Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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Builder Sentiment Strong at Year’s End
Despite inflation concerns and ongoing production bottlenecks, builder confidence edged higher for the fourth consecutive month on strong consumer demand and limited existing inventory. Builder sentiment in the market for newly built single-family homes moved one point higher to 84 in December, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). This ties the highest… Read More ›
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Construction Job Openings Surge
The labor market continues to tighten, especially for the construction industry. The count of open construction jobs increased to 410,000 unfilled positions in October, the highest measure in the history of the data series (going back to late 2000). The housing market remains underbuilt and requires additional labor, lots and lumber and building materials to add inventory. Hiring in the… Read More ›
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Construction Loan Growth During Third Quarter
Residential construction loan volume reached a post-Great Recession high during the third quarter, as home building activity continued to expand in 2021. The volume of 1-4 unit residential construction loans made by FDIC-insured institutions increased by 6% during the third quarter. The volume of loans increased by $4.9 billion for the quarter. This loan volume expansion placed the total stock… Read More ›
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New Home Sales Flat in October After September Data Revision
Contracts for new, single-family home sales were flat at a 745,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate in October according to estimates from the joint release of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau. However, the flat reading was due to a significant downward revision for the September pace (revised from an 800,00 rate to… Read More ›
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Multifamily Condo Production Showing Gains?
According to NAHB analysis of quarterly Census data, the market share of rental units of multifamily construction starts declined to 93.4% during the third quarter of 2021. This is the lowest share since the first quarter of 2020. In contrast, the historical low share of 47% was set during the third quarter of 2005, during the condo building boom. An… Read More ›
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Single-Family Home Size Continues to Trend Higher
An expected impact of the virus crisis is a need for more residential space, as people use homes for more purposes including work. Recent data confirms this impact on the market continues to occur. According to third quarter 2021 data from the Census Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and NAHB analysis, median single-family square floor area increased… Read More ›
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Gains for Custom Home Building
NAHB’s analysis of Census Data from the Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design survey indicates custom home building matched the best quarter for construction starts since the spring of 2008 during the third quarter of 2021. There were 56,000 total custom building starts during the third quarter of the year. This marks a 5.7% gain from the third quarter of… Read More ›
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Multifamily Missing Middle Production Lags
The missing middle construction sector includes development of medium-density housing, including townhouses, duplexes and other small multifamily properties. While townhouse construction has trended higher in recent quarters, the multifamily segment of the missing middle (apartments in 2 to 4 unit properties) has shown weakness. For the third quarter of 2021, there were only 2,000 starts of such residences. Over the… Read More ›
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Year-over-Year Gains for Townhouse Construction
According to NAHB analysis of the most recent Census data of Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, townhouse construction in the third quarter of 2021 continued to show year-over-year construction increases. As housing demand has shifted to more suburban and exurban areas and housing affordability headwinds persist, medium-density construction lagged for much of 2020. However, demand for medium density neighborhoods… Read More ›
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Single-Family Built-for-Rent: Best Quarter on Record
The number of single-family built-for-rent (SFBFR) construction starts reached its highest quarterly volume on record during the third quarter of 2021. The SFBFR market is a way to add inventory amid concerns over housing affordability and downpayment requirements in the for-sale market, particularly during a period when a growing number of people want more space and a single-family structure. Single-family… Read More ›