The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly issued new residential construction statistics for August 2023 and the numbers point to a drop in both building permits and housing starts compared to this time last year. The numbers were down 2.7% and 14.8% respectively. Building permits, the report noted, […]

The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) has reported that, after steadily rising for seven consecutive months, builder confidence fell for the first time this year in August. The association points to rising mortgage rates that, according to Freddie Mac, are nearing 7%, along with “stubbornly high” shelter inflation, as having eroded housing affordability and put […]

The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) credits demand for new homes, thanks to low existing inventory, for the increase in builder confidence in the month of July. The increase comes even as mortgage rates rise, construction costs remain elevated and limited lot availability haunts the industry. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) shows builder […]

A report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that single-family starts rose to an 11-month high in May. In reporting on the change, the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) attributes an increase to limited existing inventory combined with solid demand and improving supply chains. According […]

The Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) held its annual Spring Meeting and Legislative Conference recently, where it hosted key government officials and elected new leadership for its board of directors. The conference featured members of Congress and representatives from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Migrant Policy Institute and the National Association of Homebuilders […]

Mortgage rates were a contributing factor that helped provide “solid” gains in builder confidence for the second consecutive month, said officials for the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB). NAHB views recent improvement as a signal that the housing market may be turning a corner, officials said, even as builders continue to contend with high construction […]

Earlier this month the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) confirmed what some commercial media outlets have reported recently: builders are increasingly reducing prices and offering special sales incentives. It’s not a new tactic, and while it’s been used before, the NAHB reports that those measures currently are not being used at the same rate at […]

On Oct. 13, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a rule change in its process for classifying workers as employees versus independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The proposed rule would use a six-factor “economic reality test” to to determine whether a worker is economically dependent on the employer or in […]

An initiative of Builders Mutual, with the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) and the Job-Site Safety Institute as partners, the third annual Guardrail Safety Week runs Oct. 17-21. The week is a public awareness campaign on the effectiveness of properly installed guardrails to prevent fall injuries during the homebuilding process. The campaign focuses on the […]

According to the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released this week, builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes fell three points in September to 46—marking nine consecutive months of decline. Aside from the spring of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic stalled nearly everything in the U.S., the […]