Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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Jump for AD&C Loan Balances
Residential construction loan volume reached a post-Great Recession high during the first quarter of 2022, as home building activity entered a new year with higher interest rates. As the single-family building market slows in 2022, the volume of such loans will likely peak in the coming quarters. The volume of 1-4 unit residential construction loans made by FDIC-insured institutions increased… Read More ›
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New Home Sales Deteriorate in April
New single-family home sales posted a significant decline in April as housing demand deteriorated in the face of rising interest rates. After starting at 3.1% in December, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage increased to 5.1% by the end of April, per Freddie Mac. Additionally, builders continue to grapple with supply-chain issues, limiting inventory in a market for which new… Read More ›
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Missing Middle Construction Still Missing
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 disappointed. For 2021, there were only 12,000 starts of such residences. This is flat from from 2020, during a period… 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 posted a year-over-years gain for the first quarter of 2022. There were 46,000 total custom building starts during the first quarter of the year. This marks a 28% increase from the first quarter of 2021. Over the last four quarters, custom housing… Read More ›
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Townhouse Construction Growing
According to NAHB analysis of the most recent Census data of Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, during the first quarter of 2022 single-family attached starts totaled 36,000, which is 16% higher than the first quarter of 2021. Over the last four quarters, townhouse construction starts totaled 152,000 units, 25% higher than the prior four quarter total (122,000). Using a… Read More ›
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Strong Gains for Single-Family Built-for-Rent
The single-family built-for-rent sector continues to expand as housing affordability headwinds increase. According to NAHB’s analysis of data from the Census Bureau’s Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, there were approximately 13,000 single-family built-for-rent (SFBFR) starts during the first quarter of 2022. This is a 62.5% gain over the first quarter 2021 total. Over the last four quarters, 57,000… Read More ›
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Single-Family Starts Decline as Rates, Headwinds Increase
Single-family starts declined in April, as higher interest rates weighed on housing affordability, producing a fifth straight decline for the NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI. Additionally, the cost and availability of materials, lumber, labor and lots remain key supply-side headwinds. Single-family permits decreased 4.6% to a 1.11 million unit rate in April. Nonetheless, the resale market lacks inventory, which is supporting demand… Read More ›
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Builder Confidence Plunges on Rising Interest Rates, Growing Affordability Woes
In a sign that the housing market is now slowing, builder confidence took a steep drop in May as growing affordability challenges in the form of rapidly rising interest rates, double-digit price increases for material costs and ongoing home price appreciation are taking a toll on buyer demand. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes fell eight… Read More ›
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The Fed Commits to Aggressive Tightening of Monetary Policy
Following a 25 basis points increase in March, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee unanimously approved a further 50 basis points increase for the federal funds target rate, the largest increase for the rate in more than two decades. The Fed also provided details for its plan to reduce its balance sheet (quantitative tightening), which will further tighten financial conditions…. Read More ›
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Slight Rise for Construction Job Openings
The construction labor market remains tight, as the industry sees a rising number of job openings year-over-year. The count of open construction jobs increased slightly to 396,000 unfilled positions in March. The highest measure in the history of the data series (going back to late 2000) was 416,000 in April 2019. The housing market remains underbuilt and requires additional labor,… Read More ›