Rising Interest Rates, Higher Construction Costs Slow Housing Production
The housing market is experiencing strong headwinds from rising interest rates and on going supply chain disruption issues.
According to NAHB, the May reading of 1.55 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts decreased 9.2% to a 1.05 million seasonally adjusted annual rate. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, decreased 23.7% to an annualized 498,000 pace.
“Single-family home building is slowing as the impacts of higher interest rates reduce housing affordability,” said Jerry Konter, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Savannah, Ga. “Moreover, construction costs continue to rise, with residential construction materials up 19% from a year ago. As the market weakens due to cyclical factors, the long-term housing deficit will persist and continue to frustrate prospective renters and home buyers.”