Study: More than a quarter of U.S. renters spend half of income on housing

On the other hand, the percentage of households that spent 30% of their income on housing dropped in 2014 to a nine-year low. 

By Kim Slowey • Sept. 22, 2015

Report: Immigration slowdown contributing to construction labor shortage

John Burns Real Estate Consulting said that many Mexican-born workers have not returned to the U.S. due to increased immigration controls and more job opportunities in Mexico.

By Kim Slowey • Sept. 22, 2015

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

AGC: Only 25 states added construction jobs in August as crippling worker shortage rages on

New Mexico lost the highest percentage of construction jobs between July and August, followed by Mississippi and Michigan.

By Kim Slowey • Sept. 21, 2015

Zillow: Student debt isn't 'evil-doer' to homeownership

However, the analysis doesn't contradict other reports that debt can cause people to delay the purchase of a home.

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 18, 2015

CMD: August nonresidential construction starts plunge 24.7%

The research grup attributes part of the month's decline to a significant, upward adjustment in July’s figure from $22.4 billion to $26.3 billion.

By Kim Slowey • Sept. 18, 2015

Federal Reserve holds off on interest rate hike

A rate increase would have led to an almost certain rise in mortgage rates, but economists say the housing market is strong enough to handle a small rise — which will likely still happen this year.

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 17, 2015

Housing starts slip 3% in August as slow market recovery continues

On the bright side, building permits — a predictor of future housing starts — rose 3.5% in August.

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 17, 2015

Builder confidence inches up in September, reflecting housing market's 'solid progress'

But the NAHB noted that sales expectations for the next six months fell two points, as builders continue struggling to find qualified labor and available lots.

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 16, 2015

Gilbane: Nonresidential spending growth on pace to eclipse 20% by end of 2015

But the rise in work volume could be offset by drops in productivity, as the ongoing labor shortage is still a "key constraint to economic growth."

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 15, 2015

Construction material prices continue slide amid global economic turmoil

Only three of 11 input prices rose in August, the ABC reported.

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 14, 2015

Zillow: Happy homeowners cautious about housing market's future

At the start of the year, 5.2 million renters said they planned to purchase a home in the next year, but that number has recently dipped to 4.9 million.

By Deborah Barrington • Sept. 11, 2015

Labor crisis aggravates workplace safety fears

The AGC found 86% of U.S. contractors are struggling to fill hourly craft jobs or salaried professional positions, and 15% are seeing a rise in injuries and illnesses due to a lack of available workers.

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 11, 2015

NAR: 'Insufficient' new home construction lags behind job gains in most metro areas

An economist with the association warned that if builders don't start focusing more attention on filling the inventory gap, the housing market will continue to struggle.

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 10, 2015

AGC pushes back against proposed DOL overtime changes

The contractor group joined a coalition of associations and businesses across industries to send a joint letter expressing concerns regarding the new regulations to the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 9, 2015

ABC: Rise in unemployment could signal good news for labor shortage woes

Although a bump in unemployment numbers typically raise concerns, the ABC noted, "it’s not necessarily a bad sign for an industry that has been plagued by labor shortages."

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 8, 2015

45% of single-family homes in DC, NY metro areas seeing values drop

The lower year-over-year prices, reported in the Weiss Residential Index, could signal that homebuyers are fed up with the increasing unattainability of entry-level houses.

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 4, 2015

CoreLogic: Rising home prices reflect 'brisk rebound' in July sales

Prices in 15 states reached their highest points since CoreLogic started the index in 1976.

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 3, 2015

Banks starting to loosen purse strings on homebuilder loans

The quarterly increase marks the ninth consecutive quarter of growth in AD&C loans, according to the NAHB. 

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 3, 2015

July construction spending surge signals 'solid economic momentum'

An ABC economist attributed the spending bump to strong job growth, a rush of business and recreational travel, the rallying auto sector and low construction material prices.

By Emily Peiffer • Sept. 2, 2015

Take a hike: 5 reasons homebuilders will survive a Fed interest rate increase

Don't let the inevitable bump in rates get you down: Job growth, consumer confidence and still-low mortgage rates are likely to sustain homebuying.

By Sharon O'Malley • Aug. 31, 2015

July pending home sales barely rise as affordable inventory remains 'elusive'

An increase so slight is a contrast to the surge of sales in the first six months of the year and could be a sign that buyer momentum is slowing down, the NAR said.

By Sharon O'Malley • Aug. 28, 2015

MBA: Housing demand set to soar over next decade

Baby boomers, millennials and Hispanics will start to form substantially more households after "a lull in the growth of the working-age population."

By Sharon O'Malley • Aug. 27, 2015

Home sales climb as prices moderate

Both figures could be good news for the housing economy.

By Sharon O'Malley • Aug. 26, 2015

Home prices hit new peaks in 13 metros

Black Knight found that across the U.S., values rose 0.9% in June.

By Sharon O'Malley • Aug. 25, 2015

Will market turmoil keep Chinese investors from buying U.S. property?

The country's recent economic volatility has raised questions about the $29 billion-a-year that comes from those international sales.

By Sharon O'Malley • Aug. 25, 2015