Strong buyer demand helped to offset ongoing supply-side challenges of labor shortages, regulatory costs, and rising prices of materials as builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes inched down one point to 80 in July, according the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Among the supply-side challenges, the price of OSB (oriented… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘builder sentiment’
Builder Confidence Continues to Settle Back to Sustainable Levels in February
Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes declined two points in February to a level of 65 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The HMI had risen sharply in December 2016 (up to 69) as the election results raised hopes among builders that a new Congress and administration will help create a better business… Read More ›
Builders’ Sentiment Stalled
Builders remained virtually unchanged in their attitudes toward the housing market as the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell one point to 45 from a downwardly revised 46 in April. The stall has been in effect since February when the index dropped 10 points. Builders had passed the tipping point of 50 on the 0 to 100 scale in June… Read More ›
Housing Starts vs Builder Sentiment – Some Perspective
Are home builders more confident than they should be? There has been some discussion suggesting that the relationship between the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) and single family housing starts is broken, or at least strained lately. Let’s take a look. The HMI and starts track together well, no question. But they don’t move in… Read More ›
Confidence in the 55+ Housing Market Still Below 50, but Improves Significantly in the First Quarter
According to NAHB’s latest 55+ Housing Market Index (HMI) survey, builder confidence in the 55+ housing market for single-family homes increased significantly in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period a year ago. The 55+ single-family HMI increased 10 points to 27, and although 27 is relatively low for an index that lies on a scale of 0… Read More ›