Eye On Housing
Rising home prices and increasing residential construction have been the clearest signs of the housing rebound that took hold in 2012 and continues into 2013. Data from the start of the summer are consistent with these long-run trends, offering a bright spot in otherwise lackluster economic environment. Total private residential construction spending increased to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘eye on the economy’
Eye on the Economy: Highlighting a Nation of Builders
Members of the nation’s home building industry visited Capitol Hill this week, highlighting both the economic value and future potential of the industry for job creation and economic growth and making the case on policy issues that could affect the industry: tax reform, housing finance reform, immigration reform and production credit. Because the home building industry is dominated by small… Read More ›
Eye on the Economy: Housing Starts Fall Back on Volatile Multifamily Data
The pace of total housing construction fell back in April due to a large swing in the rate of multifamily development. From the March annualized rate of 1 million starts, April saw a drop to an 853,000 annualized pace. Single-family construction declined only a small amount, however, with starts down from a 623,000 rate in March to 610,000 in April…. Read More ›
Eye on the Economy: Rising Home Values Fail to Lift Remodeling in Early 2013
Spending on remodeling and home improvements has gotten off to a slow start this year, according to newly revised Census data. Remodeling expenditures have declined in each of the last five months, with the March estimate down 1.4% for the month and significant downward revisions for January and February. This dip comes after a healthy surge for improvement spending between… Read More ›
Eye on the Economy: Short-Term Ups and Downs for Housing
Recent housing market data have illustrated that while the long-run trend for housing remains one of improvement, there will be bumps along the road. In particular, availability of building lots and skilled labor, rising building material prices, and big picture economic and policy developments will present month-to-month challenges for home builders and other housing businesses. For instance, the share of… Read More ›
Eye on the Economy: As Housing Improves, Job Creation Follows
As the market recovers, the demand for labor in the housing industry grows. Indeed, recent BLS data suggests a rise in construction job openings over the course of 2013, which bodes well for future job creation, which in turn will help support the ongoing sluggish recovery in the broader economy. In general, economic news continues to be a mix of… Read More ›
Eye on the Economy: Growing Housing Demand Challenges Supply
Eye on the Economy is an NAHB newsletter that is published every two weeks and takes a larger view of recent economic and housing policy news. The improvement in housing markets over the last year has been a welcome, if long-awaited, change for the economy as a whole. Improvements in home prices and building are widespread, with the NAHB/First American… Read More ›
Eye on the Economy: Home Building Job Growth Ahead
*Eye on the Economy is an NAHB newsletter that is published every two weeks and takes a larger view of recent economic and housing policy news. Housing construction activity has increased significantly over the last year across the three primary sectors of home building: single-family, multifamily and remodeling. And that growth in turn means good news for those businesses that… Read More ›
Eye on the Economy: Low Inventories Driving Permit Growth
*Eye on the Economy is an NAHB newsletter that is published every two weeks and takes a larger view of recent economic and housing policy news. While recent economic reports suggest that home building took a pause at the beginning of 2013, leading indicators point to more growth for housing in the months ahead. Per data from the Census Bureau,… Read More ›
Eye on the Economy: Builders’ Worries Rise with Improving Markets
*Eye on the Economy is an NAHB newsletter that is published every two weeks and takes a larger view of recent economic and housing policy news. Home building is expanding, and that is good news for housing and the economy as a whole. But the growth of the industry off the lows set in the wake of the Great Recession… Read More ›