More Bullish Data : Housing Starts Climb 3.6%

Nov 23

More Bullish Data : Housing Starts Climb 3.6%

November 23, 2012 By Jessica Wilkie 1 Comment

According to a joint release from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Housing Starts rose 3.6% in October 2012, climbing to a seasonally-adjusted, annualized rate of 894,000 units. A "housing start" is a new home on which construction has started and the report gives buyers and sellers across DC yet one more reason to be optimistic for the 2013 housing market. Regionally, Housing Starts varied. The West and Midwest Regions posted gains between … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Census Bureau, Existing Home Sales, Housing Starts, Midwest Region, National Association of Realtors, New Year, Northeast Region, Single-family detached home, United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

Oct 18

Single-Family Housing Starts Rise To 4-Year High

October 18, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

The housing market continues to improve. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis, Single-Family Housing Starts rose to 603,000 last month, an 11 percent increase from the month prior and the highest reading in more than 4 years. A "housing start" is a home on which construction has started and home builders are breaking ground at rates not seen even during the 2010 federal home buyer tax credit period. It's a signal to home buyers throughout … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC, Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Census Bureau, District of Columbia, Housing Starts, Purchasing Power, real estate sales, washington dc

Aug 21

Single-Family Housing Starts Remain Strong

August 21, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

The market for newly-built homes remains strong. As reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, July featured 502,000 single-family housing starts nationwide on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis, marking the fourth straight month during which single-family starts posted north of one-half million. The last time this milestone occurred was in the four months ending April 2010 -- the last month of that year's federal home buyer tax credit. A "housing start" is a home on which construction … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Census Bureau, Federal Housing Administration, Home Builders, Homebuilder Confidence, Housing Starts, National Association of Home Builders, real estate, Real estate pricing, Single-family detached home, United States Census Bureau

Jul 23

Top 10 U.S. Cities For Public Parks – Washington DC Ranks #5

July 23, 2012 By Joshua Oliver Leave a Comment

For the first time in more than 100 years, the growth in America's cities is outpacing the growth in its suburbs. According to the 2011 estimates of the U.S. Census Bureau, between July 2010 and July 2011, city centers grew faster than their surrounding suburbs in 53% of the nation's largest housing markets. Compare this to just 9.8% during the 10 years prior. Cities now compete with suburbs on a number of fronts including job availability, housing costs, and access to amenities, a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Neighborhood News Tagged With: Census Bureau, District of Columbia, national park, Parks, ParkScore, washington dc

Jun 22

Housing Starts Up 26% In Last 12 Months

June 22, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

Sometimes, the housing data headlines tell just half the tale. The stories on May's Housing Starts figures are proving to be a terrific illustration. Tuesday, the Census Bureau released its monthly Housing Starts report. A "housing start" is a home on which construction has started. The report is separated by property type with a separate count for single family homes such as detached residences and town homes; for multiple-unit homes such as 2-unit, 3-unit and 4-unit structures; and, for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC, Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Building Permits, Census Bureau, District of Columbia, Housing Starts, May, Real estate economics, United States Census Bureau, washington dc

Apr 25

New Home Sales Revised Higher In February; Slip 7% In March

April 25, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus 1 Comment

Sales of new homes ticked lower in March, unexpectedly. Based on Census Bureau data, the number of new, single-family homes sold in March slipped 7 percent from February -- the largest one-month drop in more than a year. On a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis, buyers in DC and nationwide purchased 328,000 newly-built homes last month. The decrease in sales from February to March can be attributed, in part, though, to a massive upward revision in February's figures. Last month, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Buyer, Census Bureau, February, New Home Sales, New Home Supply, Real estate economics, Seasonal adjustment, U.S. Housing Market

Apr 18

Single-Family Housing Starts Slip 0.2% In March

April 18, 2012 By Joshua Oliver 2 Comments

Tuesday, the government released its March 2012 New Residential Construction report. The report is made up of three sections, each related to a phase of the "new home" market. The report's first part is Building Permits; the second is Housing Starts; the third is Housing Completions. Of the three sections, it's Housing Starts that gets the most attention from the press -- mostly because, of the triad, it's the simplest for a layperson to understand. However, the manner in which Housing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Building Permits, Census Bureau, Construction permit, Housing Starts, March, Single-family detached home, United States, United States Census Bureau, washington dc

Mar 27

New Home Sales Slip In February

March 27, 2012 By Barbara Morrocco 1 Comment

Sales of "new homes" fell to the lowest levels in four months last month. According to the Census Bureau's monthly New Home Sales report, 313,000 new homes were sold in February 2012 on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis, representing a 1.6% drop from the month prior. A "new home" is a home for which there has been no prior owner nor tenant. At first glance, the data looks negative for the housing market; a suggestion that the well-publicized housing market recovery may be slowed. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC, Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Buyer, Census Bureau, District of Columbia, February, National Association of Realtors, New Home Sales, New Home Supply, real estate, Real estate economics, U.S. Housing Market, washington dc

Feb 28

New Home Supply Falls To 5.6 Months

February 28, 2012 By Jessica Wilkie Leave a Comment

The new construction market rolls on. As foreshadowed by February's Homebuilder Confidence survey, which rose to a 4-year high, the Census Bureau reports new homes are selling more quickly than builders have built them, lowering the national "home supply" to levels not seen since 2006. A "new home" is a home that is considered new construction and, at the current pace of sales, the nation's entire new home inventory of 151,000 homes would be sold in 5.6 months. Anything less than … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Census Bureau, construction, Mortgage loan, New Home Sales, New Home Supply, real estate, Real estate pricing, Sales

Feb 06

The 10 Longest Commutes In The United States – Washington, DC Ranks #2

February 6, 2012 By Joshua Oliver Leave a Comment

According to the Census Bureau, more than 3.2 million U.S. workers spend over 3 hours commuting to and from work each day. Commutes exceeding 90 minutes in each direction are known as "extreme commutes" in Census Bureau parlance. As compared to typical commute times nationwide, they're aptly named. The national, average commute time is just 25.1 minutes. For home buyers in District of Columbia or in any U.S. city, make sure to make commute times a consideration before placing an offer … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Neighborhood News Tagged With: Census Bureau, commute, Commuting, rush hour, Transportation, United States, United States Census Bureau, washington dc