U.S. Homebuilding Insights

Improved mortgage spreads have sustained positive existing home sales this year by holding rates near 6.6% instead of the 7%+ levels seen in prior...

NVR's land-light approach delivered ~13% net margins in FY2025 versus Lennar's ~5%, with stronger free cash flow and downside protection.

• Lennar...

Houston's homebuilding powerhouse is cooling as higher borrowing costs and uncertainty extend selling periods after years of rapid growth.

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• Spending hit a $2.17 trillion SAAR in April 2026, or 4.4% of GDP, though real volumes declined.
• Material costs rose over 43% since 2020, with...

Mortgage Rate Developments

• 🔥 Weekly Rate Dip: The average 30-year mortgage rate fell five basis points to 6.28% APR amid mixed economic data.
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Latest data reveal a labor market constrained by falling participation rates yet supported by strong business-cycle conditions, with payrolls...

New York is building apartments at its fastest pace since the mid-1960s, driven by multifamily projects targeting the state's severe rental shortages,...

• Mortgage rates stayed elevated near 6.3-6.5%, with Freddie Mac reporting 6.43% and Zillow at 6.28-6.36% for 30-year fixed.
• Weak June jobs data...

Byron Gangnes shows affordability depends on down payments, mortgage rates, taxes, and insurance—not just prices vs. income.

• National median prices...

Milliman's Q1 2026 data shows agency securitizations jumped 33% YoY to $333 billion, driven entirely by refinance activity rising 132% while purchase...

Cold-formed steel delivers innovative solutions for complex, high-risk construction projects.

• Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion: CFS framing enabled...

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called the Democratic housing bill ineffective for ignoring local regulatory costs driving up prices, instead promoting his...

Construction Spending Trends

• May Construction Spending: U.S. construction spending rose 0.1% in May after a revised 0.3% April gain but fell...

• California's labor force fell by 142,000 over the past year, driven by out-migration, reduced immigration, retirements and lower birth rates.
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• Total construction spending rose just 0.1% in May to a $2.210T annualized rate yet dropped 1.5% year-over-year.
• New single-family housing spending...

Seattle's three-bill package unlocks over 300 affordable units in Mount Baker, Montlake, and the Central District by mandating childcare space, early...

• Rate volatility: Lenders raised 30-year fixed quotes up 0.11% from the prior morning amid bond selling, though the average settled at 6.57% after...

In New York City, a typical household would need roughly 65 years to save the $265,000 median first-time down payment at current incomes and a 5%...

Rising inventory in Northwest Arkansas is creating more buyer options and moderating price growth to just 1.8% annually, even as mortgage demand holds...

Listing prices dropped 2.5% nationally to $430,000 in June—the steepest annual decline since 2017—while pending sales rose 3.7% amid fewer price...