Compared with January's data, housing starts in February stayed virtually the same.
February's housing starts dropped just .2 percent down to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 970,000 units, data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Census Bureau showed.
"[B]uilders are in a holding pattern," said Kevin Keely, National Association of Home Builders chairman.
Single-family units increased by 0.3 percent to an annual rate of 583,000, and multifamily starts dipped 2.5 percent to 312,000.
But the numbers also hint that the industry is ready to spring forward as the season gets underway.
Building permits, an industry harbinger of things to come, rose almost 10 percent. Multifamily permits in particular jumped up by nearly 30 percent.
"Competitive mortgage rates, affordable home prices and an improving economy all point to a continuing, gradual strengthening of housing activity through the rest of the year," NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe said in a statement.
