Author Archives
Rose Quint is Assistant Vice President for Survey Research. Ms. Quint holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Economics/International Business from Old Dominion University as well as a Master’s degree in Economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Her responsibilities include planning and conducting industry surveys, specifically in the areas of builder sentiment, remodeling, housing affordability, and AD&C financing issues. Ms. Quint is also responsible for special research projects, such as studies on builders’ profitability, consumer preferences, construction costs, and membership census. She joined NAHB in 1999.
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Housing Affordability Plunges on Soaring Material Costs, Rising Home Prices
Soaring building material costs, high demand and low inventory have added tens of thousands of dollars to the price of a new home and caused housing affordability to fall to its lowest level in nearly a decade during the second quarter of 2021. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), 56.6 percent of… Read More ›
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High Prices Are (Again) Most Common Reason Active Buyers Can’t Buy
An earlier post revealed that 66% of buyers who were actively engaged in the process of finding a home in the second quarter of 2021 have spent upwards of 3 months searching for a home without success. For two quarters recently (Q4 2020 and Q1 2021), ‘getting outbid by other offers’ was the most common reason these long-time searchers could… Read More ›
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Prospective Buyers Continue to Turn into Active Buyers
Of the 17% of American adults considering a future home purchase in the second quarter of 2021, 61% have moved beyond planning and are already actively trying to find one to buy. This share of active buyers has increased for six straight quarters, a trend that began after the final quarter of 2019 when it stood at 43%. In the… Read More ›
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Perceptions of Housing Affordability Worsen
In the final quarter of 2019, a series-high of 82% of prospective buyers could afford less than half the homes available in their markets. The share went on to decline throughout 2020 (i.e. affordability perceptions improved), reaching 63% by the final quarter of that year. But affordability expectations have worsened recently. In the first and second quarters of 2021, the… Read More ›
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Buyers’ Perceptions of Housing Inventory Deteriorate
In the first quarter of 2018, the starting point of the Housing Trends Report (HTR), only 16% of buyers expected easier availability for a home in the months ahead. The share soared to 36% by the final quarter of 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic), but then went on to decline to 33% and 28%, respectively, in the first two quarters… Read More ›
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Have High Prices Reduced New Construction Interest?
The share of prospective home buyers looking to buy a newly-built home peaked at 42% in the fourth quarter of 2020, before falling to 38% and 33%, respectively, in the first two quarters of 2021. The drop is most likely the direct result of strong gains in new home prices in 2021, which have been driven by double-digit growth in… Read More ›
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Desire for Homeownership Continues to Increase
Seventeen percent of American adults are considering the purchase of a home within a year, according to NAHB’s Housing Trends Report (HTR) for the second quarter of 2021. The share (now seasonally-adjusted*) has increased for five consecutive quarters, after hitting a series low of 10% in the first quarter of 2020. The upward trend is clear evidence of Americans’ growing… Read More ›
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47% of Home Buyers Want an Exercise Room
NAHB’s latest survey on consumer preferences – What Home Buyers Really Want – asked recent and prospective buyers about the desirability of an exercise room in the home. Results show that 47% of buyers rate an exercise room essential or desirable. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 likely accelerated the long-term, rising popularity of exercise… Read More ›
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Bidding Wars Are Most Common Reason Active Buyers Can’t Make Purchase
An earlier post revealed that 64% of buyers who were actively engaged in the process of finding a home in the first quarter of 2021 have spent upwards of 3 months searching for a home without success. For the second time in this series history, the most common reason long-time searchers haven’t pulled the trigger is not because they can’t… Read More ›
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Prospective Buyers Are Quickly Becoming Active Buyers
Of the 16% of American adults considering a future home purchase in the first quarter of 2021, 63% have moved beyond planning and are actively trying to find one to buy, up from the comparable 49% share a year earlier. This increase marks the fifth consecutive year-over-year gain in the share of prospective buyers who have become active buyers. Several… Read More ›