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 26

New Home Supply Remains Firmly In “Seller’s Market” Territory

October 26, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

The U.S. housing market appears headed for a strong close to 2012. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of new homes sold jumped to 389,000 units in September 2012 on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis. Not since the expiration of the $8,000 federal home buyer tax credit in April 2010 have new homes sold at such volumes. September's tally marks a 5.7 percent increase from the month prior, and a 27 percent increase from September 2011. There are now just 145,000 new homes … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC, Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Buyer, homes for sale, Mortgage loan, mortgage rates, New Home Sales, New Home Supply, Real estate pricing, Supply and demand, U.S. Housing Market, United States Census Bureau

Sep 20

Housing Starts Move To 2-Year High

September 20, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

The new construction housing market continues to make gains. Wednesday, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Housing Starts for single-family homes up 5.5 percent in August to a seasonally-adjusted, annualized count of 535,000 units nationwide. The report marks the fifth month of six that single-family starts increased, and marks the highest starts tally since April 2010 -- the last month of that year's federal homebuyer tax credit program. A "housing start" is a new home on which … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: August, Building Permits, Housing Market Index, Housing Starts, July, Midwest Region, National Association of Home Builders, Real estate economics, Single-family detached home, United States Census Bureau

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

Aug 09

Improving Market Index Spans 32 States, District Of Columbia

August 9, 2012 By Jessica Wilkie Leave a Comment

80 U.S. metropolitan markets are showing "measurable and sustained growth" this month, according to the National Association of Homebuilders' Improving Market Index. It's good news for the economy and good news for housing. The NAHB's Improving Market Index is meant to identify U.S. markets in expansion. It's a composite of the three distinct data sets which, as a group, present a more holistic view of a given city's growth : From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the IMI … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC, Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Bureau of Labor Statistics, IMI, Improving Market Index, NAHB, National Association of Home Builder, Real estate pricing, United States Census Bureau, 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

May 24

New Home Sales Rise For 7th Month Out Of 8

May 24, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

The April New Home Sales report suggests that the market for newly-built homes is as strong as the market for existing ones. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of new homes sold rose 3.3 percent in April to a seasonally-adjusted, annualized 343,000 units sold -- its second-highest reading since April 2010. April 2010 marked the last month of that year's federal home buyer tax credit program. April's New Home Sales data also marks the 7th of eight consecutive months during … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Buyer, Homebuilder Confidence, Mortgage loan, New Home Sales, New Home Supply, Real estate pricing, Seasonal adjustment, Supply and demand, United States Census Bureau, Washington D.C.

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

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

Jan 31

Supply Of New Homes At 6.1 Months Nationwide

January 31, 2012 By Joshua Oliver 3 Comments

New Home Sales slowed into the New Year but the market for newly-built homes remains strong. For home buyers in DC and nationwide, December's New Home Sales report is yet one more signal that the housing market recovery may be underway. According to the Census Bureau, the number of new homes sold in December 2011 slipped 2 percent to 307,000 units on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis nationwide. A "new home" is a home that is considered new construction; a home for which the buyer … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Buyer, Census Bureau, New Home Sales, New Home Supply, real estate, Real estate economics, Sales, United States Census Bureau, washington dc