Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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Building Materials Prices Flat as Gypsum, Lumber Slow Overall Growth
Prices paid for goods used in residential construction did not change in May (not seasonally adjusted) according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As a result, building materials prices have grown much more slowly in 2019 (+3.1%) than they did over the same period in 2018, during which they increased 4.7%. Consistent… Read More ›
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Prices of Building Materials Edge Higher in April
Prices paid for goods used in residential construction increased 0.8% in April (not seasonally adjusted) according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices have risen more quickly thus far in 2019 (+3.2%) than they did during the same period in 2018 (+2.8%) and are at their highest level since last October (see… Read More ›
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How Tariffs and Tariff Announcements are Affecting Building Materials Imports from China
In July 2018, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced its intention to levy tariffs on a series of imports from China. USTR rolled out proposed tariffs in three waves, with the third list (List 3) covering approximately $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. The List 3 goods comprises 5745 items, approximately 450 of which are commonly used in the… Read More ›
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FHA-Backed Mortgages Finance Increasing Share of New Home Sales
NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing published by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that conventional loans accounted for 71.3% of new home sales in the first quarter of 2019, a 3.3-percentage point decrease from Q4 2018 (revised). The decline comes despite lower mortgage rates, continuing a post-2012 pattern in which higher average rates have… Read More ›
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Prices of Construction Inputs Rise Despite Declines in Lumber, Gypsum
Prices paid for goods used in residential construction increased 1.5% in March (not seasonally adjusted) according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices have risen more quickly thus far in 2019 than they did during the same period in 2018 and are at their highest level since last October (see below). The… Read More ›
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Gypsum Prices Down 10% Since 2018 Peak
The downward trend in prices paid for gypsum products continued in February, as prices declined 5.1% (seasonally adjusted) according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices paid for gypsum products have fallen 8.6% and 9.8% since the start of 2019 and August 2018, respectively. The trend is notable as prices have fallen… Read More ›
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Conventional Loan Market Share Hits 10-Year High
NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing published by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that conventional loans accounted for 76.9% of new home sales in the fourth quarter of 2018, a 2.4-percentage point increase from Q3 2018. Although mortgage rates have moderated in 2019, the increase in conventional mortgage market share in late-2018 was contemporaneous… Read More ›
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Property Taxes by State – 2017
Property taxes vary widely across states both in terms of annual taxes paid as well as effective tax rates. In 2017, the difference between average real estate taxes paid by New Jersey and Alabama home owners was nearly $8,000. New Jersey continued its perennial distinction as having the highest average real estate tax bill per home owner ($8,485) as well… Read More ›
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Gypsum, OSB, and Softwood Lumber Prices Decline in January
Overall, the price of goods used in residential construction declined 0.5% in January (not seasonally adjusted) according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In contrast to December–when prices paid for building materials (except OSB) changed little–prices fell by an average of 2.9% in January. Prices paid for inputs to residential construction (goods)… Read More ›
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OSB Leads Building Materials Prices Lower in December
Overall, the price of materials inputs to residential construction declined 1.8% in December (not seasonally adjusted) according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While most building materials prices showed little movement in December, prices paid for OSB fell by double digits for the second consecutive month. OSB prices declined 12.0% (NSA) in… Read More ›