Housing inventory

The development is the latest in an ongoing series of initiatives the Department of Housing and Urban Development has introduced to encourage growth of the factory-built construction segment.

Developers "need those cuts badly" because many projects are financed at floating rates, Jorge Perez, founder and chief executive officer of Related Group, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television.

Housing starts decreased 3.1% last month to a 1.31 million annualized rate, reflecting a steep decline in the South, according to government data released Tuesday.

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders advanced to a seven-month high in November on a jump in sales expectations and optimism a Trump administration will ease regulatory burdens.

Residential construction companies facing their own construction cost burdens are continuing sales incentives that have cut into some of the largest players' profit margins.

The National Association of Homebuilder's chief economist lays out a timeline for the market, and describes how new construction today compares to existing home sales.

The affordability crisis has moved to the center of national politics, posing complicated challenges for both Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump as they try to woo voters in battleground states with promises to address housing costs.

Housing starts decreased 0.5% last month to a 1.35 million annualized rate, according to government data released Friday, after a big rebound in August.

A measure of housing market conditions from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo increased for a second straight month in October.

The share of homes constructed in community associations rose for the first time in three years in 2023, the National Association of Home Builders reported.

Despite rising consumer confidence in the housing market, declining mortgage rates, alone, don't seem to be able to lure home buyers in, two new reports find.

Buyers aren't necessarily responding to greater inventory and lower mortgage rates.

New single-family home sales decreased 4.7% last month to an annualized rate of 716,000 after rising at the fastest pace since early 2022, government data showed Wednesday.

Residential markets are set to gain momentum again with prices rising over the next few quarters as rising rents in cities support demand, according to Holzhey. 

U.S. housing starts bounced back in August after tumbling a month earlier, illustrating uneven residential construction as builders weigh inventory levels against brighter demand prospects tied to falling borrowing costs.

Confidence among U.S. home builders rose in September for the first time in six months, just before the Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates from the current two-decade high.

Asked about inflation risks ahead, she pointed to the impact of housing on the consumer price index, describing it as the "stickiest piece." Stripping out housing, the U.S. consumer price index is only rising about 1.8%, she said.

Homeownership affordability reached its lowest since at least 2006 in October, and still hovers near that level, according to an index from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Subsidies for first-time homebuyers, such as the one proposed by Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, will only stoke demand and exacerbate the crisis, writes the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

While listings are ticking up, house hunters are still struggling to find affordable properties. But thanks to high mortgage rates, there aren't enough buyers in the market to create the level of competition that would drive prices up more significantly.