Articles
Affordability Drives Interest in Smaller Homes
Home buyers continue to look toward smaller homes, with the median home size dropping from 2,200 square feet in 2023 to 2,150 square feet in 2024 — the lowest in 15 years — after holding strong at 2,300 square feet from 2019-2022. The same thing is happening to median lot sizes, which has dropped about 1,000 square feet in the last 15 years to 8,400 square feet. Read More
Personal Income and Outlays, January 2025
Personal income increased $221.9 billion (0.9 percent at a monthly rate) in January, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—increased $194.3 billion (0.9 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) decreased $30.7 billion (0.2 percent). Read More
The flooring industry is finally resembling what a few of us predicted 30 years ago. Its many players are currently in a place between harsh understanding and begrudging acceptance of their futures, and everyone’s scrambling for relevance. The moats protecting it, built by early adopters 60 years ago, are evaporating. Similar to how department stores ignored e-commerce until Amazon ate their lunch, served it back to them, and then bought the restaurant, the $33.4B U.S. flooring industry faces multiple extinction-level events. Read More
Remodeling Market Poised for Growth in 2025
An aging housing stock, record levels of home equity and favorable demographics will create positive growth prospects for the remodeling sector in 2025, according to industry experts at a panel hosted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) during the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas. Read More
Rise in Single-Family Amid Economic Uncertainty
Single-family housing production should register a slight uptick in 2025 as builders contend with conflicting market conditions – policy moves expected to aid the business climate in the areas of regulatory reform and extension of the 2017 tax cuts coupled with tariff and immigration actions that could have an adverse impact on housing costs and supply. Read More
Multifamily Market to Stabilize Toward End of 2025
Supply-chain problems and high interest rates are expected to impede the multifamily sector in the first half of 2025 before the market stabilizes later this year as more deals pencil out, according to economists speaking at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas today. Read More
BEA News: Gross Domestic Product, 4th Quarter and Year 2024 (Second Estimate)
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 (October, November, and December), according to the second estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.1 percent. Read More
Lowe's Sales Flat in Q4, Earnings Up 10.3%
Lowe's reported net sales for Q4 were $18.6 billion, virtually even with Q4 2023’s $18.6 billion. Comparable sales for the quarter increased 0.2%, driven by high-single-digit Pro and online comparable sales, strong holiday performance, and rebuilding efforts in the wake of recent hurricanes, partially offset by continued near-term pressure in DIY discretionary spending. Read More
Home Depot Sales Up 14.1% in Q4, Earnings Up 7%
The Home Depot announced Q4 2024 sales were $39.7 billion, an increase of 14.1% from Q4 2023’s $34.8 billion. Comparable sales for Q4 2024 increased 0.8%, and comparable sales in the U.S. increased 1.3%. Read More
Daltile, Marazzi and American Olean Release 2025 Trend Reports
Daltile, Marazzi and American Olean have released their annual Trend Reports 2025. The brands’ product designers collaborated closely to agree upon what they view as the five hottest over-arching “interior design trends” for 2025. Read More