National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

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, ...
Home Building Regulatory Cost Burdens Increased 40% from 2021 to 2026
Home Building Regulatory Cost Burdens Increased 40% from 2021 to 2026
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A new NAHB study shows that, on average, regulations imposed by government at all levels account for $131,734, or 26.4%, of the final price of a new single-family home built ...
Existing Home Sales Increased in May
Existing Home Sales Increased in May
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Existing home sales rose to a five-month high in May as more first-time buyers stepped back into the market. The share of first-time buyer reached 35% in May, the highest ...
Mortgage Applications Retreat in May, with ARMs Gaining Share
Mortgage Applications Retreat in May, with ARMs Gaining Share
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Mortgage application activity declined again in May as higher mortgage rates continued to suppress the market, although adjustable-rate mortgages (ARM) gained some traction. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) ...
U.S. Labor Market Remains Resilient in May
U.S. Labor Market Remains Resilient in May
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Despite rising inflation and ongoing economic uncertainty, the U.S. labor market remained resilient in May. Nonfarm payrolls increased for the third consecutive month, and the unemployment rate held steady at ...
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Over the past 12 months, the cost to multifamily developers of compensating their employees increased by an average of nearly 12 percent, according to results from NAHB’s latest Multifamily Market Survey (MMS). The first quarter 2022 MMS, sent electronically to a panel of multifamily developers...

As National Home Remodeling Month draws to close, Eye on Housing reports on the most common projects undertaken by NAHB Remodelers during the previous calendar year—in this case, 2021. The results come from a special question included in the first quarter 2022 survey for the...

According to NAHB analysis of quarterly Census data, the count of multifamily, for-sale housing starts increased during the first quarter of 2022. At 11,000 units started, this was the best quarter for condo construction since the third quarter of 2008. As a result, the market...

An expected impact of the virus crisis is a need for more residential space, as people use homes for more purposes including work. According to first quarter 2022 data from the Census Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and NAHB analysis, median single-family...

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...

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,...

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,...

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 41 states and the District of Columbia in April compared to the previous month while eight states lost jobs. North Dakota remained unchanged. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 428,000 in April,...

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...

As rising mortgage rates and higher home prices continued to price out first-time and young homebuyers and reduce affordability, existing home sales dropped to the lowest level since June 2020, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). However, the trend in home price appreciation...

Confidence in the market for new multifamily housing turned downward in the first quarter of 2022, according to the latest results from NAHB’s Multifamily Market Survey (MMS). The MMS produces two main indices. The survey’s Multifamily Production Index (MPI) decreased six points to 48 in...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Over the first three months of 2022, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 278,189. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is a 0.8% increase over the March 2021 level of 276,110. Year-to-date ending in March, single-family permits declined in three...

According to NAHB estimates, the total count of second homes was 7.15 million in 2020, accounting for 5.11% of the total housing stock. This represents the most recent data available. As of 2020, the state with the largest stock of second homes was Florida (1.04...

During the first quarter of 2022, credit became tighter on loans for Acquisition, Development & Construction (AD&C) according to NAHB’s Survey on AD&C Financing. The NAHB survey produces a net easing index that summarizes the change in credit conditions, similar to the net easing index...

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