Follow this tag to curate your own personalized Activity Stream and email alerts.
The disappearance of such affordable homes is central to the American housing crisis. The nation has a deepening shortage of housing. But, more specifically, there isn’t enough of this housing: small, no-frills homes that would give a family new to the country or a young couple with student debt a foothold to build equity. [...]
At the root is the math problem of putting — or keeping — a low-cost home on increasingly pricey land.
— The New York Times
America has a long history of gradually siphoning away architecture made for predominantly middle-class people (think pre-war buildings in Manhattan or Levittown tract housing on Long Island) and is now simply under-delivering what could otherwise be an equalizing force as a result of prevailing... View full entry
A new poll conducted by the National Association of Home Builders shows builder confidence in the market for new single-family homes is at its lowest level after six straight months of decline.
The poll measures builder perceptions of current and future single-family home sales, and the traffic of prospective buyers. All three categories posted declines in the latest monthly data with buyer traffic falling most sharply, a sign that homebuyers — especially first-time ones — are giving up.
— NPR
The now-familiar cocktail of increasingly higher interest rates and home prices is once again causing headaches for contractors looking to fill America’s shortage of 4 million homes. The NAHB has been pushing the Biden Administration to take action on the supply-side of the problem since last... View full entry
Buyer Demand is outstripping the availability of homes as many ponder a solution to the newest driver in the housing crisis. A Commerce Department report detailing the continued decline in the market for single-family dwellings again in April, a product of overall increase in demand and lack of... View full entry
The government will abolish stamp duty for all first-time homebuyers on homes under £300,000 in a move that will save home purchasers up to £5,000, but the government's spending watchdog warned it could push up house prices. — Business Insider
Philip Hammond, the conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced stamp duty changes in the 2017 Budget that would abolish the tax for all first-time buyers on homes under £300,000. The move is seen as an effort by the ruling Conservative party to win over younger voters, many of whom... View full entry
Everyone knows the supply of new homes in the Bay Area is falling far short of job and population growth, but the number of existing homes being put up for sale is also near record lows in many areas. [...]
“The move-up market is pretty much frozen,” said Matt Fuller, an agent with Zephyr. “Even if you can do great on the sale of your property, you are terrified to enter the market as a buyer.” [...]
Inventory is also shrinking because post-foreclosure sales have dried up.
— sfchronicle.com
