The National Association of Home Builders is reporting this week U.S. builder confidence retreated in August 2023 as rising mortgage rates and stubbornly high shelter inflation have further eroded housing affordability and put a damper on consumer demand.
According to the National Association of Home Builders’ latest NAHB / Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes in August 2023 fell six points to 50.
“Rising mortgage rates and high construction costs stemming from a dearth of construction workers, a lack of buildable lots and ongoing shortages of distribution transformers put a chill on builder sentiment in August,” said NAHB Chairman Alicia Huey. “But while this latest confidence reading is a reminder that housing affordability is an ongoing challenge, demand for new construction continues to be supported by a lack of resale inventory, as many home owners elect to stay put because they are locked in at a low mortgage rate.”
“Declining customer traffic is a reminder of the larger challenge that shelter inflation is up 7.7% from a year ago and accounted for a striking 90% of the July Consumer Price Index reading of 3.2%,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “The best way to bring housing inflation down and ease the housing affordability crisis is to enact policies at all levels of government that will allow builders to construct more homes to address a nationwide shortfall of approximately 1.5 million housing units.”
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Source: www.worldpropertyjournal.com
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