New Home Sales in U.S. Dip 1.7 Percent Mid-Summer
"A lack of overall housing inventory is pushing up home prices, which is hurting affordability and causing prospective buyers to delay making a home purchase," said Randy Noel, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
"Although this month marks the lowest sales pace since last October, we continue to see solid housing demand due to economic strengthening and positive demographic tailwinds," said NAHB Senior Economist Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington. "Builders need to manage rising construction costs to keep their homes competitively priced for the newcomers to the housing market."
A new home sale occurs when a sales contract is signed or a deposit is accepted. The home can be in any stage of construction: not yet started, under construction or completed. In addition to adjusting for seasonal effects, the July reading of 627,000 units is the number of homes that would sell if this pace continued for the next 12 months.
The inventory of new homes for sale was 309,000 in July, which is a 5.9-month supply at the current sales pace. The median sales price rose to $328,700.
Regionally, new home sales rose 10.9 percent in the West and 9.9 percent in the Midwest. Sales fell 3.3 percent in the South and 52.3 percent in the Northeast. Year-to-date, sales in the Northeast are down 14.5 percent as that region deals with impacts from tax reform and persistent affordability issues.
According to new U.S. housing market research by Zillow, the combination of rising home prices and interest rates creates a doubly challenging environment for would-be home buyers, making monthly mortgage payments on even modestly priced homes more of a financial burden.
Sales of newly built, single-family homes inched down 1.7 percent in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 627,000 units after an upwardly revised June report. On a year-to-date basis, sales are up 7.2 percent from this time last year.
According to a new report from the Mortgage Bankers Association, U.S. mortgage credit availability increased in June 2018. A decline in the MCAI indicates that lending standards are tightening, while increases in the index are indicative of loosening credit.
According to the American Institute of Architects, architecture firm billings grew in May 2018, marking the eighth consecutive month of solid growth.
According to a new report by CBRE, the recently enacted U.S. tax reform is poised to benefit the U.S. multifamily investment market.
According to the National Association of Realtors, pending U.S. home sales inched higher for the second consecutive month in March 2018, but unrelenting inventory constraints once again kept overall activity below year ago levels.
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