Articles

“Home building ended 2021 on a strong note; the Commerce Department on Wednesday reported that construction was started on a seasonally adjusted 1.7 million homes, at an annual rate, in December, up from November’s 1.68 million. In all of 2021, 1.6 million homes were started, marking the biggest year for starts since 2006. Read More

Spending for home improvements and repairs is expected to expand at a stronger pace in 2022, but signs point to some easing of growth by year end, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Read More

Total existing-home sales dropped 4.6% from November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.18 million in December, according to the National Association of Realtors. From a year-over-year perspective, sales waned 7.1% (6.65 million in December 2020). Despite the drop, overall sales for 2021 increased 8.5%.   Read More

While single-family starts dipped in December due to ongoing supply-side challenges, they still managed to post double-digit gains in 2021. Overall housing starts increased 1.4 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.70 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Read More

Total construction starts were flat in December with a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $879.3 billion, according to Dodge Construction Network. Residential construction starts gained 4% in December 2021, while nonresidential building starts improved by 3%. Nonbuilding starts, however, declined 12%. Read More

Single‐family housing starts in December were at a rate of 1,172,000; this is 2.3% below the revised November figure of 1,199,000. The December rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 524,000. An estimated 1,595,100 housing units were started in 2021. This is 15.6% above the 2020 figure of 1,379,600. Read More

Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes moved one point lower to 83 in January, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Read More

Why is the South increasingly displacing the West as the most popular regional destination? There are three interrelated reasons: the flexibility of remote work, the desire for more space in homes and the search for affordable housing options.  Read More

The global resilient flooring market size is expected to reach USD 67.7 billion by 2028. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 7.2% from 2021 to 2028. Product benefits including cost efficiency, lower maintenance, and improved aesthetics are anticipated to drive the demand for resilient floorings over the forecast period. Read More

Homeowners are making room in their renovation budgets to prioritize kitchen countertops, according to the 2022 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study. The survey of nearly 2,400 U.S. homeowners using Houzz who are in the midst of, are planning, or recently completed a kitchen renovation, found that more than one-third of homeowners reportedly splurged on countertops (35 percent). The most common feature improved during kitchen renovations, countertops were upgraded by more than nine in 10 homeowners (91 percent).  Read More