On June 10, 2026, more than 1,100 builders, remodelers and other housing industry professionals went to Capitol Hill to call for congressional action. Attendees urged Congress to improve affordability and help builders to increase the production of affordable, attainable homes. In more than 300 meetings with lawmakers, housing advocates focused on the following priorities aimed at improving affordability and increasing supply: landmark housing legislation, workforce development and immigration and permitting obstacles. “Members of the housing community from across the country are in Washington for the National Association of Home Builders…
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Existing home prices outpace new-builds
According to new analysis from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), an unusual trend continues to emerge in the housing market: new homes are less expensive than existing ones. While only a small gap, Q1 2026 reported the median price for a new single-family home was $403,200, compared to an existing home at $404,600. The relationship switched in the post-pandemic market with slow construction for new-builds and pandemic purchasers holding on to their low mortgage rates. Although, there are extreme regional pricing gaps across the U.S. In the South,…
Read MoreBuilding materials see price increase
According to the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI), prices of building materials used in residential construction were up 3.7% in April. Soaring energy prices caused a spike in the overall April PPI reading to 6% compared to last year. Including energy, the price index for inputs to new residential construction was up 5.9% from last year, with the price of goods used in new residential construction up 6.1% from last year. Among input goods, the largest year-over-year increase was for No. 2 diesel fuel as prices were 74.4% higher than…
Read MoreU.S. home builder sentiment increases in May
Home builder sentiment increased in May across the U.S. This month, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index rose to 37, up from 34 in April. About 32% of builders cut prices in May as a sale incentive to potential homebuyers. The price cut was down from 36% in April, with an average price reduction of 6%, versus 5% in April. The use of sales incentives was 61% in May, up from 60% in April, the 14th straight month at 60% or higher. The survey’s measure of current…
Read MoreThe revival of HELOCs
According to New York Fed data, homeowners are more likely to tap into Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC). In Q1 2026, HELOC balances rose by $12 billion, increasing the total to $446 billion. Around 43% of Americans renovated their home in the last year and another 33% plan to renovate in the next year. Tapping into this equity allows homeowners to complete necessary renovations such as roof replacements or increase the value of homes with kitchen and bath remodels. This demand continues to debt limits which increased 1.4%. “Homeowners who…
Read MoreExisting home sales rise
New data from April 2026 reported existing-home sales increased by 0.2%. While a slight increase, this rebound from March’s nine-month low exhibits signs of a balancing market. The average sales price of existing homes increased 0.9% from the previous year at $417,700. Regionally, the Midwest and South saw the most increase at +2.2% and +0.5% respectively. The Northeast remained unchanged while the West fell 2.6%. The percent of first-time homebuyers are also up, at 33%. “Despite mixed macroeconomic signals—including a record-high stock market and historically low consumer confidence—home sales were…
Read MoreConstruction jobs see growth since February
According to the newly released U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), jobs in the construction industry had 224,000 openings in March. This is a significant increase to the reported slow February numbers of 2001,000. JOLTS includes all positions that are open on the last business day of the month. Overall in March the total number of job openings was relatively unchanged at 6.9 million. Compared to the same time last year, jobs in the construction industry is down 54,000 jobs. “Construction industry hiring rebounded from February’s…
Read MoreSenate passes major housing affordability bill
On March 12, 2026, the Senate passed a bill aimed at boosting the supply of housing and bringing down prices. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, written by Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., won 89 votes. The 303-page legislation creates a series of grants and pilot programs for housing construction. Another key section titled “Homes Are For People, Not Corporations,” prohibits large institutional investors from purchasing certain single-family homes, as a way to promote homeownership opportunities for families rather than corporations. “It will mean, for the…
Read MoreConstruction layoffs and quits decline
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its January data last week. During the month, the layoff rate for construction jobs declined to 1.0 %, the quits rate followed with a decrease to 1.7%. The industry remained relatively plateaued compared to a year ago. However, flat is undeniably better than falling. With the spring season kicking in, openings should increase across the nation and especially in the northeast. While in the overall economy the open jobs reportedly increased from from…
Read MoreConstruction employment stalls in December
A recently released report from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) reported that construction job growth was limited in an estimated more than half of all metro areas. Their report cites that construction employment throughout 2025 remained stable in only 55 metro areas and declined in 129 metro areas. The largest construction employment losses were in the Las Vegas (-11 percent), New York City (-8 percent) and Riverside ( -7 percent). While the largest increase was in Washington (12 percent), Kansas City (9 percent) and Arlington ( 6 percent).…
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