Eye On Housing
Pending home sales increased slightly in March, but the lack of choice among prospective buyers continues to impede the number of new contracts. The Pending Home Sales Index increased 0.4% in March, but remains 3.0% below the level a year ago, and the PHSI declined on an annualized basis for the third straight month. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI)… Read More ›
Existing-home sales increased 1.1% in March, but remain down 1.2% from a year ago. The first-time buyer share of 30% is also down from 32% a year ago. The National Association of Realtors reported that 50% of homes sold last month were on the market less than a month. The March inventory increased 5.7%, but remains 7.2% below the level… Read More ›
The Remodeling Market Index (RMI) dipped three points to 57 in the first quarter of 2018, according to the National Association of Homebuilders. For 20 consecutive quarters the RMI has been at or above 50, which indicates that more remodelers report market activity is higher compared to the prior quarter than report it is lower (Figure 1). The overall RMI… Read More ›
With the release of the final estimate of fourth quarter 2017 GDP growth (a 2.5% annual growth rate), housing’s share of gross domestic product (GDP) rose slightly to 15.4%. The home building and remodeling component – residential fixed investment – also increased slightly, rising to 3.5%. Housing-related activities contribute to GDP in two basic ways. The first is through residential fixed investment (RFI). RFI is effectively the measure… Read More ›
NAHB analysis of Census Construction Spending data shows that total private residential construction spending stood at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $533.4 billion in February, a gain of 0.1% from the upwardly revised estimate of January. Over the past 12 months, total private residential construction spending was up 5.5%. The monthly gains are largely attributed to the large increase… Read More ›
After a slow start to the year, the Pending Home Sales Index increased 3.1% in February, but remains 4.1% below a year ago. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) is a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The PHSI increased to 107.5 in February from a downwardly 104.3 in January. The PHSI… Read More ›
Existing-home sales increased 3.0% in February, but the first-time buyer share remained at 29%, compared to 31% a year ago. The National Association of Realtors reported that 46% of homes sold last month were on the market less than a month. The February inventory increased 4.6%, but remains 8.1% below the level a year ago, and has decreased for 33… Read More ›
The Pending Home Sales Index decreased 4.7% in January to the lowest level since October 2014. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) is a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The PHSI fell to 104.6 in January from a downwardly revised 109.8 in December. The PHSI decreased in all four regions, ranging… Read More ›
Existing-home sales decreased 3.2% in January, and the first-time buyer share slipped to 29% from 32% last month. The National Association of Realtors reported that 43% of homes sold last month were on the market less than a month. The January inventory actually increased 4.1%, but is 9.5% below the level a year ago, and has decreased for 32 consecutive… Read More ›
NAHB analysis of Census Construction Spending data shows that total private residential construction spending rose 0.5% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $526.1 billion, the highest level since March 2007. Total private residential construction spending rose 6.2% last year, after increasing 12.5% in 2016. The monthly gains are largely attributed to the increase in multifamily construction spending…. Read More ›