The most recent Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) shows that single-family home building slowed down its pace in the exurban areas, which experienced strong growth since the pandemic. Both high mortgage rates and supply-chain disruptions have put a damper on the housing market. The growth rate of single-family construction in large metro outlying counties went down to negative 4.4% in… Read More ›

In November of 2022, 36 percent of single-family home builders reported reducing their prices, and 59 percent were offering special sales incentives.  These percentages may seem relatively high—and in fact they have increased significantly since July of this year—but they are nowhere near as high as they were during the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Questions on sales incentives have been a… Read More ›

In November, job growth slowed slightly from the previous month but still showed strength despite tight monetary policy. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7% in November as the number of persons in the labor force decreased for the third straight month. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 263,000 in November, following a gain of 284,000 in October, as reported… Read More ›

Residential construction loan volume reached a post-Great Recession high during the third quarter of 2022, as home building activity and new home sales remained weak. 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… Read More ›

Private residential construction spending declined 0.3% in October, as spending on single-family construction dropped 2.6%. Private residential construction spending fell for the fifth consecutive month, standing at an annual pace of $887.2 billion. This was about 8.6% higher compared to a year ago. The monthly decline is largely attributed to lower spending on single-family construction. Single-family construction spending dropped 2.6%… Read More ›

Data from the Census Bureau’s latest Survey of Market Absorptions of New Multifamily Units (SOMA) indicates that the multifamily market remained strong during the second quarter of 2022 due to high demand. With low single-family housing supply and increased unaffordability of for-sale housing, many would-be buyers have turned to or remained in the multifamily rental market. The absorption rate of… Read More ›