The BuildFax Housing Health Report revealed blanket year-over-year declines in single-family housing authorizations, maintenance and remodel volumes. However, spend on the existing housing stock increased within the same time frame, likely a result of a tightening construction labor and materials markets. The report, which leverages U.S. property condition and history data to deliver macro- and microeconomic trends, includes a deep dive on the states that experienced the largest year-over-year increases in average maintenance costs. Amidst a slowdown, this can indicate the markets where the housing stock may be least at risk by showing where homeowners are still investing in the upkeep of their homes.
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BuildFax Housing Health Report Uncovers Top 5 States With Highest Increases in Y/Y Maintenance Spend (Graphic: Business Wire)
Housing Supply by Volume
- Single-family housing authorizations decreased by 2.75% year over year.
- Existing housing maintenance volume decreased by 0.75% year over year.
- Existing housing remodel volume decreased by 0.33% year over year.
“So far, 2019 has revealed a dichotomy in the housing market – new and existing construction activity is declining steadily, while the spend on these projects is increasing consistently,” said BuildFax CEO Holly Tachovsky. “Spend is rising, in part, due to increased tariffs on construction materials, tightening labor and construction markets and an uptick in natural disaster activity. Colorado, Florida and Washington have seen the greatest increases in maintenance spend year over year, which may indicate a relationship between elevated construction costs and national affordability challenges. We expect that construction spend on the existing housing stock will eventually start declining as demand slows. As we move further into 2019, we will be monitoring whether these indicators begin to move in parallel to evaluate if such a shift in the housing market is realized.”
Nationwide Affordability Trends Contribute to Rising Construction Spend
State-level analysis of maintenance spend, which comprises construction costs on more than 90% of all U.S. properties, highlighted a correlation between an increase in average year-over-year spend and states with net positive domestic migration. For instance, Colorado, Washington and Florida experienced the greatest increases in construction spend and are some of the nation’s fastest-growing housing markets. Even with national construction spend high, it’s likely homeowners in these markets, where houses are still actively bought and sold, are still compelled to complete remodels and maintenance work despite the rising costs associated with these projects.
For more trends affecting the U.S. housing market, access the full report here. To learn more about BuildFax, visit www.buildfax.com.
ABOUT BUILDFAX
BuildFax, headquartered in Austin, Texas, is trusted by the largest insurance and financial institutions in the world to deliver business-critical property condition and history data. With the only database of its kind encompassing more than 84 billion data points on commercial and residential structures, BuildFax delivers detailed data on remodeling, solar installations, new construction, roof age, major systems, maintenance history and more. To learn more about BuildFax, visit www.buildfax.com.
METHODOLOGY: BuildFax conducted this study by examining properties in the U.S. between the years 2013 and 2019. Data only includes properties located within permitting authorities with 100% coverage during the above time frame. All percentage increase and decrease statistics leverage the same data set across time. Due to historical revisions made by permitting authorities, the data is subject to change. Estimates are as of July 8, 2019.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190716005147/en/
Contacts:
Ariel Miller, 413-636-3615
ariel@ink-co.com
