Builder sentiment in the market for newly built homes rose in April for the fourth straight month, as the supply of existing homes for sale remains scarce.
Privately owned housing starts in February came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,450,000. This is 9.8 percent above the revised January estimate of 1,321,000, a much bigger jump than the expected 0.1 percent increase.
The NAHB index rose two points to 44 in March, according to a Wednesday press release. The mild rise in homebuilder confidence exceeded economists’ expectations; a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) poll of economists believed the index would drop to 40. The NAHB’s March score is the highest reading since September 2022.
Before we dig into this morning’s new home sales data, we note that both homebuilders and homebuyers have seen a rebound in confidence this year (even though the latter remains near extreme lows as one would expect)…
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that the US housing market is likely to suffer a reversal in the wake of policy makers’ interest-rate hikes.
Following yesterday’s 9th straight monthly decline in US homebuilder sentiment – the longest losing streak since 2014 – this morning’s housing starts and permits data will be watched like a hawk (the former expected to see a small bounce MoM and the latter – more forward-looking – a big tumble MoM).
More builders are lowering prices for homes as their confidence in the market continues to tumble. Homebuilder sentiment in September fell 3 points to 46 in the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. Anything below 50 is considered negative.
Rent prices in the U.S. are rising at the fastest pace in decades, slamming U.S. households across the country, according to data from the Bank of America Institute.
A high share of home sellers dropped their asking price in July, particularly in pandemic boomtowns, as they struggled to match their expectations with the reality of the cooling housing market.
The housing market is slowing as higher mortgage rates sideline many prospective homebuyers. With competition declining, the house hunters who are still in the market are enjoying newfound bargaining power, a striking contrast from just a few months ago, when buyers often had to pull out every stop in order to win.