According to Q4 2020 data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Quarterly Starts and Completion by Purpose and Design and analysis provide by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), new home sizes did level off in 2020 after years of decline. This was driven by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and home buyers’ need for additional space as people use their homes for more purposes.
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January Housing Market Remains Red Hot with Double-Digit Increases in Home Sales and Prices
Redfin, the Seattle-based technology-powered real estate brokerage is reporting that the national medium home-sale price rose 14% year-over-year to $ 330,500 in January.
The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index Increases in January 2021
The Conference Board, which was founded in 1916 as a non-partisan, not-for-profit think tank, today (2-22-21) released their January 2021, Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. According to the release, the LEI, which is based on ten separate components, increased 0.5% in January 2021 to a reading of 110.3 (2016=100), following a 0.4% increase in December 2020 and 0.9% increase in November 2020.
Canadian Confidence Index Reaches 16-Month High in February 2020
The Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index (CFI), which measures Canadian household sentiment on subjects such as job security, personal finances and their outlook for both the economy and real estate prices, jumped last week to the highest since October 2019.
Existing-Homes Sales Climb Higher in January 2021 – Up Year-Over-Year by 23.7%
The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) reported that total existing home sales, completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops, increased 0.6% from December 2020 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.69 million in January 2021.
Builders and Developers Experience Lower Interest Rates and Improved Credit Conditions in Q4 2020
The lower mortgage interest rates that home buyers have been enjoying at the end of 2020, have finally made their way to builders and developers, who are now experiencing lower interest rates and improved credit conditions.
Year-Over-Year Construction Starts on Single-Family Homes Built for Rent Increase by 50% in Q4 2020
A deeper look into the U.S. Census Bureau’s Quarterly Starts and Completion by Purpose and Design, conducted by the National Association of Home Builders reveals that the number of single family-homes built for rent (SFBFR) construction starts posted a year-over-year increase in Q4 of 2020.
30-Year Mortgage Rate Moves to its Highest Level Since Mid-November in Week Ending February 18, 2021
The PMMS reports that 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.81% with an average 0.7 point, up from last week when it averaged 2.73%.
Weekly Jobless Claims Increase in the Week Ending February 13, 2021
The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting that an additional 861,000 Americans made their initial filing for unemployment benefits during the week ending on Saturday February 13, 2021 — an increase of 13,000 from the previous week’s revised level.
Associated Building Contractors Reports Construction Input Prices Increased 2.5% in January
A closer look at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index (PPI) data for January, provided by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), reveals that residential construction input prices increased 2.5% in January over December 2020. Year-over-year residential input prices increased 4.8%.