Eye On Housing
In a sign that housing continues to lead the economy forward, builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes increased six points to 78 in August, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The HMI now stands at its highest reading in the 35-year history of the series, matching the record that… Read More ›
Over the first six months of 2020 – and after the onset of the impact of the coronavirus – total single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 433,484. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is an 3.8% increase over the June 2019 level of 417,453. Year-to-date ending in June, single-family permits across the four regions ranging from an increase of… Read More ›
Builders and developers responding to NAHB’s survey on financing for Acquisition, Development and Construction (AD&C) indicated that credit continued to become tighter in the second quarter of 2020. The net tightening index derived from the survey came in at 12.0, after reaching an 8 1/2-year high of 22.7 in the first quarter. The index is constructed so that positive numbers… Read More ›
New single-family home sales jumped in June, as housing demand was supported by low interest rates, a renewed consumer focus on the importance of housing, and rising demand in lower-density markets like suburbs and exurbs. Census and HUD estimated new home sales in June at a 776,000 seasonally adjusted annual pace, a 14% gain over May and the strongest seasonally… Read More ›
Using the 1997-2019 Multiple Listing Service (MLS) transactions data, new Freddie Mac’s study identified 1.4 million properties with Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in the United States. The study showed that first-time listings with ADUs grew most rapidly during the last decade, averaging 8.6% per year. The expansion of listings with ADUs was fastest in high-cost fast-growing areas in the South… Read More ›
Single-family housing permits and starts were higher in June as housing demand and construction remains a bright spot for the overall economy. Demand is being supported by low interest rates and renewed focus on the importance of home amidst the virus crisis. Single-family starts in June were estimated by Census/HUD at an 831,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate, after an revised… Read More ›
In a strong signal that the housing market is ready to lead a post-COVID economic recovery, builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes jumped 14 points to 72 in July, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The HMI now stands at the solid pre-pandemic reading in March before the outbreak… Read More ›
Over the first five months of 2020 – and at the onset of the impact of the coronavirus, total single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 348,898. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is an 2.0% increase over the May 2019 level of 342,116, but a slowdown compared to April YoY rate of 8.5%. Year-to-date ending in April, single-family permits… Read More ›
NAHB analysis of the Census Construction Spending data shows total private residential construction spending stood at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $535.9 billion in May. It was down 4.0% in May, after a 5.1% decline in April, due to the economic consequences of the COVID-19 lockdowns. On a year-over-year basis, however, total private construction spending inched up 0.7%…. Read More ›
New home sales jumped in May, as housing demand was supported by low interest rates, a renewed household focus on housing, and rising demand in lower-density markets. Census and HUD estimated new home sales in May at a 676,000 seasonally adjusted annual pace, a 17% gain over April. However, as we noted last month, the April data was downwardly revised… Read More ›