Builder Magazine: Business News

Consumer sentiment checks up a bit

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:17:23 EST

Consumer sentiment retreated this month after reaching its highest in nearly six years in May, a survey released on Friday showed, as household optimism about employment and housing faded slightly.

Proof of existing: housing data on this week's docket

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:16:30 EST

Sales of existing homes probably rose in May to a three-year high and builders began work on more new properties, extending gains in residential real estate that are boosting the U.S. expansion, economists said before reports this week.

Weyerhaeuser antes up $2.65 billion for Brookfield lumber assets

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:16:23 EST

Brookfield Asset Management Inc. on Sunday said it had agreed to sell all its Longview Timber holdings to Weyerhaeuser Co for $2.65 billion, including assumption of debt.

Weyerhaeuser's five gem home building portfolio's on the block ... who will buy?

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:12:26 EST

In a series of strategic announcements this morning, Weyerhaeuser, issued stock, announced a succession plan, and, most importantly, a move to "maximize the potential" of its WRECO portfolio of five home building operators--Maracay, Pardee, Quadrant, Trendmaker, and Winchester. Who'll land this crown-jewel set of assets and operational stand-outs? Let's have a look.

Bigger homes on smaller lots ... recovery's first leg

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:45:34 EST

American Institute of Architects chief economist Kermit Baker captures design trends, home building economics, and home buyer preference in a single conceit: big houses on small lots. Baker's more elegant, and generous with explanation.

Y's and wherefores: millennials on the make

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:45:29 EST

Young adults, known as millennials or Generation Y, will very likely force some type of shift in the housing market. New York Times staffer Lisa Prevost reports.

Input costs ease as wood product prices soften in May

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:45:25 EST

National Association of Home Builders economist Robert Denk takes a look at the latest Producer Price Index data, noting that an expected pullback in wood products prices has eased lumber and OSB input costs, and should continue to do so.

Standard Pacific Buys 3,000 Lots

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:11:14 EST

The California builder buys Florida and North Carolina land and communities from Centerline Homes, essentially all the residential assets of the Florida-based builder.

Dragnet magnets ... America's most criminal towns

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:14:15 EST

After falling for five consecutive years, the number of violent crimes across the United States rose by 1.2% in 2012. Based on data published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the increase was even greater in some of America's largest cities. Here's the top 10 most-dangerous.

Vacation homes are back big time

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:59:19 EST

They're baaaaack! Remember vacation homes? They were all the rage about a decade ago, when then-Fed head Alan Greenspan irrationally-exuber-tranced the economy into faux financial euphoria. Well, vacation homes are back. Bloomberg/ BusinessWeek's Prashant Gopal and John Gittelsohn report.

Rural population declines as boomers stick closer to downtown

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:48:15 EST

The Associated Press' Hannah Dreier and Hope Yen tap into new census data that indicate rural America is losing population for the first time ever, largely because baby boomers aren't so keen on moving to far-flung locations for retirement and recreation.

What's the over under? America's most overvalued, and undervalued, housing markets

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:47:15 EST

Las Vegas and several other investor-heavy cities have been the source of renewed housing bubble speculation lately. They shouldn't be. Want to know where home prices are really inflating? Follow the tech boom. Forbes' Morgan Brennan tapped Fitch Ratings data to compile America's most over-, and undevalued housing markets.

Sales, jobs data show underlying economic strength

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:25:13 EST

Retail sales rose more than expected in May, and first-time applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, signs of economic resilience in the face of belt-tightening in Washington.

Life after death: the return of mortgage-backed securities

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:24:23 EST

More real-estate investors, particularly those saving for retirement, are seeking solid returns. But they're not buying homes. They're buying mortgages. As the residential market bounces back, investors are showing renewed interest in buying mortgage-backed securities.

Rising 30-year rates present ARMs opportunities

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:24:18 EST

With the ongoing run up in fixed mortgage rates, adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) are becoming more popular among homeowners looking to refinance and for home purchasers. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate this week is 0.6 percentage points above the recent low set over the week ending May 2nd. In comparison, the share of conventional mortgage applications for ARMs rose from 13% of dollar volume at the beginning of May to 17% last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

A California Builder Sees Rebuilding Teardowns in Its Future

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:28:11 EST

RSI Development uses a manufacturing process to complete houses in three to four months and offers customers locked-in pricing that starts at around $90,000.

CEO optimism on hiring gains mojo

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:54:19 EST

U.S. chief executives expect to hire more workers in the next six months and that sales will improve modestly, a tepid if slightly optimistic reading of the economy, a Business Roundtable survey has found.

MBA: mortgage apps up, rates highest since March 2012

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:54:16 EST

The Mortgage Bankers Association Refinance Index increased 5% from the previous week. Despite the increase, the level is still 11% lower than two weeks prior and 36% lower than the recent peak at the beginning of May. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 5% from one week earlier.

Renewed tax streams are states' coffer medicine

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:54:10 EST

U.S. state and local governments finally appear to be collecting enough in taxes to raise spending and give the broader economy a bit of a lift after several years of being a drag.

Buying a house as an investment: win or lose?

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:29:26 EST

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta research economists Ellyn Terry and Jessica Dill bring a full arsenal of economic and mathematical analysis to bear on the question of whether buying a home is a good investment. They seem to line up behind housing guru Robert Shiller, who says housing's a good investment, but only if you want to live there.