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  • Remodeling Expenditures Drop
    Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies says the estimated recent growth of homeowner remodeling spending has eased substantially but still remains near its long-term rate of 5 percent.
  • Rental Set to Rebound
     
  • Economic Outlook: Investors' Retreat Clouds Housing's Future
    The home sales slump had to happen eventually. Nervous builders across the country are asking: How long will this slowdown last? How bad will it get? The answer depends on the characteristics of your local market.
  • Indices Finish Quarter in the Black
    Despite rising oil prices and a drop in consumer spending and income, indices closed in positive terrain for the month ending March 31, 2006. The Builders' Index added 12.32 points, or 0.98 percent, to end March at 1264.97.
  • Proactive Solutions: New Tax Credits for 2006
    As the 2005 tax season wraps up, keep in mind next year's new tax credit for new homes qualifying as energy efficient. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT), signed by President Bush in August 2005, outlines new Federal tax credits for consumers and businesses pursuing energy efficient usage. Home builders can claim EPACT tax credits up to $2,000 for the construction of a qualified new energy-efficient home.
  • The Comeback Trail
    This month, we feature two markets that have strong job growth and excellent affordability: Austin and Salt Lake. Both markets are experiencing job growth in almost every sector of the economy (see chart included) and both markets have experienced very little price appreciation this decade.
  • NAR Affordability Index Raises Questions
    Experts consider housing affordability a primary driver of housing demand. If a buyer's income rises and mortgage rates and/or house prices decline, chances are homes are going to sell like hotcakes...right? Maybe not. The National Association of Realtors' Housing Affordability Index estimates the percentage of a house that a household earning median income can afford.
  • The Art of Benchmarking
    With no financial benchmarks, small volume builders often repeat the same mistakes. Here are tips for targeting a bigger profit, without selling out.
  • Ideal Homes Spins Gold from Local MLS Data
    Builders can obtain demographics and other economic data from various government and private sources. However, some builders have their own ideas for getting a better read of their marketplace. In addition to tracking real estate deals to uncover emerging trends, builders in some markets have shown the local Multiple Listing Service can be a powerful tool for demand analysis.
  • Detail Work
    History credits the famous architect Le Corbusier with the phrase "God is in the details." He was offering a more positive affirmation of the old proverb, "The devil is in the details." While I generally have a positive attitude, I believe custom builders are going to find this year that the devil really is in the details.
  • Indices Slide into Negative Terrain
    Some negative news including predictions of a sustained decline in the housing market in 2006 slowed the markets in December. The anticipated so-called Santa Claus rally never materialized, but other factors such as soaring consumer confidence numbers for December left investors scratching their heads.
  • Reading the Tides
    Whoever said a rising tide lifts all boats didn't know boats. All boats, like all building companies, fare very differently in the same conditions. No two voyages are exactly the same. Even with the best captain and an experienced crew, navigating rough seas and storms takes a blend of technical know-how and sheer brass.
  • The (Tax) Reformists
    Every consumer press story at the moment seems to be about a slowdown in the housing industry (and don't you want them to shut up with their self-fulfilling prophecies?), the last thing we want to hear out of Washington is that a presidential panel on tax reform is recommending we submarine a housing tradition since 1913 — the home-mortgage tax deduction.
  • Manufacturers Up, Builders Down
    A Halloween rally wasn't enough to bring the major indices into positive terrain for the session ending October 31, 2005. Consumer spending rose 0.5 percent after a drop in the previous month. The Commerce Department also reported a 3.8 percent gain in the gross domestic product for the July through September quarter, growing more than expected in the wake of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
  • Reports of California's Demise are Overblown
    Giant Market: San Diego After unprecedented levels of price appreciation, the San Diego market has returned to normal market conditions. Three factors have contributed to the softening of the market: While some overpriced situations exist, market demand and supply is largely in balance. The 19,400 jobs created in the last 12 months exceed construction levels by 23 percent, which is a healthy de...

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