Energy Price Declines Lead the Way in September

2024-10-11T11:16:55-05:00

Prices for inputs to new residential construction—excluding capital investment, labor, and imports—decreased 0.6% in September according to the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI) report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Compared to a year ago, this index was down 0.1% in September after an increase of 1.0% in August. The inputs to new residential construction price index can be broken into two components­—one for goods and another for services. The goods component decreased 0.7% over the year, while services increased 1.0%. For comparison, the total final demand index increased 1.8% over the year in September, with final demand goods down 1.1% and final demand services up 3.1% over the year. Input Goods The goods component has a larger importance to the total residential construction inputs price index, around 60%. The price of input goods to residential construction was down 0.7% in September from August. The input goods to residential construction index can be further broken down into two separate components, one measuring energy inputs with the other measuring goods less energy inputs. The latter of these two components simply represents building materials used in residential construction, which makes up around 93% of the goods index. Prices for inputs to residential construction, goods less energy, were up 1.5% in September compared to a year ago. This year-over-year growth has continued to slow since April when it was at 2.5% and remains well below growth in September of 2022 when it was at 14.3%. The year-over-year growth in September 2023 was 1.0%, making this year’s growth slightly higher. The index for inputs to residential construction for energy fell 23.5% in September, the largest yearly decrease since 26.1% in July 2023. The graph below focuses on the data since the start of 2023 for residential goods inputs. Energy prices have retreated over the past year, with only two periods of growth in 2024. Input Services Prices of inputs to residential construction, services, fell 0.5% in September from August. The price index for service inputs to residential construction can be broken out into three separate components: the trade services component, the transportation and warehousing services component, and the services less trade, transportation and warehousing component. The most vital component is trade services (around 60%), followed by services less trade, transportation and warehousing (around 29%), and finally transportation and warehousing services (around 11%). The largest component, trade services, compared to last year was up 0.4% in September after increasing 2.1% in August. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Energy Price Declines Lead the Way in September2024-10-11T11:16:55-05:00

Put Your Guard Up and Protect Your Workers on the Job

2024-10-11T11:15:33-05:00

Join NAHB and its official safety sponsor, Builders Mutual, as they celebrate the fifth annual Guardrail Safety Week, Oct. 14-18, and be part of the difference proper guardrail use makes in protecting workers and saving lives.

Put Your Guard Up and Protect Your Workers on the Job2024-10-11T11:15:33-05:00

Labor Report Shows Dire Need for New Construction Workers

2024-10-11T09:16:57-05:00

America will need thousands of new skilled construction workers to reduce the nation's housing deficit – a shortfall NAHB estimates at 1.5 million homes – according to the latest Construction Labor Market Report from the Home Builders Institute.

Labor Report Shows Dire Need for New Construction Workers2024-10-11T09:16:57-05:00

2023 Home Improvement Loan Applications: A State- and County-Level Analysis

2024-10-11T09:17:20-05:00

Residential improvement spending softened in 2023 due to elevated interest rates, high inflation, and sluggish home sales. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA), expenditures for residential home improvements rose 2% to $363 billion in 2023, from $356 billion in 2022. The 2% year-over-year (YOY) gain in 2023 marks the smallest YOY gain since 2011. This annual data indicates that the YOY gain in residential improvement spending slowed, but the remodeling market remained solid. In this article, NAHB’s analysis of the 2023 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data provides insight into remodeling activity in 2023 by age group, and by U.S. states and counties. The 2023 HMDA data, published by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), covers detailed information on residential mortgage lending in 2023, including the type, purpose, and characteristics of home mortgage applications or purchased loans, and demographic and other information about loan applicants. According to the 2023 HMDA data, the number of home improvement loan applications declined by 17% in 2023, compared to the previous year. Moreover, the total amount of home improvement loans was about 44 billion (24%) less than the total amount in 2022. Age Group Analysis: Figure 1 below presents the number of home improvement loan applications by applicants’ age from 2018 to 2023. Among all age groups, the number of home improvement loan applications surged in 2022 and declined in 2023. Compared to 2022, the number of home improvement loan applications decreased by 23% in 2023 for applicants aged between 25 and 34 and between 35 and 40. Applicants between the ages of 45 and 54 remained the largest age group to apply for home improvement loan applications, even though the number of loan applications for this age group reduced by 18% in 2023. For applicants under 55 years old and above 74 years old, the number of loan applications in 2023 was higher than the pre-pandemic level in 2018 and 2019. Meanwhile, applicants aged between 55 and 74 had a lower number of loan applications in 2023 than in 2018 and 2019. As interest rates reached historically high levels in 2023, homeowners used savings to pay for home improvements, avoiding the extra expense of interest on loans. State-Level Analysis: While remodeling activity changed among different age groups, remodeling has also varied across geographic locations due to the cost of living, local economic conditions, and house prices. With respect to total home improvement loan applications, California had the highest number of home improvement loan applications in 2023, with 118,649 applications. Florida came in second with 102,746 home improvement loan applications. Wyoming and Alaska had the lowest total numbers of home improvement loan applications with 1,312 and 1,358, respectively. When we look at home improvement loan applications per 1,000 population, two states in New England, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, had the highest number of home improvement loan applications, with a rate of 6.4 and 6.0 applications per 1,000 population, respectively. Louisiana had the lowest number of home improvement loan applications, with a rate of 1.6 applications per 1,000 population. In total, there were 3.7 loan applications for home improvements for every 1,000 population in the United States. California, the most populous state of the United States, reported 3.0 applications per 1,000 population, which is lower than the national average rate. County-Level Analysis: The analysis of county-level home improvement loan applications per 1,000 population reveals that the aggregate market population is not significantly related to the number of per capita home improvement loan applications. In 2023, the top 10 most populated counties in the United States had an average rate of 2.6 loan applications per 1,000 population. Los Angeles County in California, one of the most populous counties, reported a rate of 2.8 loan applications per 1,000 population in 2023.  Meanwhile, some counties with a lower population had a higher loan application rate (that is, the number of home improvement loan applications per 1,000 population). For example, Nantucket County in Massachusetts, with a population of about 14,000, had the highest loan application rate of 11.1 among all the counties in the United States. Camas County in Idaho, with roughly one thousand population, had a loan application rate of 8.9, higher than about 99.7% of the counties in the United States. Additionally, the analysis finds that home improvement loan applications are relatively more common in the Mountain and New England Divisions. In total, there were 43 counties that reported 7 or higher home improvement loan applications per 1,000 population, and more than 72% of these counties were in the Mountain and New England Divisions. None of these 43 counties were in the West South Central, East South Central, or West North Central Divisions. The top five counties with the highest home improvement loan application rate were: Nantucket County (MA), Grand Isle County (VT), Dare County (NC), Boise County (ID), and Barnstable County (MA). Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

2023 Home Improvement Loan Applications: A State- and County-Level Analysis2024-10-11T09:17:20-05:00

Inflation Slows in September

2024-10-10T11:19:25-05:00

Inflation continued to ease in September and remained at a 3-year low as shelter costs continued to moderate. Shelter costs, the main driver of inflation since early 2023, saw their annual growth rate fall below 5% for the first time since February 2022. With the Fed beginning its easing cycle with a half-point cut last month, lower interest rates could help ease some pressure on the housing market. Though shelter remains the primary driver of inflation, the Fed has limited ability to address rising housing costs, as these increases are driven by a lack of affordable supply and increasing development costs. Additional housing supply is the primary solution to tame housing inflation. However, the Fed’s tools for promoting housing supply are constrained. In fact, tight monetary policy hurts housing supply because it increases the cost of AD&C financing. This can be seen on the graph below, as shelter costs continue to rise at an elevated pace despite Fed policy tightening. Nonetheless, with the Fed shifting to a more dovish stance, along with additional apartment supply supported by real-time private data, NAHB expects to see shelter costs to continue decline in the coming months. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.2% in September on a seasonally adjusted basis, the same increase as in July and August. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the “core” CPI increased by 0.3% in September, the same increase as in August. The price index for a broad set of energy sources fell by 1.9% in September, with declines in gasoline (-4.1%) and fuel oil (-6.0%) offset by increases in electricity (+0.7%) and natural gas (+0.7%). Meanwhile, the food index rose 0.4%, after a 0.1% increase in August. The index for food away from home increased by 0.3% and the index for food at home rose by 0.4%. The index for shelter (+0.2%) and food (+0.4%) were the largest contributors to the monthly increase in all items index, accounting for over 75% of the total increase. Other top contributors that rose in September include indexes for motor vehicle insurance (+1.2%), medical care (+0.4%), apparel (+1.1%) and airline fares (+3.2%). Meanwhile, the top contributors that experienced a decline include indexes for recreation (-0.4%) and communication (-0.6%). The index for shelter makes up more than 40% of the “core” CPI. The index saw a 0.2% rise in September, following an increase of 0.5% in August. Both the indexes for owners’ equivalent rent (OER) and rent of primary residence (RPR) increased by 0.3% over the month. These gains have been the largest contributors to headline inflation in recent months.  During the past twelve months, on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI rose by 2.4% in September, following a 2.5% increase in August. This was the slowest annual gain since February 2021. The “core” CPI increased by 3.3% over the past twelve months, following a 3.2% increase in August. The food index rose by 2.3%, while the energy index fell by 6.8%. NAHB constructs a “real” rent index to indicate whether inflation in rents is faster or slower than overall inflation. It provides insight into the supply and demand conditions for rental housing. When inflation in rents is rising faster than overall inflation, the real rent index rises and vice versa. The real rent index is calculated by dividing the price index for rent by the core CPI (to exclude the volatile food and energy components). In September, the Real Rent Index remained unchanged after a 0.1% increase in August. Over the first nine months of 2024, the monthly growth rate of the Real Rent Index averaged 0.1%, slower than the average of 0.2% in 2023. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Inflation Slows in September2024-10-10T11:19:25-05:00

NAHB’s Newest HBCU Cohort Learns Career Development Skills

2024-10-09T13:35:32-05:00

Cultivating, educating and inspiring the next generation of building professionals is a key priority for the industry. As part of those efforts, NAHB's second annual Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Student Leadership program held a three-day learning, networking and development meeting last month in Washington, D.C.

NAHB’s Newest HBCU Cohort Learns Career Development Skills2024-10-09T13:35:32-05:00

Housing Is a Priority: Help Spread the Message

2024-10-09T09:15:54-05:00

During last week’s Fall Leadership Meeting in San Antonio, NAHB unveiled a campaign to spread the message that housing production should be a priority and that the residential construction industry will be sending a lot of voters to the polls.

Housing Is a Priority: Help Spread the Message2024-10-09T09:15:54-05:00

2024 Second Quarter State-Level GDP Data

2024-10-09T09:16:46-05:00

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 49 states and the District of Columbia in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the last quarter of 2023 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Alaska reported an economic contraction during this time. The percent change in real GDP ranged from a 5.9 percent increase at an annual rate in Idaho to a 1.1 percent decline in Alaska. Nationwide, growth in real GDP (measured on a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis) increased 3.0 percent in the second quarter of 2024, which is higher than the first quarter level of 1.6 percent. Nondurable-goods manufacturing; finance and insurance; and health care and social assistance were the leading contributors to the increase in real GDP across the country. Regionally, real GDP growth increased in all eight regions between the first and the second quarter. The percent change in real GDP ranged from a 3.7 percent increase in the Rocky Mountain region (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming) to a 2.2 percent increase in the New England region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont). At the state level, Idaho posted the highest GDP growth rate (5.9 percent) followed by Kansas (5.6 percent) and Nebraska (5.3 percent). On the other hand, Alaska posted an economic contraction in the second quarter of 2024. The agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry was the leading contributor to growth in 11 states including Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, and the states with the highest increases in real GDP, respectively. Mining, which declined in 33 states, was the leading contributor to the decrease in real GDP in Alaska, the only state with a decline in real GDP. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

2024 Second Quarter State-Level GDP Data2024-10-09T09:16:46-05:00
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