Eye On Housing
Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes edged down one point to a level of 70 in March from a downwardly revised February reading on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). This is the fourth consecutive month at or above a level of 70 for the HMI, an indication of strong single-family housing… Read More ›
The volume of residential construction loans increased by 1.6% during the fourth quarter of 2017, marking 19 consecutive quarters of growth. Furthermore, stabilization for the year-over-year growth rate is an indicator of continued, modest growth for single-family construction. Tight availability of acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) loans has been a limiting factor for home building growth, but easing credit conditions and a growing loan base have helped expand residential construction… Read More ›
NAHB analysis of Census Construction Spending data shows that total private residential construction spending stood at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $529.9 billion in January 2018, up by 0.3% after a decline of 0.5% in December 2017. Compared to the same month a year ago, total private residential spending increased 4.2%. The monthly gains are largely attributed to… Read More ›
According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, sales of new single-family homes fell by 7.8 percent over the month of January. The decrease in sales partly reflected an upward revision in the December estimate from 625,000 to 643,000. However, sales fell below the 600,000 level to 593,000. Despite the second consecutive decrease… Read More ›
The number of single-family homes built-for-rent increased during 2017. Over the year, construction starts of this type of housing totalled 36,000 homes, compared to 34,000 for 2016. There were 11,000 starts during the final quarter of 2017. According to data from the Census Bureau’s Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and NAHB analysis, the market share of single-family homes built-for-rent, as… Read More ›
NAHB’s analysis of Census Data from the Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design survey indicates that with a small gain for the year, 2017 set a post-recession peak for custom home building starts (homes built on an owner’s land, with either the owner or a builder acting as the general contractor). There were 40,000 total custom starts for the final… Read More ›
According to NAHB analysis of the most recent Census data of Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, townhouse construction starts continue to post gains. Over the course of 2017, townhouse starts totaled 104,000, 7% higher than 2016. Townhouses, or single-family attached housing, accounted for 29,000 starts during the fourth quarter of 2017, 21% higher than the total during the fourth… Read More ›
Total housing starts increased in January, led by strong gains for multifamily development. Starts jumped 9.7% to a 1.33 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to the joint data release from the Census Bureau and HUD. The pace of single-family starts expanded in January, rising 3.7% to an 877,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate. The three-month moving average for single-family starts remained… Read More ›
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 ›
NAHB analysis of Census Construction Spending data shows that total private residential construction spending rose 0.5% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $526.1 billion, the highest level since March 2007. Total private residential construction spending rose 6.2% last year, after increasing 12.5% in 2016. The monthly gains are largely attributed to the increase in multifamily construction spending…. Read More ›