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Favourable U.S. housing stats

Aug. 20, 2013 - Building permits for privately-owned housing units were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 943,000, up 2.7 per cent from June and 12.4 per cent above the July 2012 estimate of 839,000.

Single-family building permits dipped slightly (1.9 per cent) from the previous month nationwide with regional variations: up 2.9 per cent in the Midwest but down 6.4 per cent in the West.

Housing starts in July were up 5.9 per cent from June and 20.9 per cent from the previous year. Single-family housing starts dipped by 2.2 per cent below the June figures as well. Regionally, the figures showed positive numbers in the Northeast and Midwest (12 per cent and 9.8 per cent respectively) and negative numbers in the South and West (-4.6 per cent and 9.8 per cent respectively). Compared to the stats from 2012, however, the numbers are positive across the map with single unit starts up the most in the Northeast (33.3 per cent), while housing starts were climbing more slowly in the West (9.8 per cent).

August 20, 2013  By  Amie Silverwood