US housing markets back to 'normal,' but permits lag

While employment and home prices are at or above normal activity, single-family permits are behind by half, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

By Mary Tyler March • May 5, 2017

First-time buyers, millennials drive home-improvement spending

More than half of homeowners surveyed by Houzz said they plan to complete or start a renovation or repair project in 2017.

By Mary Tyler March • May 4, 2017

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Labor

A roundup of articles about issues affecting the workforce.

By Construction Dive staff

One-third of US home values are back to pre-recession levels

A drawn-out foreclosure crisis and the more recent rise in home prices extends full-value recovery to September 2025, according to Trulia.

By Katy Tomasulo • May 4, 2017

OR tiny house bill moves to state Senate

Lawmakers cited the housing shortage as a primary motivator for the building code change, which applies to prefab and site-built homes of less than 400 square feet.  

By Katy Tomasulo • May 4, 2017

New Zillow website focuses on first-time buyers

Sharing total monthly costs for home listings helps new buyers understand the total investment required for homeownership relative to renting.

By Katy Tomasulo • May 3, 2017

JLL forecasts positive outlook for 2017 office market, slight rise in vacancy rates

The real estate firm said tenants are paying more for high-quality space, but a short-term trend of oversupply has led to higher vacancy rates.

By Kim Slowey • May 3, 2017

More new homes financed by conventional mortgages as recovery continues

Conventional mortgages financed 72% of new-home purchases in Q1, while FHA-backed loans took a 14.7% share for the period.

By Mary Tyler March • May 2, 2017

How amusement features in mixed-use projects are driving the 'experience economy'

Shoppers, tourists and adventurers are looking for more than a souvenir — they want a memory.

By Kim Slowey • May 2, 2017

CoreLogic: Home-price growth continues in March

Despite tight inventory and elevated home prices, strong demand has 2017 gearing up to be the fastest-selling year on record.

By Mary Tyler March • May 2, 2017

Aging-in-place remodeling sees its popularity continue to grow

Simple and low-cost home-improvement projects are also becoming more popular, according to a survey of building professionals.

By Mary Tyler March • May 2, 2017

Report: Millennials leaving the nest at faster pace

A new report from Fannie Mae shows an improved outlook for older millennials, though housing affordability challenges remain.

By Katy Tomasulo • May 2, 2017

Builders may not feel impact of Canadian softwood lumber tariffs for 6 months

Speculation of likely tariffs contributed to price increases of nearly 30% for some products before duty values were even announced.

By Katy Tomasulo • May 2, 2017

Construction spending falls back in March

The residential sector notched up for the month, while nonresidential and public construction posted losses.

By Mary Tyler March • May 1, 2017

In these markets, owning a home is less expensive than renting

Cleveland rocks when it comes to the share of for-sale, median-priced homes affordable to the typical local renter without raising monthly housing costs.  

By Hallie Busta • May 1, 2017

Lennar breaks ground on one of Broward County, FL's last big housing developments

The WCI community is one of the last large-scale developments in a market where high prices and limited affordable inventory are pushing some residents out.

By Katy Tomasulo • May 1, 2017

In priciest metros, more home shoppers are looking elsewhere

California leads among states seeing a population exodus while the South and Sun Belt states are experiencing high levels of inflow.

By Katy Tomasulo • April 28, 2017

Homeownership rate holds steady in Q1

More younger households owned during the quarter, but the overall rate isn’t expected to grow quickly as tight for-sale supply means plenty of demand is unmet.

By Mary Tyler March • April 28, 2017

Aluminum company set to build $1.3B KY plant

The state's recent passage of legislation favoring open-shop work policies played a major role in Braidy Industries' decision.

By Kim Slowey • April 28, 2017

Home sellers see biggest return on investment since 2007

The first quarter of 2017 marked the most profitable time to sell in nearly a decade, with those sellers having owned for an average of just under eight years.

By Mary Tyler March • April 28, 2017

Report: Trump's $1T infrastructure plan could create 3M jobs

If planned without job optimization in mind, however, the plan would generate roughly half the potential positions, according to the Boston Consulting Group.

By Kim Slowey • April 28, 2017

Inventory shortage drags pending home sales down in March

The 2017 spring selling season is still off to a strong start, with growth previously reported in new- and existing-home sales for March.

By Mary Tyler March • April 27, 2017

Consumer confidence misses estimates in April, though outlook stays positive

Despite a slight drop-off in planned home purchases during the month, the figure has trended upward in recent years, according to the The Conference Board.

By Mary Tyler March • April 27, 2017

S&P/Case Shiller: Home-price growth beats expectations in February

Constrained inventory continues to drive up housing prices, and the spring season is fueling even more frenzied buying.

By Katy Tomasulo • April 27, 2017

How a down market has affected millennials compared to previous generations

Millennials earn less and own homes in smaller numbers than previous generations, though they were hit harder by the last downturn, Trulia found.

By Katy Tomasulo • April 27, 2017

Consumer confidence to drive more home-improvement spending in 2017

Remodelers can expect to see more big-ticket renovation work in 2017, including bathroom remodels and additions, according to HomeAdvisor.

By Mary Tyler March • April 26, 2017