Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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Custom Home Building: 3Q20 Data
NAHB’s analysis of Census Data from the Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design survey indicates custom home building lagged the overall single-family construction market in the third quarter of 2020. There were 52,000 total custom building starts during the third quarter, a 7% decline compared to the third quarter of 2019. Over the last four quarters, custom housing starts totaled… Read More ›
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Townhouse Construction Decline Continues
According to NAHB analysis of the most recent Census data of Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, townhouse construction declined during the third quarter. As housing demand has shifted to more suburban and exurban areas and housing affordability headwinds persist, medium-density construction has lagged. During the third quarter of 2020, single-family attached starts totaled 31,000, which was 3% lower than the… Read More ›
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New Single-Family Home Size Leveling Off Before Rising
An expected impact of the virus crisis is a need for more space, as people use their homes for more purposes. And while this measure has not increased significantly yet, new home size appears to be leveling off after years of decline. According to third quarter 2020 data from the Census Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and… Read More ›
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Single-Family Built-for-Rent Construction Expands
The number of single-family homes built-for-rent (SFBFR) posted a year-over-year increase for the third quarter of 2020. The SFBFR market is a way to add single-family inventory amid concerns over housing affordability and downpayment requirements in the for-sale market, particularly during a period of when people want more space and single-family structures. Single-family built-for-rent construction does differ with respect to… Read More ›
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Single-Family Starts: Best Pace Since Spring of 2007
Single-family starts experienced continued gains in October, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau. Single-family construction is up 8.6% year-to-date, with notable gains in 2020 for the Midwest and other lower-density markets. The pace of single-family starts in October was the highest production rate since the spring of 2007. Single-family building… Read More ›
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Sales Growth Lifts Builder Confidence to New Record High
In another sign that housing continues to lead the economy forward, builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes increased five points to 90 in November, shattering the previous all-time high of 85 recorded in October. Builder confidence levels have hit successive all-time highs over the past three months. Historically low mortgage rates, favorable demographics and an ongoing suburban… Read More ›
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Reduced Turnover in Construction Labor Market
The construction labor market experienced a reduced level of turnover in the September BLS JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover) data. The construction sector hiring rate slowed somewhat in September, coming in at 5.3%, after 5.5% gains in August and July. The peak rate of hiring in 2020 occurred in May (9.7%). Construction sector layoffs have been low since May… Read More ›
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3Q GDP: Residential Investment Up at a 59% Growth Rate
Housing has staged a dramatic turnaround since the spring. Due to low mortgage interest rates, a renewed focus on the importance of home, an evolving geography of housing demand, and a lack of for-sale inventory, the housing sector has been a relative bright spot for the economy. For the third quarter, overall GDP growth rebounded at a 33.1% seasonally adjusted… Read More ›
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New Home Sales Growth Rate Slows in September
After a surge in the pace of new home sales in July and August, the growth rate of newly built single-family home slowed in September. While still strong, the growth rate of new home sales exceeded construction starts by a historic margin at the end of the summer, necessitating an increase in starts and some slowing of sales. According to… Read More ›
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Home Building Continues Historic Climb
Single-family starts experienced continued gains in September, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau. Contrasting the different subsectors of housing, while single-family permits are showing continued strength, multifamily permits continue to weaken as a consequence of the 2020 virus crisis. The pace of single-family starts in September was the highest production… Read More ›