Eye On Housing
The onset of the housing crisis and the Great Recession interrupted a 15-year long increasing trend toward a growing share for spec home building. As housing production slowed in 2006 and 2007, the share of non-spec building, particularly custom home building, increased. This not-for sale single-family housing construction is classified in Census housing starts data as either owner- or contractor-built. The share increased because… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘home building’
JOLTS Data: Construction Hiring Continues Small Summer Rebound
July data from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) suggest that construction hiring continued a slight rebound for the months of July and August. While total hiring became more positive after weak months in the spring, the pace of hiring remains lackluster, especially given the strength in housing construction activity for 2012. For the economy as a whole, the July JOLTS data reveal that the hiring… Read More ›
Improving Markets Index Expands To 99 in September
The number of improving housing markets across the country rose to 99 in September, up from 80 metros that were listed as improving in August. The index now includes representatives from 33 states as well as the District of Columbia. The index identifies metropolitan areas that have shown improvement from their respective troughs in housing permits, employment and house prices for at… Read More ›
After Recession Dip, Townhouse Construction Moving Along Increasing Trend
Construction of attached single-family housing (townhouses) is increasing both in terms of total units and market share. Per second quarter 2012 Census data of Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, total townhouse construction increased significantly in recent months, matching a post-Great Recession high set during the homebuyer tax credit period. However, market share remains lower than in past years. Quarterly starts of townhouses rose from… Read More ›
NAHB Survey: AD&C Credit Tightens for Land Acquisition, Multifamily Construction
NAHB’s newly published Survey on Acquisition, Development & Construction Financing shows that while there may have been some modest easing in lending conditions for new single-family construction loans during the second quarter, that slight improvement was more than offset by tightening on new loans for land acquisition and multifamily condo construction. In general, for any type of AD&C loan, more than half of… Read More ›
NAHB Survey: AD&C Credit Tightens for Land Acquisition, Multifamily Construction
NAHB’s newly published Survey on Acquisition, Development & Construction Financing shows that while there may have been some modest easing in lending conditions for new single-family construction loans during the second quarter, that slight improvement was more than offset by tightening on new loans for land acquisition and multifamily condo construction. In general, for any type of AD&C loan, more than half of… Read More ›
Eye on the Economy: A Housing Recovery Gathering Steam
*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. In the last few months, it has become clear that a recovery in housing has taken hold. However, this promising development has occurred during a period in which much of the rest of the… Read More ›
Apartment and Condominium Market Shows Continued Improvement in Second Quarter
The National Association of Home Builders Multifamily Production Index (MPI) improved for the eighth consecutive quarter with an index level of 54. It is the highest reading since the second quarter of 2005. The MPI, which measures builder and developer sentiment about current conditions in the apartment and condominium market on a scale of 0 to 100, rose from 51… Read More ›
Multifamily Absorption Rates Increase During Second Quarter
As expected, data from the Survey of Market Absorption of Apartments (SOMA), produced by the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, suggest a pickup in rentals and sales of newly built apartments. This followed a slight slowing of absorption rates in the first quarter. The SOMA tracks completions and market absorption (units rented or sold after construction… Read More ›
A Turning Point for AD&C Lending
Despite softening economic conditions, home building economic data have been fairly positive in recent months. For example, the pace of housing starts now stands near a seven-year high. And as we forecasted last quarter, the period of declines for the outstanding stock of Acquisition, Development and Construction (AD&C) loans appears to have ended. According to data from the FDIC, for the first time… Read More ›