Eye On Housing
According to the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction, the share of new homes started with 5,000 square feet or more of living space stood at 3.08 percent in 2017, essentially unchanged from 3.05 percent in 2016. The total number of 5,000+ square-foot homes started in absolute terms was 26,000, up from 24,000 in 2016. In 2015, the number of 5,000+… Read More ›
The most common exterior wall materials on homes started in 2017 were vinyl and stucco siding. Vinyl siding was used on 27 percent of the new homes started in 2017, followed closely by stucco (25 percent), brick or brick veneer (21 percent), and fiber cement siding (such as Hardiplank or Hardiboard) (20 percent). Far smaller shares of single-family homes started last… Read More ›
The monthly NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index includes a set of “special” questions on a topic of current interest to the housing industry. In December 2017, the special questions asked builders about the problems they faced in 2017 and expect to face in 2018. Topping the list of problems builders faced in 2017 and expect to face in 2018 is… Read More ›
According to the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction, the share of new homes started with 5,000 square feet or more of living space stood at 3.1% in 2016, down from 3.9 percent in 2015. The total number of 5,000+ square-foot homes started in absolute terms was 24,000, down from 28,000 in 2015. In 2015, the number of 5,000+ square feet… Read More ›
***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. A surprisingly weak labor market report clearly influenced the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates steady this week. The Fed noted that jobs gains have slowed and business investment has been soft. Housing, however, remains a bright spot as the economy picks up speed entering the… Read More ›
***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. Building on the recent good news for home construction, new and existing home sales posted gains in April as the economy improved after a weak first quarter. Revised figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis indicated that the economy grew at a 0.8% rate at the start… Read More ›
***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. April’s home construction data and May’s builder confidence reading tell a similar story with respect to home building at the start of the second quarter. Housing demand is promising, particularly given constrained conditions for existing home inventory. But while home building continues to grow, the industry is… Read More ›
***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. The initial estimate of GDP growth for the first quarter of 2016 was weaker than most economists expected, coming in at an anemic 0.5% annual rate, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Economic growth has been steadily softening since the second quarter of 2015, when it… Read More ›
***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was unchanged in April, remaining at a level of 58 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). April marked the third consecutive month the index has stayed at this level, indicating that… Read More ›
***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. With the national unemployment rate at low levels, the labor force participation rate becomes an ever more important gauge of labor market conditions. If the size of the U.S. workforce does not grow, then the number of open but unfilled jobs will continue to increase and hinder the… Read More ›