Dive summary:

• The National Association of Home Builders' Housing Market Index, which consolidates what builders are saying about single-family and condo construction, came in at 53 for the second quarter of this year, the best April-May-June number since the report began in 2008 and 24 points over Q2 of 2012.
• Another index for rental construction also was up significantly, NAHB reported.
• The indices are based on builders' reports of current sales, prospective buyer traffic and anticipated six-month sales for their market, rating them good, fair or poor (and high, average or low for traffic), and 50 is the score at which more builders are seeing improvement than decline.

From the article:

“Builders and developers for the 55+ housing sector are feeling optimistic as they are seeing more consumers return to the marketplace,” said Robert Karen, chairman of NAHB’s 50+ Housing Council and managing member of the Symphony Development Group. ...