The number of housing markets considered "improving" according to parameters established by the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI) surged by 76 to a total of 201 metros in December, according to IMI data released recently.
NAHB will host a free webinar featuring NAHB CEO Jerry Howard, Chief Economist David Crowe and Chief Lobbyist Jim Tobin for a post-election assessment of the political landscape and an economic forecast for the coming year
Sales of newly built, single-family homes in October held virtually unchanged from a downwardly revised pace in the previous month, at a seasonally adjusted, annual rate of 368,000 units, according to figures released by HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau recently.
Nationwide housing production rose 3.6 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 894,000 units, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.
Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes posted a solid, five-point gain to 46 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for November, released recently.
Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla., recently issued the following statement on the latest actuarial review of the FHA mutual mortgage insurance fund:
"In light of the recent report, there will certainly be a discussion about altering the structure or role of the FHA. We would urge policymakers to proceed cautiously."
The missing piece of the economic puzzle, the one thing that has made this recovery so much weaker than previous ones, may finally be falling into place: The housing market appears to be in a sustained recovery from what can only be called a depression.
Lower interest rates helped make homes more affordable to median-income families even as house prices continued to inch up in metro areas across the country in the third quarter, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), released recently.
Builder confidence in the 55+ housing market for single-family homes showed significant improvement in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the same period a year ago, according to the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) latest 55+ Housing Market Index (HMI) released recently.
