A lack of existing inventory that continues to drive buyers to new home construction, coupled with strong demand and mortgage rates below last fall’s cycle peak, helped push builder sentiment above a key marker in March. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes climbed three points to 51 in March, according to…

More than 135 single-family, multifamily, interior design, remodeling and community projects were honored last week at the 2023 Best in American Living Awards (BALA) ceremony during the 2024 International Builders’ Show, hosted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in Las Vegas. The awards are sponsored by Smeg, and the media partner is Professional Builder. Judges awarded seven Best in Region, five Of the Year homes and projects, and a Wow! Award. These front-runners represent the nation’s best in home…

Over the first month of 2024, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 75,906. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is an increase of 43.1% over the January 2023 level of 53,062. Year-to-date ending in January, single-family permits were up in all four regions. The range of permit increase spanned 67.0%…

The Best in American Living Awards (BALA) is the building industry’s premier residential design awards program. Celebrating its 40th year of highlighting the value and importance of good home design, BALA spotlights the most creative and talented building industry professionals who have redefined design excellence for homes and communities nationally and internationally. The ceremony included the induction of the Best in American Living Hall of Fame’s class of 2023. Following in the footsteps of recognized industry leaders, the newest inductees have demonstrated their…

“For the past four decades, BALA has been the building industry’s premier residential design awards program, honoring the value and importance of good home and community design,” said Seth Hart with DTJ Design in Boulder, Colo., and NAHB’s 2023 Judging Chair. “We are thrilled to honor this year’s winning companies and individuals, recognizing their creativity, innovation and ingenuity.” There were 135 Platinum, Gold and Silver award winners, along with seven best in region winners and a WOW award winner. Special…

Inputs to residential construction, goods less food and energy, increased for the fourth consecutive month to a new high, according to the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI) report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index for inputs to residential construction, goods less food and energy, represents building materials used in residential…

According to the Federal Reserve’s G.19 Consumer Credit Report, student loans in the fourth quarter of 2023 totaled $1.73 trillion (non-seasonally adjusted), reflecting a decrease of 2.1% over the year and following an annual decrease of 1.7% in the previous quarter. The third quarter of 2023 marked the first year-over-year decrease for student loan debt…

According to the 2023 fourth quarter release of the Federal Reserve Z.1 Financial Accounts of the United States , the market value of household real estate assets fell from $45.21 trillion to $44.84 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2023. Over the year, household real estate assets were 5.28% higher. Between the third and fourth…

As examined in a previous post, homeownership plays an integral role in a household’s accumulation of wealth. This article further discusses the role of homeownership and examines the difference between homeowner and renter household balance sheets across assets, debt, and net worth. Households who own a primary residence (homeowners) build primary residence equity, while renters…

Consumer prices in February saw another uptick, primarily fueled by the increases in shelter and gasoline prices, which contributed to over 60% of the total increase. Despite a slowdown in the year-over-year increase, shelter costs continue to put upward pressure on inflation, accounting for roughly two-thirds of the total increase in all items excluding food…