stemming in part from an intensified trade war with China have worried markets and resulted in a significant decline in interest rates as investors have shifted from equity to bonds. Lower interest rates present an opportunity for the housing market, which has failed so far to respond energetically to this positive development due to prior… Read More ›
Data from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) indicate that construction job openings declined in June, after a decline in May off a cycle high count for April. The estimated number of job openings in the construction sector fell back to 347,000 in June after reaching a post-Great Recession high of 434,000 in April. The decline occurred with… Read More ›
Labor and subcontractor shortages remained widespread in July of 2019 and are continuing to impact the industry in a number of ways—including putting additional upward pressure on new home prices— according to results from special questions on the survey for the NAHB/Well Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). In July, the HMI survey asked builders specifically about shortages in 16 different occupations. … Read More ›
Perhaps as the most telegraphed interest rate cut of recent decades, the Federal Reserve reduced the key, short-term federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a top rate of 2.25%. This policy change is good for housing and home building, which continue to face housing affordability headwinds in spite of favorable demographics. There were two dissents to the announcement,… Read More ›