BUILDER HomeAdvisor has some advice for home building companies. By Dian Zhang The construction industry is facing a severe labor shortage. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median age of construction industry workers is 42.8, with young workers under 34 accounting for less than one third of the total workforce. A different report [...]
Builder How I learned to stop worrying and love the infamous square foot pricing question. By Andy Stauffer Ask any farmer what a bushel of wheat costs and he'll have an instant answer for you. Similarly, the price of a barrel of oil and an ounce of gold are common knowledge, with costs quoted down to [...]
Builder These consumer trends will impact this year’s most in-demand window products. By Lauren Shanesy As consumers continue to rank home characteristics such as seamless indoor-outdoor living and home automation as their top in-demand home features, builders should be on alert and choose products that cater to these trends, which insert themselves into every aspect of [...]
BUILDER Realtor.com survey: 52% of buyers likely to be searching for their first house. The 2017 home buying season will be characterized by a large increase in first time home buyers, increasing affordability issues among buyers, and high demand for suburban homes, according to realtor.com®'s Active Home Shopper Report released Wednesday. The study was based on [...]
BUILDER Young adults' 'wait-and-then-hurry-up" stage of household formation, family formation, and housing preference behavior is revving up. By John McManus Next year won't be housing's emancipating rebound we may have hoped for, but it's also more than likely not going to be a stretch we'll have reason to fear. For glass-half-empty types, 2017 housing measures will [...]
By Kathy Orton December 19 Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press Various real estate entities have weighed in with their prognostications for the 2017 housing market. Most observers expect home sales and prices to moderate in the coming year. They say suburbs will make a comeback while the days of low mortgage rates are over. Of course, a [...]
Meanwhile, fewer single men are, despite earning a higher average annual income BY BARBARA ELDREDGE@BARBARAELDREDGE DEC 19, 2016, 10:00AM EST Pixabay The relationship status of homebuyers is shifting. In 1985, 81 percent of homebuyers were married couples. Today, that figure is closer to 66 percent, even though the number of unmarried couples buying homes has only [...]
BUILDER Bankrate pegs benchmark 30-year loan at 4.18%. Mortgage rates inched higher, rising for a seventh consecutive week, with the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate rising to 4.18%, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey released Thursday. The 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.21 discount and origination points. The larger jumbo 30-year fixed inched to [...]
REMODELING As baby boomers age, so will the increased demand for housing units with universal design, according to a new report from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. By Helena Okolicsanyi, Laura McNulty For remodelers, 2035 might be the year that aging-in-place remodeling will be front and center. A new report from Harvard's Joint Center for [...]
Builder The latest Zillow Digs Home Trend Forecast predicts velvet, jewel tones, white marble and built-in bars will top buyers' list of must-have home features. By Lauren Shanesy Courtesy Benjamin MooreBenjamin Moore's 2017 Color of the Year, Shadow, adds depth to the room with a rich color. Is velvet about to make a comeback? According to [...]
