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U.S. housing starts hold their ground in July
Aug. 16, 2018 - Total housing starts inched up 0.9 per cent in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.17 million units, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department.
August 16, 2018 By NAHB
The July reading of 1.17 million is the number of housing units builders would begin if they kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts held firm, up 0.9 per cent to 862,000 units. Meanwhile, the multifamily sector – which includes apartment buildings and condos – rose 3 per cent to 306,000.
“Builder confidence remains solid, although it has fallen back somewhat in recent months due to rising construction costs in 2018, including lumber,” said NAHB Chairman Randy Noel, a custom home builder from LaPlace, La. “As builders grapple with higher costs, one positive development is that lumber prices have shown signs of easing the past two months off their record high levels posted in June.”
Some projects are experiencing construction start delays due to cost concerns, with the number of single-family units authorized but not started up 25 per cent since July 2017.
“Supply-side challenges including increases in material prices and chronic labor shortages are affecting affordability in many markets,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “However, consumer demand remains strong due to a growing economy and job market and favorable demographics. Moreover, on a year-to-date basis, single-family construction has shown steady progress, up 7.2 per cent, while 5+ multifamily production is up 3.4 per cent as well.”
Regionally, combined single- and multifamily housing starts in July rose 11.6 per cent in the Midwest and 10.4 per cent in the South. Starts fell 4 per cent in the Northeast and posted a 19.6 percent decline in the West due to affordability constraints in the coastal markets.
Overall permits, which are often a harbinger of future housing production, rose 1.5 per cent to 1.31 million units in July. Single-family permits posted a modest gain of 1.9 per cent to 869,000. Multifamily permits were relatively unchanged, up 1.7 per cent to 410,000.
Looking at regional permit data, permits rose 5.9 per cent in the Northeast, 5.8 per cent in the Midwest and 1.2 per cent in the West. Permits edged 0.3 per cent lower in the South.
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