Consumer confidence dropped again in June as inflation stayed at decades high and continued to temper consumers’ economic outlook, which tumbled to the lowest level in nearly a decade. Though spending intentions for homes, cars, and major appliances held relatively steady, consumer spending will continue to face headwinds from further inflation and rate hikes. The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by… Read More ›
Recently, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) undertook a joint research effort to find out how much government regulation adds to the cost of building new multifamily housing via a survey distributed to multifamily developers. The research finds that an average of 40.6 percent of total development costs can now be attributed… Read More ›
After posting four consecutive monthly declines on rising mortgage rates and worsening affordability conditions, new home sales posted a solid gain in May as some buyers rushed into the market in advance of the Federal Reserve’s June interest rate hike. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in May increased 10.7% to a 696,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate from an upwardly… Read More ›
Hispanics are an important source of labor in the U.S. construction industry, where skilled labor shortage is a long-term issue. One in three workers in the US construction industry is Hispanic. The latest labor force statistics from the 2021 Current Population Survey show that Non-Hispanic Whites account for the majority of workers in the construction industry (59%).Hispanics make up close… Read More ›
In the first quarter of 2022, multifamily home building showed greater growth across all regional markets compared to the first quarter of 2021, per the NAHB’s Home Building Geography Index (HBGI). Apartment construction far outpaced single-family building in all regional geographies but especially in lower density markets1. Low rental vacancy rates and rising rents gave multifamily developers confidence to continue… Read More ›
Single-family starts declined further in May, as higher interest rates weighed on housing affordability. This follows a sixth straight monthly decline for the NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI. Additionally, the cost and availability of materials, lumber, labor and lots remain key supply-side headwinds. Single-family permits decreased 5.5% to a 1.05 million unit rate in May. Despite declines for housing affordability, a lack… Read More ›
