Tag Archive for ‘housing’

Remodeling Market Sentiment Softened in Third Quarter, But Remains Positive

The NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI) for the third quarter of 2022 posted a reading of 77, declining 10 points from the third quarter of 2021. The RMI is based on a survey that asks remodelers to rate various aspects of the residential remodeling market “good,” “fair” or “poor.” Responses from each question are converted to an index that… Read More ›

Job Openings Fall as Economy Slows

The count of open, unfilled jobs for the overall economy fell 10% in August, declining from almost 11.2 million to 10.05 million. The decline for open jobs reflects the beginnings of a labor market retreat as the economy slows due to aggressive tightening of monetary policy by the Fed. While the economy continues to face a critical skilled labor shortage,… Read More ›

NAHB Builders’ Businesses Showed Significant Growth in 2021

The business of the typical NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) builder grew significantly between 2020 and 2021, according to results from NAHB’s latest member census.  The 2021 NAHB census shows that the median gross revenue of an NAHB builder in 2021 was $3.3 million, up 26.9 percent from the previous year. NAHB reinstated its member census during the industry-wide… Read More ›

Fed Raises by 75 Basis Points, Again

Continuing its tightening of financial conditions to bring the rate of inflation lower, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee raised the federal funds target rate by 75 basis points, increasing that target to an upper bound of 3.25%. This marks the third consecutive meeting with an increase of 75 basis points. These supersized hikes are intended to move monetary policy… Read More ›

Housing Permits Fall Back Again in August

In August, housing starts rebounded but housing permits declined for the second straight month. The August drop in building permits indicates that the housing market is continues to cool as rising construction costs, elevated mortgage rates and supply chain disruptions continue to act as a drag on the market. Overall housing starts rose 12.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate… Read More ›

Builder Confidence Falls for Ninth Straight Month as Housing Slowdown Continues

In another sign that the slowdown in the housing market continues, builder sentiment fell for the ninth straight month in September as the combination of elevated interest rates, persistent building material supply chain disruptions and high home prices continue to take a toll on affordability. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes fell three points in September… Read More ›

Median Price of a New Age-Restricted Home Up to $472,000

Of the roughly 1,127,000 single-family and 474,000 multifamily homes started in 2020, 37,000 (15,000 single-family and 22,000 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 ›

AD&C Loan Balances Rise as Sales Slow

Residential construction loan volume reached a post-Great Recession high during the second quarter of 2022, as home building activity and new home sales slowed. Outstanding builder loan balances are rising as development debt is being held longer as new homes remain in inventory longer. Loan balances will decline in coming quarters as the development loan market becomes more costly and… Read More ›