Eye On Housing
Housing production declined in July due to rising prices and limited availability of lumber and other building materials. Overall housing starts decreased 7.0% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.53 million units, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. The July reading of 1.53 million starts is the number… Read More ›
In the June labor market data, job openings for the overall economy increased to 10.1 million open positions. What had been a challenge in certain sectors, like construction, is now a broad labor access issue as businesses seek workers as the economy reopens. The count of open construction jobs increased in June to 339,000 unfilled positions, according to data from… Read More ›
Of the roughly 990,000 single-family and 389,000 multifamily homes started in 2020, 46,000 (28,000 single-family and 18,000 multifamily) were built in age-restricted communities, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (SOC, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and partially funded by HUD). A residential community can be legally age-restricted, provided it conforms the one of the… Read More ›
According to the 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey data and analysis by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), half of payroll workers in construction earn more than $50,460 and the top 25% make at least $71,000. In comparison, the U.S. median wage is $49,150, while the top quartile (top 25%) makes at least $67,410…. Read More ›
Thanks to a surge in residential investment during 2020, housing’s share of GDP remains elevated compared to recent years. Last year’s market conditions involved a renewed focus on the importance of home, an evolving geography of housing demand, and a lack of for-sale inventory. Housing will continue to expand in 2021, although as the rest of the economy recovers, the… Read More ›
Today’s Federal Open Market Committee announcement did not provide an explicit reference to an expected tapering of purchases of Treasury ($80 billion a month) and mortgage-backed ($40 billion a month) securities. In addition, as part of its ongoing accommodative policy stance, the Fed held its benchmark target rate near zero percent. In Chairman Powell’s press conference remarks, he stated, “The… Read More ›
The total market share of non-site built single-family homes (modular and panelized) was at 3% of single-family completions in 2020, according to Census Bureau Survey of Construction data and NAHB analysis. This share is expected to rise moderately in 2021 and in the years ahead, due to the ongoing labor shortage in the residential construction sector and the need to lift labor… Read More ›
Housing production was steady in June, although permit issuance weakened as higher construction costs and other supply limitations are deferring and delaying some construction projects. Overall housing starts increased 6.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.64 million units, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. However, single-family permits… Read More ›
Strong buyer demand helped to offset ongoing supply-side challenges of labor shortages, regulatory costs, and rising prices of materials as builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes inched down one point to 80 in July, according the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Among the supply-side challenges, the price of OSB (oriented… Read More ›
According to NAHB’s latest estimates, changes in prices for softwood lumber products that occurred between April 17, 2020 and July 08, 2021 are enough to add $29,833 to the price of an average new single-family home, and $9,990 to the market value of an average new multifamily home. The increase in multifamily value, in turn, translates to households paying $92… Read More ›