Eye On Housing
Two consecutive solid monthly gains for builder confidence, spurred in part by easing mortgage rates, signal that the housing market may be turning a corner even as builders continue to contend with high construction costs and building material supply chain logjams. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes in February rose seven points to 42, according to… Read More ›
For 2022, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 972,180. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 12.5% below the 2021 level of 1,111,414. Year-to-date ending in December, single-family permits declined in all four regions. The South posted a decline of 10.4%, while the Western region reported the steepest decline of 15.9%. The Northeast declined by… Read More ›
The price and availability of building materials again topped the list of problems builders faced last year, while interest rates (along with general inflation and negative media reports) moved considerably up the list. According to special questions on the January 2023 survey for the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, building material prices were a significant issue for 96% of builders… Read More ›
Further downshifting its pace of tightening of monetary policy, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee raised the federal funds target rate by 25 basis points, increasing that target to an upper bound of 4.75%. This marked a smaller increase after four previous 75 basis point hikes and a decelerated 50 basis point increase last December. While not the end of… Read More ›
The count of open, unfilled jobs for the overall economy increased in December, rising to 11 million, the highest level since July. This was a surprise rise, as noted by many analysts, particularly given a growing chorus of corporate hiring freezes and job cuts. For now, the December data appears to be more noise than signal, although certainly that conclusion… Read More ›
While new home sales posted a modest gain in December, elevated mortgage rates and higher construction costs continue to hinder housing affordability and put a damper on consumer demand. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau estimated sales of newly built, single-family homes in December at a 616,000 seasonally adjusted annual pace, which is… Read More ›
Led by a decline in multifamily production, overall housing starts decreased 1.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.38 million units in December, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Also of note, single-family housing starts ended the year down more than 10%, marking the first annual decline since… Read More ›
The NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI) for the fourth quarter of 2022 posted a reading of 66, falling 17 points from the fourth quarter of 2021. While there is a sharp decline in RMI year-over-year, it remains in positive territory as remodeling continues to outperform the rest of the residential construction sector, whether one looks at construction spending or… Read More ›
A modest drop in interest rates helped to end a string of 12 straight monthly declines in builder confidence levels, although sentiment remains in bearish territory as builders continue to grapple with elevated construction costs, building material supply chain disruptions and challenging affordability conditions. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes in January rose four points to… Read More ›
Over the first eleven months of 2022, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 921,626. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 10.5% below the November 2021 level of 1,029,208. Year-to-date ending in November, single-family permits declined in all four regions. The South posted a decline of 8.4%, while the West region reported the steepest decline… Read More ›