Builders More Confident in Senior Market

Washington, DC, Aug. 9, 2013 -- Builder confidence in the 55+ housing market for single-family homes showed strong continued improvement in the second quarter of 2013 compared to the same period a year ago, the National Association of Home Builders said.

The index increased 24 points to a level of 53, which is the highest second-quarter number since the inception of the index in 2008 and the seventh consecutive quarter of year over year improvements, according to the NAHB.

"Builders and developers for the 55+ housing sector are feeling optimistic as they are seeing more consumers return to the marketplace," said Robert Karen, chairman of NAHB's 50+ housing council.

"With existing home prices rising, consumers are able to sell their current homes and make the move toward either purchasing a home or renting an apartment that is designed to more specifically suit their lifestyle."

All of the components of the 55+ single-family HMI showed major growth from a year ago: present sales climbed 24 points to 54, expected sales for the next six months increased 25 points to 60 and traffic of prospective buyers rose 26 points to 48.

"The 55+ HMI for single-family homes almost doubled from a year ago," said NAHB chief economist David Crowe.

"Sentiment in other segments of the 55+ market housing was strong as well. This is consistent with the increase in builder confidence we've seen in other NAHB surveys recently. At this point, the main challenge for builders in many parts of the country is finding enough buildable lots in desirable locations and workers with the necessary skill set to respond to the increased demand."