Tag Archives: Housing Starts

In what might seem contrary to reduced figures on existing-homes for sale for August, the most recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau on housing start for the month points toward optimism in the housing market.

The construction industry is lagging behind despite home prices being close to pre-recession peaks. Homebuilders say labor shortage is to blame, but income for workers hasn’t changed since 2006. If they increase wages, then home prices would go beyond buyers reach. So what can be done?

Though housing starts increased for the month of June, concerns regarding the housing shortage and construction employment remain. What needs to be done to address the current state of housing?

It’s a part of the American Dream to become a homeowner, but which markets will turn the perfect home-buying fantasy into a reality?

This week, the U.S. Census Bureau in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will release its monthly report on new residential construction for the month of June. See if this is beginning of an emerging trend, and what else you can expect in the week ahead.

It’s now the third month straight that U.S. homebuilding has fell—considering the U.S. is currently in a housing shortage, this isn’t good news. According to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau, this is the lowest level housing starts have been at in eight months. The biggest drop in housing starts was in the South and Midwest, while the West slightly rose and Northeast stayed stagnant.

Next Friday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development will release their May New Residential Construction Activity report. Last month, new privately owned residential construction permits fell 2.5 percent, from 1,260,000 to 1,229,00. You can see more on this plus what’s to come next week in The Week Ahead.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development along with the U.S. Census Bureau released their April New Residential Construction Activity Report on Tuesday. Year-over-year, Permits, Starts and Completions increased 5.7 percent, barely increased 0.7 percent and increased 15.1 percent respectively. However, number shave fallen month-over-month.

According to one expert, the rise in housing permits will greatly benefit "inventory-constrained homebuyers."

Even with the increase, and the best year for housing starts in nearly a decade, more is needed in order to overcome the ongoing shortage of available homes for sale, according to one economist.