Builder

Builder Confidence Plunges on Rising Interest Rates, Growing Affordability Woes

In a sign that the housing market is now slowing, builder confidence took a steep drop in May, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released this week. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes fell eight points to 69 in May, and this… […]

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More Than 1 Million Loans in Forbearance Scheduled to Expire in June; Builder Confidence Stays Steady

The number of loans in active forbearance plans dropped by 2.7 percent last week. Black Knight says this continues a recent trend of strong improvements in the forbearance numbers in the early part of each month. The 61,000 loans that exited the program during the week ended May 11 leaves 2.16 million loans still in […]

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Buyer Demand Provides Modest Boost to Builder Confidence

New home builders seem to be slowly getting their mojo back. After recovering from the hit they took in the first days of the pandemic, they encountered labor shortages, supply chain issues, and rising material costs. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said that builder confidence in the new home market, driven by strong […]

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Lumber Prices and Rising Rates Take a Toll on Builder Confidence

Escalating costs took a toll on builder confidence this month. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said its Housing Market Index dipped two points from its February level. At 82 it is down 8 points from the all-time high it established last November. NAHB’s chief economist Robert Dietz said, while there is still a high […]

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The Downside of Ultra Low Rates; Builder Confidence Fully Recovered?

The Downside of Ultra Low Rates Actions and reactions are as true in the bond market as in the natural world. The equal and opposite reaction to a sub 3% 30yr fixed rate is a spike in the supply of new MBS. From there, supply/demand 101 says we should see downward pressure on prices. That’s […]

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