Stucco Remains Most Used Principal Exterior Wall Material 

By Housing
Stucco was the most common principal siding material for new single-family homes started in 2023 at 26.8%, according to the annual data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC). Stucco was followed by vinyl siding at 25.6%, fiber cement siding (such as Hardiplank or Hardiboard) at 21.7% then by brick or brick veneer at 18.5%. Far smaller shares of single-family homes started last year had wood…

Remodeling Market Sentiment Holds Steady in Second Quarter

By Housing
The NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI) for the second quarter of 2024 posted a reading of 65, down one point compared to the previous quarter. The RMI remains solidly in positive territory, and NAHB continues to project that remodeling activity has stabilized at a healthy level in 2024.  Although some remodelers are reporting a…

Top Ten Builder Share Declines in 2023

By Housing
The top ten builders accounted for 42.2% of all new single-family home closings in 2023, down 1.3 percentage points from 2022 (43.5%). This is the second highest share captured by the top ten builders since NAHB began tracking new single-family home closings in 1989. The share represents 280,958 closings out of 665,500 closings made in…

Single-Family Starts Weaken in June

By Housing
Elevated interest rates for home mortgages and construction and development loans kept single-family production and demand in check during June. Overall housing starts increased 3.0% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.35 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau….

High Mortgage Rates Continue to Hold Back Builder Confidence

By Housing
Mortgage rates that averaged 6.92% in June per Freddie Mac, along with elevated rates for construction and development loans, continue to put a damper on builder sentiment. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was 42 in July, down one point from June, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells…

Share of Homes Built on Slabs Surges to 72.4%

By Housing
NAHB analysis of the Survey of Construction (SOC) shows that 72.4% of new single-family homes started in 2023 were built on slab foundations, 16.6% were built with full or partial basements, and 9.9% with crawl spaces. The share of new homes built on slabs has risen steadily from 45.8% in 2000 to 72.4% in 2023….