In 2022, the total count of second homes was 6.5 million representing 4.6% of the total housing stock, according to NAHB estimates. This reflects a decline from 2020, when the number of second homes stood at 7.15 million. As of 2022, the state with the...
Private residential construction spending fell 0.4% in July, according to the Census Construction Spending data. Nevertheless, spending remained 7.7% higher compared to a year ago. The monthly decline in total private construction spending for July was largely due to reduced spending on single-family construction. Spending...
Despite high mortgage rates, the lack of resale homes and pent-up demand drove solid growth in single-family permits across nearly all regions in the second quarter. In contrast, multifamily construction permit activity experienced declines across all regions for the second quarter of 2024. These trends...
The cost per square foot of a single-family home declines systematically as the home becomes larger, according to NAHB analysis of two recent data sources. In microeconomics, unit costs that decline as a business operation increases in size are called economies of scale. In home...
Median square foot prices (excluding record-high improved lot values) for new single-family detached (SFD) homes started in 2023 remained largely stable, according to NAHB’s analysis of the latest Survey of Construction data. For custom, or contractor-built, homes, the median price was $162 per square foot...
The percentage of new apartment units that were absorbed within three months of completion rose from a decade low 42% to 53% in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Census Bureau’s latest release of the Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units...
NAHB analyzed the national market share data released by BUILDER Magazine in a previous blog post. Last month, BUILDER Magazine released new data on the top 10 home builders within each of the 50 largest new home markets in the U.S. (ranked by single-family permits)...
The average completion time of a single-family house in 2023 was approximately 10.1 months, breaking down to 1.5 months for authorization to start construction and another 8.6 months to finish construction. According to the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction, the permit-to-completion time has been on...
Home price growth continues to decelerate, according to the recent release of the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index (HPI). The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller HPI increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.89% for June 2024, slowing from a revised rate of 3.28% in...
A majority of single-family homes started in 2023 continued to have two full bathrooms according to the latest release of the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction. According to the latest data, 64.7% of new single-family homes started in 2023 had two full bathrooms, 23.8% had...
Analysis of the history of data from the American Community Survey (ACS) reveals dramatic shifts in the makeup of the construction labor force over the last two decades. While the overall count of workers in the industry now approaches the historic highs of the housing...
The share of new homes with patios increased to yet another record high in 2023. Of the roughly 950,000 single-family homes started during the year, 63.7% came with patios. This is up from 63.3% in 2022 and marks the eighth consecutive year the percentage set...
Every year since 2008, the NAHB has conducted a member census in order to better understand the composition and characteristics of the people who belong to its organization. Similar to a previous post about builder members, NAHB conducted a related analysis of its associate members. ...
Sales of new homes rose unexpectedly in July, following significant revisions in the previous months data. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in July rose 10.6% to a 739,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate from significant upward revisions in June, according to newly released data from...
Existing home sales increased for the first time in five months, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), as improving inventory and declining mortgage rates motivated some buyers to act. Despite these changes, sales remained sluggish and low inventory continued to push up median...
The missing middle construction sector includes development of medium-density housing, such as townhouses, duplexes and other small multifamily properties. The multifamily segment of the missing middle (apartments in 2- to 4-unit properties) has disappointed since the Great Recession. For the second quarter of 2024, there were just...
The labor market may not be as strong as previously estimated, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ preliminary estimate of the upcoming annual benchmark revision to the establishment survey employment series. Each year, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey employment estimates are benchmarked to...
NAHB’s Cost of Housing Index (CHI) highlights the burden that housing costs represent for middle and low-income families. In the second quarter of 2024, the CHI found that a family earning the nation’s median income of $97,800 must spend 38% of its income to cover...
