Sales of newly built single-family homes rose 18.9 percent last month, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. This represented the highest sales rate since October 2007, with a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667,000 units, after an upwardly revised August reading. Compared to last year, new-home sales are 8.6 percent above their level during the same period in 2016."New-home sal
As homeowners gain more equity, they are expected to continue heavily investing in home improvement projects and repairs through the third quarter of 2018, according to the latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity report released by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The LIRA index projects annual gains in home renovation and repair spending of 6.3 percent for the fourth quarter of 2017 and up to 7.7 percent by
The preferences of baby boomers and millennials are reshaping multifamily homes in urban areas, but the two generations don’t always agree on what they want in a home, posing challenges for developers who are striving to meet both groups’ needs. Buyers from both generations are sparking greater demand for condos, as baby boomers downsize and millennials look to purchase a starter property.Overall, both generations show a greater desire for sm
Projections for next year’s housing market are already underway, as 2018 could be seeing significantly more home renovations and repairs taking place.A report released today from the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University predicts a growing momentum in 2018 for money spent on remodeling homes. The Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity finds annual gains in home renovation spending will surge
Homeowners who have embraced the “tiny home” lifestyle are discovering that it’s not so easy to find a place to put their property. Many tiny houses—usually considered to be between 100 and 400 square feet—are built on trailers with wheels so they can be towed, but zoning regulations in many cities don’t allow for temporary structures such as RVs or other movable homes. These laws also frequently specify a minimum size for a home or l
More new homes are coming equipped with front porches. Sixty-five percent of new single-family homes started in 2016 included a porch, according to a Census data analysis from the National Association of Home Builders. It’s only the second time since tracking began that new single-family homes with porches have moved back above 65 percent. For comparison, in 2005, 54 percent of new homes had porches.Certain regions of the U.S. are showing high
The Crete House, a precast concrete structure designed for the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon competition in Denver this month, is being touted as a home that is impervious to extreme weather, fires, moisture, mold, and insects. The Solar Decathlon, being held Thursday through Oct. 15, is a biennial competition that challenges teams of college students to design and build full-sized solar-powered homes. Thirteen teams from universities
Home builders and designers say demand is increasing for more flexible living spaces, giving rise once again to “bonus” or “multipurpose” rooms, The Wall Street Journal reports. Such rooms offer extra square footage for owners to create a space that fits their lifestyle. Baby boomers, for example, are showing interest in bonus rooms that could potentially serve as a first-floor master bedroom or suite.Out of the 20 top-selling floor pla
Green home construction has moved into the mainstream among single-family and multifamily home builders, according to the new report “Green Multifamily and Single Family Homes 2017 SmartMarketBrief.” The report was conducted by Dodge Data & Analytics in conjunction with the National Association of Home Builders.At least one-third of builders surveyed say green building is a significant share of their overall activity (more than 60 percent
New homes are expected to be a “primary driver of sales in 2018,” as 1.33 million housing starts are predicted next year—up from 1.22 million in 2017, according to Freddie Mac’s September Outlook report, which gauges future real estate activity. Total home sales are expected to increase about 2 percent from 2017 to 2018, according to the report.Economists also predict that the uptick in housing starts, coupled with a moderate increase in
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