Eye On Housing
The missing middle construction sector includes development of medium-density housing, including townhouses, duplexes and other small multifamily properties. While townhouse construction has trended higher in recent quarters, the multifamily segment of the missing middle (apartments in 2 to 4 unit properties) has shown weakness. For the third quarter of 2021, there were only 2,000 starts of such residences. Over the… Read More ›
Sentiment on the production of new and occupancy in existing multifamily housing improved in the third quarter, according to the latest results from NAHB’s Multifamily Market Survey (MMS). The MMS produces two main indices. The Multifamily Production Index (MPI) increased five points from the previous quarter to 53, while the Multifamily Occupancy Index (MOI) also increased by five points, to… Read More ›
Single-family housing production lagged in October due to supply-chain effects for materials and ongoing access issues for labor and lots. Overall housing starts decreased 0.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.52 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. The October reading of 1.52 million starts… Read More ›
Over the first nine months of 2021, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 864,184. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is a 21.2% increase over the September 2020 level of 713,286. Year-to-date ending in September, single-family permits increased in all four regions. Southern region reported the strongest increase of 22.8%, followed by Northeast (+20.4%), West… Read More ›
Compared to a year ago, on a not seasonally adjusted basis, consumer prices increased by 6.2% in October, the largest year-over-year gain since December 1990. Supply-chain constraints and strong consumer demand as the economy reopened have contributed to recent price increases. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.9% in October on… Read More ›
Despite the volatility surrounding the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the housing market has shown remarkable resilience, fueled by demographic tailwinds and a housing shortage due to a decade of underbuilding. Home construction slowed after 2007 as a result of the 2008 Great Recession, but home building staged a slow, modest recovery over the last decade, with a sharp acceleration in 2020… Read More ›
Total housing starts decreased 1.6% in September, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Single-family starts were flat for the month, while overall multifamily starts declined in August. The August total starts reading of 1.56 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this… Read More ›
Over the first eight months of 2021, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 775,772. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is a 25.8% increase over the August 2020 level of 616,856. Year-to-date ending in August, single-family permits increased in all four regions. The Northeast region reported the strongest increase of 29.3%, followed by the South… Read More ›
Inflation accelerated in September, as prices for food and shelter showed notable gains. Federal Reserve officials described the current inflation run as “transitory”, and attributed recent increases largely to supply-chain constraints and a surge in consumer demand as the economy reopened. And they expected “inflation pressures to ease as the effect of these transitory factors dissipated.” The Bureau of Labor… Read More ›
A reversal is taking place in the construction pipeline. Since early 2013, there have been consistently more multifamily units (residences within 2+ unit properties) under construction relative to single-family homes. This was due to multifamily construction recovering more quickly in the years after the Great Recession, as well as years of underbuilding in the single-family sector. However, as of July,… Read More ›