Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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“Real” Rent Index Growth Accelerates in March as Core CPI Declines
In March, the real rent index increased 0.4 percent over February’s reading, after growing by approximately 0.1 percent per month for the previous 6 months (Figure 1). The annual growth rate of the real rent index grew to 5 percent in March, after 3 months of staying in the 1 percent range. NAHB constructs a “real” rent index to indicate… Read More ›
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Multifamily Builder and Developer Confidence Unchanged in Fourth Quarter
Confidence in the market for new multifamily housing remained unchanged in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to results from the National Association of Home Builders’ Multifamily Market Survey (MMS). The MMS produces two separate indices: The Multifamily Production Index (MPI) which remained even at 49 (Figure 1), and the Multifamily Vacancy Index (MVI) which also remained unchanged at 40… Read More ›
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Cost of Constructing a Home in 2019
The NAHB recently published its latest Cost of Construction Survey. Results show that 61.1% of the average home sale price consisted of construction costs in 2019, up from 55.6% in 2017, but similar to the 2013 and 2015 breakdowns of 61.7% and 61.8%, respectively. The finished lot cost was the second largest cost at 18.5% of the sales price, down from… Read More ›
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Minority Homeownership Rate Posts a Year-End Gain
The minority homeownership rate increased to 48.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019, up 0.8 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2018, according to a new data release from the Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancies and Homeownership survey (CPS/HVS) (Figure 1). This is the highest it has been since the third quarter of 2011 (48.9 percent). This year-over-year gain… Read More ›
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Builder Confidence in the 55+ Housing Market Drops Slightly in Fourth Quarter
Builder confidence in the single-family 55+ housing market dropped four points to 68 in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) (Figure 1). The index is still well above its breakeven point of 50, indicating that more builders view conditions as good than poor. The fourth-quarter index is also consistent with the gradual… Read More ›
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Remodelers’ Confidence Increases in Fourth Quarter of 2019
The National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI) posted a reading of 58 in the fourth quarter of 2019, up three points from the previous quarter (Figure 1). The RMI has been consistently above 50—indicating that more remodelers report market activity is higher compared to the prior quarter than report it is lower—since the second quarter of… Read More ›
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Rent Index Inches Up in December
In December, inflation-adjusted residential rents increased 0.1 percent over November’s reading, after essentially no growth in October and November (Figure 1). The average monthly growth rate of the real rent index stood at 0.11 percent in 2019, compared to 0.10 percent in 2018. NAHB constructs a “real” rent index to indicate whether inflation in rents is faster or slower than… Read More ›
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Millennial Buyers’ Willingness to Pay for Green Features
Results from NAHB’s report, What Home Buyers Really Want (2019 Edition), show that Millennials want an environment-friendly home, but few are willing to pay more for it for that reason alone. They are, however, willing to pay for certain green features, such as those that provide energy efficiency and cost saving benefits over time. When asked ‘how concerned are you… Read More ›
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Absorption Rate Up Slightly for Apartments in Second Quarter
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Market Absorption (SOMA) show that the absorption rate of unfurnished, unsubsidized apartments (the share rented out in the first three months following completion) rose two percentage points to 58 percent in the second quarter of 2019 (from the second quarter of 2018) (Figure 1). The number of apartments completed in the… Read More ›
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Tracking Lifetime Homeownership Rates
A recent NAHB Special Study uses the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NYLS) to study lifetime homeownership rates and how long individuals sustain in homeownership. The study finds a lifetime homeownership rate of 90.5% among the 1979 NLSY cohort, meaning that most people become homeowners at some point in life (Figure 1). This finding is a reminder of the importance… Read More ›