Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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Homebuyer Preferences: Millennials vs. Other Generations
A recent study by NAHB reveals that millennials have a much stronger desire for certain bathroom features relative to older generations. The report compiled survey data between 2007 and 2018 and found that the share of home buyers who want whirlpool tubs declines as the older generations age but stays relatively constant for millennials. As of 2018, 70% of millennials… Read More ›
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Top 10 Features Millennials Want—and Don’t Want
At least four out of five millennial buyers prefer laundry rooms, hardwood front exteriors, patios and garage storage. Conversely, they give a thumbs down to elevators, wine cellars and laminate countertops. These were among the findings from a new study by the NAHB Economics team that focused on millennial home buying preferences. The 2018 survey asked recent and prospective buyers… Read More ›
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Labor Shortages Still Hurting Affordability
Labor and subcontractor shortages remained widespread in July of 2019 and are continuing to impact the industry in a number of ways—including putting additional upward pressure on new home prices— according to results from special questions on the survey for the NAHB/Well Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). In July, the HMI survey asked builders specifically about shortages in 16 different occupations. … Read More ›
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The Effect of Affordable Housing on the Surrounding Neighborhood
Although produced by NAHB’s Economists, Eye on Housing is intended for a fairly broad readership with an interest in housing, but not necessarily in the academic research published by technical journals. Nevertheless, many EoH readers will want to know about a relatively recent technical paper published in Housing Policy Debate. The paper is called The What, Where, and When of… Read More ›
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Builders’ Use of Drones Remains Widespread, Mostly for Promotional Photos
Well over 40 percent of builders continue to use aerial drones, according to special questions on the March 2019 survey for the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The first of these questions asks the single-family builders in the HMI panel if they have ever used drones in their businesses, including any cases where they may have hired third parties… Read More ›
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Have You Seen These Posts for National Home Remodeling Month?
May is National Home Remodeling Month. As has become a tradition, Eye on Housing recognized the occasion with a series of posts related to the topic. As the month draws to a close, we provide a summary of those posts for readers who may have missed them: For Remodelers, Shortages of Skilled Labor Remain Elevated: May 1, 2019. Remodeling to… Read More ›
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Rates on Construction Loans Back Off Slightly in the First Quarter
After rising throughout most of 2018, with one minor exception, interest rates on loans for residential acquisition, development, and construction (AD&C) backed off slightly in the first quarter of 2019, according to results from NAHB’s latest AD&C survey. The NAHB survey showed average first quarter interest rates of 6.56 percent on land acquisition loans, 6.25 percent on loans for land… Read More ›
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Just Released: NAHB Remodeling by Zip Code Estimates for 2019
NAHB recently released its latest estimates of spending on improvements to owner-occupied housing by zip code. The estimates include the number of owner-occupied homes, the number of home owners spending on improvements, the average spending per improvement, and total spending on improvements in each zip code projected to occur over calendar year 2019. Also provided are 2019 estimates of the… Read More ›
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Many Remodelers Are Now Creating ADUs
Despite some recent improvement, household formations have been lagging since the latest downturn. The accompanying effects have been many—including a lower rate of housing production, a lower rate of replacing older housing units, a consequently aging housing stock, and increased doubling up. Remodeling is also potentially affected, as the tendency to double up may be accommodated in part by modifying… Read More ›
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Curb-less Showers Now Among the Most Common Aging-In-Place Projects
Last week’s post covered general issues related to Aging-In-Place (such as how many professional remodelers do it, and how many of their customers are receptive to it), using data from NAHB’s Remodeling Market Index (RMI) survey for the 4th quarter of 2018. This post covers some of the more detailed questions from the same survey, including specific types of Aging-in-Place projects undertaken… Read More ›