The Housing Chronicles Blog: 4/1/14 - 5/1/14

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/29/14

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/29/14 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

  • Consumer confidence rebounds sharply in April
  • Pending sales of existing homes rise most nationally since 2011
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

Friday, April 25, 2014

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/25/14


Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/25/14 on the Web.


In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicator:
  • Durable goods orders surged in March across all categories
  • Mortgage loan applications fall by 3.3 percent in latest survey
  • Initial unemployment claims rise by 24,000 in latest report
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com

Thursday, April 24, 2014

First Quarter 2014 in Review: A Spring Thaw is Coming

Given that the first quarter of 2014 gave us some decidedly mixed messages on economic output and housing demand, it was certainly good news to see that The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index, or LEI, rose by a definitive 0.8 percent in March on the heels of smaller increases in both February and January.

What this likely means is that after a weather-related pause due to a particularly harsh winter in much of the country, economic growth is again gaining traction.  Still, the economy has yet to function on all cylinders, with both the labor market and consumer confidence improving while building permits – certainly a future-looking barometer – dipped by 2.4 percent in March and have bounced mostly between 900,000 and one million units per month over the last year. Meanwhile, housing starts rose by nearly three percent in March and averaged 923,000 units during the first quarter of 2014, but are still down by about six percent from March 2013.

For now, builders are still managing to sell close to 450,000 annualized single-family units per year while inventory has been slowly creeping up to 189,000 homes by February 2014, or about 5.2 months of supply.  At the same time, the median sales price for new homes hit $261,800 in February versus $267,700 for all of 2013.

After being in a holding pattern for several months, builder confidence ended the quarter at 46 before rising by one point to 47 in April.  According to NAHB Economist David Crowe, “Headwinds that are holding up a more robust recovery include ongoing tight credit conditions for home buyers and fact that builders in many markets are facing a limited availability of lots and labor.”

For existing homes, the mixed messages are also in abundance, with total sales remaining mostly flat in March at 4.59 million on an annual basis but down by 7.5 percent from a year earlier.  Still, prices continued to rise by nearly 8 percent to $198,500 over the last 12 months.  Certainly, one key benefit of rising home prices is increased equity, thus removing even more homeowners from the negative equity column while contributing to fewer distressed sales.   Such distressed sales accounted for just 14 percent of March’s total sales, down from 21 percent a year earlier and likely to fall into the single digits later this year.

Existing home inventory at the end of March rose by nearly five percent to about two million homes or about 5.2 months of supply – the same timeline reported for new home inventory in February and a slight increase from the previous month.  However, the median time it took to sell an existing home fell to 55 days in March 2014, or about a week less than reported a year earlier.

On the labor front, the 192,000 jobs added in March meant that the country had finally reached a major milestone:  recapturing all of the jobs lost in The Great Recession.   Yet because the unemployment rate remained stubbornly stuck at 6.7 percent, in its most recent meeting the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee decided to keep its short-term interest rates at historic lows even if the unemployment rate falls below 6.5 percent, its previous threshold.  In addition, the monthly survey of planned job cuts by Challenger, Gray and Christmas showed that employers announced the lowest level of first-quarter job cuts in 19 years.

This gradual improvement in the economy has the Fed on track to continue reducing its purchase of mortgage-backed bonds by $10 billion per month.  This third round of ‘quantitative easing’ was meant to lend support to a housing market and keep the flow of mortgage credit from collapsing.

Consumers are also waking up from their own economic nap, which is critical for an economy in which consumer spending accounts for nearly 70 percent of gross national product.  During March, retail sales jumped at the highest rate since September 2012 after following a February advance that was twice originally estimated.  Even better, despite the harsh winter and a severe drought across the Western U.S., consumer’s views of their financial prospects were much higher in March than three months earlier.

However, one warning is in order:  because consumers have become so accustomed to low interest rates, any increase in borrowing costs is expected to have a much higher impact on buying behavior than in years past when current interest rates were higher.   Rather than jumping on a good deal, they may simply wait to see if the purchase is in their best interest.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/24/14

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/24/14 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

  • Leading Economic Index rose by 0.8 percent in March
  • FHFA Home Price Index rose by 0.6 percent in February and 6.9 percent over past year
  • NAR:  Existing home sales flat in March
  • Initial unemployment claims rise slightly but among the lowest levels since October 2007
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/22/14

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/22/14 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:
  • Leading Economic Index rose sharply in March
  • Builder confidence rose by one point to 47 in April
  • March housing starts up by 2.8 percent from February but down 5.9 percent over past year
  • March building permits down by 2.4 percent from February but up 11.2 percent over last year
  • Industrial production continued to rise in March
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

Friday, April 18, 2014

April column for Builder & Developer magazine now online

My column for the April 2014 issue of Builder and Developer magazine is now posted online.

For this issue, entitled "Help Your Buyers and Renters Cut the Cord," I tackled the issue of the ever-rising costs for pay TV, Internet and phone service from traditional cable TV or phone companies and how the move from one home to another is a perfect time to consider new options.  An excerpt:
According to Qz.com, ten percent of pay TV customers are planning to “cut the cord” in the year ahead -- although in a previous poll last year, just 0.1 percent of the eight percent making similar vows actually went through with it...

What better way to build your brand to tech-savvy Millennials than to speak in a lexicon they already understand while also showing them a way to save money well after they’ve moved into one of your homes? Then, a year down the line, when their friends are complaining about the constant fee hikes due to ‘higher programming costs’ (especially for sports channels), they can brag about how their builder or apartment management company made ‘cutting the cord’ so easy...

Simply providing information on the alternatives to the usual mainstays would be a great start. For example, many companies provide Internet-based home phone service (also known as VOIP) for a fraction of the cost charged by the usual suspects. Plus, who wouldn’t want a free starter subscription to NetFlix or Hulu Plus as part of the welcome package in a connected world?

To read the entire column, click here.


To read the entire April 2014 issue in digital format, click here.

Builder confidence and housing starts up while building permits dip from February


Although these types of news items are generally covered in the MetroIntelligence Economic Update portion of BuilderBytes, due to some technical errors these stories were not included in today's version.  Look for them in next Tuesday's edition.  Not a subscriber to the free BuilderBytes e-newsletter?  Click here to subscribe!

Builder confidence rose one point to 47 in April
Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose one point to 47 in April from a downwardly revised March reading of 46.  Headwinds include ongoing tight credit conditions for home buyers and  the fact that builders in many markets are facing a limited availability of lots and labor.

March housing starts up by 2.8 percent from February but down 5.9 percent over past year
Privately-owned housing starts in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 946,000. This is 2.8 percent above the revised February estimate of 920,000, but is 5.9 percent below the March 2013 rate of 1,005,000.

March building permits down by 2.4 percent from February but up 11.2 percent over last year
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 990,000. This is 2.4 percent below the revised February rate of 1,014,000, but is 11.2 percent above the March 2013 estimate of 890,000.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/18/14


Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/18/14 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicator:
  • Mortgage loan applications rise by 4.3 percent in latest survey mostly due to refinances
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/15/14

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/15/14 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:
  • March retail sales rose more than forecast due to pent-up demand
  • Consumer confidence rises more than expected in April
  • Wholesale sales and inventories both rose in February
  • Producer Price Index up by 0.5 percent in March and 1.4 percent over the previous year
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

Friday, April 11, 2014

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/11/14


Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/11/14 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:
  • Initial unemployment claims dip to 300,000, the lowest level since May 2007
  • Federal Reserve March meeting notes shows policy split among its members
  • Pace of wholesale inventory increase slowed in February but in line with expectations
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.
Want to make sure your company or event is included in the events calendar? Contact editor Evan Lancaster at elancaster@penpubinc.com.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/10/14

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/10/14 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:
  • Job openings rose by 7.7 percent in February
  • Overall mortgage loan applications fall in latest survey; purchase loans still increase
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/8/14

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/8/14 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:
  • Total jobs lost during Great Recession finally regained in March
  • Consumer credit in February rose at the highest pace in a year
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

Friday, April 4, 2014

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/4/14


Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/4/14 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:
  • Planned job cuts continue to decline as economy improves
  • Initial unemployment claims rise by 16,000 in latest report
  • Service sector economy improved in March despite winter weather impacts
  • Mortgage applications dip by 1.5 percent in latest survey even as purchase loans increase
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.
 
Want to make sure your company or event is included in the events calendar? Contact editor Evan Lancaster at elancaster@penpubinc.com.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/3/14

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/3/14 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:
  • Construction spending rose by 0.1% in February
  • Manufacturing sector continued to grow in March for the 10th straight month
  • Private sector jobs grew by 191,000 in February, about 10 percent below expectations
  • Factory orders rebounded more than expected in February
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/1/14

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/1/14 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:
  • Consumer confidence remained unchanged in March despite difficult winter weather
  • Personal income and spending both rise in February
  • Chicago PMI fell sharply in March
Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.