According to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) analysis of government data, construction employment decreased in 39 states year-over-year (YOY) between August 2019 and August 2020.
News in end use
Homeowners Gain Equity in Q2 of 2020, Despite COVID-19 Pandemic
According to a new report from CoreLogic, Inc., the Irvine California based corporation that provides financial, property, and consumer information analytics and business intelligence, homeowners are gaining wealth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Consumer Sentiment Rises to Six-Month High
According to the University of Michigan’s preliminary Sentiment Index for September, U.S. consumer sentiment increased more than expected reaching a six-month high as more Americans were upbeat about the economy’s prospects.
Study Examines COVID-19 Pandemics Impact on Homeowners Vs. Renters
A recently released report from Clever Real Estate sought to discover the impact of COVID-19 on homeowners vs. renters. The report found that COVID-19 pandemic has and continues to cause housing payment – owned or rented – delinquencies.
FEA’s Weekly Order Survey Participants Report Season Sales Volumes
Dealers who responded to this week’s Builder Activity Survey continue to report that their sales volumes are close to seasonal norms. Participants along the Gulf Coast, who are dealing with flooding rains and in the West where wildfires continue to burn, are somewhat less enthusiastic than participants in other areas of the country.
Mortgage Rates Creep Higher in Week Ending September 24th, 2020
Freddie Mac has released its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) for the week ending September 24th, 2020. The PMMS shows that 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.90% with an average 0.8 point, up from last week when it averaged 2.87%.
New Home Sales Increase 4.8% in August
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that the sales of new single-family houses in August 2020 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,011,000. This is 4.8% above the revised July rate of 965,000 and is 43.2% above the August 2019 estimate of 706,000.
Weekly Jobless Claims Inch Higher for the Week Ending September 19th, 2020
The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting that an additional 870,000 Americans made their initial filing for unemployment benefits during the week ending on Saturday, September 19th. An increase of 4,000 from the previous week’s revised level.
U.S. Home Prices Increase in July 2020
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Home Price Index (HPI) reports that U.S. house prices rose 6.5% from July 2019 to July 2020 and were up 1% for the month.
Mortgage Banker Associations Reports The Share of Mortgage Loans in Forbearance Drops to 6.3% for Week Ending September 13th, 2020
The latest Mortgage Banker Association’s Forbearance and Call Survey reports that the total number of loans in forbearance decreased by 9 basis points from 7.01% of servicers’ portfolio volume in the prior week to 6.93% as of September 13th, 2020.