Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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New Home Sales Increase in December
New single-family home sales increased in December as housing demand was lifted by buyers accelerating some contract signings due to anticipated higher mortgage interest rates in 2022. However, for the year as a whole, sales ended 7.3% lower than a supercharged 2020, as builders slowed some sales to manage ongoing building material and labor issues affecting the housing industry. The… Read More ›
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Housing Starts End 2021 with Annual Gains
Home building ended 2021 with strong annual gains as demand accelerated in the wake of the pandemic. These annual gains were realized despite supply-chain limitations for materials and ongoing access issues for labor and lots. Single-family starts ended 2021 with a 13.4% increase for a total of 1.123 million starts. Multifamily 5+ unit construction ended the year with a 22.1%… Read More ›
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Builder Confidence Edges Lower on Inflation Concerns
Growing inflation concerns and ongoing supply chain disruptions snapped a four-month rise in builder sentiment even as consumer demand remains robust. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes moved one point lower to 83 in January, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The HMI has hovered at the 83… Read More ›
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Strong Year-over-Year Gains for Construction Job Openings
The construction labor market remains tight, as the levels of quits rise. The count of open construction jobs declined to 345,000 unfilled positions in November, after recording the highest measure in the history of the data series (going back to late 2000), 445,000 in October. The housing market remains underbuilt and requires additional labor, lots and lumber and building materials… Read More ›
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Top Posts of 2021: Higher Construction Material Costs
With the end of 2021 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In December, David Logan reported on data examining inflationary impacts on construction material costs. The prices of goods used in residential construction ex-energy climbed 1.8% in November (not seasonally adjusted), according to the latest Producer Price Index… Read More ›
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Top Posts of 2021: Material Shortages
With the end of 2021 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In May, Paul Emrath reported on data concerning supply shortages for builders. Shortages of materials are now more widespread than at any at any time since NAHB began tracking the issue on a regular basis in the… Read More ›
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Top Posts of 2021: Age of the Housing Stock
With the end of 2021 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In March, Na Zhao analyzed the age of the housing stock. According to the latest data from the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS), the median age of owner-occupied homes was 39 years. The age of the… Read More ›
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Top Posts of 2021: Construction Times in 2020
With the end of 2021 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In June, Na Zhao analyzed data on construction times in 2020. Survey data indicated that in 2021 the construction cycles expanded, although that data will be available in 2022. The 2020 Survey of Construction (SOC) from the Census Bureau… Read More ›
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Top Posts of 2021: Most Popular Kitchen Design Features
With the end of 2021 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In June, Paul Emrath analyzed data on kitchen design features. In the recent NAHB study, What Home Buyers Really Want, 2021 Edition, side-by-side double sinks and walk-in pantries ranked as the most popular of 30 listed kitchen… Read More ›
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Housing Starts Show Strength in November
Single-family housing showed strength in November despite supply-chain limitations for materials and ongoing access issues for labor and lots. Overall housing starts increased 11.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.68 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. The November reading of 1.68 million starts is… Read More ›