Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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Building Materials Prices Continue to Set Record Highs
Prices paid for goods used in residential construction ex-energy rose 1.7% in April (not seasonally adjusted) and have increased 12.4% over the past 12 months, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Building materials (i.e., inputs to residential construction less food and energy) prices have declined just twice since December 2019. The index… Read More ›
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Conventional and FHA Mortgages Finance 90% of New Home Sales in Q1 2021
NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing published by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that conventional loans financed the largest share of new home sales since 2018. The share of sales backed by conventional loans in the Q1 2021 increased 2.8 percentage points (quarter-over-quarter) to 71.6% and 2.1 percentage points since Q1 2020. FHA-backed sales made up 19.3%… Read More ›
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The Estate Tax and Real Estate
More than 6,400 taxpayers filed an estate tax return (Form 706) in 2019, according to recently released IRS data—40.1% of which were taxable after various deductions were taken into account. Form 706 disaggregates a decedent’s assets by type, which allows for analysis of the amount of real estate-related and small business assets on taxable returns. The IRS also publishes data… Read More ›
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Building Materials Prices Rise Across the Board in March
Prices paid for goods used in residential construction ex-energy rose 2.4% in March (not seasonally adjusted) and have increased 9.8% over the past 12 months, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Building materials (i.e., inputs to residential construction less food and energy) prices have declined just twice since December 2019. The index… Read More ›
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Record Steel Mill Product Price Increases Add to Lumber Woes, Push Building Materials Higher
Prices paid for goods used in residential construction ex-energy rose 1.4% in February (not seasonally adjusted) and have increased 7.7% over the past 12 months, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Building materials (i.e., inputs to residential construction less food and energy) prices have declined just twice since December 2019. The index… Read More ›
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Global Exports of U.S.-Grade Framing Lumber
The United States consumed roughly 47 billion board feet of softwood lumber in 2019, 30.8% of which came from 48 foreign countries. All softwood lumber imports are not created equally, however. The lumber used to frame a home in the United States must meet stringent standards set by the American Lumber Standard Committee and only 16 foreign countries produce lumber… Read More ›
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Lumber Headlines Broad-Based Increases in Building Materials Prices
Prices paid for goods used in residential construction ex-energy rose 2.1% in January (not seasonally adjusted) and have increased 6.8% over the past 12 months, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Building materials (i.e., inputs to residential construction less food and energy) prices have declined just twice since December 2019…. Read More ›
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State and Local Property Tax Revenues Increased Nearly 20 Percent over the Past Four Years
NAHB analysis of the Census Bureau’s quarterly tax data shows that $633.9 billion in taxes were paid by property owners in the four quarters ending Q3 2020.[1] Four-quarter property tax revenues have declined just once over the last eight years and are more than $100 billion (19.2%) higher than they were four years ago. Year-over-year growth of four-quarter property tax… Read More ›
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Increased Share of All-Cash New Home Sales Marks a Busier-Than-Usual Fourth Quarter
NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing published by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that conventional loans financed the most new home sales in a fourth quarter since 2006 (see red bars in the chart below). However, the share of sales backed by conventional loans in the fourth quarter was down 2.2 percentage points (quarter-over-quarter)… Read More ›
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Led by Lumber, Building Materials Prices Climb 5.4% in 2020
Prices paid for goods used in residential construction ex-energy rose 0.7% in December (not seasonally adjusted) and ended the year 5.4% higher than they stood in December 2019, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Building materials (i.e., inputs to residential construction less food and energy) prices declined just twice over the… Read More ›