Zillow: Restrictive land regulations exacerbating tight housing inventory, rising rents

Rents in cities with looser land-use restrictions increased 6.1% over the last five years, but prices in cities with the tightest regulations rose 16.7%.

By Kim Slowey • April 13, 2016

10 best cities for first-time homebuyers

Realtor.com said the cities on its list offer millennials relief from high median home prices but still provide solid job growth and many hot-market amenities.

By Kim Slowey • April 12, 2016

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from Construction Dive

Construction Dive editors curate some of the industry’s top stories from this year.

By Construction Dive staff

Plunge in institutional sector drags Dodge Momentum Index down 7%

The past year has seen a volatile up-and-down pattern in the Index, reflecting uneven growth in the economy, according to Dodge Data & Analytics.

By Kim Slowey • April 11, 2016

Lack of Generation X homeowners impeding market recovery

Gen Xers had only a 58.5% rate of homeownership in 2015, compared with the typical 65.8% average for that age group, according to The Wall Street Journal.

By Kim Slowey • April 11, 2016

Report: Housing bust triggered splintering of remodeling industry

However, firms with more than $1 million in annual revenue still take home 62% of remodeling dollars, according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.

By Kim Slowey • April 8, 2016

NAR: Vacation home market cools amid heightened demand, lack of inventory

The survey found that although the vacation home market slowed in 2015, investment sales were at their highest level since 2007.

By Kim Slowey • April 7, 2016

CoreLogic: Home prices rise 1% as economy, tight inventory 'drive exceptionally strong gains'

February's price gain was higher than the company's prediction last month of a 0.5% rise. 

By Kim Slowey • April 6, 2016

Report: San Francisco building 'boom' not easing housing crisis

Although new construction in the area is up, most of that activity is targeting the high end of the market, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

By Kim Slowey • April 4, 2016

Construction adds 37K jobs as companies find ways to 'keep pace' with demand

March construction employment reached 6,672,000 — the highest number since December 2008 and 4.7% higher than March 2015, according to the AGC.

By Emily Peiffer • April 1, 2016

Construction spending slips 0.5% as nonresidential slide offsets homebuilding gains

On a positive note, overall spending in February was 10.3% higher than February 2015.

By Emily Peiffer • April 1, 2016

20 hottest housing markets in March

Realtor.com said median U.S. home prices are still rising, driven by the persistent lack of inventory.

By Kim Slowey • March 31, 2016

Home prices rise 5.4% year-over-year — double pace of inflation, wages

According to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller report, low housing inventory is continuing to force up home prices across the U.S.

By Kim Slowey • March 30, 2016

Pending home sales climb 3.5% to 7-month high

The NAR report coincides with the mostly positive housing market news throughout February, as the residential industry continues to see steady growth.

By Emily Peiffer • March 28, 2016

AGC: Feb. construction employment tepid as only 27 states add jobs

The downturn in the energy sector is still having a negative effect on industry employment in several states.

By Kim Slowey • March 28, 2016

Zillow: Record home values signal market is 'no longer making up ground'

Home values in 26% of U.S. markets are at an all-time high, according to the real estate site.

By Kim Slowey • March 28, 2016

New home sales rise 2% as market finds its footing

The gain in new home sales last month was led by a 38.5% surge in the West. 

By Emily Peiffer • March 23, 2016

Architectural billings inch up after wading into negative territory

The AIA expects the next few months to bring even stronger demand, as "March and April are traditionally the busiest months for architecture firms."

By Emily Peiffer • March 23, 2016

Dodge Data: Energy sector drives 10% gain in Feb. construction starts

However, if the up-and-down swings of the electric and gas categories were removed, total construction starts would actually be down 1% in February.

By Kim Slowey • March 22, 2016

Arrested development: Starter home inventory plummets 44% in last 4 years

Trulia found that in addition to the lack of inventory, a starter home will cost a buyer 5.6% more than it would have in 2012.

By Kim Slowey • March 22, 2016

Existing home sales tumble 7% as inventory, price concerns are 'burdening' potential buyers

Along with the dip in overall sales, the share of first-time buyers slipped to 30% last month — down from 32% in January but higher than the 29% rate in February 2015. 

By Emily Peiffer • March 21, 2016

NAHB: Construction job openings rise to post-recession high

The increasing number of unfilled positions in the industry reinforces concerns of the ongoing labor shortage.

By Kim Slowey • March 21, 2016

Arlington, VA, home to nation's largest concentration of wealthy boomers, millennials

Zillow also found a "halo effect" around high-paying economic centers that has resulted in millennials moving toward suburbs and satellite cities.

By Kim Slowey • March 18, 2016

Report: NYC construction costs double US average

The New York Building Congress found that despite the rise last year, cost increases have still not exceeded those during the building boom a decade ago.

By Kim Slowey • March 17, 2016

Report: Hispanic homeownership spikes in 2015 as demographic is 'ready to own'

With an increasing number of Hispanics jumping into the labor pool and forming new households, "the face of homeownership in America has changed," the report said.

By Kim Slowey • March 17, 2016

Single-family construction surge boosts housing starts to 5-month high

February housing starts, which rose 5.2% from January, were a whopping 30.9% higher than in February 2015.

By Emily Peiffer • March 16, 2016