After a doom-and-gloom June, confidence rose slightly among U.S. home builders in July, according to a report released today by the National Association of Home Builders. The Housing Market Index, which gauges builder perception of the single-family market, rose 2 points to 15, but remains far below 50, the number indicating a positive outlook.

The index has hovered between 13 and 17 in every month since June 2010, and last exceeded 50 in April 2006. Bob Nielsen, chairman of the association, attributed another month of low confidence levels among home builders to the competition from low-priced foreclosed properties, inaccurate appraisals of new homes and the restrictive lending environment. – Adam Fusfeld [more]

Slumping prices of existing houses and rising material costs pushed the confidence of builders constructing new single-family homes nationwide down to its lowest level since September 2010, according to the National Association of Home Builders. In a report released today, the organization found that the confidence level was 13, where any number greater than 50 indicates more builders view conditions positively. The report also measured 2-point drops in its gauge of current sales conditions (13) and traffic of prospective buyers (12). The numbers are derived from a survey that asks builders to rate the single-family home sales market, and their expectations over the next six months. The northeast was the only region to post gains in its confidence score, as it rose 2 points to 17. TRD

Confidence in the housing market amongst builders fell in April, according to the latest data from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo. Builders’ confidence had risen 1 point in March after four straight months of holding steady, but last month returned to its original, lower level, the NAHB said today. Builders of new, single-family homes are seeing a slow start to the spring home buying season, the trade organization said: there’s more traffic, but buyers are still wary of the strength of the recovery. TRD [more]

You may have seen reports that the federal government is proposing new mortgage finance rules under which only home purchasers who can afford a minimum 20 percent down payment on a conventional loan would get a shot at the best available interest rates and terms.

That is correct, and it’s deeply sobering news for large numbers of first-time and moderate-income buyers who can’t come up with that much cash or afford to pay higher rates.

But some of the other requirements that federal agencies and the Obama administration are proposing in the same plan have gotten much less attention, yet could prove just as troublesome for consumers: [more]

Home builder confidence for newly built single family homes remained unchanged in December from the previous month, according to a report released today by the National Association of Home Builders. “Builders are bracing themselves for a slow holiday season as a number of factors continue to cause uncertainty among consumers and builders alike,” said Bob Jones, chairman of NAHB. Some of those factors are the cold weather, challenging credit conditions and the rising number of foreclosures and short sales, Jones said. TRD [more]

Home builders grew slightly more optimistic about the current market for new single-family homes this month, according to the latest survey from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo. The monthly survey’s index — on which anything above 50 indicates a positive outlook — notched up one point from a month earlier, to 16 in November. Meanwhile, the index measuring builders’ future market expectations rose two points over October, to 25. That’s its highest level since the surge from the homebuyer tax credit during the spring. TRD [more]

The number of homeowners remodeling their properties continued to decline in the third quarter, according to a new survey from the National Association of Home Buildings. The group’s remodeling market index — on which any score below 50 signals that more industry professionals believe remodeling activity is dropping than those who believe it is increasing — remained flat with a score of just under 41 points. The index hasn’t been above the 50-point threshold since the end of 2005. “The remodeling market hit the same mid-year stall that the rest of the housing market and the economy hit,” said David Crowe, chief economist for the NAHB. “Remodeling continues to remain weak as consumers hold off on investing in their home until they feel more confident about the overall economy.” TRD

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The younger set may be benefitting more from mortgage-related tax deductions, according to a report from the National Association of Home Builders. Because younger households tend to have more housing-related debt and lower incomes, the NAHB says they take advantage of mortgage interest tax deductions more often than their older counterparts. The report also shows that among the taxpayers who claimed a mortgage insurance-related deduction, 59 percent were under 45 years old. “Opponents [of mortgage-related tax deductions] falsely argue that the deduction is only for the wealthy but it is clear that the mortgage interest deduction is also of great value to younger homeowners,” said Robert Dietz, an assistant vice president with NAHB. TRD

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Home builders are showing slightly more optimism this month, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ index of builder confidence, although industry sentiment still remains comparatively low. The rating, which measures data in the middle of each month, climbed to 19, up from a rating of 15 during March. Industry experts believe this increase in confidence is due in part to the impending first-time homebuyer tax credit, which may be spurring more home sales. Despite this uptick in confidence, however, a rating of less than 50 indicates poor industry sentiment, according to the NAHB.

With the Fed’s mortgage-buyup initiative over and the first-time homebuyer tax credit deadline looming, concerns abound over how the housing market will transition off of federal life support. Jerry Howard, head of the National Association of Home Builders, told the Wall Street Journal that he’s optimistic that we’ve hit bottom and that a double-dip housing recession is unlikely. “So far we’re seeing signs of stability,” Howard said. “I haven’t seen anything empirical that makes me think we’re going to go into a double-dip.” He did, however, concede that the end of the upcoming summer buying season will be a better time to gauge market strength and that it remains to be seen how the tax credit expiration will affect the industry.