Homebuilder confidence high as construction picks up
By ALEX VEIGA Associated Press on Aug 16, 2013, at 2:26 AM Updated on 8/16/13 at 3:31 AM
A contractor works on a home Wednesday in Daybreak, Utah. A national builder-confidence index is at its highest level since 2005, an industry group reported Thursday. GEORGE FREY / Bloomberg
Real Estate
U.S. homebuilders' confidence in the housing market held this month at its highest level in nearly eight years. But builders are starting to worry that sales may slow if mortgage rates continue to rise.
New home construction in the Tulsa region from January to August is outpacing last year's numbers, a continuation of the upward tick that started in 2012 following a six-year slide.
Confidence among U.S. homebuilders is at its highest level in nearly eight years, fueled by optimism that demand for new homes will drive sales growth into next year.
The brighter sales outlook is the latest sign pointing to a sustained pickup in construction in coming months and comes as applications for permits to build single-family houses are at a five-year high.
The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index released Thursday jumped to 59 this month from 56 in July. It was the fourth consecutive monthly gain.
A reading above 50 indicates more builders view sales conditions as good, rather than poor.
The last time the reading was above 59 was in November 2005, when it was 61. U.S. sales of new homes peaked in July that year.
Measures of current sales conditions and builders' outlook for single-family home sales over the next six months each increased to their highest levels in at least seven years. Builders' gauge of traffic by prospective buyers was unchanged.
The positive builder confidence index appeared to cheer investors. Homebuilder shares traded higher Thursday at midday.
Steady hiring, rising home prices and still-low mortgage rates are encouraging more people to buy homes. New-home sales jumped 8.3 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 497,000, the fastest pace in five years.
That's still below the 700,000 pace consistent with healthy markets, but represents an increase of 38 percent over the previous 12 months, the biggest annual gain since January 1992.
The rise in demand, home prices and a thinning supply of previously occupied homes on the market have helped make builders more optimistic about their sales prospects, which has led them to step up construction.
Applications for permits to build single-family homes rose for the third straight month in June to 624,000, the highest since May 2008. That suggests home construction should rebound in the coming months.
Original Print Headline: Homebuilder confidence at 8-year high
Real Estate
U.S. homebuilders' confidence in the housing market held this month at its highest level in nearly eight years. But builders are starting to worry that sales may slow if mortgage rates continue to rise.
New home construction in the Tulsa region from January to August is outpacing last year's numbers, a continuation of the upward tick that started in 2012 following a six-year slide.
