Single-family home builder confidence soared five points in May to its highest level in exactly five years, according to today’s National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. After briefly stumbling in April for the first time in seven months, the index continued its steady climb reaching 29. (April’s initial report of 25 was downwardly revised to 24.) [more]

U.S. housing starts swooned in March, thanks to a decline in multi-family construction, according to data the U.S. Commerce Department released today. New construction last month was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 654,000, 5.8 percent less than February, but 10.3 percent greater than a year ago in March. Multi-family housing starts plummeted 19.8 percent between February and March, while single-family new construction slipped just 0.2 percent over that time. [more]

Sales of new homes in January decreased from a December crescendo, but remained far above last year’s levels, according to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Twenty-two thousand new homes were sold in January, for a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 321,000, 0.9 percent less than the adjusted rate from December, but 3.5 percent greater than the rate in January 2011. [more]

A new construction home

Builder confidence in construction for new single-family homes nationwide has doubled since last September, according to numbers released by the association today. In February, the National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index rose to 29 from 25 month-over-month. The index measures buyers’ expectations for the market in the next six months. [more]

The number of new home started nationwide in December fell 4.1 percent from November, according to construction data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Still, builders are optimistic following the release because housing starts on single-family homes rose 4.4 percent from the previous month. [more]

Home builder confidence rose to its highest level since before Lehman’s collapse, according to the National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index, released today. The renewed sense of confidence isn’t purely a result of the new year — in fact builder confidence has increased for four consecutive months. [more]

National builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes increased by 2 points to 21 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index for December, released today, marking a third consecutive month in which builder confidence has improved. Confidence was higher than it has been since May 2010, according to the report.

Despite overall gains in confidence however, confidence dropped in Northeast, slipping by one point to 15. Gains were primarily made in the South in December, where a 4-point gain to 25 brought that region’s Housing Market Index score to its highest level since March of 2008. A 1-point gain to 16 was registered in the West, while the Midwest was unchanged at 24. – Katherine Clarke [more]

The bi-partisan proposal in Congress last week to hike fees charged by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is a “short-sighted,” “counterproductive” threat to the fragile housing recovery and not how the funds were intended to be used, Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders and a home builder with Reno-based Shelter Properties, said in a statement today.

The proposal would raise the guarantee fees charged by Fannie and Freddie each time a mortgage is originated. As Fannie and Freddie re-package and sell securitized loans to investors, those fees cover the risk that borrowers will default.

“Congress is tampering with g-fees and needlessly raising the cost of buying a home,” Nielsen said. “This will jeopardize the tenuous rebound and is the last thing this economy needs.” – Guelda Voien [more]

Nationwide housing starts dropped by 5 percent in August to 571,000 units from a month previous, according to figures released today by the U.S. Commerce Department. The decline was primarily related to multi-family properties, the report notes, with single-family housing production declining by only 1.4 percent.

“At this point, most builders are only looking to replenish their depleted inventories of new homes for sale, but otherwise holding off on new projects,” said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders. “While we would like to get more crews back on the job, we need to see solid improvement in consumer demand, greater access to credit for both builders and buyers, and a reduction in the number of foreclosed properties on the market before we can ramp up new production.”
– Katherine Clarke [more]

Following a slight uptick in July, builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes remained unchanged in August, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ Housing Market Index, released today. In a survey of builder perceptions for home sales expectations over the next six months, where any number greater than 50 means more builders view conditions as good than poor, the index remained at 15. It has stood between 13 and 17 in each month since June 2010.

Continued competition from foreclosed homes on the market, inaccurate appraisals, tight credit and an especially uncertain economic climate contributed to another month of dismal confidence, Bob Nielsen, chairman of NAHB, said.
– Adam Fusfeld [more]