Carin Brock, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of US LBM Holdings LLC, was recently elected Chair of the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) for the 2026–2027 term. Brock is now the second woman to serve as Chair in the association’s history. As Chair, she will strengthen state and regional association partnerships and support federal policy solutions for lumber and building material dealers. “I am honored to serve as Chair of NLBMDA and to help advance the association’s work on behalf of lumber and building material dealers across…
Read MoreCategory: Industry News
Pending home sales increase in August
According to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) Pending Home Sales Report, pending home sales rose 0.3% month over month in August. Pending home sales rose month-over-month in the South and West but fell in the Northeast and Midwest. Year-over-year, pending home sales decreased 4.7%. “Buyers steadily entered into contracts in August even though mortgage rates increased,” said NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun. “However, the housing market is still sluggish, with contract signings below last year. This is due to higher mortgage rates offsetting the increased buying power created…
Read MoreWhat the custom home premium reveals about homebuilding
According to the National Association of Home Builders’ analysis of the latest Survey of Construction data, the custom home premium reached its highest level since 2011, at 12.6%. The custom home premium is the difference between what typical buyers pay per square foot for a contractor-built home versus a spec home. For custom single-family detached homes started in 2025, the median price increased to $171 per square foot. For spec starts, excluding improved lot values, the median was $152 per square foot, nearly unchanged from $153 a year earlier. The…
Read MoreSmall metros carry weight of homebuilding activity
According to the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Home Building Geography Index (HBGI), single-family construction declined across nearly all major metros in Q2 2026. The data reported that densely populated metro counties continued their fifth quarter of decline and fell 13.9%. However, the decline was not as steep compared to the previous quarter’s 15.8%. The smaller markets, noted as outlying counties in small metro areas and the microcounty, saw improvements. The outlying counties in small metro areas grew for the first time in a year, posting a reasonable 0.9%…
Read MoreConstruction job openings rise to 326,000 in July
Construction sector jobs increased again in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. However, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) analysis is skeptical that a majority of the work is in residential construction. The positive is that construction jobs are up more than the previous month, at 326,000 in July compared to the June increase of 298,000. Notably, July’s postings are stronger than last’s year’s numbers of 305,000 jobs. Hiring in July increased from 3.8% to 4.4% and layoffs plateaued at 1.9%, while the…
Read MoreHere’s what 20 years of data reveals about remodeling industry
New research from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies analyzed 20 years’ worth of data within the remodeling industry. According to the analysis, U.S. remodeling activity increased significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, homeowners spent over $600 billion annually making improvements, replacing broken systems, repairing damage or conducting routine maintenance on their properties, up from $400 billion in 2019. As for industry growth, the number of residential remodeling contractor establishments grew by a quarter between 2017 and 2022, reaching over 128,000 businesses. The geographic distribution of remodeling establishments…
Read MorePending home sales soften as summer winds down
According to a new Redfin analysis, home buying is softening as summer winds down. Pending home sales fell 1.3% week over week, while new U.S. home listings rose 1.2%. Home-buying demand remains strong in California’s Bay Area and South Florida. However, an opportunity remains as summer winds down: New home listings and slower demand could draw out more potential home buyers. Touring activity remains up 10% from the start of the year, as of Aug. 15, 2026. “Some homeowners have been waiting for mortgage rates to fall and demand to…
Read MorePending home sale tour activity up 12%
According to a Redfin analysis, as of Aug. 8, 2026, touring activity for pending home sales is up 12% from the start of the year. U.S. pending home sales edged up 0.4% week over week during the four weeks leading up to August 9 on a seasonally adjusted basis, offering a boost to this summer’s slow housing market. Pending sales remain lower, but the latest weekly uptick may reflect normal week-to-week changes, showing signs of a steadying market. On a year-over-year basis, pending sales are down 1.6%. While rising mortgage rates…
Read MoreABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator decreases in July
On Aug. 11, 2026, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.0 months in July 2026. The data originates from an ABC member survey conducted from July 20 to Aug. 4. The reading is down 0.8 months from both a month ago and a year ago. “Backlog fell sharply in July and is down to the lowest level since January,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The data center boom masks the depth of this weakness, as there is a lack of momentum in…
Read MoreRemodeling spending outpaces the rest of residential construction
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicated that private residential spending decreased by 0.03% in June. Remodeling and home improvement was the only sector to increase in June, but only by 0.01%. In May, the remodeling sector contributed to the overall bump in construction spending. It was then revised to a 0.4% decline. Compared to a year ago, private spending for remodeling is down 7.2%. Despite the decrease, overall sentiment for remodeling remains positive with continued demand. “In contrast, improvement spending has been on an upward trend since 2023, supported…
Read More