Tag Archives: Housing Supply

One real estate consulting firm has noticed a substantial divide between housing starts and completions and points to labor as the major factor.

The gap between the listing price and closing price of an average home sold continued to narrow last year as market conditions gave the advantage to sellers.

According to the NAR, the depleting share of lower-priced homes is contributing to price growth as distressed sales--foreclosures and short sales--diminish. The association found the national median price for an existing single-family home rose to $178,900 in Q4, up 10 percent from the fourth quarter of 2011. The increase marks the biggest year-over-year gain since the fourth quarter of 2005, when the median price was up 13.6 percent. Existing-home sales improved as well in Q4, rising to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.90 million.

While some take it as a good sign that housing starts are again on the rise and construction is making a small comeback, some might cautiously wonder if the market is ready to handle an increase in construction and if we aren't headed for a repeat of the overbuilding that contributed to the past housing boom and bust. The Census Bureau reports new home sales have risen 9 percent over the past year, while housing starts have risen by a much higher 37 percent. However, Capital Economics insists the imbalance is actually not unusual.