New Home Sales

Single-Family Permits Flat In October As Housing Starts Jump

Single-family permits fell flat in October. That's the news from today's Census numbers on October construction starts and permits. The unadjusted single-family permits data show 60,500 new single family permits for October 2016, virtually unchanged from last year's 60,300 print. Headline numbers for housing starts show a huge 23.3 percent YoY increase, and a 21.7 percent increase in single-family starts during October. Not seasonally adjusted, single-family starts rose almost 25 percent year-over-year. It certainly appears we will see more new home sales revisions in the months ahead. If homebuilders actually did put more inventory on [...]

New Home Sales Decline From Summer Peak, Median Price Lowest Of 2016

The Census Bureau reported a 7.6 percent decline for new home sales compared the election-year surprise we saw for July. Compared to August of last year, new home sales were still 20.6 percent higher than last year. It appears super low mortgage rates continued to provide some lift to the new home market. What did not rise in the latest Census report is the median price of a new home contracted in August. The median price of a new home fell to $284,000, down from $300,200 last year. The average price of a new home [...]

Census: New Home Sales In June Rise To Highest Level Since 2008

The Census Bureau reported new residential sales for June that came in at a rate of 592,000 (SAAR). This was above expectations, and a continued indicator that the Fed's juicing of the market continues to provide a boost to new residential construction. The latest report shows that new home sales in June were 25.4 percent higher than last year. New home prices were also higher. The median price of a new home sold (contracted) in June was $306,700 and the average price was $358,200. This was a good report for new home sales, but it [...]

New Home Sales Decline To 511,000 Annual Rate In March

The Census Bureau reported that new home sales for March declined to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 511,000. This was below expectations of 522,000, but higher than March of last year. The median price of a new home contracted in March was $288,000, a YoY decline of $5,400. The average price of a new home contracted in March was $356,200, $3,500 more than March of 2015. New home sales have remained grounded as the Fed's "wealth effect" continues to diminish within the real economy. New home sales are still hovering around 1991 levels, due [...]

Census: Housing Starts, Permits Decline In March

It appears the 2016 "pent-up demand" story didn't last very long. The Census Bureau just reported that housing starts and permits both fell during March. What is interesting is that single-family starts fell 9.2 percent from revised February numbers, posting at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 764,000 units. Single-family authorizations fell 1.2 percent from February figures.  Housing starts and permits are higher year-over-year, but much of the increase in activity is due to lenders "expanding the credit box", not necessarily from increased demand in general. The mortgage industry realizes that many buyers cannot afford today's [...]

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