Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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Rapidly Rising Building Materials and Freight Prices Push Construction Costs Higher
The prices of goods used in residential construction climbed 1.8% in May (not seasonally adjusted) and have increased 19.4%, year-over-year, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report. Prices have surged 40.4% since January 2020. Building materials (i.e., goods inputs to residential construction, less energy) prices have increased 5.4%, year-to-date, and are 36.3% higher than they were in May… Read More ›
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Building Materials Prices Move Higher, Up 19% Year-over-Year
According to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the prices of goods used in residential construction ex-energy (not seasonally adjusted) climbed 0.5% in April, following upwardly revised increases of 1.9% and 2.4% in March and February, respectively. This adds up to an 4.9% increase in building materials prices since the start… Read More ›
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Property Taxes Account for Largest Share of State and Local Revenue in 2021
NAHB analysis of the Census Bureau’s quarterly tax data shows that $672.5 billion in taxes were paid by property owners in the four quarters ending Q4 2021 (not seasonally adjusted), a 1.0% quarterly increase.[1] Four-quarter property tax revenues declined 0.6% in Q3 2021, the second such decrease since 2012. Property taxes accounted for 36.2% of state and local tax receipts, a 0.8… Read More ›
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Building Materials Prices Increase Slightly, Held in Check by Metal, Gypsum, and Concrete Products
The prices of goods used in residential construction ex-energy climbed 1.6% in February (not seasonally adjusted), according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Building materials prices increased 20.4%, year-over-year, and have risen 31.3% since January 2020. Over the past five months, the index has climbed 10.6%. The price index of services inputs to residential… Read More ›
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Led by Lumber and Paint, Building Materials Prices Jump in January
The prices of goods used in residential construction ex-energy climbed 3.6% in January (not seasonally adjusted), according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index was led higher by a 25.4% jump in softwood lumber prices and 9.0% price increases for indoor and outdoor paint. Building materials prices increased 20.3%, year-over-year, and have… Read More ›
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Lumber Prices in 2020 and 2021 Set Record Highs Even When Adjusted for Inflation
Most analyses of lumber price trends and levels fail to account for inflation because the price data for softwood lumber used in framing applications is generally quoted using the Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price or lumber futures prices–neither of which is inflation-adjusted. Adjusting for inflation shows that, although the historical price differences are smaller in real terms than nominal,… 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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Building Materials Prices Increase 1.5% in December, Lumber Volatility at 75-Year High
The prices of goods used in residential construction ex-energy climbed 1.5% in December (not seasonally adjusted), according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index was driven higher by large price increases for wood products. Building materials prices increased 15.9% in 2021 and have risen 18.6% since December 2020. Since declining 1.8% between July… Read More ›
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Domestic Sawmill Output Continues to Lag Home Construction
The failure of domestic sawmills to sufficiently boost output in the face of ongoing strong home buyer demand was a primary factor that contributed to record-high lumber prices and price volatility in 2021. Soaring lumber prices, combined with delays and higher costs for other building materials, continued to be a significant limiting factor for home building throughout 2021 despite a… Read More ›
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Property Tax Revenues Decline, Share of Total Increases in Q3 2021
NAHB analysis of the Census Bureau’s quarterly tax data shows that $707.6 billion in taxes were paid by property owners in the four quarters ending Q3 2021 (not seasonally adjusted), a 0.5% quarterly decline.[1] Four-quarter property tax revenues had climbed 14.3% since decreasing 0.2% in Q2 2020. The decline in Q3 2021 was only the second such decrease since 2012. Property taxes… Read More ›