Eye On Housing
NAHB analysis of information published in Builder Magazine’s annual Local Leaders lists shows that large builders gained market share across all tiers on average from 2009 to 2021 in major housing markets; market concentration, as calculated with top four firms in a metropolitan statistical area (MSA), has also increased, but has leveled off over the last four years. Figure 1 shows… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘COVID-19’
Metro Areas Trail Lower Density Markets for Apartment Construction Growth
In the first quarter of 2022, multifamily home building showed greater growth across all regional markets compared to the first quarter of 2021, per the NAHB’s Home Building Geography Index (HBGI). Apartment construction far outpaced single-family building in all regional geographies but especially in lower density markets1. Low rental vacancy rates and rising rents gave multifamily developers confidence to continue… Read More ›
High Rates Suppress Refinancing
Per the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), through the week ending June 3, total mortgage activity decreased, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate increasing to 5.45%, on average. The latest week’s rate increased to 5.4%, after 3 consecutive weeks of declines, each by a few basis points. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased by… Read More ›
Consumer Credit Increases in First Quarter
In the first quarter of 2022, non-real estate secured consumer credit, per the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report, grew at a seasonal adjusted annual rate of 9.7%, with revolving debt growing at 21.4% and nonrevolving at 6.1%. Total consumer credit currently stands at $4.5 trillion, with $1.1 trillion in revolving debt and $3.4 trillion in non-revolving debt. From… Read More ›
Strong Regional Growth Amid Lessened Suburban Shift: Q3 2021 HBGI
The suburban shift for single-family home building, which was precipitated in large part by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year continues. But new data reveals that higher density markets are making a comeback as well, according to the third quarter edition of the NAHB Home Building Geography Index (HBGI). As more workers transition back to the workplace, there… Read More ›
Job Gains Accelerate in October
Job gains picked up in October after two consecutive months of a slowdown. Total payroll employment rose by 531,000 and the unemployment rate dropped to 4.6% in October. Construction industry employment (both residential and non-residential) totaled 7.5 million, with 44,000 construction jobs added in October. Both residential construction (+10,900) and non-residential construction (+33,000) had job gains for the month. Residential… Read More ›
Job Gains Slow Sharply in September
Job gains slowed for the second straight month amid the resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Total payroll employment rose by 194,000 in September and the unemployment rate dropped to 4.8%. For the coming months, job gains are expected to accelerate as COVID-19 cases began to subside. Despite the slowdown in total nonfarm payroll employment, aggregate construction industry (both residential and non-residential)… Read More ›
Share of New Homes With 4 or More Bedrooms Jumped in 2020
The U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Construction’s (SOC) 2020 estimates of the shares of the number of bedrooms in new single-family homes showed a sharp upswing in the percentage of new homes started with 4 or more bedrooms, unlike in prior recent years. The most recent SOC data show the shares in the varying number of bedrooms in new homes… Read More ›
Tracking the Geography of Home Building: Housing Affordability Metrics
Housing affordability has gained increased attention in recent quarters due growing home prices and rents. For the second quarter of 2021, NAHB’s Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) explored a geographic measure of housing affordability using Price-to-Income ratios of all counties in the United States1 to map the geography of single-family and multifamily construction. The principal findings of this new classification… Read More ›
Q2 2021 HBGI: Multifamily Suburban Shift
In the second quarter of 2021, residential construction continued to shift toward the suburbs and lower-cost markets, and this trend is especially pronounced within the multifamily sector, according to the latest Home Building Geography Index (HBGI). During this period, multifamily construction posted double-digit percentage gains in small metro core and suburban areas, while large metro areas experienced a decrease for… Read More ›