The 2014 Houzz Healthy Home Study conducted in October surveyed 808 homeowners across the U.S. about the overall health of their home. The survey asked participants to consider things like cleanliness, air quality, year built, and chemical exposure to determine whether or not they find their homes healthy versus non-healthy. Overall, survey findings conclude more than 60 percent of homeowners consider their houses healthy. One in five responded saying they consider their homes non-healthy and 6 percent were unsure. Comfort, security, and exposure to germs were listed among the top considerations homeowners make when rating their healthiness of their house.
Source: EcoBuilding Pulse Magazine What makes a house healthy? According to homeowners, recent remodeling is a big factor.
The 2014 Houzz Healthy Home Study conducted in October surveyed 808 homeowners across the U.S. about the overall health of their home. The survey asked participants to consider things like cleanliness, air quality, year built, and chemical exposure to determine whether or not they find their homes healthy versus non-healthy. Overall, survey findings conclude more than 60 percent of homeowners consider their houses healthy. One in five responded saying they consider their homes non-healthy and 6 percent were unsure. Comfort, security, and exposure to germs were listed among the top considerations homeowners make when rating their healthiness of their house. Source: Dodge Data & Analytics New construction starts in December retreated 16% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $568.2 billion, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The decline follows the 13% increase reported for total construction starts in November, when activity reached its highest level in 2014 with the lift coming from several exceptionally large projects, including a massive lithium ion battery manufacturing plant, an airport terminal redevelopment program, and a liquefied natural gas terminal. Both nonresidential building and nonbuilding construction in December witnessed substantial percentage declines relative to their robust November amounts. At the same time, residential building managed a modest gain in December with the help of further growth by multifamily housing. For 2014 as a whole, total construction starts climbed 7% to $575.3 billion. This continues the pattern of moderate expansion for total construction starts reported during the previous two years – 2012, up 10%; and 2013, up 9%.
New-home sales rose to their highest level in more than six years in December, finishing the year on a strong note and suggesting renewed momentum for the sector.
The multifamily market has had strong demand in recent years and is set to remain that way in 2015 despite certain headwinds that could affect the industry, said panelists during a press conference at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas.
Source: NAHB A strengthening labor market, low interest rates, improving mortgage availability and growing pent-up demand will help to significantly boost single-family housing production in the year ahead and move the housing recovery to higher ground, according to economists speaking at the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.
Source: NAHB Led by solid gains in single-family housing production, nationwide housing starts rose 4.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.089 million units in December, according to newly released data from the U.S. Commerce Department. For the year, overall housing starts topped 1 million units.
The National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI) posted a record-high result of 60 in the final quarter of 2014. A reading of 60 indicates remodelers’ confidence in the quarter-over-quarter improvement in the remodeling market.
Construction input prices dipped 1.4 percent during the final month of 2014 and are down nearly 1 percent on a year-over-year basis, according to the Jan. 15 producer price index release from the U.S. Department of Labor. Inputs to nonresidential construction fell even farther, down 1.7 percent for the month and 1.9 percent year over year. December’s report marks the sharpest decline in input prices since late 2008 during the global financial crisis and the fifth consecutive month construction materials prices have failed to rise.
The trend measure of housing starts in Canada was 195,792 units in November compared to 195,796 in October, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The trend is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of housing starts.
Source: NAHB Following an upwardly revised rate last month, housing starts in November slipped 1.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.028 million units, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Three-month moving averages for total and single-family production were at their highest levels since the Great Recession.
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