Chicago Home Options

Ginger Bonneau

  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • First Time Home Seller Tips
    • First Time Home Buyer Tips
  • Reviews
  • Contact Ginger

Homebuilders Expect A Soft Winter Housing Market

August 16, 2011 by Ginger Bonneau Leave a Comment

Homebuilder confidence 2009-2011

Two months after posting their worst confidence reading of 2011, home builders say they foresee no improvement in the immediate- or medium-term market for new homes nationwide.

In August, for the second straight month, the Housing Market Index read 15.

The HMI is a monthly housing survey, published by the National Association of Homebuilders. It’s scored on a scale of 1-100 with readings over 50 suggesting favorable home builder conditions. Readings under 50 suggest unfavorable conditions.

The Housing Market Index has been below the 50-point benchmark since 2006.

To calculate the HMI, home builders are asked 3 separate questions, each addressing the different element of the new home sales business.

  1. How are today’s market conditions for the sale of new homes?
  2. How do you expect market conditions to be 6 months from now?
  3. How are the current foot traffic of prospective buyers?

Based on the August answers to these questions, builders are witnessing an improvement with the current market, partially fueled by low mortgage rates, but expect momentum to fade into early-2012.

As a home buyer in Lakeview , this may bode well for you. If you can wait to buy a home, you may find builders more willing to concede on price or upgrades.

The other side of that conversation, though, is that while you may save money on the home, you may lose it in your monthly payments. Rising mortgage rates can quickly zap your savings — adding tens of thousands in interest costs to your budget long-term.

For now, home prices remain low and mortgage rates do, too. Home affordability is at an all-time high. Take advantage of what the market gives you.

Filed Under: Housing Analysis Tagged With: HMI, Homebuilders, NAHB

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Ginger

Contact Ginger


Consultant
Office: 312.254.0200
Mobile: 312.608.1125

Connect with Me

Let’s Keep In Touch!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent Articles

  • NAHB: Home Builder Confidence Ticks Up in April
  • How To Get A Mortgage If You Are A Gig Worker
  • Do Not Procrastinate On These Spring Maintenance Tasks
  • 7 Inexpensive Upgrades You Can Make To Your Rental Property

Looking For Something?

Categories

Our Location

1586 N. Clybourn
Chicago, IL 60642

Copyright © 2021 · Powered by MySMARTblog