According to the latest What Home Buyers Really Want Study*,  home buyers have rather diverse preferences when it comes to the architectural style of their home.  In fact, there is no national consensus on exterior design.  At best, a plurality of 34% would prefer to purchase a ‘traditional’ home (rooted in historic styles), while a…

The two most wanted features in a home are a laundry room and a patio, according to NAHB’s latest study on buyer preferences—What Home Buyers Really Want Study*.  Buyers in the study were given a list of 200+ features of the home and the community and asked to rate each one on a consistent scale…

Due to tightened monetary policy, the count of total job openings for the entire economy has trended lower over the last year. This is consistent with a cooling economy that is a positive sign for future inflation readings. However, the number of open jobs for the aggregate economy was relatively unchanged in February per the…

NAHB analysis of Census data shows that private residential construction spending rose 0.7% in February, the third month of gains in a row. It stood at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of $901.1 billion. The monthly increase in total construction spending is attributed to more single-family construction and improvements. Spending on single-family construction rose 1.4%…

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 49 states and the District of Columbia in 2023 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Delaware is the only state to report an economic contraction last year. The percent change in real GDP ranged from a 5.9 percent increase in North Dakota to a 1.2 percent…

The Census Bureau’s Quarterly Summary of State & Local Tax Revenue shows a 1.3% increase in property taxes paid, rising from $769.2 to $778.9 billion (SA, trailing four quarter sum) in the fourth quarter of 2023. Total annual state & local tax revenue was $2.039 trillion, also 1.3% higher than 2022. The 1.3% quarterly increase…