National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

Gains for Household Real Estate Assets
Gains for Household Real Estate Assets
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The market value of households’ real estate assets rose to a new high in the first quarter reaching $48.7 trillion, according to the most recent release of U.S. Federal Reserve ...
A Laconic Statement: Hawkish Hold and New Plans from the Fed
A Laconic Statement: Hawkish Hold and New Plans from the Fed
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With a new Fed Chair and plans for evolving operating strategies, the Federal Reserve maintained its target policy rate at the conclusion of the June Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) ...
Housing Starts Weaken in May as Multifamily Construction Slows
Housing Starts Weaken in May as Multifamily Construction Slows
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Housing starts fell sharply in May, driven by a steep drop in multifamily construction. Meanwhile, single-family buildings also slipped amid high interest rates, rising construction costs and ongoing labor shortages. ...
Builder Sentiment Remains Weak Amid Affordability Concerns
Builder Sentiment Remains Weak Amid Affordability Concerns
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Builder sentiment remains subdued as rising material costs, elevated mortgage rates and ongoing affordability challenges continue to strain the housing market. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family ...
Single-Family Permits Continue to Decline Through April as Multifamily Activity Strengthens
Single-Family Permits Continue to Decline Through April as Multifamily Activity Strengthens
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Through April 2026, residential construction activity remained uneven across housing sectors. Single-family permitting continued to soften compared with a year ago, reflecting persistent affordability challenges and elevated borrowing costs, while ...
Residential Building Material Prices Rise at Highest Rate In Over Three Years
Residential Building Material Prices Rise at Highest Rate In Over Three Years
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Wholesale prices of goods used in residential construction rose in May as energy prices continued to climb. In May, residential building material prices, excluding energy, rose at their highest yearly ...
Inflation Surpassed 4% in May
Inflation Surpassed 4% in May
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Inflation accelerated to a new three-year high in May, driven by continued increases in energy costs from the Iran war. Energy costs drove more than 60% of the monthly increase, ...
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The share of homes built with patios hit a record high in 2021. Of the roughly 1.1 million single-family homes started in 2021, 63 percent came with patios. This number comes from NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (conducted by the U.S....

While the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered many social and economic disruptions, it has also changed working arrangements and has accelerated the shift to work from home (WFH). During the COVID-19 outbreak in the early of 2020, many businesses across the United States closed and millions...

The latest results from the Federal Reserve’s Z.1 Financial Accounts of the United States, i.e., the Flow of Funds, show that in the second quarter of 2022, growth of the market value of all owner-occupied real estate in the United States slowed after showed the...

Continuing its tightening of financial conditions to bring the rate of inflation lower, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee raised the federal funds target rate by 75 basis points, increasing that target to an upper bound of 3.25%. This marks the third consecutive meeting with...

As elevated mortgage rates and higher home prices continue to price out homebuyers and reduce affordability, existing home sales declined for seven consecutive months in August, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). All four regions saw double-digit declines for sales from a year...

In August, housing starts rebounded but housing permits declined for the second straight month. The August drop in building permits indicates that the housing market is continues to cool as rising construction costs, elevated mortgage rates and supply chain disruptions continue to act as a...

In another sign that the slowdown in the housing market continues, builder sentiment fell for the ninth straight month in September as the combination of elevated interest rates, persistent building material supply chain disruptions and high home prices continue to take a toll on affordability....

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 37 states in August compared to the previous month while 13 states and the District of Columbia lost jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 315,000 in August, following a gain of...

Over the first seven months of 2022, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 645,877. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is a 5.3% decline over the July 2021 level of 681,949. Year-to-date ending in July, single-family permits declined in all...

Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending September 9th, total mortgage activity declined 1.2% and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate rose seven basis points to 6.01%. The FRM rate has increased 56 bps over the past month reaching a...

According to the annual data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), the share of new homes started with 5,000 square feet or more of living space stood at 2.90 percent in 2021, up from 2.50 percent in 2020. A total of 33,000 5,000+...

The prices of building materials rose 0.5% in August (not seasonally adjusted) even as softwood lumber prices decreased 5.2%, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report. Building materials prices have climbed 4.9% through the first eight months of 2022 and 14.3% over the...

Consumer prices eased in August for the second-straight month as declines in energy prices offset increases in food and shelter indexes. Despite this slight improvement, inflation remains above an 8% year-over-year rate for the sixth straight month. The food index recorded its largest annual gain...

The number of women employed in the construction industry increased to over 1.24 million in 2021, as the construction industry was quickly recovering jobs lost earlier during the pandemic induced recession. Currently, women make up 11% of the construction workforce, up from 9.3% in 2002....

Lot values for single-family detached housing starts in 2021 increased across the nation, with the national value and six out of nine Census division values setting new records. U.S. median lot price now stands at $55,000, according to NAHB’s analysis of the Census Bureau’s Survey...

Of the roughly 1,127,000 single-family and 474,000 multifamily homes started in 2020, 37,000 (15,000 single-family and 22,000 multifamily) were built in age-restricted communities, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (SOC, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and partially funded by...

Residential construction loan volume reached a post-Great Recession high during the second quarter of 2022, as home building activity and new home sales slowed. Outstanding builder loan balances are rising as development debt is being held longer as new homes remain in inventory longer. Loan...

The total market share of non-site built single-family homes (modular and panelized) was at 2% of single-family completions in 2021, according to Census Bureau Survey of Construction data and NAHB analysis. This share has been steadily declining since early-2000s despite the high-level of interest for...

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