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DataDigest: Construction costs easing for homebuilders

Housing Wire

New home construction exploded early in the pandemic as soaring home demand squeezed existing inventory nationwide, giving homebuilders a much bigger share of a shrinking pie. Index values for most construction inputs are down from 2022 but remain above pre-pandemic levels. Index values for December published last week.

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DataDigest: Breaking down housing economists’ 2024 forecasts

Housing Wire

As 2023 draws to a close, housing professionals hope for relief from the high mortgage rates, terrible inventory levels and slow sales that characterized the year. Home starts forecasts, meanwhile, don’t offer much certainty about the pace of construction next year. Mortgage rates going down will be a clear positive sign.”

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Here’s what you can expect from the 2024 housing market

Housing Wire

Going more in-depth than a Fed meeting, our virtual Housing Market Update event provides you with the strategy-building insights needed to operate in 2024. The number of home sales in 2023 will likely be at its lowest level since 2010, and while sales activity will pick up in 2024, transactions will still be below average.

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NAR’s Lawrence Yun predicts lower rates, 15% jump in existing-home sales in 2024

Housing Wire

Although high mortgage rates, elevated home prices and limited housing inventory have crippled the 2023 housing market, the outlook for 2024 is brighter, according to Lawrence Yun, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors (NAR). He also expects more sellers to enter the market, as they adapt to prolonged higher rates.

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When will housing inventory recover?

Housing Wire

The relative pressure of supply vs. demand in the housing market is gauged by the level of active inventory. Like dropping barometric pressure, plunging inventory usually foretells stormy conditions: Faster price growth and faster sales. The post When will housing inventory recover? appeared first on HousingWire.

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Construction worker shortage has reached “crisis” levels

Housing Wire

To keep pace with current construction demand, and account for attrition, 740,000 new construction workers are needed each year for the next three years , a report by the Home Builders Institute contends. From 2022 through 2024, this total represents a need for an additional 2.2 million new hires for construction.

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Are mortgage rates about to fall?

Housing Wire

Weekly housing inventory data Last week was another week that missed my inventory growth model with higher rates. I am always looking for weekly inventory growth between 11,000 and 17,000 when rates are over 7.25%. Rates have fallen recently and inventory growth was higher last week than the previous week.

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