Housing starts are on the rise, reaching a post-recession high in November. The West and South regions of the country are seeing the bulk of the increase in new-home construction.Housing starts—which include single-family and multifamily production—increased 3.3 percent nationwide in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.3 million units, the Commerce Department and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported Tue
Hardwood flooring is dominating the main living areas of new homes, and engineered hardwood has been particularly catching on over the past decades, according to the latest surveys from Home Innovation Research Labs.Engineered hardwood floors are made up of layers: the top and bottom layers are natural wood, but the middle contains a core of plywood. It’s known to be a more quick, fuss-free installation than solid hardwood.Hardwood has become t
Nearly 24 percent of new single-family homes in 2016 included decks, according to a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data from the National Association of Home Builders. The percentage is up slightly from 23.3 percent in 2015.New England and the East South Central region of the U.S.—which includes Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alabama—are showing some of the biggest upticks in single-family homes with decks. Perhaps unsurprisingly,
The front porch—a classic feature of American homes—is making a comeback but with a twist.Younger crowds are literally turning porches into stages. “Porchfest” is growing in popularity across the country, in which neighborhood music festivals pop up that are enjoyed from homeowners’ front porches.The Atlantic Monthly’s CityLab reports: “In the Instagram age, the front steps have become places to see and be seen, throw a rocking conc
Sales of new single-family homes jumped 6.2 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 685,000 units, the Commerce Department reported Monday. This marks the highest pace for new-home sales since October 2007. “The October report shows strong sales growth at entry-level price points,” says Granger MacDonald, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders. “In markets where builders are able to provide homes for famil
Developers are continuing to shrink the size of new single-family homes, according third-quarter housing data compiled by the National Association of Home Builders. The median square footage of a single-family home was 2,378 square feet in the third quarter.In the years following the Great Recession, builders were focused on the higher end of the market, catering to larger-sized homes. But more recently, builders have renewed their focus on the e
As more builders face labor shortages, they’re starting to look for new and faster ways to train more workers.For example, the Colorado Homebuilding Academy, a nonprofit organization, opened this year to offer a free eight-week “boot camp” to help increase the builder labor force. The course is founded and funded by Oakwood Homes, a homebuilder based in Denver that is owned by Berkshire Hathaway."Every single year, the labor situation has b
Lennar Corp. and CalAtlantic Group, two of the country’s largest residential builders are merging to form America’s largest home builder in a $9.3 billion deal. The merger will cover around 240,000 building plots or home sites in 21 states, and the combined company will have about $18 billion in market capitalization.Lennar and CalAtlantic operate in 31 of the same markets nationwide. CalAtlantic, however, will bring new markets such as Salt
realtor.comFarmhouse chic is all the rage in home decor these days, thanks largely to Chip and Joanna Gaines from "Fixer Upper," who play up this style in many of the homes on their show (Hello, "barndominium"). The recent news that "Fixer Upper" will soon be ending for good provides all the more reason to embrace this trend. Soon, it'll be all we'll have left of Chip and Jo! (Sniff.)But before you go all Beverly hillbillies on us, reme
Let’s say it costs $3,000 to make old hardwood floors look new again. That’s a lot of money, especially if your client is just getting the house ready to list. But of all the remodeling projects homeowners can do to increase the resale value of their property, refinishing the floors is at the top.Of course, no one can predict with certainty whether the investment will pay off, but recent research suggests it will have a big ROI—most likely
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends, valuable tips, and company news.
This website includes images sourced from third party websites including Adobe, Getty Images, and as otherwise noted.
