Eye On Housing
Buyers’ Perceptions of Housing Inventory Worsened Throughout 2021
In early 2018, only 16% of home buyers expected that finding a home would be easier in the months ahead. The share soared during the early phase of the pandemic, reaching 36% by the end of 2020. But in 2021, buyers’ perceptions of housing inventory worsened throughout the year, and by the fourth quarter, only 24% expected easier availability ahead… Read More ›
Recent Posts
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Housing Share of GDP: 16.4%
Thanks to a surge in residential investment during 2020 and ongoing strength in 2021, housing’s share of GDP remains elevated compared to most of the post-Great Recession period. Due to the pandemic, market conditions evolved with a renewed focus on the importance of home, a shifting geography of housing demand, and a lack of for-sale inventory. Housing continued to expand… Read More ›
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Inventories Boost Fourth Quarter GDP Growth
Real GDP growth accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2021 despite omicron’s spread. This quarter’s growth reflected strong gains in private inventory investment and consumer spending. According to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 6.9% in the fourth quarter of 2021, after a disappointing 2.3%… Read More ›
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Market Share of FHA-Backed New Home Sales Smallest Since 2007
NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing published by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that conventional loans financed 77.8% of new home sales in the fourth quarter of 2021—the largest share since Q1 2008. The share increased 2.9 percentage points over Q3 2021 (revised) and has risen each of the last four quarters, up 9.0 percentage points since Q4… Read More ›
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Fed Rate Hike Coming in March
At the conclusion of its January policy meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee strongly signaled that it will undertake its first, post-covid increase of the federal funds rate in March. The Fed is tightening monetary policy in response to the highest inflation readings in nearly 40 years. These inflationary pressures have increased both consumer costs and businesses input costs, including… Read More ›
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New Home Sales Increase in December
New single-family home sales increased in December as housing demand was lifted by buyers accelerating some contract signings due to anticipated higher mortgage interest rates in 2022. However, for the year as a whole, sales ended 7.3% lower than a supercharged 2020, as builders slowed some sales to manage ongoing building material and labor issues affecting the housing industry. The… Read More ›
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Employment Situation in December: State-Level Analysis
Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 44 states and the District of Columbia in December compared to the previous month while five states lost jobs. Employment was unchanged in Utah. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 199,000 in December, following an upwardly revised increase of 249,000 jobs in November. On a month-over-month basis,… Read More ›
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Impacts of Rising New Home Costs
Only 15% of buyers were looking for a newly-built home at the start of 2018, but that share shot up to 42% by the final quarter of 2020 (after the start of the pandemic). Since then, however, interest for new construction has fallen steadily, as costs for building materials – especially lumber – have experienced double-digit growth. By the final… Read More ›
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Homeownership Postponed
The share of adults planning a home purchase within 12 months has fallen for two consecutive quarters, going from 17% in the second quarter of 2021, to 16% and 15% in the third and fourth quarter of the year, respectively. The downward trend provides evidence that higher home prices and low housing availability (relative to demand) are leading some Americans… Read More ›
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2021 U.S. Population Growth Lowest on Record
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the of the United States increased by 393,000 to an estimated 332 million from the previous year. In 2021, the estimated population growth rate of 0.12 percent was the lowest since the Bureau began collecting this data beginning in 1900. Per Census estimates, slower population growth in 2021 was a result of decreasing fertility,… Read More ›