by Richey Piiparinen 02/15/2013 - New Geography There is a crisis in America that’s not being attended to. It is the housing crisis, and its tentacles reach deep into the decline of the American middle class. Particularly, the interlocking dynamics of foreclosure, abandonment, and blight are draining the net worth of millions of Americans. The solutions [...]
By Lauren Beale - LA Times “Beautiful,” “ocean views,” “mountain views” and “gated community” are among the most popular keywords used to advertise homes online to West Coast home buyers, a recent study shows. Nationwide, “beautiful” was the most frequent word in listings last year, according to a study of 300,000 listings conducted last year by [...]
By Kelli B. Grant - Market Watch No longer content with new cabinet pulls or a fresh coat of paint, homeowners are beginning, again, to dabble in home remodeling projects. Contractors say they’re getting more requests for upgraded kitchens and bathrooms, as well as home additions and major improvements that cut energy bills and reinforce structures [...]
By Myra Saefong - Market Watch WSJ U.S. benchmark prices for lumber could rise around another 25% this year, according to Capital Economics, which added lumber to its coverage of agricultural commodities on Monday. “We think that the price of lumber could rise further this year and possibly reach fresh highs, as three key factors which [...]
Tiny generators, vanishing walls and refrigerators that heat water are showcased at the International Builders' Show By DAWN WOTAPKA and ROBBIE WHELAN - WSJ Bioethanol candles that heat an entire room. Refrigerators that pour hot water. Glass doors that slide around curves. At the annual International Builders' Show in Las Vegas this week, tens of thousands, [...]
by Michael S Derby - WSJ As a key influence on households’ spending decisions, the health of the housing sector trumps stock-market moves, a paper released this week by the National Bureau for Economic Research claims. The study, written by prominent economists Karl Case, John Quigley and Robert Shiller, refines their existing study of what is [...]
by Dawn Wotapka-WSJ Blogs Leading housing economists told builders Tuesday that the housing market has struck the long-awaited bottom and is expected to show robust gains, particularly in 2014. Builders are expected to start construction on 650,000 single-family homes in 2013, representing an increase of nearly 22% from the prior year, followed by a 30% increase [...]
by Nick Timiraos, Wall Street Journal Housing construction ended 2012 on a high note, with new units in December rising 12% from November and 37% from a year ago. The boom in construction shouldn’t be too surprising, given that permits have risen in recent months and that builder confidence has risen. But it is a clear [...]
by Nin-Hai Tseng at Fortune Magazine We watched for more home sales and rising prices in 2012. Here's our housing market predictions for next year. Buying Gets Less Affordable: The bust of the housing market five years ago created one of the cheapest times to buy. Across many parts of the U.S., even in some of [...]
by Paul Davidson, USA Today The construction industry shed 2.2 million workers between January 2007 and last year. So now there's an overabundance of them eager for jobs, right? Wrong. Contractors are struggling with shortages of workers as the home-building market comes to life and some commercial sectors strengthen. The crunch is affecting a handful of [...]
