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 ›
Tag Archive for ‘housing’
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 ›
New Home Sales Up in August: Will Decline Again with Higher Rates
A brief decline in mortgage rates helped to boost new home sales in August but sales are expected to move lower in the months ahead as rates have since moved higher and builder sentiment continues to fall due to declining housing affordability and ongoing supply chain bottlenecks. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in August increased 28.8% to a 685,000… Read More ›
Share of New Homes with Patios Sets Record for Sixth Consecutive Year
The share of homes built with patios hit a record high in 2021. Of the roughly 1.1 million single-family homes started in 2021, 63 percent came with patios. This number comes from NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau with partial finding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development). Patios on… 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 ›