Despite lower perceptions of affordability, the share of prospective home buyers who are actively engaged in the purchase process (i.e., have moved beyond the planning phase) remained essentially unchanged between the first and second quarters of 2023, at 56% and 55%, respectively. The lack of...
Housing’s share of the economy remained at 15.8% at the end of the second quarter of 2023. Overall GDP increased at a 2.4% annual rate, following a 2.0% increase in the first quarter of 2023 and 2.6% increase in the fourth quarter of 2022. Despite...
The most recent data release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) showed that personal income increased 0.3% in June. The pace of personal income growth slowed after reaching a 0.7% monthly gain in January 2023. Gains in personal income are largely driven by increases...
After a reprieve in the first quarter of 2023, buyers’ outlook for housing affordability turned bleaker again in the second quarter. According to the latest Housing Trends Report, 76% of buyers are able to afford less than half the homes for-sale in their markets, up...
The U.S. economy grew at a solid pace in the second quarter of 2023, fueled by consumer and government spending. The second quarter data from the GDP report suggests that inflation is cooling. The GDP price index rose 2.2% for the second quarter, down from...
Increased levels of new home construction and sales are leading some buyers to expect the home search to get easier in the months ahead. According to the latest Housing Trends Report for the second quarter of 2023, 29% of prospective buyers are anticipating housing availability...
The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee increased the federal funds rate to a top target of 5.5% at the conclusion of its July meeting. The Fed will also continue to reduce its balance sheet holdings of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities as part of quantitative tightening....
Rising mortgage rates and elevated construction costs put a damper on new home sales last month. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau estimated sales of newly built, single-family homes in June at a 697,000 seasonally adjusted annual pace,...
Higher interest rates have led millions of existing homeowners with mortgages under 4% to postpone plans to list their homes for sale, and for many prospective buyers, that supply vacuum has left newly built homes as the only game in town. That is the backdrop...
Mortgage rates’ slow –but steady– march upwards combined with the return of home price gains are doing what they are predicted to: slow housing demand. According to the latest Housing Trends Report, the share of adults with plans to purchase a home within a year...
Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 38 states and the District of Columbia in June compared to the previous month, while 12 states lost jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 209,000 in June, following a gain of...
Existing home sales in June fell to the lowest level since January as limited inventory and fluctuating mortgage rates continued to weight on homebuyers, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Low resale inventory and strong demand pushed existing home prices to the highest...
Single-family production fell back after four straight monthly gains as elevated construction costs and rising mortgage rates led to a reduction in home building activity and affordability conditions worsened for home buyers. Overall housing in June decreased 8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of...
Low existing inventory that is keeping demand solid for new homes helped to push builder confidence up in July even as the industry continues to grapple with rising mortgage rates, elevated construction costs and limited lot availability. Builder confidence in the market for newly built...
While US homeownership rates have been rising since 2015 and received an extra boost during the post-pandemic housing boom, they remain below the levels reached during the housing boom of the mid-2000s. With the national trends reflecting fundamental drivers of homeowners, local markets often tell...
Over the first five months of 2023, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 357,143. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 24.7% below the May 2022 level of 473,997. Year-to-date ending in May, single-family permits declined in all four regions....
Job gains slowed in June, but the labor market remained solid. Total payroll employment rose by 209,000 and the unemployment rate decreased to 3.6%. In June, wages grew at a 4.4% year-over-year growth rate, down 1.1 percentage points from a 5.5% gain in May 2022....
Average hourly earnings for residential building workers* rose at a slower pace in May, after more than a year of strong gains. Wage growth has retreated below or close to 3%, from the peak rate of 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)...
