The Census Bureau’s latest Survey of Construction (SOC) shows slight changes in the number of full and half bathrooms for new single-family homes started in 2021 compared to 2020. The current data shows that 3.1% of new single-family homes started had one full bathroom or less, 62.6% had 2 full bathrooms, 27.0% had 3 full bathrooms and 7.3% had 4… Read More ›
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 4%. This marks the fourth consecutive meeting with an increase of 75 basis points and pushes the fed funds rate to a 15-year… Read More ›
The Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancy Survey (CPS/HVS) reported the U.S. homeownership rate at 66% in the third quarter of 2022, which is statistically unchanged from the last quarter reading (65.8%). It is 0.6 percentage points higher than the rate in the third quarter of 2021. The national rental vacancy rate rose to 6%, while the homeowner vacancy rate inched up… Read More ›
Prospective buyers in the third quarter of 2022 are more likely to have higher levels of income and education than earlier in the year. This helps explain why affordability expectations have improved. In the third quarter of 2022, 69% of buyers could only afford a minority of homes for sale in their markets, a much lower share than in the… Read More ›
NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing published by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that new home sales financed through FHA numbered 11,000 and accounted for 7.5% of the total in Q3 2022–the smallest share since the fourth quarter of 2007. The share has dropped by nearly two-thirds since the spring of 2020. In contrast, the share… Read More ›
The most recent data release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) showed that personal income increased 0.4% in September, the eighth consecutive monthly increase of this year. Gains in personal income are largely driven by increases in compensation of employees and personal income on assets. Real disposable income, income remaining after adjusted for taxes and inflation, stayed flat in… Read More ›
