NAHB Webinar Features Bullish Economists

Washington, DC, Oct. 19, 2012 -- Sparked by rising home prices across much of the nation, the housing recovery is now under way, but fiscal uncertainties and other challenges could result in a bumpy ride in the coming months, according to economists participating in yesterday’s National Association of Home Builders webinar on the construction and economic outlook.

“We’re seeing a more robust housing sector than many other parts of the economy,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.

“One of the reasons is we have finally begun to see on a national scale that house prices are picking up again.”

Crowe cited a number of other factors that are carrying the housing momentum forward. These include:

• Pent-up household formations
• Rising consumer confidence
• Increasing builder confidence in all three legs of the industry: remodeling, multifamily and single-family construction
• Growing rental demand
• More than 100 metros currently on the NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index

However, Crowe offered several cautionary factors that continue to put a drag on housing activity at this time – including builders who are experiencing difficulties in obtaining production credit, qualified buyers who are unable to obtain mortgage loans, inaccurate appraisals, seriously delinquent mortgages that are at least 90 days late or in foreclosure, and a limited inventory of developed lots in certain markets.

NAHB is forecasting a 21% increase in single-family starts this year to 528,000 units and a further 26% climb to 665,000 units in 2013.

Multifamily housing starts are expected to rise 26% this year to 224,000 units and 6% in 2013 to 238,000 units.

Expressing a more bullish outlook on housing and economic growth, Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics, forecast that GDP growth will range in the 2% range this year and next and “double that growth closer to 4% in 2014 and 2015.”

At the same time, he expects job growth to go from two million per year to closer to 3 million in 2014 and 2015.

“A big part of this optimism is the housing market,” said Zandi. “I expect 1.1 million total housing starts in 2013, 1.7 million to 1.8 million in 2014 and over 1.8 million in 2015.”