Housing Permits

Single-Family Housing Permits & Starts Still Stagnating

The Census Bureau reported permits and starts numbers for May which were less than impressive. While permits were up from revised April figures, they were still lower than levels seen last year. Single-family permits (one unit structures) were down 3.3 percent from the same time a year ago. The sluggish numbers for housing permits and starts in May is a bit surprising to some of the experts considering the recent plunge in mortgage interest rates. Unfortunately there is more to the demand for new homes than just ultra low interest rates. Housing starts in May [...]

Home Builder Confidence Not Confirmed By Housing Starts & Permits Data

This week the National Association of Home Builders reported improved confidence and business conditions among new home builders. With the big drop in mortgage interest rates, builders have been enjoying solid sales so far in 2019. NAHB chairman, Greg Ugalde, even said as much... “Builders are busy catching up after a wet winter and many characterize sales as solid, driven by improved demand and ongoing low overall supply...However, affordability challenges persist and remain a big impediment to stronger sales.” With mortgage rates just above 4 percent, the year-over-year interest rate comparisons are very favorable for [...]

Existing Home Sales Soften As New Home Permits Stall

Today the National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales for August came in flat from last month, actually down about 1.5% from this time last year. The median price of an existing home sold in the U.S. during the month of August posted at $264,800, a rise of 4.6 percent year-over-year and the 78th consecutive month of year-over-year price gains. According to NAR chief economist, Lawrence Yun, "homes continue to fly off the shelves" with most properties selling within a month. The supply of existing homes in the United States rose to 4.3 [...]

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 [...]

Census: Housing Starts, Permits Stall In January As Economic Backdrop Weakens

The Census Bureau reported that January housing starts and permits fell from downward-revised December numbers. Housing starts posted at a 1,099,000 annual rate in January, down from December's rate of 1,143,000. Housing permits also fell in January, posting at a rate of 1,202,00. Single-family housing completions in January came in at a rate of 693,000, down from December's rate of 703,000. Despite higher year-over-year mortgage purchase applications, new home construction is still struggling in the Fed's echo-bubble of inflated asset prices. This is why you see more advertisements of low-down-payment purchase options and even zero-down [...]

By |2019-02-06T01:46:50+00:00February 17th, 2016|Development, Economy, Real Estate|0 Comments
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