Homebuilding dips, but year best since 2007
WASHINGTON - U.S. home construction slowed in December but ended 2013 with the best showing since the housing bubble burst.
The Commerce Department said Friday
that builders broke ground last month at a seasonally annual rate of 999,000.
That's 9.8 percent lower than November's pace of 1.12 million, which was the
fastest in five years.
For the year, builders started 923,000
homes and apartments, up 18.3 percent from 2012. It was the fourth straight
annual gain and the strongest since 2007, when 1.36 million homes were started.
The housing market has been recovering
steadily over the past year, helping to boost economic growth and create jobs.
But a rise in mortgage rates from record lows reached a year ago have started
to weigh on those gains.
For December, construction of single-family
homes, which makes up roughly two-thirds of homebuilding, fell 7 percent to an
annual rate of 667,000. Construction of apartments, which can be more volatile,
dropped 14.9 percent to a 332,000 rate.
Applications for building permits,
considered a good sign of future activity, fell 3 percent in December to a rate
of 986,000. Single-family permits fell 4.8 percent. Permits for apartments were
unchanged.
Mortgage rates remain low by
historical standards. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell to 4.41
percent this week. That's down from a peak of 4.6 percent in August.
U.S. homebuilders remain generally
upbeat ahead of the spring home-buying season, which starts next month.
The National Association of Home
Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index slipped to 56 in January, down
slightly from a 57 reading in December. Readings above 50 indicate more
builders view sales conditions as good rather than poor. Even with the small
dip, the overall index remains in positive territory and is nine points higher
than it was a year ago.
Though new homes represent only a fraction of the housing market, they have an outsize impact on the economy. Each home built creates an average of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in tax revenue, according to data from the homebuilders association.