Residential starts made a comeback last month after severe winter weather slowed builders down.
Residential home construction increased by 10.7% in February to a 1.52 million annualized rate, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the largest increase since May, and well above Bloomberg estimates of a 1.44 million pace.
Both single-family and multifamily construction increased, with multifamily starts in particular rising 8.3% after a significant dip.
Permit applications also performed well, soaring to 1.52 million, the fastest rate since August. They offer an indication of future construction.
Builders are feeling optimistic as mortgage rates stabilize, enticing buyers off the sidelines.
Existing inventory remains constrained, making new construction a hot commodity for buyers.
“With the Federal Reserve…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS Leaders at Guild Mortgage have partnered with the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals as part of their commitment to diversity and inclusion. The association is dedicated to advancing sustainable homeownership for the Hispanic community in America with a network of over 40,000 professional members and 100 local chapters nationwide. Jorge Montoya, a branch manager at Guild in Reno, Nevada, recently sat down with The Mortgage Note. He said the key to improving Hispanic home ownership is education. “We’ve really focused on educating the Latino clientele about it’s not just getting a mortgage, but it’s getting a mortgage with a plan, and what is that plan? Is this going to be a forever plan? Is this…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS This Labor Day weekend, some workers are wondering what happened to the American Dream of earning enough from a nine-to-five job to buy their own home — with or without the white picket fence. According to officials at the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the median sales price of a new home in July 2022 was $439,400. The thumbnail measurement for home affordability is a house that costs roughly 2.6 years of your household income, or a 2.6 “price-to-income ratio.” Using the 2.6 price-to-income ratio, your household’s earners would need to bring in $169,000 a year to be able to afford a new home. That is higher than most U.S.…
